Mammon (Devilry #2)

15. Belphegor

FIFTEEN

BELPHEGOR

Terror nips at my ankles as we all sit down for our weekly meeting with Mammon. I grin brightly, cooing as I pick her up and set her on my lap. She’s so fucking adorable; just a little fuzzball of cuteness with the tiniest bit of a vicious streak. The perfect dog for me.

Mammon sits at the head of the table, as usual, and starts to go over some plans he made. I’m obsessed with the guy, but I don’t need to know all the intricate details of what he plans to do, even though he’s the most considerate person on the planet for keeping us all in the loop.

I drown out his words as he speaks, only focusing on his voice as I pet Terror. Fuck, that thick Southern drawl always manages to get me hard in an instant. I can remember all the filthy things he whispered to Bel and me before he had his way with us.

Sure, his distance has been hurting my feelings, but Bel told me to perk up, so I’m trying my hardest to see the bright side of things. He let us get a puppy, so that must mean he cares about seeing us happy, right?

But I want so much more than that. I’m growing tired of begging for scraps and getting so little in return. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll rut against his leg like a bitch in heat forever, but a drop of attention would also be nice every once in a while.

A hard elbow digs into my side and I hiss as I snap my head at Bel. “What?”

“Were you paying attention?” he asks, amusement and anticipation dancing in his eyes.

I shake my head, flushing when all my brothers minus Mammon snicker. “What did I miss?”

“Bel volunteered for the two of you to rough some people up,” Asi explains, chewing the inside of his cheek as he glances at Mammon. “I still think Levi, Luc, and I should go.”

My cheeks heat in irritation. “Fuck you. Why’s that?”

“Because you don’t know when enough is enough?” Levi mumbles and shakes his head. “You sure about this, Mammon?”

Mammon rolls his bottom lip into his mouth, humming to himself as he looks at Bel and me. There’s a slight hint of hesitation, and a lot of wariness, but he ultimately nods. “Don’t fuck this up. I need them scared and alive .”

Bel makes a cross over his heart before throwing him an air-kiss. “I promise we’ll be on our best behavior, Daddy. Right, Gore?”

Well…I can try my hardest? Bel and I aren’t exactly known for making the best decisions. To us, they are, but apparently everyone else disagrees. They’re all a bunch of spoil sports, though. We’re just trying to have a good time, is all.

But I sit up straighter because of Mammon’s inquisitive gaze. I feel like this might be a test and all I want is for him to be proud of me. This is the moment Bel was talking about. It’s the moment we can prove ourselves as more than just the crazy psychos of the family. If that means breaking one or two fingers, then I can totally do that.

Right?

“Welp. We fucked up, didn’t we?”

I’m panting and completely out of breath as I try to gather my bearings. Bel’s cock is still in my ass, softening just a tad, and reality hits me.

This was supposed to be so simple. Bel and I were to show up to the mayor’s office, scare him and his council a little, maybe hurt them just the tiniest bit, and then call it a day. It sounded so easy.

But then they started panicking which made them look so fucking cute.

And well, when they started crying…

Ugh —don’t even get me started on the way they tried to run.

I must have blacked out like I normally do because I don’t remember Bel and I fucking on the blood-covered desk, surrounded by the very unrecognizable remains of the former leaders of Juniper Ridge.

Oops.

“Mammon’s going to be so mad,” I whine, covering my face with my hands as if that’ll make this whole mess go away.

Bel shrugs and tries to appear unbothered, but I can feel the way his fingers tremble against my hip. “It’ll be fine.”

I want to believe him because Bel never lies to me, but I can’t help but think that we failed the test I wanted so badly to pass.

But, honestly, how mad can he get?

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

I wince and hang my head. Normally, I love the sound of Mammon’s voice—especially when it gets all growly like this—but it’s having the opposite effect. If I were to raise my head right now, everyone would be able to see the big, fat tears welling in my eyes.

“Do you have anything to say for yourselves?” he snaps, slamming his fist down on his desk, rattling both his belongings and my gut.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Nibbling on my bottom lip, I steal a glance up at him. “We really didn’t mean to.”

Beside me, Bel raises his hands in the air and shrugs. “Honest to God, Daddy. I have no idea what the fuck happened.”

It’s the wrong thing to say to Mammon. He curses, chucking a stapler between our heads. I flinch when I hear it shatter something behind me. “I’m not your fucking daddy, Beelzebub! Fucking hell! I can’t believe I ever thought you two could handle something like this!”

Shame flushes my cheeks and tightens my chest as my eyes dart to our brothers lining the wall of the office. They’re all a bunch of judgmental pricks here to enjoy the show, but I don’t blame them. Bel and I would be doing the same if it weren’t our asses getting chewed out. Having an audience just makes things so much worse. Everyone else gets to be witness to how royally we fucked up.

Still, I whine, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to defend myself. “That’s not fair. We really tried.”

“Did you?” Mammon sneers, gesturing to the bloody clothes Bel and I are still wearing. “Or were you impulsive and irresponsible, like every other time you’re told to do something?”

Standing his ground, Bel stomps his foot in annoyance. “I don’t get what the big deal is!”

Someone hisses to the right of us as Mammon’s jaw drops in disbelief. He’s looking at us like he can’t believe we’re this stupid. I hate it. “The big deal is that I fucking needed them! Do you know how much work you created for me? Do either of you have any idea what goes into keeping all this shit going?” He scoffs, shaking his head. “No, of course, you don’t. Because Mammon will take care of it.”

I cry. “That’s not?—”

His finger shoots out to silence me, that angry deep blue vein in his forehead throbbing. “Don’t you dare say fair. You’re not a child, Belphegor. You need to be responsible for your shit. I’m growing tired of cleaning up after the two of you.”

“Then why keep us around?! Why fucking bother!”

Something desperate bubbles within me. The tears I’d been trying to hold back burst free, everything in my body trembling as I move forward with a jolt. Bel tries to stop me, his eyes widening as I round Mammon’s desk, but he’s too slow as I step before Mammon and smack my hands against his chest.

The air in the room grows ice cold. It’s like I can fucking see the ghost of my breath dancing in front of my nose as Mammon stares down at me, specifically at the hand that’s still pressed against his body. His nostrils flare like a bull revving himself up, and I can’t move quickly enough before he’s grabbing the back of my neck and slamming me face-first onto the desk.

A stab of pain shoots down my cheek to my nape where his fingers are threatening to cut off my circulation. I fight his hold, body buzzing, but he’s too strong. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bel lunge toward us, but he’s held back from doing anything when Asi wraps his arms around his chest.

“You think this is a game?” Mammon hisses, so loud in the crowded room like he’s commanding every single ounce of air from my lungs. I feel him fumbling with something behind me that I can’t make out as he digs his thumb into my cheek. “You want to play games with me, Belphegor? Children play games. If you and Beelzebub want to act like children, then you’ll be treated as such.”

Without warning, my pants are shoved down my legs, the pinch of my zipper against my skin making me yelp. I don’t have enough time to ask what’s happening before something cold and leather connects with my ass.

“I think it’s time that the two of you understand that I’m done!” he yells, hitting me again, burning pain blossoming as I start to sob. “I’m done with your bullshit and I’m done with the trouble! I have actual shit to worry about now, Belphegor! That makes your antics burdensome!”

Sniffling, snot runs down my lips as I try to crawl my way up the desk and away from him. “I-I’m s-sorry?—”

“Yet you continue to make the same mistakes!”

Slap .

“The two of you still think you can do whatever the fuck you want!”

Slap.

I’m shaking from the inside out with a mix of pain and humiliation as everyone watches my punishment. I try to turn my head so it’s not facing my brothers, but Mammon’s iron grip keeps my face perfectly visible throughout all of this. When I think my ass has finally grown numb, he moves his belt down to the back of my thighs, the sting even worse as he continues to go at me without mercy.

“You need to”— slap —“fucking”— slap —“listen!”

“Mammon!” Bel shouts, his broken voice cracking as I see him through tear-blurred eyes, fighting both Asi and Levi now. “Stop!”

“Not until my point is made.”

And he makes his point loud and clear as I break down on his office table, my pants around my ankles, my abused ass in the air, and my pride in shambles on the floor.

Once he’s satisfied, he stops, finally letting up on my neck so I can take my first clear breath, but the torment doesn’t end there. He leans down, his breath hot against my ear. His body is tense above me. “Do you know what happens to people when they lose their usefulness?”

Whimpering, I try to get up, but a hard hand on my back forces me back down.

“Answer me, Belphegor.”

I shake my head, shame gathers deep in my gut at how weak and little I am. “I-I d-don’t know.”

“I get rid of them. Now, clean yourself up, take Beelzebub, and get the fuck out so the adults can work. For the foreseeable future, the two of you aren’t allowed out of this house.”

I nod shakily, standing on weak legs as I fumble to pull my pants up. In an instant, Bel is at my side and helping me get dressed. Mammon doesn’t even address him as I’m walked out of the room a stumbling mess, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“I’m sorry,” Bel whispers once we’re in the hallway, holding me close to him as I sob. “I’m sorry, Gore.”

I can’t speak, letting broken hiccups as we slide down the wall together. I let him hold me as my sore ass throbs with the reminder of what just happened. It’s not even that I was just spanked in front of everyone—humiliated and meant to feel like nothing—but it’s Mammon’s words that keep ringing in my head.

That I’ve grown useless to him.

Which makes me nothing.