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She and Rhea had done a good job with her disguise. At first I’d been worried she’d decide to have a little fun with it. But they’d gone with a few sensible, but effective, changes. The red was gone from her hair, and the solid black tresses were pulled back into a simple ponytail hanging down her back. Her eyes were green now, instead of blue, and her nose was a bit longer. She wore black jeans and boots with a black shirt and leather jacket. She looked like Johnny Cash’s little sister, but I wasn’t complaining. She’d blend into the crowd in this getup much better than if she’d worn her normal broomstick skirt and peasant blouse.
Slade came forward just as I motioned to Earl for two Bloody Magdalenes. Maisie stood to my side, looking around nervously. For me this type of place was like a second home, but for Maisie it probably looked full of trouble. Which, come to think of it, was exactly why I liked it.
“Sabina,” Slade said in his velvet voice. When he smiled, he flashed a little fang—the vampire version of a wink.
I nodded. “How’s it hanging, Slade?”
He grinned. “Don’t ask unless you really want to know the answer.”
I felt Maisie shift behind me, offering the perfect opportunity to change the subject. I reached behind me and pulled her forward. “Slade, I want to introduce you to my friend Fiona.” We’d decided to use Maisie’s middle name, since it’d be easy for her to remember to respond to.
“Nice to meet you,” she said quietly.
Slade barely acknowledged Maisie/Fiona at all. He glanced her way and nodded, but his eyes quickly returned to my face. “You going to hang around after the fight?”
I shifted uneasily. “I don’t know.” Probably Giguhl would want another celebratory session with the nymphettes after. But I wasn’t ready to commit to hanging around any longer than necessary until I saw how everything played out.
Slade reached out and pushed a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. “Think about it, okay?”
I shrugged his hand away when it landed on my shoulder. Time to change the subject. “Who’s Giguhl fighting tonight?”
Slade smoothly moved to the new subject, but the twinkle in his eye told me he knew he’d unsettled me. “We have something special for your demon tonight.”
My eyebrows rose. “Oh?”
Slade nodded, glancing over at Giguhl. He had two nymphs in his lap, and a third whispered something in his ear that had his color high. “He’s become a sensation. Demons are lining up to challenge him.” He glanced at his watch. “Almost time. I need to borrow Giguhl for a few minutes beforehand, if that’s okay.”
I nodded. “It’s okay with me, but good luck dragging him away from the groupies.”
Slade laughed. “Watch and learn.”
I leaned back against the bar and watched him prowl across the bar. As if he cast a spell, the crowd parted for him.
“That was interesting,” Maisie said next to me. She’d been so quiet, I’d almost forgotten she was there.
“What?” I asked, keeping my eyes on Slade. He’d reached Giguhl and said something to the nymphs. They jumped up and moved away so fast, you’d think the place was on fire.
“You didn’t tell me Adam had competition.”
My head swiveled toward her. “Who? Slade?” I forced a laugh. “Been there, done that, don’t plan on returning.”
“Oh, please,” Maisie said. “You were totally flirting with him.”
My mouth fell open. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t flirt with anyone.”
A single black eyebrow rose to her bangs.
I rolled my eyes. “Look, I’m not an idiot. I know Slade has debauchery on his mind. But I think I can manage to resist his manly charms.”
She pursed her lips and watched as Slade led Giguhl through a curtain leading to the fight area. “Are you sure you want to? He’s got a nice ass.”
I choked on the swig of vodka and blood I’d been in the process of swallowing. When I finally caught my breath, I stared at my sister. “Shouldn’t you be discouraging me? I thought you were on Team Adam.”
She paused, her teasing expression going somber. “I’m on Team Whoever-Makes-Sabina-Happy.”
I shook my head at her. “I appreciate your loyalty, but Slade isn’t on the roster.”
“If you say so.”
Earl saved me from further discussion on the subject. He clanged a bell behind the bar. “Fight starts in ten!”
Excitement zinged through the bar. As one, the crowd flowed toward the back of the bar and the stairs leading down to the arena. I paid Earl and handed Maisie her drink. “You might want to pound that before we head down,” I said over the din.
“Why?”
“Trust me. Drink.” I tossed back my own glass and slammed it on the bar. Maisie hesitated for a moment. She chugged more slowly but managed to get the whole thing down. She whacked her glass on the wooden bar and squared her shoulders.
“Let’s go watch that familiar of yours in action.”
22
We had to push our way through an even larger crowd than before. I stopped short when I finally reached Giguhl and got a load of his getup. The boxing shorts were black with orange flames and the word Killer embroidered in red on the ass.
“Charming,” I said.
“Cool, huh? Slade had them made for me.”
“Yeah, that Slade’s a real peach. Who’s your opponent?” I glanced across the ring. He had the head of a jackal, and a thick black animal pelt was draped across his shoulders.
Giguhl sneered. “Chaos demon. Nasty fighters, the lot of them.”
From the looks of the Chaos, I was relieved Slade insisted on the brass collars. Giguhl would have enough of a fight on his hand without magic entering the equation.
“Do you have a strategy?”
Giguhl shrugged his shoulders and stretched his arms across his chest as he spoke. “The thing with Chaos demons is they fight like berserkers. Look at him.” Giguhl pointed a claw across the ring. The Chaos danced in frenzied circles; with each pass, his muscles contracted and bunched. A low rumble started deep in his chest and grew in intensity until it was a full-on growl. Finally, he stopped circling and clenched his muscles, widening his arms and throwing his head back. A ferocious roar emitted from his mouth, full of razor-sharp teeth.
“Someone’s pissed,” Giguhl said in a singsong voice.
“Again. What are you going to do?” I glanced at Maisie. Her face had gone pale as an albino’s ass. I’d deal with her in a second. First I had to get Giguhl squared away.
