Giguhl sat on a bench with the hood of his red-and-black robe pulled down over his head. If Slade had come in five minutes earlier, he would have caught Maisie performing a quick healing spell to speed up Giguhl’s recovery. I’d been worried about bringing my sister along, but now I thanked the goddess she was here to help. Even with Giguhl’s healing powers, two demon fights in one night wouldn’t be easy without some magical intervention.
I intercepted Slade and pushed him back into the hall.
“What can I do for you?” he said, seemingly unperturbed by my brusque interruption.
I crossed my arms. “What the hell were you thinking accepting two challenges in one night for him? I’m his manager—you should have asked me first.”
“Calm down. The second fight is rigged.”
My eyebrows slammed down. “What?”
He smiled, looking pleased with himself. “The demon’s handler’s in to me for a lot of money. I told him his debt would be cleared if he ensured Giguhl would win the fight.”
“Why would you do that?”
Slade smiled. “Surely you’re not that naive, Sabina.”
“You bet on Giguhl.”
He smiled. “I knew you were a clever girl.” He moved closer. “So just relax. Giguhl will breeze through this next fight, and when he’s done, we’ll all be a little richer.”
I sighed. “Next time, you talk to me first before you make decisions regarding Giguhl. As his manager, I have the right to veto these decisions.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I moved back toward the door. “I’ll send Giguhl out in a sec.”
“Sabina?”
I stopped at the door and turned to look at him. “Yeah?”
“Any chance you can ditch your mage friend after the fight?”
I cocked my head. “No.”
He shot me a heated glance I felt all the way to my undercarriage. “Pity.”
23
I’d expected Giguhl to start shit talking the minute we reached the ring and saw his opponent. Instead, he stopped short, his gaze transfixed on something across the pit.
“Hey!” I complained when I bumped into his back.
He didn’t say anything. I followed his eyes and realized the problem. A gorgeous chick stood in the other corner. She was about six feet tall, and her long, peacock blue hair shimmered in the overhead lights.
I felt Maisie lean around me and let out a low whistle. “Is she for real?”
Normally, I don’t approve of catsuits. Very few females can pull off the skin-tight, one-piece garments. But I had to admit this chick was working it. The outfit clung to her generous curves from her collarbones down to her ankles. Something blue—almost like a train—trailed behind her, which seemed a tad overkill. But this chick obviously wasn’t into subtlety.
“Man, Slade’s going all out for this,” I said. “Your last fight didn’t have a model to strut around between rounds.”
Giguhl swallowed and nodded absently. Then he stopped. “Huh?”
I nodded toward the chick. “The model you’re ogling. I’m surprised Slade is willing to lay out the cash for the talent.”
Giguhl tore his eyes from the vision in gold. “Sabina, that’s not a model.”
I frowned. Giguhl looked at me with exaggerated patience, waiting for the lightbulb to click on. “Wait, she’s your opponent?”
Before Giguhl could answer, the crowd gasped as a magnificent fan of peacock feathers unfurled behind her. Well, I guess that explained the blue train. And now that I took a closer look, I finally noticed the two small horns jutting from the sides of her head.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” I whispered.
Giguhl groaned and adjusted his codpiece. A snarky comment died on my lips as the vixen began to unwrap the golden chain from around her neck. She swung it around her head a couple of times before cracking it like a whip in Giguhl’s direction. Once she made sure she had his attention, she blew him a kiss.
The seven-foot-tall demon at my side whimpered. “I think I’m in love.”
I grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at me. “Giguhl, get a hold of yourself.”
He peeked out of the corner of his eye at her, but I grabbed his chin. “Listen to me, you can’t let her psych you out.”
“She’s not psyching me out, she’s making me horny.”
I closed my eyes and repressed my gag reflex. “You’re gonna have to focus if you’re going to win.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve never seen a more gorgeous demon.” He sighed like a lovesick teenager.
Of all the times for the demon to reveal his romantic side…
“You’re going to have to fight her. You know the rules. Once a challenge has been issued and accepted, you have to fight.”
Giguhl looked like he wanted to argue, but at that moment, Slade walked into the center of the pit. He went through his little spiel about the rules of Demon Fight Club, but tonight there was a twist.
“Tonight’s match will be a little different, friends,” Slade announced. “For the first time in the history of Demon Fight Club, we will be allowing the demons to use weapons!”
As a roar rose from the crowd, I glanced at golden demon’s whip. “You’re going to have to watch out for that whip,” I whispered to Giguhl. “Do you have any weapons?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t know he was changing the rules.”
Yeah, I thought, nice of Slade to mention this wrinkle when we talked a few minutes earlier. I reached down into my boot and pulled out a knife. The six-inch blade wouldn’t do much damage to a demon, but it might slow her down.
“If you can get close enough, you’re going to have to cut her.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I shushed him. “I know, I know, she’s too beautiful. Slade said she’s going to throw the fight, but we’re going to have to make it look real.”
He frowned but nodded. His claw curled around the handle of the knife.
Slade had finished his rule rundown by now and was introducing the fighters. “In the left corner, we have the prettiest killing machine this side of Irkalla. Don’t let her good looks fool you; this Vanity demon is pure evil. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Valva!”
I choked. “Did he just say ‘Vulva’?”
Giguhl rolled his eyes. “Vahl-va,” he corrected.
I shook my head. “What were her parents thinking?”
Giguhl nudged me. “Hush.”
Slade turned to our side of the ring. “And in the other corner, a demon who needs no introduction after his recent victory over Rargnok, the former champion of this fight club. The big, bad Mischief demon from the Gizal region of Irkalla—Giguhl!”
The crowd went wild. Giguhl stood straighter and pumped his claws in the air. Relief flooded through me. It looked like my demon’s head was finally back in the game.
The bell clanged and Giguhl strutted into the pit. Valva sashayed toward Giguhl, who stood entranced by her shimmery curves. The demoness stopped in front of Giguhl and placed a manicured hand on her slim, gold-clad hip. Her other hand swung the necklace-whip back and forth, taunting him. Giguhl, gods love him, tried to hold firm. He swiped halfheartedly with his blade, narrowly missing her pert nose. She didn’t even flinch.
At a loss, Giguhl took a couple steps back to regroup. Valva beckoned him with a finger. The move distracted him, so he didn’t see the other wrist flick the whip like a lasso. The chain caught him around the neck, and she jerked it taut. Giguhl had no choice but to follow where she pulled. His claws worked at the whip, but before he could make any headway, Valva hooked her leg behind his. He fell hard on the concrete.
The demoness loomed over him and dug a heel into his chest. My heart pounded, thinking Giguhl was done for. But a slow smile spread on his black lips. He grabbed the chain and jerked Valva down on top of him. She gasped and scrambled, trying to dismount him. She dropped the end of the necklace, allowing Giguhl to unwrap it from his neck. He grabbed for Valva, but she moved too fast. As he jumped to his feet, her expression went from shocked to determined. The flirtatious vixen of a few minutes ago was gone.
Giguhl wrapped the end of the necklace around his wrist and swung it in an arc at his side. Valva stood on the other side of the pit, staring him down. They faced off. Each daring the other to make the next move.
Giguhl feinted a move to the right. Valva jumped into action, moving to her left. Surprisingly agile in her spiked heels, she performed a complicated series of leaping spins and kicks. Giguhl stood off to the side, watching her with wide eyes. Hell, even I wanted to applaud when she managed three back handsprings in a row.
She stopped a few feet in front of him, a challenge in her eyes. Giguhl raised his left arm and flexed his impressive biceps. Valva’s full lips spread into an approving smile. Then, inexplicably, he performed a back flip. I gasped. Who knew Giguhl was so nimble?
He jumped up and landed on just his hands and walked the perimeter of the pit. When he was back in front of Valva, he flipped back over and picked her up. She giggled as he spun her around his head. He tossed her in the air and caught her in his arms.
I rolled my eyes. Maisie laughed next to me, enjoying the show. But the rest of the crowd started booing. They’d paid to see a fight, not some bizarre demon mating dance.
“No mercy! No mercy!”
Giguhl ignored them and set Valva gently on her feet. Slade jumped into the ring and approached the pair. I ran forward to play referee should the need arise.
Slade covered the mic with his free hand. “What the fuck is going on here? You know the rules. Two demons enter; one demon leaves.”
“Screw the rules.”
“Yeah,” Valva said in a high-pitched voice. She rewarded Giguhl’s rebellion with a kiss on his cheek. His green scales flashed red for a moment—the demon version of a blush.
A few members of the audience booed. Others picked up the chant. “Two demons enter; one demon leaves!”