Page 3 of Far From Center
Chapter 2
The only thingbetter than the sun on Nyalla’s skin was the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the rocky shore.
“This is the most incredible vacation ever,” she told the demon who sunbathed by her side.
“It’s not a vacation,” Terrelle corrected. “It’s a job. We’re here to do a job.”
“I know that. But this is a beautiful island, and I like combining vacation with work.”
Besides, it wasn’treallywork if she loved the job, was it? Doing these things for Sam, the Iblis, the imp that was like a foster mother to her, was pretty much a dream job. Nyalla was a sidekick, a right-hand woman. Sam might send her off on what the imp felt were easy, non-risky tasks, but this one must be a tiny bit risky if she’d sent two demons with her. Yes, Terrelle was a Noodle, an information demon, and not very good at fighting, but she would be useful if the Gormand intended to screw them over by giving them a fake. And Snip…well he was a Low, but so very loyal. Sam had promised him a vacation here among the humans in payment for his very valuable assistance in Hel. He couldn’t be that helpless if he’d been of valuable assistance in Hel, could he? Besides, he was sweet, and kind of cute, and Nyalla really like him in the same way she liked the overly friendly ugly dogs at the animal shelter.
“Why aren’t we over with the humans at the beaches by the high-rise hotels?” Terrelle complained. “The ones with tiki bars? The ones with actual sand instead of rocks? The ones with all the actual sunbathers.”
“Because I like this beach better.”
Terrelle was right. All the tourists were on the other side of the island where calm aqua waters lapped white sands, and both casinos and cantinas were only a skip away. They, on the other hand, were sunbathing on the side of the island with four wheelers and Jeeps, with wild goats, cacti, and lighthouses, with shipwrecks claimed over the centuries by an angry sea. Aruba was kind and gentle on the west shore, wild and fierce on the east, as conflicted as Jekyll and Hyde.
And Nyalla had always had a soft spot for Hyde.
Something wet splashed onto her stomach, like a drop of rain. Nyalla shoved her sunglasses upward into her hair and opened her eyes.
“Hello, Snip.”
The demon had proclaimed earlier that he’d had enough bathing in the sun, and left to go chase the wild goats and throw rocks at the tour buses driving up the road to the lighthouse. And now he’d returned to stand over the pair of them, ogling. And drooling. Nyalla brushed the spit off her abdomen and sat upright.
“Snip! Go drool over Terrelle. I’m trying to get a tan here.”
“I don’t want him drooling over me,” Terrelle said.
“Terrelle has a bathing suit on. You don’t. I like naked humans better than demons wearing tiny scraps of cloth.”
The Noodle made a disgusted noise. “Great. Even the Low rejects me. I’m never going to get laid, not by a human or demon.”
“I’m not going to get laid either,” Snip whined.
Nyalla ignored the Low. “Terrelle, don’t be silly. That man at the sailboat rental place was very interested in having sex with you, as was the man running the towel cabana and the woman at the hotel check-in desk.”
“That woman was just being friendly, the towel man can’t get it up, and the sailboat man wanted me to pay him. Don’t think I haven’t tried.”
Poor thing. “The right one will come along, Terrelle. Just wait and see.”
“I don’t want the right one,” she wailed. “I just want to fuck somebody. And I’m tired of waiting.”
“I’mnevergoing to get laid,” Snip complained once more.
“Let’s get the item from the Gormand, then we’ll all get laid. And drink margaritas and go scuba diving.”
Snip wrinkled his pointy nose. “I don’t want to go scuba diving. Can I get laid twice instead?”
Nyalla reclined back down on the warm rocks and closed her eyes. She had more important things to do than procure sexual partners for the two demons who were supposed to be guarding her.
“Speaking of the Gormand, when are we meeting him?” Terrelle asked.
“He’s supposed to let us know. We’ll finalize arrangements, then get what we came for in the next three days at the latest. With any luck, you both will be enjoying a consensual sexual partner of your choice directly after while I go on one of those cool dive excursions I read about at the concierge desk.”
“Three days?” Snip wailed. “I don’t think I can wait three days.”
“Well then I guess you need to hustle and get your game on,” Nyalla teased. “Start hanging out at the beachfront bars and the casinos. It’s One Happy Island, so someone somewhere is going to want to get naked with you, Snip.”
