Page 7 of Heart Over Heels

The demon—male or female, I still wasn’t sure—kicked and writhed, slowing progress to a crawl. One of the guards seized the demon’s flailing arm and lifted them clean off the ground. A high-heeled shoe flew off mid-struggle and skidded across the tile.

At this point, customers were starting to take notice. Even the constant dinging and ringing of the slot machines couldn’t mask this kind of racket.

Surging forward caused my leg to protest, and I fought a limp as I squeezed into the space in front of the guards. I blocked their path then fixed them with a glare.

“If they’re here to see the casino, I doubt you’ll impress them with mop buckets and brooms.” I nodded toward the demon dangling from two meaty hands clamped around their arms. “The fountains are nice,” I added. “And they’re outside, to boot. I’d love to show them out.”

The guards exchanged a glance before the one on the left turned toward me with a sneer.

“Yeah? And then what? Shove it in? Watch its pretty skin melt off?”

The demon thrashed harder, tail whipping wildly and orange eyes glowing with unnatural light.

The guard chuckled and gave them a shake. “That water eats demons alive.”

I grimaced. So the fountains were a bad suggestion. But my point stood, and so did I, still blocking their path.

The guard on the left hoisted the demon higher, wrenching their shoulder in the process. “Whaddya think, hell spawn?” he hissed near the creature’s ear. “Wanna take a dip in the pond?”

Pushing forward, I held out my hand. “That’s enough. I’m escorting them off-site. Per policy.”

The guard on the left rolled his eyes. “We got it, rookie. Don’t wanna turn this into a bad joke. How many guys does it take to put a demon in its place?”

The pair snorted with laughter and braced to barrel past me.

The demon suspended between them gave another twisting jerk, but they were clearly outmatched. I tried to remember if demons had any powers or abilities I should be aware of. Poison skin, acid spit, or looks that could literally kill. This one certainly had a wicked glint in their eyes, though what might have been hatred was heavily tempered by panic.

If they could defend themselves with unholy magic, wouldn’t they have done it already?

I set my stance and crossed my arms. “I’d hate for something like this to give Antonella cause to investigate whatotherrules you’ve been ignoring. I don’t think they wrote the procedure manual for fun.”

The other guards scowled at me, debating while I did the same. I was new here and reluctant to make enemies of thosewho should be my allies. Threatening to report wouldn’t win me any brownie points, but letting them haul a demon into the storage closet and out of sight of surveillance didn’t sit right either.

The guard on the left released his hold on the demon’s arm then nodded for his buddy to do the same.

“Jesus, Mercer,” he grunted at me. “You’re determined to ruin this. Fine. It’s your problem now. Get the piece of shit outta here.”

His partner gave the demon a shove that sent them stumbling in their single high heel. They crashed into me, a waif of a thing I fumbled to catch while my fellow officers left in a huff.

My efforts to stabilize the little demon were met with a cold shoulder of resistance. They shrugged me off, nearly lost their balance again, then let out an exasperated growl.

Stalking over to where their other shoe had landed, they snatched it up and jammed it back on. Then came the primping. Tugging at their sleeves, smoothing down their skirt, and shaking that shock of white hair until it fell into perfect waves.

When they lifted their head and glowered at me, I just stared.

Feminine features. Flawless makeup. Powder-white hair tucked neatly around dark brown horns. Not a she but a he. I’d heard it in his voice, and the bulge of his Adam’s apple in his throat confirmed my suspicion.

I skimmed down his form again, all the ruffles and lace and the shoes adding inches to his diminutive height. At his back, his leathery black tail made the shape of a serpent preparing to strike.

The combination of it all struck me dumb, not with confusion but rather some kind of awe.

I’d never seen anything like him.

After a long pause, his nose scrunched. “Is it the tail or the lack of tits?”

“What?”

Propping his fists on his hips, he squinted up at me in a way that could only be described as impudent. “I know the look. I get it a lot. So, which bothers you more, the fact that I’m a demon or that I have a cock tucked under this skirt?”