Fallen (Dark in You 7)

The hellcat frowned. “What? Course it is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I have this mastered.”

“I’m telling you, Dev, you’re doing it wrong.”

The hellcat looked at Harper, who was sprawled on the sofa humming a tune. “Have I, or have I not, got the Gangnam Style dance down to a tee?”

The sphinx grimaced. “Raini does it better. You keep forgetting to twirl your arm in the air.”

“And you look more like a bunny bouncing than someone riding a horse,” added Khloë, lying on the floor drawing patterns on her arm with a black sharpie.

Devon flushed. “Up yours, heifers.”

Raini planted her feet. “Look, copy what I do.” She slowly ran through each dance move, not moving onto the next until Devon had mastered the one before it. Satisfied that the hellcat no longer looked like a bouncing bunny, Raini said, “Cool. Now come on, let’s Gangnam the fuck out of this dance.”

Raini sang the chorus of the song while they danced. Harper sang along and clapped while Khloë wolf-whistled and egged them on. It was all going great until, somehow, Devon went ass over tit. Raini honestly didn’t know how it happened. One second her friend was right beside her, the next she was sprawled on the floor. But she was still dancing. Or trying to. It seemed to take her a few moments to realize she wasn’t standing anymore.

Blinking, Devon looked up at her. “What happened?”

“You sort of fell,” replied Raini. “Harper, stop laughing!”

The sphinx snickered. “You’re laughing, too!”

Yeah, Raini totally was, but at least she was doing it silently.

“I hate it when my dignity sails away.” Devon frowned at Khloë, who’d scooted closer, a pen still in hand. “Don’t you dare draw on me, Wallis.”

“Come on, just a little pic of a baby hippo,” said Khloë.

Devon’s face softened. “Aw, that would be so cute.” She held out her arm to the imp.

At that moment, Maddox’s mind touched Raini’s. What have you done with yourself today?

She inwardly snorted. Like the guard you assigned me doesn’t report back everything I do.

I’d rather hear it from you.

She wasn’t sure why that would be, but he certainly sounded sincere, so she gave him a quick rundown of her day.

So you enjoyed yourself? he asked, genuinely sounding like it was … important.

I did. The girls wanted to take my mind off everything, and it definitely worked.

Good. His mind slid against hers just before it was gone. Yeah, he wasn’t much for goodbyes.

“Yoo-hoo,” Devon called out. “Are you back with us?”

Raini sighed. “I was trying to have a conversation, feline.”

“Maddox checking in again?”

“Yup.”

Devon twisted her mouth. “Am I the only one who thinks Maddox didn’t buy that you had help killing the angels?”

“Nope,” said Raini, none-too-gracefully sinking on the sofa. “I think it, too.”

Harper lifted a hand. “So do I. It’s weird that he didn’t call you on it.”

Raini tilted her head. “How ironic is it that we struggled to find an angel not so long ago … and now they’re all up in our shit? I mean, three appeared in my kitchen. With halos and everything. Fucking bastards deserved what they got.”

“Totally. Utterly. Completely.” Devon hummed. “Hey, I wonder what Maddox did to the others. I am thinking he did not give them a quick, painless death. He’s uber scary, ain’t he? I don’t know where Demi got the gumption to snark at him. She probably thought he wouldn’t hurt her because she’s your sister. For a minute there, I thought he might.”

“Same here,” said Harper. “If looks could kill, she’d have been a scorch mark on the floor. Man, he did not like her. Nu-uh. But then, neither do I.”

Devon snorted. “Dude, who does?”

“Dwain,” replied Harper.

The hellcat waved a hand. “He’s a dweeb, he doesn’t count. I’m still miffed about the shit he said to you earlier, Raini. Want me to let my power loose on him? It might be fun to watch his bones shatter and blood pour out of his orif—orif—orifices.”

“Or I could deal him some soul-deep pain, if you want?” Harper offered. “Or me and Devon could both tumble on his shit at the same time.”

The hellcat’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes, that would be so—Khloë, why have you drawn a fucking penis on my arm?”

“It’s not a penis, it’s a hippo,” Khloë insisted. “Look, see, that’s the head, this is the body—which yeah, needs some legs, but I forgot about those. I remembered to give him feet, though. Well, two.”

Devon clenched her fists. “Why do his feet look like huge hairy balls? And since when does a hippo’s head have a fucking line running down the center of it?”

Khloë lifted her shoulders. “So Fritz here is a little different from most hippos, so what?”

“Fritz?”

“That’s his name.”

“His name? You named—don’t write it on me, you weirdo! God, what is wrong with you?”

“Do you want the whole list?”