Angie Fox - The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers

“Hey,” he said, forcing my eyes back up. “Answer me this: Have you done anything evil since the mark? Anything the old Lizzie would regret?”

Things had certainly been different, but not anything Satan would get excited about.

And the way he looked at me… let’s just say I never thought it would be possible, before I met Dimitri. He simmered with all of the things he’d like to do to me and that I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed… but I would.

His mouth quirked. “I think the mark is your way of drawing closer to the danger than any of us would dare. It’s in your nature to give, Lizzie. Even when you don’t realize it. It can be your great weakness, or your strength. We’ll see.”

“And you think?” I asked, hoping there was a glimmer of the old Dimitri left, the man who believed in me more than I could have ever hoped.

“I know,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose, “you’re stronger than this.”

I caught his mouth and kissed him long and deep, this man who knew I was good. I knew there was good left in him too. “Are you ready?” I whispered.

“Always,” he said, slipping his hand into my marked palm.

“Evil is a choice. Drawing yourself close to the darkness, well, that’s what you do, Lizzie. True, you’re a demon slayer. But I’ve never heard of any other slayer looking at things quite the way you do.”

“Great, I’m unique.” My whole life I’d been training to fit in, and the one place I might actually belong, I learn I’m different from them too.

Dimitri smiled at that. I tried to return it. I scarcely deserved the man.

I leaned up against a flat rock, sheltered by a red rock overhang. The night was silent except for the sound of our footsteps. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”

“About what?” he asked, arms tense as he leaned next to me, facing the expanse of the canyon.

“After hell. I didn’t want you to know I saved you because I didn’t know what I felt about my life, about you, about anything. I couldn’t commit.”

He kept his eyes on the canyon ahead. “And now?”

Well, of course it would be different now. If he’d still have me.

“What? You’re not mad? I infused you with enough of my essence to save your life and screw up your griffin heritage and that’s it?” He had to be angry, because frankly, I was angry. It was stupid and wrong and even though I’d save his life all over again I’d at least give him the courtesy of telling him what I did. I’d trust him enough to level with him. “I left you open for a succubi attack. I should have been honest sooner, and that’s my mistake. But don’t sit here and pretend you’re not upset at all about this. At least respect me enough to tell me what you’re thinking.”

“So now I’m the one who screwed up?”

“I don’t want to pussyfoot around this.” Not if he was going to risk everything for me.

I’d lived my whole life being nice, doing the right things, saying the right things—even if they weren’t true. Well, not anymore. Sometimes, you gotta love somebody enough to tell them the ugly bald truth.

“You really want to get into this right now?” he asked.

Oh, I knew I’d be in the Cave of Visions in the next hour or so. I’d be in the crosshairs with all of my strength, and now, all of his. I knew I should probably spend my last moments with him making red-hot griffin love instead of poking him with a verbal fork, but this was more important.

He was more important.

He let out a jagged laugh, heavy with regret. “You want to know the truth? I’m actually okay with the fact that you didn’t tell me right away. I know I was pressuring you to leave things behind and head to Greece with me.” He dug a hand through his dark hair, making it spike awkwardly. “That’s why I didn’t tell you I loved you. I knew it would scare the hell out of you.” He braced his hands on his knees, as if he wasn’t quite ready to say what came next. “I know you hate what I do to protect you, Lizzie.” His face was unreadable in the moonlight, the set of his jaw intense. “And you’re not sure what I’m about to give you. But at some point, you have to relax a little, let go enough to accept the gift.”

The truth of it hit me hard. I couldn’t accept him or the Red Skulls or anybody. I’d wanted to do this on my own from the very start. Look where it had gotten me.

A little lizard scurried over a large rock to our left, noticed us and took off in the other direction.

“What did you see when I fought with Max?” he asked.

“I saw what happened when he died.” I told him about Sid the fairy and how he’d reversed time. “Like him or not, Max’s power is the only thing slowing them down. For now. If the demons reach six hundred sixty-six, or succeed in whatever they have planned tomorrow night, I’m afraid Max won’t matter anymore.”

“Neither will we.”

The cool desert air settled around my bare arms as I tried to remain stoic, resolved. I had one more question and it was worse than the fifth layer of hell.

“Those things I asked you before,” I said, throat dry. “I needed to know you’d be honest, because I need the truth about one more thing.” I willed myself to say what I’d feared since the minute we set foot in Vegas. “When are you going to decide it’s too much?”

His brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”

“This,” I said, holding up my marked palm. “When are you going to figure out that it’s too hard? Face it. I’m a pain in the butt. I mean, you love me, but you also get my crazy grandmother, a bunch of loudmouthed biker witches, demons that want to have you for lunch and a channeling that might not be too different from the last ceremony that sent us straight to hell.”

He actually smiled.

Joker. I planted my hands against his chest and pushed. “You’re officially mad.”

I took a drop-dead gorgeous griffin, and I broke him.

He cradled both of my hands in his. “I’m supposed to—” he lifted my chin. “Here, look at me.” He edged us into a bright patch of moonlight. Damn the man. He couldn’t have looked more sincere. “I’m supposed to give up the only woman I’ve ever loved, over a few complications?”

Well, when he put it that way…

“I’m not talking about giving up your Sunday golf game to go have brunch with my parents.” Did griffins even play golf? And what would my uptight, society parents have to say about me dating a shape-shifter?

His thumbs traced circles on the tops of my palms. “Ah yes, demons instead of brunch. But love isn’t about what’s easy. I think you would have had an easier time if you’d denied your demon slayer calling, stayed home in Atlanta to teach preschool.”

True. No matter how much I disliked growing up in a family where fitting in and looking good somehow made you a better person—I had to admit, it would have been easier to stay with what I knew, even if it wasn’t what I loved.

Dimitri’s thumbs caressed the hollows of my wrists. “I love you because love to me is about finding the person you want to be with.” He drew me in, kissed me. “And being there no matter what.”

“Through hell and back?”

“Through demons and in-laws.”

He drew my marked hand to his lips and kissed me, right there on the palm. Tears singed the back of my eyes as he caressed the marks.

“Don’t look so surprised.”

I couldn’t help it. He loved me, demon mark and all.

“Now I figure,” he said, kissing his way down my neck. “We’ve got about a half hour before anyone comes looking for us. And I have lots of energy.”

Mmm, happy pings shook me to the core. “What shall we do?”

He used his incredible griffin strength to rip my leather skirt clean up the middle, and then he showed me.