Page 28 of Demons in My Bed
Frank chose that moment to spit on Ashland. That was a horrible fucking decision. Maybe it was the adrenaline, the betrayal, the smell of sweet bunny pussy still lingering, driving us all insane… Either way, the second that wad of saliva hit Ash’s shirt, all hell broke loose.
Ash’s clothes were shredded as he shifted into his demon form, right there in front of Frank. The scent of piss and shit hit next, and I wrinkled my nose. Piss I could understand, but shit? Jesus, Ash wasn’t that damn scary.
In a blink, Ashland got to work removing Frank’s fingers. I leaned back against the wall and let him do his thing. You don’t spit on a man and not expect repercussions. This was the twenty-first century, not the Wild fucking West.
“Scorpio! It was Scorpio!” Frank screamed, just in time to save his thumb. For now.
“Whatwas Scorpio?” Ash snarled, his voice deeper and louder than normal.
Frank started sobbing, and I heaved a bored sigh. “Answer the gods damned question!” I bellowed, sick of all this dicking around. He was a dead man, and we all knew it.
“He offered me a lot of money for some intel. I didn’t mean for Pete to get hurt! They didn’t even want the high market shit, just some random shit!”
At that, Rhodes looked up, his eyes glowing.
“What the fuck are you?!” Frank shrieked, his terrified gaze flicking between Ash and Rhodes.
“We,” Rhodes corrected, walking over to stand beside the big, blond demon. “We are demons. And you are fucked.” He shifted, earning another scream from Frank. It didn’t hit the same as Palmer’s screams though, and I was temporarily distracted by thoughts of her as I wondered what she and Misha were up to.
My brother—not one to be left out—joined Ash and Rhodes, and within seconds, all that was left of Frank was a big bloodstain and random chunks of bone and skin. Fucking gross. Ashland had probably let a little of his biokinetic power out, essentially turning Frank into mush as they ripped into him with their claws.
“Damn, you guys went hard on that,” I mused happily, nodding to the stain of Frank. The three of them were breathing heavily, their tails swishing back and forth in agitation. “Feel better now?”
Rhodes flipped me off with one massive claw, making me smirk. “I didn’t see any point in waiting. We knew he was guilty.”
Back when we first started suspecting Frank, we’d come up with a plan. We set up tonight’s big party at Haunt, which meant nearly the entire city and our gang would be here. We then tasked Frank with doing a check-in at the docks for an incoming shipment, just to make sure we had enough space to store it all. Frank drove out yesterday to assess the area, and Ash had let slip to him that the shipment was arriving tonight. Conveniently, we’d all be at the party at that time.
When the text came through earlier, that sealed his fate. He was the only one who’d known about the shipment—which was fake. We’d told our best soldiers to patrol, but to stay hidden. Sure enough, twenty-five thieves had shown up… and now they were dead. If Scorpio’s boys were behind it, we’d be able to get confirmation easily enough by checking their tattoos.
“Fucking Scorpio,” Rhodes spat, flinging blood from his hands.
“Why the hell would he be making a move like this now? Not only that, but why is he interested in what we’re up to? I mean, the weed and cars I could understand…” Talon bent down, scooping up a part of his shredded shirt and using it to wipe off his face.
Ash was still staring at the remains of Frank, like he wished he could bring him back to life just to rip him to shreds all over again. “Yo, Ash, you okay?” His eyes snapped to mine, and I saw a flash of sharp teeth. “Okay, someone needs a cold shower. Come on, bro.”
He stared at me for another minute before shaking his head. “Fuck, that was intense. I was so gods damn pissed!”
“Well, he’s dead now. Deader than dead. We got what we needed, now let’s go clean up. How do you think Mishy is faring with our bunny?” Talon asked, throwing his arm around Ash’s waist and leading the way to the communal showers we had down in this area. I’d insisted on those. I didn’t want blood and mud and who knows what else dragged through the club or the rest of the building.
“I’m sure he talked her ear off,” Rhodes grumbled, and Tal tossed up a middle finger at him.
My skin was fucking crawling from being near them right now in their filthy state, and I zoned out as we entered the showers. I needed a gallon of soap and an endless flow of scalding hot water, and then I needed my studio. I was wired; there was no point in pretending that I’d get any sleep once we headed upstairs.
Rhodes appeared in my stall just as I was about to walk in. “You good, brother?” I nodded, pissed that he’d even noticed my internal distress. “Here, they’re new.” I looked down as he handed over a bag which held a green loofah, a black washcloth, a bottle of exfoliator, and a variety of soaps and shampoos.
“Thanks, man.” I took the bag and went to turn my back, but he grabbed my arm.
“You can always talk to me, ya know?” His eyes shone with sincerity.
I appreciated it, I really did… but no. I couldn’t.
I nodded silently, and he left. I showered, listening to Talon singing about hunting rabbits in Elmer Fudd’s voice, and Ashland laughing like a lunatic. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Palmer yet, but luckily, I had six months to figure that out. Not that it’d be a hardship to have her around—she’d sucked my cock better than anyone ever had before.
“Cheers to that,” I whispered, and got to work scrubbing my skin raw.
*******
Freshly showered and down one layer of skin, I sank into my leather chair and picked up my sketchbook. I’d never liked getting dirty, even as a kid. No fucking thanks. Other kids had lived to play in the dirt and the sandy beaches just outside of our village. I happily sat my ass on a chair well above the gritty sand and spent my time drawing instead.
