Page 5 of Crimson Skies

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Sweat trickleddown the side of Suzie Myers’s face. She glanced at the bright blue sky overhead from under the brim of her hat, wiped her brow with the back of her hand, and took a swig from the water bottle tucked in the saddle of her horse.

“Jesus, it’s hot.”

Zach Mooney had to concur. Even though they were nearing the end of winter, Texas was sweltering. Of course, it was nothing compared to what he’d experienced in the Nine Hells.

As a demon, he could control his body temperature. The same could not be said for Suzie. Her short, pink hair clung limply to her nape and spots of color highlighted her cheekbones. He smiled faintly.

“What?” Suzie said.

“You look sexy with a cowboy hat on.”

Suzie wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty sure I look like a wilting lettuce right now.”

Zach leaned over and kissed her. “Call me a sucker, but I kinda like your wilting lettuce look.”

Suzie squinted. “Do you have heatstroke?”

He chuckled. “No. Come on, we’re almost there.”

He clucked his tongue and sent his horse into a light canter.

Suzie squeezed her steed’s flanks and fell into step beside him. “Maybe you should have flown us out here.”

“And have the US Air Force gunning after my ass?” Zach said drily. “Never mind what Morgan and Strickland would do to me.”

“I don’t think Morgan can really afford to point a finger at other people considering the stunts he’s always pulling,” Suzie observed tartly.

Zach decided to maintain a diplomatic silence. No one could deny that the leader of his Argonaut team was a hothead.

If it weren’t for Adrianne and Cassius keeping him on a tight leash, he’d be a whole lot worse.

A buzzard shrieked overhead as they approached the range of hills they were headed for.

“So, about the hat,” Suzie said casually. “Should I bring it back to San Francisco?”

Zach’s blood warmed at the brazen look the witch directed at him. “I can’t think of anything I’d like more than making out with you wearing only that hat.”

Suzie bit her lip at his seductive tone. “Damn. If we weren’t on an important assignment right now, I’d drag you off that horse and have my wicked way with you.”

Zach laughed. Suzie grinned.

That they could still find something to smile about considering the impending war that would determine all their fates was testament not just to the strength of their relationship, but their very character. Truth be told, he’d never met anyone like Suzie. And he doubted he would again in the future.

That’s if we even have a future.

He and Suzie didn’t talk about it often, but he knew their forthcoming clash with Elios and his army was at the forefront of her mind. The fact that she was out here with him looking for a way to win that battle made him care for her even more than he already did.

Their mounts snickered softly when they entered the mouth of an arroyo. Zach studied the scrubs clinging to the rocky crags rising around them as the clip-clop of their horses’ hooves echoed against the cliffside.

“This guy must really like his peace and quiet if he’s camping this far out in the boonies,” the demon remarked.

“Jethro can be a bit…special.”

Zach didn’t miss the awkward expression that danced across his girlfriend’s face. “Special how?”

“Knowing him, he’s probably out here prospecting.”