Fashionably Dead Down Under(87)

“Oookay, that could be a clusterfuck if something hellish goes down.”
“True. The Guards are the only others dressed as we are.” He nodded in the direction of a group conversing quietly. Cole, standing in the middle, sported the same type of garb that we did—loose fitting black pants and tight black t-shirt.
“The Devil is always up to no good,” I said. Ethan just grinned and shrugged.
“All rise for Satan,” someone in the crowd yelled as Lucifer made his usual movie star worthy entrance.
“Good afternoon, my people!” He was dressed similarly to us and my stomach fell to my toes. Did he plan to fight today? Shitballs. “I see we’ve started, but I do believe I’m just in time for Carl and Moby.”
The crowd went wild and Satan took his seat next to Amanda. The Sins, along with Dixie and Dante, were right behind him but Lust and Wrath were missing.
“What do you suppose he did with Wrath?” I asked Ethan.
“She’s in Purgatory,” a large male Demon behind me whispered with delight. “She’ll be there for years.” His grin made my skin crawl a little, but I was glad to hear she wouldn’t be showing up any time soon. I nodded and gave him a polite smile. Everyone took way to much interest in others’ pain and suffering here, but what did I expect? It was how they thrived.
The crowd was larger than the dinner party last night and I wondered if Satan had added more suspects or if these Demons might be staff. I shook my head and worried about how this would all play out.
“Begin,” the Devil bellowed.
Carl, of the hairiest back I’d ever seen, and Moby, a sullen looking Demon, took the mat as Journey’s Wheel in the Sky blasted from speakers around the room. I suppose it was in preparation for tonight’s concert . . . The fighters bowed to Satan and proceeded to beat the living shit out of each other. What they lacked in finesse, they made up for in grunts and sweat.
“What the hell?” I mumbled, watching a bloody comedy of errors unfold before my eyes.
The mild mannered Carl I knew had disappeared and an out of control violent wooly monster had taken his place. Moby didn’t stand a chance. Janet and Myrtle jumped and cheered on the sidelines as Carl literally wiped the floor with Moby. Literally. The crowd roared their approval. I felt a little sick, but I was happy Moby wasn’t wiping the floor with Carl.
A bell chimed and the fight stopped. Carl stood victorious in the center of the mat. He slowly slid into the splits with his arms raised above his head. Rolling out of the splits he hopped up, ran to the barely conscious Moby and picked him up. Cradling him in his arms, he hugged and kissed him, then encouraged the crowd to clap for the loser too. The Demons managed a light smattering of applause for the bloody Moby.
The next several exhibition fights were far more polished and beautiful. No less blood, but far more finesse. The partners were more fairly matched too. They fought with many of the same techniques we used and I got lost in the beauty of the movement. The lack of magic in the room let me relax and take in the show without worrying if a mystical tsunami was going to blow up out of nowhere. Amanda looked fine . . . alright, she looked slutty, but she didn’t look like she been beaten and almost killed less than ten hours ago. Demons clearly healed as quickly as Vampyres. The music stopped abruptly, right in the middle of Faithfully.
“And now for the challenges,” Satan shouted to the delight of the crowd. “Do we have a challenge?”#p#分页标题#e#
The denizens of Hell murmured with excitement and Cole stepped forward. A hush went through the crowd and I watched many Demons slink low in their seats so as not to be noticed by the Devil’s second in command.
“My finest warrior has stepped up to the mat.” Satan was positively orgasmic. This was not good. Was Cole going to kill someone? “Who do you challenge?”
Cole glanced casually around the room until his narrowed gaze landed on Ethan. Ethan grinned at him and winked. Oh my hell, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or groan.
“I challenge the Vampyre,” he said smugly. The crowd gasped and the large Demon behind us patted my mate on the back.
“It was good knowing you,” he sniffed sadly. Was he crying?
“Actually,” Ethan said, still grinning from ear to ear. “You don’t know me at all.”
I shuddered. To anyone watching it would have appeared I was nervous for my man. They couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Ethan stood and removed his shirt. I rolled my eyes at the gasps of appreciation for his ripped body. He was mine and I gave the stink eye to two buxom female Demons who were drooling. His ego was enormous and I suppressed a giggle. He sauntered slowly to the mat. The tension in the room was palpable.