Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter 11)

"They're not all bad," Simi said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Akri knew this one Sumerian who was a fisherman for a long time. He's really nice to the Simi. He used to feed me these tasty balls of fish all soaked in olive oil and wrapped in grape leaves. Then he'd let the Simi eat fishcakes and the eyeballs. Fish eyes are very tasty, especially in olive oil"

Xirena growled at her, "Sumerians are all enemies to the Charonte."

Simi put her hand on her hip and cocked her head. "Well, that's just stupid. You can't hate an entire race 'cause one or two of them are mean. What you got against the Sumerians anyway?"

"They created the gallu demons to kill us."

"OOOO." Simi's face brightened. "l like them gallu demons. They so crispy when you burn-them. Akri used to let me eat them by the dozen. And he never cared, neither-not like when I'd eat people. But then all them gallu went away and the Simi couldn't eat them anymore. I really miss them. They were so yummy."

"And now they're back," Kat said, gaining their attention again. Xirena's expression looked as if she'd just stepped in a manure factory.

Simi just looked excited. "Can I eat them?" Sin nodded. "Bon appetit."

Kat gave him a chastising glance over her shoulder. "Yes, Simi. But we need you and Xirena to help us fight them."

Xirena jerked her chin toward Sin. "l think we should feed the Sumerian to them. He would deserve it."

Kat tsked at her. "Xirena ... "

"l told you, Katra," Simi said in a singsongy tone, "she all kinds of mean. You should have her eat your earrings when you're not looking. And they were the good ones, too. Covered with diamonds ... they sparkle a lot."

Xirena glared at Simi. "Well, you would be mean, too, if you saw how them gallu killed us, and eating them won't be easy without your akri there to shield their powers. They are evil demons who can kill us." She looked at Katra. "Will the cursed god help?"

Kat hesitated. She wished, but that wasn't an option right now.

"We're going to try and do this without his help."

Xirena's eyes widened. "Why would we do that?"

" 'Cause akri don't know about Katra," Simi explained. "If he learned about her, he would be really sad and the Simi don't want to make akri sad, so you can't say a word about Katra to him. He sad enough already because he has to deal with that bitch-goddess with the red hair."

"Simi," Kat said in a warning tone.

"Well, she is a bitch-goddess. I know you love her, akra-Kat, but facts is fact and she a mean heifer."

Xirena smacked her lips. "l haven't had a heifer in a while. Are there any heifers here?"

Simi cast a sideways look at her sister. "l know where a big red one is on Olympus."

Kat shook her head. "Simi!"

"What?" She batted her eyes with a wide, innocent expression.

"If Xirena eats her, then how can I get in trouble for it?"

Sin snorted. "lt's like dealing with children. Ye gods, how did the Atlanteans stand it?"

Kat pressed her hand to the throb in her temple as she wondered the same thing herself. "They're normally a bit more silent than this."

He looked less than convinced. "Really?"

"Apollymi keeps a tight rein on them."

At the mention of Apollymi's name, Xirena hissed. "Death to the bitch-goddess! May she die in a flaming pit of Charonte spit."

Sin laughed at Xirena's condemnation. "Damn, Kat, you can't win for losing. Is there anyone, other than you, who actually likes your family?"

She sighed in resignation. "Some days it seems not."

"You one to talk," Xirena said testily. "Nobody likes your family, either."

"Yeah!" Simi paused. She put her hand to her face to whisper at her sister, "Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Yeah!" Simi shook her fist in the air to prove her point.

Sin shook his head at her. "I think I'm getting a migraine from this. "

"You can't get migraines," Kat reminded him. "Then it's a tumor ... one the size of two demons."

She laughed at his acerbic tone. "You wanted help. I give you the cavalry. "

Well, she had done that. But Sin wasn't convinced the cure might not be a thousand times worse than the ailment. "Strange, I have this feeling our cavalry may yet run us both over ... then eat us."

Kat gave him an agitated stare. "So where do they stay?"

Sin hesitated at the question. Leaving them alone didn't seem like a good idea to him. "Can they be left alone?"

She shrugged. "l don't see where they're any more dangerous than the Daimons you have downstairs patrolling tourists for dinner."

"They don't have wings and horns."

Xirena returned to looking human. "Neither do we. Unless we want them. "

Simi lifted her hand like a student. "If the Daimons are eatin tourists, can we?"

"No," Sin and Kat said simultaneously.

"Well, poo." Simi pouted. "Why them Daimons get special treatment?"

Xirena screwed her face up in a huff. "Maybe we ought to get back to Katoteros. At least there we got them dragon things to eat whenever we're hungry."

Simi's face paled. "You ate akri's pets? Bad Xirena. He don't like it when they go away. Oooo, you better hide when he come home and finds them missing. He'll be very upset."

Kat cleared her throat and hoped to get them off this topic and back to the one that needed to be discussed. She looked at Sin. "You can put them in a room with QVC and they'll be as happy as clams.'?? "QVC?" the demons said in unison.

Simi looked at her watch. "It Diamonique time, too. Where's ~ TV?"

Sin rubbed his eyebrow before he went to call Kish and boot the two demons a room down the hall from his suite.

They were still chattering about the yummy Diamonique flavor when Kish came to get them and show them to their room.

Sin stood in the doorway watching them leave. "Those are some demons you've got there."

"Yes," she said with a smile as she closed the distance between them, "they are. We just have to make sure nothing happens the Simi. Acheron would kill us both."

Sin's eyes softened as he looked down at her. "I somehow doubt he would kill you. But l, on the other hand, would most likely be short a couple of heads. "