AllFreeNovel
Share Us
17
Joy
Finally,Christmas Eve is here. Dad is gone. And he will be gone ALL. NIGHT. LONG. We just saw him off, and he was hardly through the veil before I turned to the demons and asked if they wanted to come back to my place.
They said yes, and now I don’t know if I really love or really hate my temporary moment of bravery. Dad’s edict has been torture. But…I’m also nervous. I swallow hard as we walk towards my cabin, and the moonlight glints off the snow so that it looks like sparkling mounds of sugar. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” starts to play inside my head, along with all the innuendo imbued in the lyrics of that song.
I should be shivering since the temperature has dropped, but I’m surrounded by my soulmates and they radiate a heat that seems to come right from the fires of Hell. Or maybe that’s just me. Maybe I’m just flushed with excitement. The excitement of success and anticipation of what might come next.
I’m buzzing with nervous energy, drunk on giddiness, and pretty certain I’m about to stupidly giggle for no reason other than these demons are here…surrounding me. I’ve realized that I love them…a lot.
“That look on their faces was priceless!” Dem exclaims, and we all nod in agreement.
“I hope some little lass with a mean big brother gets those Barbies and uses them for combat games,” Nico comments.
“I don’t,” Cal returns. “I hope they find a very sweet little girl…” We all turn to give him sarcastic looks because that lie is just the worst ever, but then he continues, “one who likes to dress them all up and give them extra makeup, who’ll give them haircuts and make them have lots of tea parties and weddings.”
“Ugh! Torture!” Bryn shudders.
“Exactly.” Cal winks.
All of us start to laugh, except for Gus, but his lip quirks up a little, like maybe he wants to join. But do wrath demons laugh? Are they even physically able to do so?
We keep walking in companionable silence, and the battle starts to replay a bit in my mind, this time with the golden glaze that memory gives victory, the way that it paints everything a bit grander than it actually was.
These guys and I kicked some pretty righteous ass together. And that creates a bond, right? Well, maybe we already had that bond. I don’t know. I’ve never been a Center before. But this happy little tingle that runs from my chest to…other places is amazing.
To be honest, I’m looking forward to reaching my cabin more than a kid looks forward to Christmas morning.
From underneath my lashes, I glance at the demons around me, the men who’ve been my companions for years and who now are suddenly my mates. That’s so utterly strange. But at the same time, it’s not. It explains why all of those dates I’ve been on have sucked in comparison to hanging out in the stable and brushing them.
Part of me is relieved I’m not destined to be a llama lady, like some of the angels in Heaven who decide not to join a flock and don’t find their Centers. They end up with entire herds of llamas. One angel I know has twelve. Hell, I was one bad date away from getting a lifetime subscription to the local llama chew toy and gourmet food box.
A future without crappy dates…
That thought shines like a beacon from a lighthouse. Instead, I can get cuddles on the couch at my leisure. All the good morning kisses I’ve been saving up will finally get put to use. And…I hope…orgasms on demand.
Are they thinking what I’m thinking?
Because I’m thinking about getting a whole lotta presents undermy tree.
Bryn is in front of me, his steps quicker than I’ve ever seen him. But is he hurrying to get to the warmth of the cabin for a nap…or for other reasons? I can’t see his face and tell if his eyes are hooded or droopy.
Suddenly, I start to reevaluate all the long stares he gave me when he was stuck as a reindeer. I always thought he was staring off into space, half-asleep, but maybe I was wrong. I hope I was.
Part of me wants to dart in front of him just so I can see his expression. But I don’t. I feel shy about that for some reason. I’ve never been shy around them before.
But come the fuck on? How many more clues do they need? Should I just put wrapping paper on my pussy with a huge green and red bow? Maybe a card that says, “Open”? Would they finally understand what I want then?
Beside me, Gus takes my hand in his. His huge, rough palm encases my fingers, and his thumb gently strokes my skin. Can he tell I’m nervous? It’s a sweet gesture from a guy who looks ready to murder most people at any second, with his black wings, tattoos, the ring on his lip… I find myself glancing at that ring more than once.
He gazes down at me with this fierce intensity, but I’m not quite sure if it’s lust or fury. It’s hard to tell with him. I turn to see if the other demons are easier to read.
Cal and Nico are on my other side, chatting softly. Both of them have wide smiles on their faces, their black wings folded back, just like the cherubs or dragon shifters fold their own wings back casually. The only difference I can see between these two and angels are their wings and horns. Cal’s horns are a dull brown and thin like twigs. They almost look like antennas on his head. With his glasses, his tiny horns give him a cute, nerdy, bumblebee look that I would never in a million years admit to him.
Nico’s horns look like some kind of spiral seashell in shades of gray, which contrast his bright red hair. His chest hair is curly and red too, with a few freckles sprinkled over his skin. I’ve never been with a redhead before, and the sight of those freckles does odd things to me. I want to kiss each one. I want to trace them with my fingertips and my tongue.
I glance back so that I don’t give into the urge and reach out to touch Nico, because if I do, I’m pretty sure I won’t want to stop and I’m not interested in a make-out session in a snowbank. Tried it when I was a teen and nearly froze my nipples off. Never again.
