Chapter Twenty-one: Grace's Grace

How terrible could Grace be with such a name? Grace graces Grace's graces gracefully.

Why was Thorn so afraid of her? Thorn was scared of a few things. I worked my jaw as I figured this was some sort of trap.

When I laid eyes on her, I mentally congratulated myself for such a prediction.

Grace was a beautiful humanoid creature with long white hair and silvery eyes. Her voice was that of a triple-balled demon called Basstum.

I wanted to laugh so hard, but Hekin hit me in the abs beforehand, the crazy bastard.

Grace furrowed her thin eyebrows at my reaction, and I could care less.

"Why are you here?" she asked as she glared at me. Her white gown ruffled as she sat on her silver throne.

"It's a long story," Hekin intervened before I could open my mouth. "We've lost three of our people. Have you seen them by any chance?"

Grace slowly blinked and nodded. "Three beautiful half-breeds. How did you come by them?"

Hekin hit my arm for me to answer. I scowled at him for being so rough. "My minions became insubordinate and I abandoned them, but once humans carried the eggs, they hatched. One became Chichi, and the other became Sketta for Tark. The last, Mil, hatched for two human children, Rif and Golir."

"They're staying with me," Grace declared with a satisfied smirk. "They love it here."

"They're leaving with us," I countered. "Make your own toys, G."

Suddenly, my feet were in the air, and I landed on my ass. The pain shot up my spine, making me hiss. That damn heifer! I was about to shoot a poisonous needle until the girls appeared beside her.

Their eyes seemed vacant as they stared at us.

"Sketta!" Hekin beckoned. "Let's go back home!"

Sketta's fingers twitched, but she didn't take a step. Could this trap control their minds?

I studied Mil's reaction to the boys calling her. Her eyes were watery with tears.

Damn Grace and the hole she crawled out of! My vines snapped her wrists off her arms and broke her elbows. Her ankles ripped apart as more vines squeezed her neck and chest.

"Let's get something straight," I growled as my vines brought her to me. "You messed with my girls, and I'll let them kick your ass."

Mil and Sketta were the first to snap out of the lucidity. Sketta stabbed Grace's back with her daggers while Mil sliced her head off with a deadly magic us demons call purification.

I studied Mil and tried to read her expressions. I wasn't comfortable thinking that she could cast that powerful spell behind my back and kill me.

She cried with joy as she embraced the boys. They held onto her so tight that I thought her breasts would swallow them up.

Sketta ran to Hekin and hugged him, her usually calm face flushed with embarrassment. Hekin seemed . . . happy for once.

Chichi's huge boobs smacked Tark's face as she cried and held onto him for dear life. Her badonkadonk bumped into the others and pushed them away from him. I growled at the human face Grace had given her with white hair and silvery eyes.

"Jopp!" Tark started. "Don't you hurt Chichi!"

"I don't plan on hurting her; I'm gonna take her damn head off!" I shouted.

Chichi scowled at me and summoned her greatsword. "Nobody's cutting my head off, mister!"

Grace's life force could be connected to her. I couldn't take the chance.

Rif and Golir grabbed my legs while Mil stayed my arm. Hekin and Sketta stood between me and Chichi.

"Aeklith, please don't kill her," Tark uttered.

I swallowed hard. Chichi couldn't be trusted, that much I knew.

"Keep her the hell away from me!" I demanded. "If Grace shows up using her, she's dead meat! Understand?!"

Tark and Mil agreed. Hekin and Sketta were too busy kissing each other to notice.

I walked to the beach when I realized we were surrounded by demon shadows. These were really nasty and powerful minions of Noforl. Thirty skyscraper-sized demons were closing in, and the tsunami was coming. Everything about this island screamed trap.

"Get us in the air, now!" I ordered. "Tsunami!"

Chichi grabbed Tark, Mil grabbed the boys, and Sketta picked up Hekin.

I gulped when I realized what this meant.

"Jopp! No!" Tark hollered. "Let me go!"

Chichi held onto him fast with a conflicted expression.

"Hurry! Go!" I demanded.

Once they were out of sight, I gazed at the sunset. I wasn't much of a poet, but the way the ocean glittered the soft orange hues with tranquility made me think of Alaris, Tark, Hekin, and the boys. My troubles seemed insignificant at that moment. This had been a wonderful adventure, more than I could ever dream.

"We're no match for them yet," Thorn muttered beside me. "Come on. I'll teach you how to fly."

He didn't know how relieved that made me.

"Faster!" I shouted over the roar of the waves. "Woohoo!"

Thorn had a sailboat on the southern part of the island. With his wind magic, he pushed the sailboat towards the mainland. It was faster than the flying girls, and we passed them up with the crazy speed.

During that whole time, Thorn showed how he made the sails, and it reminded me of dragonfly wings.

"What's in it for you?" I asked.

"Get in a good word to Chichi for me," he winked.

I frowned. Chichi was on his mind? That horny toad.