“Did you get any rest?” Her stubborn look said she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I didn’t have the chance to tell her anything before she continued her questioning. “You know we’re leaving in two hours, right?” She sounded so much like Samuel, but I knew better than to point that out.
“Yes. I need more rest than you two do, but not as much as the others.”
“Uh-huh…” she responded with a small smile on her red lips. “So, what you’re saying is, you’ll rest on the trip there.”
“No,” I responded while shaking my head, “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Are you tired?”
“Not at all.”
“Do you want to go swimming?” She narrowed her eyes and looked up at me through her lashes. Her line of questioning threw me off balance. It was four in the morning. Why would I want to go swimming? The coquettish look she gave me had me surrendering with no more hesitation, though.
“Lead the way, Kitten,” I held out my arm for her to walk in front of us. Novak winked at me as he matched my stride. He was acting weirder than normal. I wondered what he had been up to as we followed Sloane inside.
She traipsed through the darkened house without missing a beat. When we got closer to the basement door, she started stripping off what little clothes she was wearing. Her shirt came first, and we were looking at nothing but her bare back and her legs covered only in a skirt. She tossed the tiny top over her head. Before it hit Novak in the face, he yanked it out of the air and threw it behind us along with his own shirt. Her skirt flew towards us next. I grabbed it as it made contact with my chest, dropping it to the ground and removing my shirt as I tried not to stumble at the view. Her body was thin and lean. Her muscles bunched delicately as we continued our trek. She was incredibly built with long legs, a slim waist, and a tight, round ass. I wanted to groan at the sight before me.
When we made it to the pool, Sloane danced around to the far end. She gave us a saucy look over her shoulder before leaping into the water in a graceful arch. Her back and leg muscles coiled with the movement. Her feet flexed like a gymnast as she dove with her arms straight over her head. She swam under the water to a glass wall that separated the interior pool from the outside. Novak and I watched in fascination, then side-eyed each other. I didn’t want to swim. I wanted to watch her refined motions until the sun came up and we were forced to leave.
We both finished removing our clothes in record time and jumped in after her. Once I was on the other side of the glass, I tracked her movement under the water. She was a predator on land and in the water. Her naked body pulled me to her like a magnet. I felt myself becoming the prey.
As I watched her body flow through the water like clouds in the sky, I knew I’d die a happy demon if she was what death had in store for me. I’d be her prey any day of the week. She was my devil, my vice. I had no doubts that I’d move Hell and Heaven for her if that's what she desired.
18
Sloane
Sunday Early Morning
I spied the encroaching dawn and wished that we could spend the entire morning in the pool. Things were just getting interesting. I was sandwiched between a naked demon and a naked vampire when Franklin walked in and cleared his throat. Right. Time to go. Uhg. As Franklin closed the door behind him, we begrudgingly dragged ourselves out of the warm water. I walked to the tall cabinets on the far wall to grab some towels. We made our way upstairs as the others were walking down, and Briggs stopped to take in the state of our towel clad bodies.
“What were you guys doing?” he questioned us with a pointed look.
“Swimming.” Stone’s face was a mask of innocence, while Novak and I wore the complete opposite.
“Something like that,” Novak coughed out.
“Yeah, whatever you say.” Briggs stalked down the stairs and called over his shoulder, “We’re leaving in fifteen, so get dressed.”
I snagged Stone and Novak’s hands and hustled up the stairs with them fumbling behind me. I dropped their hands when we reached the top of the third floor stairs and continued up the next flight two at a time while yelling down, “Show him his room, please.”
I rushed into my bathroom for a five-minute shower and sped through getting dressed as I danced around in my closet. Combat clothes were my absolute favorite. I found my enchanted fishnets that repelled knives and bullets, snatching them up my smooth legs. Jack had given them to me for Christmas last year, and we’d had a blast testing them out. This was the best gear a bitch could ask for. I added a black pleated skirt over them, because I needed freedom to kick ass, and topped it with a tight black t-shirt that said psycho. It didn’t make much sense now, but it would later today. I knew how I got, so it would serve as a warning. Maybe.
I stood on my tippy toes to reach for my combat boots on the top shelf in my closet, but I still couldn’t brush the edge of the box. I snapped my fingers, and the shoebox dropped into my outstretched hands. These boots were glorious. They were made by a demon friend of mine in a small city called Stars in the Underworld. The leather was scaled, but I had no idea what kind of animal they were made from. I also didn’t want to know. They had compacted two-inch rubber soles. Thick silver covered the heels and tips of the toes with inch-long spikes across the tops that were embedded into steel-toe plates inside them. Let’s be honest with each other. It wasn’t rubber, silver, or steel. They’re materials from the Underworld, but that was the closest resemblance to the earthy stuff.
I was officially ready and getting excited about the upcoming fight. Slaughter? Nah, we’d call it a fight for now. I really wanted to try the whole teleporting, disappearing and reappearing somewhere else, magic before we left. I’d never done it before, but I was damn well gonna figure it out. I stared at myself in the mirror and tried to motivate the hungry bitch looking back at me. “You can do this, Lo. You’re hungry, you’re full of energy, and you have no limits to what you can achieve.” I closed my eyes and kept right on talking. “Just imagine yourself breaking down into particles and rushing through the Void, then coming out of the Void as those same particles and forming into a whole you again, except in the kitchen.”
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Calm your mind.
Envision your destination.
I felt my body start to dissolve, and I focused hard on the kitchen. The stainless steel appliances. The black marble countertops. The coffee maker as it dripped scalding black life. My favorite mug beside it. The basket full of fruit on the counter by the sink. I anticipated the familiar feeling that I knew so well, and as soon as I passed into the Void I reveled in the bitter cold that washed over my body. The warmth returned to my limbs quickly. I twitched my fingers and peeled my eyes open. I’d made it! Fuck yes! Six sets of shocked eyes stared back at me, and I gave them a confident grin.
“You guys saw that, right?” I nonchalantly gloated as I skipped around the kitchen island to the coffee maker. Taking my “This is the blood of my enemies” mug from the countertop, I filled it with coffee and sugar.
Franklin was the first to somewhat recover. He completely bypassed what just happened and set my hot pink duffel bag on the counter without a word. The clatter of weapons was like music to my ears. I knew from the sound that he’d included a few new instruments in the bag. The noise of the weapons hitting the counter broke everyone else out of their ill-repressed stupor. Four voices spoke up at once.