Free Fashionably Dead Down Under by Robyn Peterman Page A

Demonic crowd went wild. She may not be
evil, but she was certainly well liked. Satan held his hand out to
her and she went to him like a moth to a flame. His magic filled
the room and his power was undeniable. If he had gone crazy we were
all in for a hell of a ride.
    “It is your turn to be assigned,” he told
Dixie. “You shall transport to Earth in six months and serve me
well.”
    Dixie’s chin dropped to her chest and her
shoulders slumped forward. I barely heard her whisper, “Yes,
Father.”
    Two large fingers lifted her chin, forcing
her to meet his gaze. “This is not a punishment,” he said quietly,
“it’s your birth rite and your duty.”
    “I know, Daddy,” she replied, “and I’m
honored to serve you.”
    “You have no idea who you are yet,” he told
her.
    “Would you like to give me a hint?” Dixie
gave him a lopsided smile. A wash of light laughter went through
the crowd of Demons watching the exchange between Satan and his
daughter.
    “It’s not my way to pave a path of ease,” he
said. “I fear I may have done too much for you already.”
    “I would quite agree with that,” Amanda
hissed under their breath.
    Oops, guess Amanda didn’t get the memo about
Satan’s super duper mega hearing skills. His body stiffened in rage
and his power and anger bounced off the walls of the Grand
Ballroom. The crowd of Demons gasped in delight, dying for a bloody
showdown. I couldn’t help that I hoped he would destroy her as
well. I felt a strong strand of magic and power jolt through my
body as I owned my evil thoughts about Amanda. It felt
good—entirely too good.
    The Devil slowly turned to his consort and
with a deadly calm ground out, “You will never interrupt me when I
am talking to one of my children. Ever again.”
    Amanda blanched and dropped to her knees.
Satan stared at her for a moment as a snicker went through the
crowd of Demons. She trembled with fury. Her fisted hands pressed
to her sides were a sure giveaway. She was an idiot of epic
proportions.
    “She had better have a boy and it better be
his or Amanda is toast,” Greed snickered.
    Satan raised his eyes to the room, clearly
dismissing his furious consort. “Who will accompany my prized
daughter Dixie to Earth in six months? Who will earn my favor by
risking their immortality for a Child of Lucifer?”
    The crowd murmured and looked around to see
who was brave enough or stupid enough to go with her.
    All of what I assumed to be Satan’s generals
including his second, Cole, stepped forward immediately. That was
to be expected and Satan nodded his approval. What came next I
didn’t expect.
    “Who of my people will pose as a family for
my daughter so she may continue her education and embarrass me with
her appallingly high grades?” He grinned at Dixie. A giggle escaped
her lips and she blushed. Methinks he might be just a little bit
proud of her brains . . .
    “I will protect her,” I heard a familiar male
voice shout, “and tho will my Mate.”
    “I too will lay down my life for the Demon
Princess Dixie,” another familiar voice added.
    WTF? I turned to see Carl, Janet and Myrtle
standing in front of Satan. He stepped menacingly toward Dixie’s
therapy group and much to my great surprise, they held their
ground.
    “Why,” he bellowed, “should I let my prize go
with three Demons who are not evil?”
    “Because we will not betray you or Dixie,”
Myrtle told Satan without batting an eyelash. “And with all due
respect, you know full well we are evil, we’re just a little out of
practice.” Myrtle was on a roll as she straightened her tracksuit
and pulled on a piece of her hair. “We are as evil as any Demon in
the room, but we also feel compassion. Which quite honestly makes
us far more dangerous to an enemy and more useful to you than a
Demon who is only out for himself.” She rocked back and forth on
her black Pumas and waited.

    Satan laughed. He laughed hard. The Devil was
so beautiful when he laughed I