Chapter 83 Chapter 83
He rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed. “Swimming.”
The next afternoon, Valerie was busy getting ready to meet up with the other demons, glad she still had a bikini in her wardrobe that she could wear today. She had prepared a few towels and sunscreen as well as something to eat and drink, but since she wasn’t sure what exactly the demons had planned for today, she was a bit nervous.
Maxwell hadn’t told her much about Liam and his other friends, so she wasn’t sure what to expect. At least she had already met Vaughn, Shawn, Wade, and Xander… and as far as she knew, her friends Thorne and Esther would be there too. That didn’t sound bad at all, now that she thought about it.
The weather was gorgeous, perfect for swimming. It was hot outside, and there was no breeze to cool her down. She had put her long black hair up in a ponytail and wore her blue bikini under a light summer dress.
Even Maxwell was dressed more casually today than usual, wearing short black trousers and a loose shirt. He seemed to look forward to meeting his friends since his mood was quite good today.
Valerie walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge, but she got a huge scare when she ran right into Xander, who had appeared out of thin air. She collided with him, stumbling back, but he caught her and prevented her from falling.
“Oh wow, you’re so into me,” he commented with a seductive grin that made her blush. “Maxwell must be quite boring when you’re throwing yourself at me like that.”
“Xander?” she squeaked.
“The one and only.” he grinned proudly. “You’re not naked this time,” he remarked, sounding disappointed.
Her cheeks were colored red. “You pervert. I’m not running around without clothes at home, what did you expect?”
“Hm, that’s odd.”
“What do you mean, odd? It’s completely normal to wear clothes,” she screeched in embarrassment, inwardly cursing this unashamed demon. Only because he liked showing off his abs didn’t mean it was the same for everybody.
He chuckled lowly and waggled his eyebrows, leaning closer to her. “Oh, you know. I would have expected someone to make a move on you, but you two are lamer than I thought. Shouldn’t you be all over each other? Maybe I could spice things up a bit.” His eyes gleamed with evil joy, promising nothing but chaos.
“What are you even…” she began, but cut herself off when he got so close to her that their noses were touching, hypnotizing her with his strong gaze. Her words got stuck in her throat.
“Get the fuck away from her.” a very irritated voice boomed from behind her, causing the smirk on Xander’s face to widen. He snickered mischievously, intent on causing trouble.
“Make me,” he grinned and stuck his tongue out childishly. “I’m taking her somewhere else,” he said, earning a growl from Maxwell. Rays of light appeared around his body, illuminating the kitchen. Valerie stared at Xander, who put his arm loosely around her shoulders and winked at her, whispering, “We’re going to have some fun without this lame ass.”
Before Maxwell could do anything, Valerie was surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Nausea washed over her, nearly making her vomit, but then her sight cleared, and she found herself standing in paradise.
Her mouth fell open in astonishment, and she couldn’t believe her eyes. An endless white beach was in front of her, vibrant green palm trees offering shade from the sweltering sun. To her right, the bright blue ocean glimmered in a beautiful play of colors. It was turquoise near the beach and faded to dark blue farther away.
Valerie had never in her life set foot in such a beautiful place and was speechless. His teleportation ability certainly was useful. She was jealous of him, knowing that he could come by for a visit any time he wanted to.
“I take it you like the view,” Xander laughed, standing next to her and watching her reaction.
“It’s incredible.” she breathed.
“Great, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Liam chose this place; you should thank him later,” Xander added, and Valerie finally noticed the group of people standing not far from them. Some of them she recognized, others were unfamiliar to her. “Let’s go and meet them.”
He took her hand and pulled her after him enthusiastically. They walked up to the group who had already spotted them and waved at them. Valerie saw Vaughn and Esther, Shawn, Wade, Thorne, and three other men she had never seen before. Everybody wore either swimwear or light clothing suited to the hot weather. A small wooden cabin was behind them, its door open.
“Valerie.” Esther yelled and embraced her friend, who giggled in response. “Finally, you’re here.”
“Hello, Esther,” she smiled.
“Where did you leave Maxwell, though?” Thorne asked amusedly, one glance at Xander’s smug face already telling him what he had planned. He could only roll his eyes at the shenanigans of the younger demon, knowing that he would be in deep trouble later on.
“Typical,” a dark-haired demon said, rolling his eyes annoyedly. He was accompanied by a man with dark red hair that formed two horns, his vibrant blue eyes taking Valerie’s breath away. She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was… and on top of that, just like a certain other demon, he seemed to be proud of his abs.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Liam,” he said with a velvety voice, and watched her calmly. “I’ve been waiting to get to know you.”
“I’m Valerie,” she introduced herself. “I heard you chose this place. It’s very beautiful.”
He folded his arms in front of his bare chest. “I like to travel around a lot and found this spot by coincidence. I figured it would be the perfect place for a meet-up with everyone.”
“Where are we, exactly?” she asked, not sure what to think of him yet. Liam seemed to be well-mannered and much more polite than Maxwell, but at the same time, his gaze held a foreign coldness that intimidated her. She sensed that he was powerful, his water magic only waiting to be unleashed, and she made a mental note not to anger him.