Page 69 of Hell on Wheels
“Did your mother pass these damn trials?” I ask curiously. “Is that normal for your intended or whatever the hell it’s called?”
Angelo finally takes my elbow, waving at the crowd with a wicked smirk as he leads me off the stage. “Unfortunately, yes. This is a rite of passage for an inductee in the caliphate and our family’s will be vicious. If he hadn’t used that ritual as quickly as he did, we might have been able to put it off.”
Great. I poked the demon and it bit back. Good job, Rogue.
“I agitated him, so he struck back in the worst possible way to teach me my place, right?” Damon helps escort me through the angry guests, but I’m looking at Angelo expectantly.
“Yep.” He grins, tilting his head at me. “Are you worried?”
Am I? I ponder it for a moment, and shake my head. “Nope. I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to be subjected to, but the Guardian training and induction stuff isn’t a cakewalk. There are some pretty shitty tests and even worse challenges as you rise through the ranks. Some people don’t make it, but Reb and I passed with flying fairy dust. Not unharmed, though.”
Damon makes a sound like he just discovered an unknown element, and we both wait for him to explain. We’re almost at the bar, and if we can get there, we’ll be able to make our way to the rest of the guys. “I remember that time in sixth grade when you two disappeared for a month. You came back looking like hell, but wouldn’t talk about it. It happened again every two years? The last one really had us worried because Reb looked like he damn near died.”
My lips curve up, and I nod. “He almost did. I mean, I almost did, too. The people they pit us against are fighting for their lives—which is what’s needed to make sure Guardians will give their lives for their charges. We’re not allowed to use magic if our enemies can see it, and we have to disguise ourselves. Our foes don’t know that we’re not human.”
Angelo whistles under his breath. “Neither of you have ever told us what went on during the absences. Are you going to get in trouble for it?”
“Nope. We can share Guardian information—some of it—with mates. Since you guys now qualify…” I wink at him and the twins both laugh as we push through the throng of drinkers to get to the end of the bar. Archie, Javi, and Reb are waiting for us, looking a bit surly.
I can’t blame them; we didn’t give them a heads up with what we planned to do.
“Have fun up there?” Reb sneers as he pushes the hair off his face. “It was a real family reunion. Oh, wait… not really because you got Rogue inducted into your caliphateby mistake.”
Damon looks sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck. “We really didn’t expect Luca to do that, much less publicly.”
“Why did he do it, dude? It seems really impulsive for a party,” Archie says after he tosses back his bourbon. “Caliphate shit isn’t a joke. Doesn’t it mean she has to… do shit?”
“It does,” Angelo confirms with a sigh. “Luca probably did it because our darling mate mouthed off to him the entire time you were all frozen. He seemed amused by her spunk—and he probably was—but in his usual ‘power move’ style, he threw a wrench in the gears because he could.”
Javi tilts his head back to look at the sky, rolling his eyes as he groans. “Ughhhh. Dragonfly,why? Why would you poke one of the most powerful demons in the city?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shrug. “Maybe because he was formulating plans for my fucking uterus? And by that, I mean, plans that involveallof you because he’s certain Javi and Archie’s parents will require spawn as well.”
Every one of them looks at me with gobsmacked expressions and I snort, then fall into delighted laughter. If people thoughtIlooked scared by Luca’s proclamations, my three other fated men seem to be terrified by the mention of babies. That’s good because I have less than zero intention of thinking about thatanytimesoon, and the renewal of my Fae magical birth control, as well as the human implant, should keep us safe.
It’s fun to yank their chains, though.
“When can we leave?” I ask Angelo as we hold the bar. I’m not tipsy in the slightest—it takes a bit on normal liquor unless I’m pounding it—but I pretend to be a little buzzed, so the simpering demons who approach us think we’re celebrating. I’m sure every eye in this room belongs to Papa Gemini, and I don’t want him to think he’s bothered me in the slightest.
Damon squints, looking around the room at the huge swath of people still partying. “Not until this thins. Mom is still holding court with all the young, good-looking suck-ups while Dad has disappeared. Likely, he’s taking his aggression out on one or more of his paramours.”
“Mistresses? Don’t you get any ideas, horn boys. I’ll gut you like fish and use your balls for decorations on my car,” I threaten with dark eyes. “Just because I’m not concerned with what you do within our circle doesn’t mean I’ll accept being cuckolded.”
All the guys besides D look at me in surprise, but I simply raise my glass to them. Archie is the bravest—though I’m pretty sure I know why—and clears his throat. “What do you mean…withinour circle?”
For fuck’s sake.
“Archer Glaser, don’t pretend to be a dumb jock; I know better. I was very clear in my statement. I’ll castrate you for straying, but if people have some unexpected feelings and desires within our family, I’d never stand in the way of that. You all seem to forget I’m unabashedly pansexual and would enjoy being part of many scenarios, including ones that involve discovering something new about yourselves. Take that as you will.”
I grin broadly, watching all of their expressions flicker and contort in various iterations of shock, thoughtfulness, andconfusion. Perhaps Archie isn’t the only one with a secret desire? Delicious. Damon chuckles under his breath and I reward his good behavior by rising to my feet and taking his arm. “Mr. Gemini, will you escort me to the bathroom? I have need of the facilities.”
He smothers a huff of laughter as he eyes me. “You finally admit you need someone to help keep you safe, Sparkles?”
“As if, buddy. The women who might approach me to be catty need protection from me. I haven’t kicked someone’s ass indays. Do you understand how much pent-up rage I have inside of me? Keeping it under wraps to taunt your dad is driving meinsane.”
Rebel snorts, finally breaking out of his trance. “There’sour girl. Ready to rumble, no matter what the consequences.”
I wink at them as D turns to lead us through the crowd towards the farthest back entrance to the ballroom. His hand is over mine on his arm, patting it gently as we weave past fancy mobsters and their families. The looks burning into my back confirm that I was wise to bring one of the twins along with me. Women who thought they might snag the most eligible demon bachelors in the area are all ready to tear my throat out—or so they think.