Page 63 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Palmer
Ithrashed and kicked, but Rhodes' grip was like a vice. "Put me down, you arrogant prick!" I screamed, pounding my fists against his back. He didn't flinch; he just kept stalking away from the chaos behind us.
Asrael’s dead.
"Rhodes, I swear to every fucking god, if you don't put me down right now, I will make your life a living hell!" I snarled, trying to wriggle free. His arms tightened around me, a silent refusal. I growled in frustration, heat rising in my cheeks as I heard others following us.
"BUN-BUN?!" Talon's voice rang out through the air, and I squirmed harder than ever.
My protests died in my throat as Talon yanked me from Rhodes' grip. His blood-splattered face filled my vision before his mouth crashed against mine. The metallic tang of blood mixed with that uniquely Talon taste—like lightning and sin wrapped in pure chaos. I melted into him like a bar of chocolate left in a hot car, completely aware of the weight of three sets of eyes on us.
"Missed you, Bun-bun," he murmured against my lips before diving in for another kiss that made my toes curl in my boots. His hands gripped my thighs, holding me up as if I weighed nothing. “You sneaky little rabbit! You fuckin’ stabbed Asrael right through the heart!” He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “My cock was hard enough after seeing that I could’ve done a naked pirouette and knocked Asrael’s head off his shoulders.”
"You're insane," I managed to gasp out, but there wasn't much heat behind the words. My fingers had somehow wound themselves into his red hair without my permission.
"You love it." His blue eyes sparkled with that familiar manic gleam. I did love it. As I looked into his manic, wild eyes, I knew that I loved him too. "I never believed it, you know? Not for a second. You can't be two things at once. You're a bunny, not a fucking rat."
Fuck. Okay, we’re doing this now.I swallowed harshly and shot Rhodes a look from the corner of my eye.
"You saw the evidence," Rhodes interrupted.
"I saw a picture." Talon's eyes snapped to Rhodes'. "It's fuckin easy to look at something and think you know every gods damned thing there is to know, isn't it?"
The tension between the two demons was so thick that the air actually felt heavier, and I cautiously risked a look at Misha. He was staring so hard at the ground, I was surprised the cobblestones themselves weren’t splitting beneath the intensity of his gaze. Okay, not going to push that one right now. Felix shifted next to Misha, and I braved a look, scared to see what I’d find on his face.
Felix's blue eyes met mine, and gods, the hurt there cut deeper than any blade. They found out I was working for someone else. The pain radiating from him was a physical thing, wrapping around my throat and squeezing until I could barely breathe. Myfingers tightened in Talon's hair, needing something to ground me.
"Felix," I whispered, but he shook his head, taking a step back. Away from me.
And then Ashland came stomping around the corner, looking more flustered than I’d ever seen him. But he was a master of being in control of his emotions, and I watched as, with each step he took in my direction, his emotions solidified, or rather, he switched them off. Ice-blue eyes pierced straight through my soul. If Felix's pain was a stranglehold, Ashland's gaze was pure frostbite. Cold. Empty.Demonic. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he stared me down, and I knew that look. He was hurt—probably more than any of them—but he'd rather die than show it.
"So kind of you to grace us with your presence," Ashland drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm that made me flinch. "Did you have orders to get more information about us?"
"Ash," Talon warned, his grip on my thighs tightening protectively. But I didn't need protection. Not from this. I deserved every bit of their anger.
I wiggled until Talon set me down. "You mean from my boss that I just shoved a sword through?"
"Asrael was your boss?" Ashland’s look of shock was quickly smoothed over and he laughed, sharp enough to draw blood.
Rhodes’ wings expanded, making him appear even larger. More intimidating. “What the fuck?” he hissed.
My chin lifted. Fuck this. “It’s a long story.”
"Bullshit." The word cracked like a whip from Ashland's lips, but his eyes never left mine, even as Talon and Felix glanced to Rhodes.
"It's not—" I started, but Rhodes cut me off.
"Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private." His eyes darted meaningfully to the gathering crowd of onlookers. "Unless you'd prefer to air all our dirty laundry here?"
I glanced around, noting the mixture of curiosity and fear on the faces watching us. Right. We'd just helped overthrow Asrael, and here we were having a lover's spat in the middle of the aftermath. Real professional.
The air crackled with demonic energy as Misha's massive form finally moved, breaking free from whatever frozen state he’d been in. He was absolutely drenched in blood, his long dark hair matted with it, streaks of crimson painting his face like war paint. His chest heaved with each breath, and when our eyes met, that familiar orange glow ignited in his irises.
Oh fuck.
I knew that look. Had been on the receiving end of it more times than I could count. It was the look of a predator who'd just spotted his favorite meal after working up one hell of an appetite.
"This would be a good time torun," Talon suggested, shrugging. The single word held equal parts warning and excitement.
