She shook her head hard. “No. No, I-I’ll mind my own business. I’ll look for what I want elsewhere.”
As his demon then retreated, Maddox said, “Wise of you. Now go.”
In a blink, she was gone. His demon grunted, a little disappointed that she’d backed down so easily. A lot of rage had taken up residence inside its system since the recent trouble began, and the entity would have gladly worked out said rage on Marcella.
Knowing the sound of his anchor’s voice would calm it, Maddox reached out and asked, Everything okay?
Her mind touched his. If you mean am I drinking shots of tequila and trying to teach Carmen how to do the Gangnam Style dance, then yes.
His demon chuckled, and Maddox felt one corner of his mouth kick up.
Teleporting to Raini’s side a short time later, Maddox didn’t know what bothered him more. That a good portion of his lair were in his bedroom, or that they were all—Hector included— doing the Gangnam Style dance.
Raini grinned at Maddox. “Yay, you’re back! Come on, you’ve gotta join in.”
Shaking his head, he sank into the armchair and watched. Of course, that made enough people so uncomfortable that they began to trickle out of the room. Which suited him just fine, because he had plans to fuck Raini right on the floor where there’d be no give.
The moment they were alone, that was exactly what he did.
CHAPTER TWENTY
On the screen of Raini’s cell phone, Devon gave a little clap and said, “I want to see, I want to see.”
Obligingly, Raini lifted the bottom of her tee to expose the brands on her hips.
Devon gasped. “Oh, wow.”
“They’re amazing,” Khloë breathed, sitting on the hellcat’s left while Harper sat on her right. “So detailed and pretty.”
Devon nodded. “I know. God, I’m so jealous.” She pouted. “Why can’t Tanner’s demon put such cool brands like that on me? Instead, I get fingerprints and shackles.”
Harper snorted at the hellcat. “For the record, none of us are buying that you don’t like them.” She turned to Raini. “How do you feel about being branded?”
Raini righted her tee. “I always figured I wouldn’t like it, since I’d be dreading the moment when the mark began to fade—I wouldn’t like to have that visual confirmation that the entity had lost interest. But Maddox and I are mates, so that won’t happen.”
“Have you told Grams you’re now part of his lair?” asked Harper.
Raini briefly glanced to the side. “Well, no, because I decided not to transfer straight away. I don’t want to rush things. That’s why I’ve only agreed to move in with him temporarily.”
Harper shook her head. “That is so typical of you. When something’s important, you hesitate to grab it. Yes, we’re all guilty of that at times, but you do it like it’s your job. Sometimes we need to reach for the things we want instead of hemming and hawing.”
“I’m just treading carefully. I don’t want to mess it up. Plus, I want to give my family and Maddox’s demons a little time to get used to the two of us being mated. My parents are so worried about me right now that they’d find it hard to have me transfer to another lair. They might even demand to come with me, and descendants generally only like to live among their own kind. Maddox doesn’t like that I’m not transferring straight away, but he understands. He’s agreed to give me time. I don’t think he’d be half as cooperative if I wasn’t temporarily living with him, though.”
“Probably not. Alphas are pushy and generally don’t do ‘cooperative.’”
“Amen,” muttered Devon. “But once they come to realize that their bulldozing bullshit isn’t going to fly with you, they find sneakier ways to get what they want. Maddox will keep you on your toes for sure, Raini.”
She didn’t doubt it.
“On a more fun and interesting note,” Khloë cut in, “are the party plans still going well?”
Raini told them about the most recent arrangements she’d made, including the changes to the catering menu. Khloë disappeared from view when her own cell began to ring. When the imp reappeared, her expression was hard, but her eyes were bright.
“That was one of my sources,” said Khloë, her mouth curving into a smirk. “I know where the astral projector is.”
Apprehending the astral asshole—who it turned out was a harbinger—had been simple enough for Ciaran and Jolene’s sentinels. They’d knocked him out with a psychic blow and brought him to Richie’s basement, where interrogations were often held. In no time at all, the unconscious demon was sprawled on the cement floor, trapped in a containment forcefield that Maddox had popped up around him. Her demon had been glaring at their captive ever since, raring to maul his ass in a major way.
Raini had telepathed Maddox after ending her video call with the girls. He’d teleported straight to her, looking so supremely calm it was a little unnerving, and brought her to the basement. His sentinels had come along, and they now stood with him and Raini near the wall, placing them in shadow.