Page 42 of Hooked on a Demon
Yes. But only because I can’t get your sister off my mind.
“No. Not feeling it lately.”
Everest sighs dramatically, “Fiiiiinee,” agreeing to Declan’s condition. “Alright, you go get changed, and I’ll text the guys. Be ready to go in ten!”
“Yes, Mom!” Declan teases before heading into the house to do as instructed.
* * *
“Welcome to Karaoke Night!” Daisy exclaims from the stage. “Tonight is all about letting loose and showing everyone those pipes you’ve been hiding. So scroll through the list of songs available here—” she says, conjuring a QR code in the air for patrons to scan, “and then click the link at the bottom to sign up with your choice. We’ll get started in about ten minutes, which gives you enough time to order a few more shots of liquid courage,” she finishes, winking at the crowd.
People clap, and excited chatter picks up as she walks off stage. Declan watches her briefly as she walks across the floor, stopping and quickly kissing the brunette sitting at the bar before going behind the counter and serving drinks. He’s come to know Sloan over the last year or so during holiday get-togethers or casual hangouts at Lachlan’s. She seems nice enough, and Daisy is clearly happy with her. If she wasn’t, he knows Petra would most certainly use those infamous Premier Witch powers to dissolve Sloan’s ass into a pile of goop.
“So what song do you wanna sing tonight?” Everest asks. “I was thinking of some romantic duet. Really show the ladies how soft and sensitive we are.”
Declan laughs, but Everest’s tone suggests that he’s legitimately suggesting they sing something together. “No.” Declan stares him down. He is not doing that. He refuses to embarrass himself that way. Besides, this was supposed to be a chill night, which, judging by Everest’s now wandering eye, he’s completely forgotten about as he tries to land the attention of some curvy redhead across the bar. He turns to Tai and Joley next to him, hoping for their support. Instead, he finds traitors.
“You two are first up!” Tai says, laughing like the dick that he is. “We figured with Declan’s range and Everest’s good looks that the song by Wicked Crew would be a perfect fit.” Joley is in hysterics beside Tai, and as he leans back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs, one of Declan’s little tendrils of smoke happens to slip out and push him over. Tai bursts out into further laughter. Declan and Everest join him, and even though he’s red-faced with embarrassment, Joley joins in as well. He raises his hand, and Declan meets it for a high-five as Joley says, “Worth it.”
Daisy appears on stage, with much encouragement from the crowd. When the whistling and hollering finally settle down, she brings the microphone up to her lips. “Alright, our first song is ‘Careless in Love’ by Wicked Crew, to be sung by the one and only Declan and Everest.” The smirk on her face says she knows this is going to be a train wreck and that she’s here for the ride anyway. “Let’s give them a round of applause!”
The crowd claps loudly, and people nearby shout excitedly. Declan looks to both Tai and Joley as he and Everest stand. Letting his demon rise to the surface, he allows his eyes to flash gold while staring his traitorous friends down. “You both are on my shit list,” he playfully growls before calming the demon within and walking away. As he makes his way to the stage, he hears Tai say in a mock scared tone, “Oh no, the big bad demon boy is mad at us. Whatever will we do?”
Declan picks up the mic and says, “Daisy, can you be sure to add Tai and Joley next? Pick something good for them, okay?”
She laughs as she slides back behind the bar and gives him a thumbs-up. She and Sloan put their heads together as the song starts up.
Everest and Declan turn to face each other, looking at each other like long-lost lovers in a storm. Everest’s hand extends out, reaching Declan, but he steps back, keeping the distance and imaginary tension between them as the song builds. When the course breaks, they turn in unison to face the crowd, who roar back at them, egging them on. Everest falls to his knees in despair, and he pleads for Declan’s forgiveness through the lyrics. Declan closes his eyes, mentally praying for Hades to save him from this spectacle. As the song shifts to a message of love, the protagonists, having worked through their challenges and swearing a never-ending devotion to each other, Declan opens his eyes, and they instantly land on her.Eliana.
CHAPTER26
Eliana
The last thing she expects to see when she walks into the Acorn is her brother and Declan belting out a ballad to each other. Everest is in his glory, soaking up the attention of everyone watching, but Declan’s gaze tells her he only cares about one person in the room. Her.
His eyes track her across the room as the server guides her and Kaia to a table. She places her phone and wallet on the table and watches the show before them unfold.
The volume in the room rises as other patrons eat out of Everest’s hand while he mimes falling in love with Declan. As the last round of the chorus starts, the room erupts, raucously singing along with her boys on stage.Herboys. The thought causes her to pause before she sits. The server says something to them, but with the crowd singing along, it’s impossible to make out any of it. Not that it matters. Her brain is too busy short-circuiting, stuck on the idea of Declan being hers. She rarely wants to claim Everest, but Declan… That came out of nowhere. They’ve barely been on a date, and yet her brain is already laying claim to the demon. She’s going to have to have a chat with her subconscious later.
The boys finish their song to exuberant applause and whoops of celebration, and Everest leaps off the stage. He high-fives anyone he can on his way to Eliana’s table, with Declan following close behind.
“Ellie. What are you doing out? You don’t go out,” he says, raising his hand out to Kaia for a high-five. When she doesn’t reciprocate, he runs his through his hair instead. Declan snorts behind him, and Kaia picks up the menu from the center of the table, not giving Everest the time of day.
Feeling her phone vibrate on the table, she flips it over and glances at the screen. “Nice to see you too, Ev,” she replies, silencing yet another call from an unknown number.
Plopping down on the open seat beside her, Everest throws his arm along the back of her chair. As a server walks by, he circles a finger in the air, signaling a round of shots for the table. “Oh, don’t be like that. You know I’m teasing you,” Everest says.
“What are you two doing out tonight?” Eliana asks. “Looking for another heart to break?”
“Always,” Everest laughs. “But this guy has gotten old and says hedoesn’t want to,” Everest says, adding a mocking lilt to the last few words.
“Or, maybe he’s trying to be respectful of women,” Eliana counters, quickly catching Declan’s gaze before turning her attention back to Everest.
“Unlikely,” Everest and Kaia say in unison. Eliana turns her head, glaring at her friend while Kaia laughs along with Everest. Hell must have suddenly frozen over if these two agree on something.
“Anyway,” Declan says, sidestepping the conversation, “Tai and Joley are up next, and we should get back to our table.”
“Oh, they’re fine. We can watch them make a fool of themselves from here; Hades knows they won’t be anywhere near as good as we were. I mean, they don’t have our chemistry,” Everest says, reaching dramatically for Declan, who now sits on Eliana’s opposite side. Declan laughs and bats her brother’s hands away. Despite the crowd’s murmur, that resonant sound of his sticks to her. Coating her in a warmth she didn’t know she needed.
