“Did you know that ‘Ari’ in Hebrew means lion?” Dad said.
We all stared at him in varying degrees of “all righty,” before my mom said, “Yes, it does, love.”
Blair threaded her arm through Ari’s. “Marking your territory, much?” She cast a scathing glance at Kane’s crotch. “You’ll need a bigger hose. Mosey on over to the firemen and ask if you can borrow theirs.”
“Five bucks on Blair,” Mom murmured into my ear.
I clamped my lips together to stifle a laugh. Joking around with my mom? This truly was the best Pride ever.
I fired off a quick text to Rohan. Mom and I are getting along. Too bad you’re not here to witness this modern miracle.
He answered right away. I’m happy for you.
No little dots indicating more was forthcoming. I glared at the screen.
Pride, girlfriend. Get on that. I was going to have to ask him about us straight out, but in the middle of the parade wasn’t the place for it, so I simply texted him back a “Happy Pride” and resolved to call him tonight.
“You good?”
I threw an arm over Ari’s shoulder and grinned at him. “Yes.” I jerked my chin at Kane and Blair still fighting over him. “Not as good as you, though.”
Ari shrugged. “It’s always good to see Blair.”
“Whatever is going on, he obviously cares.”
“I’m more than some possession to be marked and forgotten.” He shook his head and stepped away from me before I could force him to share that juicy anecdote.
Ari would talk when he was ready. Meantime, I was running low on condoms, so I danced up to the Go-Go boys, waving my basket. We’d lost dangly man somewhere along the line.
The lead Go-Go dancer tapped me on the shoulder with a wand before tossing scoops of condoms into my basket from a stainless steel barrel on the corner of the float.
The bass was so loud it reverberated through me. No, that was my phone with another text.
I blew a kiss to the helpful dancer, and fell back in line with my people. “Ro says ‘Happy Pride.’”
“Who dat?” Blair asked, snatching away my phone and holding it out of reach. “Hello. Why do you have a photo of Rohan Mitra and what is that divine shade of lipstick?”
I plucked the phone from her fingers. Sure enough, there was Rohan with scarlet lipstick smudged on his mouth and his arm slung around his friend and former Fugue State Five bandmate Zack Bailey.
I texted him back, my fingers flying over the letters. I was right! My T-shirt knows all. Okay. I can be supportive about this but only if I get to choose the guy and watch.
It’s from last year’s Pride and you know nothing, Jon Snow. I met a fan.
Hot jealous hooks dug under my flesh. Yeah? Do you remember her name?
His name, Sparky. Jonathon. It WAS Pride. Wow.
I snorted. Did you like it?
That’s for me to know and you to find out.
Typical Ro and me banter that hurt my heart because it was such a rarity these days. It would be easier if he’d just flat out act like a douchebag. At least I wouldn’t be second-guessing everything between us.
“Ahem.” Blair threw an arm around my shoulders, squeezing more in threat than friendship. “Answer my questions or I manslaughter you into that lamppost.”
“The lipstick? Scarlet with an orangey undertone.”
Blair squeezed harder.
“Ow. Fine.”
I wasn’t ready to let go of the reality where Rohan and I were still together, even if he had. Today was one of my favorite days of the year, and if I said I had a boyfriend and put off the pitying glances until tomorrow, what harm could it possibly do?
“Doesn’t everyone have photos of their boyfriend on their phone?” I said.
Kane rolled his eyes.
Blair gaped like a fish, her mouth working but no sound coming out. It was a thing of beauty. She punched me in the shoulder. “You. Are. Shitting. Me. Assorted Katzes, tell me she lies.”
I shot Ari a panicked look. He backed me up with no hesitation and since my parents had no idea that anything was wrong between Ro and I, they added their assurances as well.
Blair whipped out her phone, fingers flying as she typed, and a wicked smirk on her face. There was a whoosh noise and she held up the tweet she’d just posted.
Goodbye, little people. Partying in more interesting circles now since my darling friend is getting #RoMantic #rockstarlife #lovestory
I grabbed for the phone like I could somehow make the tweet come back. “Blair!”
“What?”
“We’re not… It’s… I didn’t really want this public.”
“Why? Are you his dirty little secret?” She wagged a finger at me. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
Sure, the tweet was tagged, and his fandom was going to see it, but they’d probably think it was fake or a rumor. And Rohan didn’t go on social media. He paid people to do that for him, all tightly curated and very polite. Again, what harm could it do?
I forced myself to unclench.
It took the rest of the parade route to satisfy all of Blair’s questions. Obviously, I left out the demon hunting part, saying we’d met through DSI.
Between the heat and the interrogation, by the time we got to the end of the parade route my shirt was wet with sweat stains, my gold lamé mini skirt was limp, and I’d have sold my twin for a cold drink.
After making me swear I’d introduce her to Ro at the first available opportunity, Blair took off to go find friends in the crowd. My parents were headed for their annual post-Pride lunch. They offered to treat us, but we wanted to grab some food from one of the food trucks on the beach where the party was in full swing and keep patrolling, so we bid them farewell.
Trying to get anywhere in the mad crush took forever. I’d have whined about it, but the people-watching was spectacular. Especially the sight of my brother and Kane directly in front of me, their pinky fingers occasionally brushing and their heads close together as they talked animatedly about something that I couldn’t hear over all the music blasting out from the beer garden.
An older man of Japanese heritage, kind of a sexier George Takei dressed in impeccable business casual, and this seventeen or eighteen-year-old stocky guy in a Crooks and Castles “Cocaine & Caviar” hoodie stepped out of one of the pricey condo towers overlooking the water.
Kane stopped dead.
The teen pushed his Beats headphones up. “You look like an asshole.”
Ari put his hand on Kane’s arm, but Kane shook him off, skewering the guy with his most disdainful look. I’m surprised the dude didn’t burst into flame. “It’s Pride and I look phenomenal. Not that I’d expect your Rohypnol-loving ass to understand either of those concepts.”
“Kaname.” The man didn’t raise his voice but Kane flinched. “Apologize to your brother.”
Whoa.
“Half,” Kane corrected, lifting his chin to meet his father’s eyes.
Double whoa.
His father refused to be cowed. “There is no half in our family.”
Kane laughed. “Right. You, me, step-monster, and the spawn. Cozy-cozy.”
I tugged on Ari’s arm because this had gotten beyond uncomfortable, but my brother had planted himself at Kane’s back. I tried to make myself the third in a defense triangle, because we were being jostled like mad by the crowd and our little island was in danger of being swept downstream.
Mr. Hashimoto raked Kane with a slow, disapproving gaze, but Kane didn’t wilt under it. He’d obviously learned his own intimidation from a master. Ari was next up for inspection.
“Is this your boyfriend?” His father spoke the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth.
I sucked in a breath.
Ari stepped forward. “Let’s go, man. He’s not worth it.”
Kane laughed at his dad. “Please. You know us gay men. Incapable of all those values like monogamy you prize so much. Naw, he’s just someone I l
ike to fuck.”
He clasped Ari’s head in his hands and kissed him, hard.
Ari stilled, sank into Kane for a brief second, and then shoved him back.
My hand flew to my mouth, my heart breaking for the tangled mess of these two.
“Don’t ever use me to prove a point,” Ari said.
Hurt flashed in Kane’s eyes. Then he gave a cocky swagger. “You’re right. That’s your thing.”
I stepped closer to my twin, ready to tear a strip off Kane.
Kane’s father didn’t betray a single emotion. He jerked his head at his younger son. “Ren.”
The kid trotted after his dad like an obedient puppy, throwing one last sneer at the guys.
Ari looked up at the sky, jaw clenched, then exhaled. “Why can’t you admit your dad set you off?”
Kane threw me a humorless smile. “You getting all this?”
I threw my hands up. “Don’t take your anger out on me.”
“I don’t get mad.” Kane’s eyes glittered dangerously. “I’m Mr. Good Time.”
He snapped his fingers at some random pretty boy who sidled up and poked Kane’s “Gay as fuck” T-shirt.
“Care to give me a demonstration?” Pretty said.
“Kane,” I said. “Come on.”
Kane brushed past me to slide an arm around the man’s waist. “You’ll do. Happy Pride, kids,” he said and, taking his boy toy, was swallowed up by the crowd.
Chapter 4
Ari remained in quite the mood for the next couple of hours, perking up from grim to pleasantly murderous when we tracked a trail of fights that had broken out to the brahns responsible. Sure, these pug-like demons looked cute, all wrinkle-faced, even wearing rainbow doggie collars, but one brush with these fuckers and a person was lost to the darkness.
Pride, sadly, was a perfect venue for these demons to ply their trade. For all the people living loud and proud, totally confident with whomever they were and whomever they loved, there were those grappling with all kinds of identity issues. These people came down here hoping for connection and community. Many of them found it.
But sometimes these demons found them first, sucking them in with their adorable big eyes. A single pat on the demon’s head was enough for a person’s self-perceived failings to start playing on a loop in their brain until it twisted, hardened into a rage that needed to be unleashed.
We cornered the demons in an alley and Ari wrapped his shadow magic around them. Tight with tension, the ropy cords wound around against the demons’ necks despite their thrashing. Their eyes bugged out, their tongues lolled, the doggies emitting pathetic little whimpers.
A sense of unease crept in that we’d made a terrible mistake. “Ari.”
He tightened the shadow noose even more, a determined glint in his eyes.
The whimpering increased, their little tails wagging at warp speed.
I grabbed his arm. “What if they’re not–”
Their glamours fell away, revealing their true forms: fat, foot-long worms, their skin weeping like half-crusty herpes sores.
Ari stomped them underfoot until they winked out, dead. I guess I must have made some kind of noise because he rounded on me, the line of his shoulders tight. “What?”
“Beer?” I said.
He relaxed slightly. “Okay.”
I slung my arm over his rainbow flag cape. “You’re buying. I left my wallet at home.”
We’d made it back down to the beach, the party-happy beer garden a more welcome sight than Eden, when a very familiar red-head walked by, refusing to make eye contact.
“Leonie!” I cried out in evil glee, bounding over to my best friend, who sped up. Well, she tried to speed up, but I had about six inches on her and fifty percent more determination. I snagged her by the back of her short purple sundress. “Happy Pride!”
Leo thrashed in my grip while I stuck my hand out to the tomboyish woman rocking the bright blue pixie cut beside her. “I’m Nava.”
She shook my hand, slightly taken aback by my enthusiasm. “Hi? I’m Madison.”
“Yes, you are,” I beamed.
“Please lock your sister up,” Leo begged Ari.
“I tried. They didn’t want her. Hey Mads, how’s it going?” He hugged her.
I narrowed my eyes at Leo, who broke free to duck behind my brother.
“Look at that,” she said, totally unconvincingly, peeking her head out. “They know each other.”
Madison laughed. “You’re so mean. Ari and I have a bunch of chem classes together. Leo freaked when she found out. Apparently, I’m not allowed to socialize with you two.”
“Not because of you,” Leo assured her.
“Nope. Don’t lump me in with my sister,” Ari said. “I don’t interrogate new kids.”
“I wasn’t going to interrogate Madison.” Three pairs of eyes swung my way in disbelief. “A gentle questioning.”
“You’re a few weeks too late on my intentions,” Madison said. “I’ve got a girlfriend now. Leo and I are just friends.”
Leo batted her lashes. “She got herself a real live lesbian. Much better than me, the girl who ‘couldn’t decide which team to play for.’”
Madison jammed her hands in her jean pockets. “Zahara has issues with bisexuality. She was burned by a past relationship,” she explained to me.
“Nope,” Ari muttered.
I crossed my arms.
“And now you’re wondering about me,” Madison said. “If I’m just one more lesbian being an asshole to a bi girl.”
Leo nudged her hip. “Come on, Mads. I know it isn’t like that.”
“Now that we’ve cleared that up,” I said. “What’s Leo’s ticklish spot?”
Leo tried to jump up and muffle my mouth but I’d anticipated the move and scurried back out of range. She’d used my ticklish spots against me on many an occasion, but I’d never been able to do the same.
“She doesn’t have one.” Madison was betrayed by the tiniest flicker of her eyes cutting to Leo. If I hadn’t been Rasha and trained in visual cues, I’d have bought it.
“Fine. Take her side. You two wanna come to the beer garden with us?” I liked Madison’s loyalty to my bestie. While Madison didn’t know that Drio had dumped Leo because she was a half-goblin and he said he’d kill her if he ever saw her again, she did know that their tentative relationship had suddenly derailed. She’d helped keep Leo from falling into a funk this past month. That counted for everything in my book and I wanted to get to know her.
“I’m meeting up with Zahara,” she said. “Rain check?”
“Definitely.”
Leo hugged Madison, then watched as she was swallowed up by the crowd.
“You okay?” Ari said.
“Yeah. Mads and I were never meant to be long-term, and I’m happy she’s found someone. Just…” Leo shrugged.
“I know.” I wrapped an arm around her waist. “Let’s get you a drink.”
Thanks to Leo’s connections with the bouncer manning the beer garden gate, the three of us got to skip the line. We snagged a sticky folding table and sent my brother off to procure booze.
“Something up with our favorite non-couple?” Leo said.
I glanced over at Ari, patiently waiting in line for drink tickets. “No clue. Why?”
She fiddled with her mass of thin silver bracelets. “I ran into Kane about half an hour ago on a log down at the beach.”
“Was he sucking face?”
She shook her head. “He was on the phone and he sounded really agitated. I’d come up behind him but didn’t say hi.”
“He was probably upset about his dad.” I filled her in on what had happened. “Why didn’t you talk to him?”
Leo bit her lip. “He was speaking to Drio.”
“Oh.” I squeezed her shoulder.
She waved me off, grimacing when she touched the table. She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and scrubbed at the sticky spot. “It’s all good. If Drio is gonna define
me by what I am, not who I am, then fuck him. I’m glad I never have to see him again.”
Leo had uttered some variation of this so many times that she sounded close to believing it. My friendship with Drio had died that day as well, and if she missed him only twice as much as I did, then she was screwed.
Ari arrived with the pitcher. I took the precariously balanced glasses away from him and he dumped the jug on the table, beer sloshing over its side.
“Remember it’s hot,” he said.
“Right, right, pace the drinking, whatever,” I said.
“No.” He filled the first glass. “We should be able to get drunk faster.”
By the time we finished the pitcher, sloshy happy Leo had made an appearance. She was sitting in my lap, telling us about a recent negotiation she’d had to do as a part time Private Investigator between two basilisks.
“So then.” She cocked her fingers like a gun. “I looked them straight in the eyes and said, ‘Life is full of little dangers and I’m one of them.’ Booyah!”
“You’ve got mad skills, baby,” I said.
By the end of our second pitcher, sloshy happy Ari had made an appearance. He’d pulled us to our feet, the three of us dancing in a group like high school girls to “YMCA,” which was pumping out over the speakers.
Tilting to make my “C,” I poked Leo, pointing out the very fit shirtless man trying to grind up on my brother. Ari had ditched his cape but kept the fire hat, now sitting at a jaunty angle. “You know my favorite guy part?”
“Your near pathological fondness for the peen?”
“Shockingly, no. Eyes.” I sighed. “Ro has the most beautiful eyes.”
“Shut up. Today we only objectify strangers.” She rooted around in her bra.
Ari covered his eyes. “Quit it. I might see nip.”
“What did you store in there this time?” I said.
“Gum. And… Aha!” She triumphantly pulled out a crumpled five-dollar bill and waved it in the air. “Yoo-hoo! Mister Hot Guy.”
Ari plucked the money from her hand.
“I didn’t mean you,” she pouted.
“You did at one time,” he smirked.
Leo punched my arm. “You told him I had a crush on him?”
“I didn’t!”
The Unlikeable Demon Hunter Collection: Books 1-6: A Complete Paranormal Romantic Comedy Series Page 117
