Page 63 of Demon Demands

Briggs and Palmer exchanged a look, the whole table silently laughing at their expense.

“You did that on purpose,” Briggs accused, pointing at me.

“What?” I asked, grinning even wider. “I didn’t do anything. You and Palmer picked your prize, if you win. I’d also like to point out that said number of participants was not negotiated, so do with that what you will.”

“Damn it,” Briggs growled, slamming his glass of ale on the table. “It was supposed to be something she wouldn’t like, Palmer.”

My mage held his hands up in surrender. “I was just givin’ ya suggestions. Yer the one that agreed to it.”

“I told you, Briggs,” I breathed, dropping my hand onto his thigh as he sulked. “Either way, I get what I want. You, a threesome, all of you at once… being in the middle, just watching. Any combination. If I win, it’s just you and me. If I lose, there has to be at least one more person joining us. And that decision is yours.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Godsdamnit. I have no idea how you twisted that to work in your favor.”

Shaking my head, I pulled my lips to the left and laced my fingers together on top of the table. “I didn’t do a thing. You and Palmer did all the heavy lifting for me. I just sat here looking cute.”

Briggs huffed in exasperation, muttering to himself, “I don’t know what to do with you sometimes.”

“Fuck me?” I suggested. “I mean, I’d still be a handful and a half, but at least I’d be satisfied and less ornery.”

“You know what…” he glared at me before shaking his head, a small grin lifting his lips. “I’m going to get another drink.”

“I’m going to stare at your ass as you walk away,” I called to his retreating back. “Shake it a little more for me, Wolf.”

“He’s really determined to make you wait, isn’t he?” Hyde asked, watching my shifter as he stomped to the bar. “I just don’t understand why.”

“What took you so long to get here?” Jack inquired when I didn’t answer Hyland right away.

I didn’t know how to tell Hyde that I also didn’t know why Briggs was so hellbent on not being physical with me. Did it bother me? No, not exactly, but I did want to know why. If I knew why, then maybe I wouldn’t make such a big deal about it. Or maybe I’d make a bigger deal about. I didn’t really know.

I sighed at Jack. “There was a dick on my nightstand with a lovely note from my demon. This is why I don’t let her out on Earth.”

I tossed her note onto the table, our group having no issues reading her large handwriting. Jack and I called her script Font 54, because it was that big.

A chorus of laughter rang out from our table, patrons in the bar turning to see what we were doing. I snatched the note back up, shoving it in one of the tiny pockets on my skirt.

“Anyway, I had to change clothes again after she cleaned us up. I wasn’t wearing tights and a t-shirt out tonight. Not to celebrate Hyde’s eighteenth birthday.”

“Oh,” Hyland squealed. “It’s my motherfucking birthday, bitches!”

Briggs and Dolyn arrived back at our table, the latter of the two carrying a tray of shots. Ten clear, and one filled with orange juice.

Or something close enough to compare it to the Earthly fruit juice, but not roecon. Briggs began passing them around as Dolyn handed one to Hyde.

“Make a wish and toss it back, Hyde,” Dolyn instructed, waiting for her to take her shot before we all followed suit.

As we all copied her, Hyde gagged. “The fuck is that?”

“Pure sunshine, baby girl. You are about to be T-totally fucked out of your mind,” Jack replied, then yelled, “Another round,” toward the bartender.

“What did you wish for?” Grim asked, a lopsided smile slashed across his lips.

“Marriage,” I joked, knowing Hyde would hate that guess.

“Ew, gross. If I ever get married, it’s because I found a loophole in the prenup.” Her sassy remark had my guys spluttering and the rest of us laughing.

“Hyde,” Vaughn cautiously stated, “you can’t marry someone just to murder them and inherit their fortune.”

She scoffed at him, her voice haughty as she responded without missing a beat. “Yes, I can, with nothing but a look. And they’d never know what happened.”