Free Fashionably Hotter Than Hell: Book Six, The Hot Damned Series by Robyn Peterman Page B

the Baby Demons’ asses and feed them beans and Brussel sprouts for a year."
     
    They took the duct tape and quickly put large pieces over own their mouths.
     
    "The Trolls have to die," I said as the door of the strategy room burst open.
     
    It was Venus. A warrior and as vicious as she was beautiful. Black as night with a force that few could handle. She was one of Astrid's closest friends and I was lucky to call her friend as well.
     
    "There are forty. To kill them you need to pierce the left side of their necks and go clean through with a sword," she said wearily as she took a seat and ran her hands through her wild hair.
     
    "And you know this how?" Ethan asked as he checked his sword.
     
    "Let's just say there used to be forty-two," Venus said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "I did a little experiment and it was successful."
     
    "Magic won't work?" I asked.
     
    "Nope, tried it." She shook her head and popped open a bottle of blood. "But the Trolls aren't the main problem. There are at least a hundred Wraiths and no one can kill a Wraith."
     
    "I can," said a hauntingly familiar voice from the doorway.
     
    God damn it, she was supposed to be gone. My gut clenched and my fury made my eyes go green. I whipped my head to Raquel and she took a step back. There was no way in Hell I would allow her to be part of this. She needed to stay alive—gone and alive.
     
    "No," I snapped. "You will not be involved with this. I forbid it."
     
    "I didn't get the memo about you being the boss of me," Raquel said flippantly as she sauntered into the room.
     
    "Check your mail. I laid claim to you two hundred years ago. You're just too much of a coward to step up to your life," I said as I walked toward her and backed her up against the wall.
     
    "Stand down," Jean Paul growled at me as he drew a knife.
     
    "I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said softly to Jean Paul as I kept my eyes trained on Raquel's. "It would be a shame to lose a good warrior before the fight even begins."
     
    No one moved and no one spoke. The silence was charged. I knew every eye in the room was glued to my back and I didn't give a shit.
     
    "Back off, Jean Paul," Raquel told him as she stared daggers at me. "He won't hurt me."
     
    "No one can hurt you, Princess," I said as I placed my hands on either side of her, effectively caging her in. "Your outer shell is so hard it's impossible to break. God knows I've tried."
     
    Her scent and her eyes trapped me more than my arms trapped her. Her lips were a breath away from mine. My fangs descended and my cock stiffened painfully. Maybe it was time to take the decision out of her hands and make it for her.
     
    She placed her hands on either side of my face and slowly pulled my mouth to hers. The feeling of being home shot through me and my need for her burned so intensely I forgot we had company.
     
    "Ummm… while this is all kinds of awesome, we have a Troll and a motherfucking Wraith problem at the moment. Maybe you guys can work this out a bit later," Astrid chimed in gleefully.
     
    "Oh my God," Raquel mumbled as her cheeks blazed red.
     
    "This is not over," I whispered as I ran my thumb over her swollen mouth. "I'm taking this out of your hands. We clear?"
     
    She nodded quickly and slipped from my embrace.
     
    "I'm the only one that can banish the Wraiths," she said as she regained her composure. "I would never ask anyone I cared for not to be who they are, or to forgo using their power to save the ones they love."
     
    "Ohhhhhh snap," Astrid shouted as she danced around the room. "Guess she busted your ass, Heathcliff."
     
    I nodded absently at my certifiable cousin and kept my gaze on Raquel. Was I one of the ones she loved?
     
    "It's one of my gifts," she said.
     
    "It's almost sundown," Ethan said tightly to his sister. "You're no good to me."
     
    She was flanked by her guards who looked ready to do battle. The only one who was unhappy was Jean Paul. He was positively