Silver-Tongued Devil Read Online Free Page A

Derby Night was born.
    I leaned forward to look past Adam at my minion. “I didn’t realize you were already recruiting for the team.”
    The demon nodded, his enthusiasm palpable. “I convinced Slade to host the first match here next week.”
    I blinked. “Wow. How many team members do you need total?” This wasn’t an idle question. Ever since he’d first brought up the idea of putting a team together, I’d been waiting for my invitation.
    “I’d like ten. That way we’ll have plenty of subs. So far I have three mages, two of Slade’s nymphs, and, of course, Pussy Willow.”
    “No vamps?” I asked. “Or weres?” I added at the last minute so it wouldn’t look like I was digging.
    Giguhl pulled the label off his beer bottle and started shredding it. “That’s the problem. I don’t know any vampires in the city. And all the weres I know are dudes.”
    I stilled. He didn’t know any vampires? “Um, Giguhl? Not to point out the obvious or anything, but… I’m a vampire.”
    “You don’t count.” He waved a claw.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    He shrugged. “You’re not going to be on the team.” He said this like it was the most obvious statement in the world.
    I set down my beer with deliberate slowness. “And why not?”
    Adam tensed. He knew I’d been waiting for Giguhl to ask me to be on the team.
    “Don’t give me that look, trampire,” Giguhl said. “It’s nothing personal.”
    “You just told me you need warm bodies for the team. And in the next breath, you say you don’t want me. How am I not supposed to take it personally?”
    Giguhl finally noticed the sharp edge to my words. He shot a look at Adam. “Um, I’m not asking friends to be on the team.”
    “But you just said PW is on it!”
    Giguhl cradled the beer between his claws and sighed. “Look, Red, no offense, but you’re not exactly a team player.”
    My mouth fell open. “How can you say that? What happened to us being Team Awesome?”
    Two dubious male stares greeted that statement.
    “What?” I demanded. “I know I had some problems remembering the team thing in New Orleans but I’m much better now. Right?”
    Adam shifted uncomfortably. “I think what Giguhl means is that since he’s your minion you won’t take coaching from him seriously.”
    I grabbed my beer and sat back with a huff. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
    “See?” Giguhl said, looking at Adam. “She’s already undermining me.”
    The lights dimmed. Giguhl’s eyes widened and he swiveled toward the stage. But if he thought this conversation was over, he was sorely mistaken. How dare he imply I couldn’t be a team player?
    “Here we go,” Adam said under his breath. He tried to pull me closer but I remained stiffly distant. He sighed and leaned in. “Oh, come on. You didn’t really want to play Roller Derby anyway.”
    He was right, of course. I thought the costumes and nicknames the teams used were silly. Still, Giguhl’s rejection stung more than it should have. But none of that was Adam’s fault, so I scooted closer.
    Onstage, spotlights flashed and a machine belched smoke. PW’s backup band appeared and took their positions, accompanied by lackluster applause from the crowd. A few moments later, they began to play a swingy baseline.
    “Ladies and gentlemen.” Pussy Willow’s voice came from the speakers. She stood just offstage in the shadows with her mic. “Vein is proud to present the Black Light District’s newest musical sensation—Pussy Willow and the Catnips!”
    Giguhl looked over his shoulder. “The band name was my idea!” He looked so proud that I smothered my urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I shot him two thumbs-up. When the demon turned back around, Adam squeezed my thigh and smiled.
    With the lights still down, the Catnips switched the melody into the opening notes of the first song. Instead of the upbeat dance songs PW performed at Lagniappe in New Orleans, this had a