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Jasper and Sefton were more than adequately punished for the vandalism to Piper’s home and car. They’d kept a low profile ever since. Celeste, too, had kept her head down since experiencing whatever punishment Knox had dished out. Piper hoped it would stay that way. Hoped.
“Right,” began Keenan, “who wants drinks or food from the concession stand?” Once he’d taken orders, he headed off with Khloë. They returned relatively fast and handed out their purchases.
Piper happily took her popcorn. “Thank you.” Spotting a familiar face coming to join them, she smiled. “Oh, hey, Jolene.”
The grandmother of both Harper and Khloë—a woman who also happened to be a badass Prime who very few demons cared to tangle with—returned her smile. “Piper, always a pleasure. You remember my daughter.”
Piper nodded and waved at the woman. “Hi, Martina.”
“Hey, sweetie,” she said.
Both women settled themselves near Khloë just as the imp looked up from her phone and turned to Larkin. “Did you really shoot chips of hell-ice at Teague’s ass?”
The harpy gave an indifferent shrug. “He deserved it.”
Khloë only snickered.
Piper had asked the imp what ‘oath’ she’d been referring to that day at the racing stadium. Khloë had openly told her how she’d made Teague promise not to get involved with any of her friends because, in her words, he was a total player.
While Piper understood why the imp would extract such a vow from him, she felt it was a real bummer for Larkin and Teague. The chemistry between them was insanely off the charts, and Piper had the feeling they’d suit in more than a sexual sense.
Levi himself had said that if anyone could handle Larkin’s demon, it would be Teague. “Her entity’s level of crazy would be nothing to him,” Levi had added. “Hell, he and his demon are psychotic enough to like it.”
So, yeah, it was a shame.
Another male materialized, dressed in a ratty-assed tee, faded jeans, and a plain red cap. He was munching on popcorn and reeked of weed.
Piper recognized him straight off, since she’d been at Harper and Knox’s place a few times when he abruptly showed up. It was none other than Lucifer, the devil himself. Or Lou, as he preferred to be called.
He had a soft spot for Asher, referring to the little boy as his nephew. Which was why neither Harper, Knox, nor the sentinels had much patience for Lou. Then again, the obsessive, psychopathic man-child wasn’t popular with anyone but his satanic cult ‘followers,’ which seemed to suit him just fine since he was highly antisocial.
His nose wrinkled at the sight of Larkin’s slush puppy. “I don’t know how anyone can drink that stuff.”
The harpy’s brow creased. “I don’t know how anyone can be you and not loathe themselves, and yet …”
Lou smiled. “God, you’re so rude and bitchy. I like it.”
Larkin gave a quick shake of the head. She had a knack for handling him. Basically, she treated him like a spoiled child who shouldn’t be either seen or heard. And he appeared to find it entertaining.
“What brings you to the combat circle?” Piper asked him.
“The siren songs that are screams of sheer unsufferable agony,” Lou deadpanned.
Piper licked the inside of her lower lip. “All right.”
Jolene peered down the row. “Hello, Lou.”
His upper lip peeled back as he stared at the female Prime, who he had absolutely no tolerance for. He cut his gaze to Keenan. “I still have no idea how you could mate a Wallis imp. I mean, what were you thinking? Or were you simply not thinking?”
Keenan sighed. “You really need to let it go. And maybe also go find another seat.”
Lou let out an indignant sound. “Excuse me, I am sitting with my friends.”
Jolene frowned. “What friends?”
“Lauren and Pippa,” he replied, smug.
Larkin exhaled heavily. “They’re not our names.”
“Yes, well, I prefer to have pet names for the people in my life,” said Lou. “What is wrong with that?”
Larkin lifted a hand. “If you must sit here, don’t talk. The mere sound of your voice offends me.”
Lou grinned. “Best. Bitch. Ever.”
Staring at him, Martina shook her head. “Not many people actually bother me, but I truly struggle to deal with you.”
“There’s a support group you can join,” Lou told her. “They have meetings every Sunday at a chapel on Piss Off Street near You Suck Balls park.”
Khloë frowned. “Sorry, where?”
Piper snorted.
Cheers rang out as the umpire made his way into the center of the dome, microphone in hand. He called out the first two contestants—both of whom were female—and the duel soon began.
Piper spent a lot of time flinching and wincing. When it came to the combat circle, it was a case of, ‘Anything goes.’ So there were a lot of dirty moves, snapping of bones, and somewhat sadistic torment—which her demon thoroughly enjoyed witnessing. For Piper, however, it wasn’t always so easy to watch. The only blessing was that neither contestant actually died. Because yeah, that happened occasionally.
