“I could have been naked or, or, having wild sex. You need to learn how to knock!” Chris flopped down onto his bed and crossed his arms over his chest, still angry from earlier.
“And who would you being having sex with?” The demon took a step closer. Chris thrilled to hear just the slightest hint of jealousy in his voice. Had Hondo finally gotten the thousand and one clues he dropped all of the time and figured out how Chris felt about him?
Probably not, Hondo was too damn thickheaded.
“Why is that any of your business?” Chris rested his elbows on his thighs, his hands dangling between his knees, wondering why he bothered to spend so much time with Hondo. At first he began to hang around all of them out of sheer awe of who they were, but then feelings started developing for one big lug-head named Hondo.
Too bad the man never looked twice at him, at least not in a sexual way. Chris was too chicken to come right out and say that he wanted the demon. So instead, he tortured himself by shadowing him everywhere.
“You’re right, it isn’t.” Hondo sighed, and Chris wanted to yank his hair out. He pushed from the bed and plodded across the room, pulling the door open.
“I think you should go.” He was tired of chasing someone who didn’t want him. A hundred years was a long time to run behind someone, and enough was enough. “I’m sorry for not listening earlier.” Chris really didn’t want him to go, but he was hurt and wanted to be alone with all the other emotions swirling around inside of him.
“Chris, I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Hondo walked across the room and stood in front of him, his hand reaching out, but stopped midway and fell. Oh, how Chris wished the guy would really reach out, but as usual, Hondo didn’t.
He kept his head down, unable to look up at the demon. It would only crumble his resolve and then he would give in. “I accept your apology. Now could you go?”
Chris didn’t think the guy would leave. He stood there for a moment, Chris staring at the man’s boots, and then he watched them turn and head out of his bedroom. Chris closed the door, holding onto the handle as his heart broke. Hondo would never want someone as scrawny as him. Why was he chasing a pipe dream?
He flopped down on his bed and reached for his phone, calling his mom. “Just calling to see what you’re up to.”
“No, you’re not. I know that tone. What’s wrong, Chrissy?” God, he hated when she called him that. It made him feel like he was five hundred years old again. “Can’t a son call his mom and ask how she’s doing?”
She snorted. “Normally yes, but with you, no. What’s wrong?”
My heart’s been torn in two, and I want to cry my eyes out.
“Nothing.” He blinked up at the ceiling, refusing to let the tears roll.
He knew he should move on, forget about Hondo, but the demon was unforgettable.
How do you forget someone who makes your skin
scream for attention every time he’s near?
“Fine, don’t tell me. Anyway, your sister came by…” Chris tuned her out. All he wanted was to hear her voice for comfort, not listen to the latest gossip. Normally he loved hearing about the
whos
and
whats
of his family and friends, but not today.
Today he just wanted to crawl under his blanket and forget about the most stunning Egyptian warrior he’d ever known. The Demon Warriors were a melting pot of nationalities, making up a group of stunning men, but he only had eyes for Hondo.
“Are you listening to me?”
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I said, where’s Hondo? You’re always with him.” His mother was using that
mommy
tone, and Chris hated it.
“Out doing his job, I guess.” He rolled over to his stomach, kicking his legs up into the air and crossing his ankles.
“Is he the reason you are so upset, dear?”
“He yelled at me in front of the guys. I’m supposed to be upset.” He told her only half of it, too ashamed to admit how much he wanted the guy. Even though he and his mom talked about everything, that was one subject he never touched with her.
“You know they care about you. Don’t take it to heart.”
Too late.
“I know. I’m going to go. Tell sissy I said hi.” Chris hung up, not waiting for a reply. He tossed the phone aside, feeling like a hole was in his chest where his heart used to be.
* * * *
Chris panted as he ran as fast as he could. The demon that had attacked the warriors’ building the other night just hit him with an energy blast, and now Chris’s sonic speed was out of whack. His legs were starting to cramp, and his lungs were on fire. Using
normal
speed to run sucked. He skidded around the corner and jumped over a trash can that was lying on its side.
The demon was hot on his heels. He had learned his name was Leam and Gammy was not his buddy, but his brother.
He hit the ground when he heard the charge coming at him, pushed back to his feet, and took off again when it missed by mere inches.
Chris ran into King Wings and shot out of the back door, hoping to lose the scum bucket. “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.” He bumped into numerous people trying to make it to the warriors’
building. He was mad as hell at Hondo, but
one
of them would help him. He cursed when he stumbled, hitting his chin on the sidewalk.
Chris looked over his shoulder and saw Leam gaining fast. He got up and took off, feeling his black blood trickling down his chin. Wiping at it, he ducked around a corner and pushed at the first door he saw, rushing in and slamming it shut.
He held his hands to the door, panting and gulping to catch his breath.
“What do we have here?”
Chris spun around and slammed his back into the door, his eyes scanning all around him. It was an ordinary backroom with stock piled high and a small desk with papers strewn about on top of it.
What didn’t seem ordinary were the five large demons—not as big as the Demon Warriors—sitting at a round table in the middle of crates and boxes.
Oh, crap, what had he gotten into now?
“Come, have a seat.” The largest of the five stood. His smile was lecherous as he nodded to a sixth and empty chair.
Chris felt for the doorknob and cursed when he didn’t feel one.
His night was getting more fucked up by the hour, minute actually. “I can’t, I have a hair appointment.”
The five laughed, but the one standing was the guy who advanced toward Chris. Oh boy, this was gonna hurt.
* * * *
Hondo was going out of his mind with worry. Chris had never ignored his phone calls before. Sure, he had yelled at the little guy, but that shouldn’t have been enough to make him unreachable.
It had hurt like hell when Chris demanded he leave. The guy had never been this upset with him before, and Hondo was at a loss on how to fix it. He didn’t want to wait a few days. He wanted it fixed now.
He once again thought of Takeo’s words, but dismissed them. If Chris was sweet on him, he wouldn’t be acting this way. Hondo couldn’t think of this right now. They had to find Chris first. Then he would try to figure the rest out.
He had looked everywhere he could think of, but Chris had just vanished.
“We’ll find him,” Rainerio tried to reassure Hondo. Why was everyone trying to comfort him? They were all his friends. Why single him out?
They all sat around in Panahasi’s apartment trying to think of where he could be.
They were all worried about Chris. They sat silently for a long time.
Hondo pounded his fist onto the table, wanting his little buddy back. “There’s no way he just vanished into thin air.”
“I agree.” Panahasi sat very still, his eyes narrowed. “Something’s not right.”
Hondo leaned forward in his chair, and in a controlled voice, he said, “If that scumbag that was here the other night hurt him, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
“What about Torky? Has anyone asked him if he’s seen Chris?” Takeo rose in one fluid motion, staring down at Hondo.
Hondo rose from his seat as if propelled by an explosion. “I never thought of him.” He raced to the door and tore the door open, running from the apartment building and down the street.
How could he forget about loudmouth Torky? The demon that had the lowdown on everything and everyone…for the right price.
Hondo raced down King Kennedy, cutting a left onto Broadview.
Torky always hung out in front of his apartment building.
Hondo prayed he would be there now.
Torky was lounging casually against the brick wall of his building, arguing with one of his loser subjects. Hondo took in the scene as he approached.
Perfect.
“Torky,” Hondo shouted.
The neighborhood know-it-all looked over his shoulder to see Hondo gaining fast. He shrugged indifferently and then looked back at the guy he was arguing with. Hondo had an urge to set the fucker on fire. He couldn’t stand Torky and his sheisty ways. The guy would sell his mother out for a buck.
He grabbed Torky’s arm and pulled him away from the building.
“Chris is missing. Have you seen him?” Torky pulled his arm away, sneering at Hondo. “It’ll cost you.”
“You didn’t charge me earlier for the information about Gammy.” Hondo growled at him, pissed that Torky was being difficult.
“That’s because I wanted his ass off the streets as well. He’s bad for business.” Torky turned his back on Hondo, taking a step away from him.
Hondo grabbed Torky and yanked him back, grabbing the punk by his collar. “This is Chris we’re talking about. Fucking tell me, or I’m gonna take you to Panahasi and let him get the information out of you.”
Torky glared up at Hondo, his eyes cold. “Word on the street is, the guy from the other night is Gammy’s brother Leam. He found out where Chris lives. I don’t know anything else.” Hondo released the fucker and took off running. If Leam did something to Chris…he couldn’t think like that. Chris was smart.
He’d find a way to escape.
Hondo didn’t bother knocking. He walked around to the back of the house and entered the shadows, walking straight into Chris’s bedroom.
The house was silent.
Chris was nowhere to be found.
* * * *
“Come, have a seat.” The large man nodded to the empty chair.
What else could he do? Chris took a tentative step toward the table. He wasn’t sure which scenario was worse, having Leam chasing him through the city, blasting at him, or having a seat with these five menacing looking men, not knowing what their intentions were.
Chris noticed the playing cards on the table and relaxed a fraction.
As he made his way across the room, the door he’d just entered through came crashing open. Leam stood there glaring at him, his chest heaving in anger.
“What the fuck is going on here?” The large man’s lips thinned in irritation.
Chris’s eyes darted around for an escape. He spotted a door on the other side of the room. Chris shot across the room and into a restaurant. Shit, he was in Malcor’s Melting Pot, the fancy restaurant everyone took their dates when trying to impress them.
He didn’t care what business those men had in the back room or why they were at Malcor’s. He just wanted out. Chris shot out of the front door, slamming hard into a passerby.
“
Umf
.” He fell on his ass. Chris shook his head, thinking the passerby must have been made of brick from the impact he felt.
“Hey, are you okay?” A man with a concerned look on his face reached down, pulling Chris to his feet.
“I gotta go,” Chris squeaked, seeing Leam running through the restaurant after him. Where the hell was a warrior when you needed one? Or better yet, where the hell was Hondo? Geez, just because he told the guy to go away didn’t mean he had to listen to him.
“Come on.” The man grabbed Chris’s arm and took off running.
They headed down King Kennedy, in the opposite direction of the warriors’ apartment building. Chris noticed this but was too busy worrying about Leam to turn around.
Why is this man running with me?
“This way,” the guy shouted over his shoulder.
Chris followed him down Granger, realizing too late that it was a dead end. He ran in circles, panicking as Leam came around the corner. “He’s gonna kill us,” Chris cried out as he jumped up and down frantically. He’d never had his speed taken from him and wasn’t too sure how long it would be before it came back to him.
Even if it did, he couldn’t leave the other guy here.
“No he’s not. By the way, I’m Snooke,” the man introduced himself. He gave Chris a slight nod and then headed toward Leam.
Was Snooke crazy? Leam could project energy blasts. “Wait!” Chris ran to stop the man from committing suicide.
“Stay back,” he warned.
“He can—” Chris hit the ground when saw Leam clapped his hands together, discharging a blast toward Snooke.
Snooke raised his arms, deflecting the blast. Chris lay there stunned, watching as the glowing green energy blast circled around Snooke’s hands and then crackled like lightning toward the ground.
Why wasn’t the man harmed?
Leam stared wide-eyed at Snooke, his mouth hanging open. Chris felt the same way.
“Get the hell out of here,” Snooke shouted angrily at Leam.
Leam spun around and then took off.
“Who the hell are you?” Chris walked cautiously toward Snooke.
“Someone who can’t stand bullies.” Snooke turned toward Chris, a wide grin on his face. “And you are?” With everything going on, he had forgotten his manners. “Chris.” He wanted to shake Snooke’s hand, but after witnessing what happened, Chris didn’t think that was a smart idea.
“Let’s get out of here, Chris. I don’t trust that guy.”
“Well,
duh
. He did just try and kill you.” He waved his hand for Snooke to follow behind, scanning the streets as they made their way to Chris’s house.
“How did you do that?” Chris asked as they turned the corner onto Mapledale. “That was cool. I’d like to learn that neat trick.” Chris’s hands shot out in front of him as if he were the one deflecting the energy blast. “That would come in handy when I hang around the warriors. I won’t have to worry about Hondo burning me.” Chris lost his exuberance thinking of the Egyptian warrior. He hated that his mind always went back to Hondo.