Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

Square Up

A wave of fury hits me and my eyes pop open as I pause, bringing my drink to my lips. “We need to go to Rogue… now.”

Everyone but Reb must feel it, too, because glasses hit the bar as Archie and Angelo follow me. I’m sure our grumpy friend is coming, too, but I hope Damon can hold down the fort until we’re all at the bathroom. I should have known even a quick trip to the loo would cause a mess; the women at this party aren’t happy with our little announcement.

Demons aren’t exactly shy about their grievances and our girl is nothing if not a fighter.

“What the hell do you think is going on in the damn bathroom?” Archie grumbles as we push through the throng of people. “I swear, women are unfathomable.”

Angelo frowns. “Someone probably cornered her. And we all know Rogue will not let someone get the drop on her after Mina and that gang of dead bitches walking.”

“That’s exactly what this boring ass party needs… a little bloodshed.” Rebel is smirking as he cracks his knuckles and I sigh. We’re already in the doghouse with the twins’ parents, and starting a brawl won’t help our case.

“I hope not because we’ll be lucky if Luca doesn’t show us the backside of the door,” I say as we finally get out of the ballroom. “Angelo and D didn’t make us any allies here, and Rogue didn’t endear herself to him as far as they said.”

“Move faster,” Archie orders grimly. “We need to prevent whatever is coming.”

I speed up, weaving through the halls until I find Damon leaning against the wall across from the fancy door to the powder room. He looks torn, and I chuckle. Only D would stand here worried about busting into the ladies’ room. I roll my eyes at him and push open the door. “ Mi alma ? What’s going on?”

Rogue is standing in front of a group of women who look ready to pounce, her rainbow eyes full of sparkling magic. “These bitches better have some mighty big pockets in those dresses to hold all their audacity.”

A loud snort from behind me reminds me that Reb is usually the best at calming her down… until now. He clears his throat, voice amused as he calls out, “Lil’ sis, you know you can’t attack first.”

“Fucking duh, Reb.” Our girl rolls her eyes, but keeps the pulsing magic around her pressing outward at the demonesses. “And stop calling me that.”

“Incest? How naughty. I’m sure Luca would love to know what a deviant his new inductee is. Perhaps he’ll have special jobs for you. You seem very qualified to work on your back,” the demon that was bothering Angelo earlier practically purrs her insult.

My spine stiffens, and I glare at her as the fire inside of me comes to life. “He’s not related to her by blood, you idiot. Regardless, our bedroom antics are none of your fucking business.”

“Javi, let her talk. I’m just gathering all the slights for my motive after I smash her goddamn skull into that pretty marble sink,” Rogue coos in a deceptively sweet tone. “Today is not the day and I am not the one to step to this week.”

“Princess, you could teach her a lesson and it’d be hot as fuck, but it would cause other problems.” Angelo grins as he steps forward, his wings on display, but nothing else shifted. I guess he’s trying to intimidate the women before this escalates further. “All of you are risking your necks defying Damon and I, no matter what you think our father will say. He won’t allow you to question the future leaders of this family publicly.”

“Cheshmak was promised a chance to woo you and your nerdy little twin,” the redhead says on a sneer. “A demon’s shake is their bond, as you know, Angelo Gemini.”

Rogue stalks forward, and I feel the fury pulsing inside her through our bond. “That may be, but when Fate intervenes, all bets and bargains are off. The Society may not teach us much about your kind, but that was covered. No amount of slippery wording can change that.”

The girl looks confused, but I see the light go on in their leader’s eyes. The voluptuous demoness they call Cheshmak tilts her head, studying the twins, then our girl for confirmation. “You claim the Fates arranged this… mess?”

Damon finally speaks, his tone full of disgust. “Obviously, you nimrod. Mating is bigger than a demon bond and you know it. It’s not a business deal; it’s written in the stars and hellfire.”

I don’t blame him for being pissed. Her friend basically called him Angelo’s tag-a-long.

“Ladies, I hate to be a killjoy, but you don’t understand the situation well enough to pick this fight.” Archie shoves his way through the group, standing at the front with a deceptively amiable smile on his golden god-like face. “Wheels is not just some dark Fae tramp the boys chose as you seemed determined to believe. She’s also part Cubi, and a well-trained Guardian. Her powers are stronger than anyone in this room if she really wants to let loose. You’d be smart to back down before this gets worse.”

“Guardians can’t attack pre-emptively unless it’s for their charge,” a short brunette vengeance demon pipes up. “It’s one of their rules or something.”

Rebel snorts again, and I know this peace will not last for long if the groupies don’t stop mouthing off. “I’m willing to take the spanking for being a bad boy. Try me.”

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I suck in a deep breath, then let it out. We have to get these girls away from the door and make room for Rogue to leave without having to save her. If she uses the twins’ powers, it will give away things we don’t want people to know yet. Conversely, if they do it for her, it makes her look weak. There’s no good option except to de-escalate.

“The rules for Guardians are not the point in this situation,” I say carefully. “You’re grasping because you all realize you’ve made an error. Since I’m the least willing to start a physical confrontation, let me sum this up again and see if you make the right decision. Rogue is our—that includes the twins—fated mate and it’s not up for discussion. If you attack, you will anger our host and be called to the mat for attacking the future heirs and their mate. Rogue can and will kick all of your asses before we can jump in if you don’t back off.”

“He’s right,” Rogue says with a wicked grin. “And I’ll enjoy every second of wiping the tile with your expensive faces. So let me leave before it gets to that—and while you’re at it, keep my name out of your mouth so I don’t have to cut out your tongue.”

“You’re a dead woman,” Cheshmak hisses as they move aside.

That’s not the first time our girl’s heard that this week.

Archie wraps his arm around Rogue as we lead her away from the danger zone. I’d bet he’s purring like an outboard against her side; he knows that shit is the biggest cheat in the universe. Rogue is grumbling under her breath as he murmurs in her ear, but she’s calming slowly. Reb, however, looks pretty furious still, and I’m fairly certain he’s going to need a race to settle.

“Maybe we should make our exit without telling anyone?” The rest of the group looks at me in surprise and I shrug. “This feels like a powder keg ready to spark, especially with the bullshit we’ve dealt with this week. We paid our respects to the hosts and I think we’d be better served letting you two work off your anger behind the wheel.”

Rogue tilts her head, a small grin playing on her lips. “Are you saying we should race?”

“Why not? It’s Friday and not nearly late enough for all the races to be finished.” I shrug as I point at the twins. “They can portal us home to change. If you both shake a leg, we’ll make it in time for the big cards.”

Angelo smacks me on the back with a broad grin. “Hell, yes. That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night. Rebel can burn off his shitty attitude and our girl can show everyone she’s not down for the count. Besides, the rest of us might do a little digging on the attack if we’re careful.”

“It’s settled then,” Damon says as he lays his hand on both my and Reb’s forearms. “You two with me, and those two with Ang.”

Before I can answer, we’re whisked through the stomach churning rip in reality and appear in Rogue’s bedroom. The others appear a second later, and I’m pleased to see Archie looks as green as I feel. “Remind me not to suggest that again, mi alma .”

“It’s not so bad when you get used to it,” she says absently as she strides over to her dresser. “All of you shoo. Dress for an underground race, not a demon cocktail party. We have to get moving.”

Mocking a salute, I follow the others out of her room. Angelo and Damon are grumbling as we head to our own room, so I arch a brow. “What? I solved our problem, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but we’re missing her peeling that dress off. Fucking bullshit,” Angelo growls as his wings flex. “Even if you are right, I’ll have that witch’s hide for making me miss my girl stripping that design off her pretty curves.”

Archie groans, adjusting his cock as he opens the door to his room. “Man, I’d almost forgotten about that. Why did you bring it up? This is going to make dressing a pain in the ass.”

“More like a pain in the dick,” Reb mutters.

“Potato, potahto,” Archie says as he flips our friend off. “Go away and get grungy before our girl kicks our asses.”

He’s not wrong about that.

“Shit, it’s crowded,” Rogue whispers in my ear as we walk through the rows of open hooded cars rumbling in the lot. “I wonder what big names are racing to bring this kind of buzz.”

I turn, looking at her bundled up in the same racing clothes as her stepbrother. She’s bound up and carefully packaged in their matching attire—something I didn’t notice before. Our girl is fairly curvy from head to toe, so she wears a binder when she switches out for Reb in the car. They’re dressed for speed, whereas the rest of us are sporting jeans and hoodies. Ang and Damon wandered off separately as soon as we arrived to ‘spy’ on shit.

For famous mafia heirs., they’re fucking amazing at disappearing in the throng of racers; I haven’t seen them since.

“Where’s Archie?” I ask Rebel as he leans over his car. “He’s usually easy to spot.”

Rebel looks up from the engine he’s tinkering with and winks. “Sent him on a secret mission. Don’t worry; I made sure he’s covered enough that it won’t get back to us.”

“Reb, you can’t use magic here,” Rogue hisses. “You know it’s forbidden for drivers until the wheels cross the first line and completely nixed for supes in the stands.”

The green-haired Fae shrugs. “If these assholes get to cheat by sending Mina and her harpies to beat Rogue down, I’m not following their rules anymore.”

Good point.

“Just don’t get caught,” I reply as I look up at the tall box above the track. “After those demons, I’d prefer not to face off with Merra Stuhll next. My parents would have a shit fit.”

Rogue steps closer, pressing her body against mine as her arms go around my neck. “It’s amazing that you and Archie have parents who kind of give a shit. You know Reb and I don’t, and the twins’ parents only care about their fucking mob.”

I kiss her deeply, groaning as her tongue duels with mine and my skin heats. Breaking away before I get carried away, I sigh. “Sparkles, my parents care about appearances like Graciella. They’re just less obvious about it.”

“Stop flirting,” Rebel grunts as he finally slams the hood of his car closed. “We have planning to do if you want to run one of these, sis. We need to examine the cars and see which one you’re comfortable taking.”

Letting go of me with a sheepish grin, our girl sighs. “You’re right, of course. Let me see the lineup and we’ll go from there.”

Reb hands her the paper we were given as we entered the party zone, propping himself against his car as they look at it together.

Hopefully, this wasn’t a bad idea—the others will never forgive me.