Chapter 10
It was fucking chaos on the sixth floor.
My first time seeing this place would forever be etched with violence, and a pang of sadness hit me.
I’d ended my time on Earth with sadness and rage, and wanted my first time back in millennia to be filled with hope.
I couldn’t even take in my surroundings because everywhere my eyes landed, demons were fighting one another.
I could hear accusations being thrown about from one side, and insults being flung from the other.
It was beyond mayhem and about to turn itself into a civil war.
The lust for a fight was brewing throughout the space, and my powers were aching to feed on it. Where was Pan?
“Who do we have here?” A demon, likely higher-level because of the pallor to their skin and the horns protruding out of their skull and neck, stood staring at me in open hostility.
I raised my hands. “I came here with Adaela, the head of the Unseelie. Who are you?” I retorted.
“I’m Frenish. I’m the third in command now that Pan is away. Who the fuck are you, and how did you get in here?” they demanded.
“Wait, what do you mean Pan is away? Where did he go?” I took a step toward Frenish, concerned about what had happened to my friend.
Frenish attempted to use their size and less-than-stellar power to force me to bow down to them.
I wasn’t a small woman by any means, but their almost eight-foot stature made them believe their size could intimidate others.
It was silly when magic existed. I’d met tree nymphs who could blow their power level off the grid.
I was starting to get pissed. I reined my power in with the tightest rope I could, thinking of predicament bondage to get it to settle.
If it went too far one way or the other, it’d get caught up in the ropes binding it together.
The threads were woven so tightly that if it were a real scene, it would’ve been devastating to their limbs.
The thought made me huff a laugh, but I quickly focused back on Frenish, unimpressed.
“Really, you fucking cum-guzzling shit bucket? You’re going to try to use that worthless power on me?
Let me tell you who the fuck I am,” I said, then released my power on them, forcing them to bow down at my feet in submission, nose to the ground.
“I’m the newest member of this faction, you little bitch, and I don’t appreciate you trying to force your will on me.
Now be a good little Demon and tell me who is in charge here before I eat all your desires for dessert. ”
Frenish attempted to lift their head, and I forced more of my will onto them, keeping them in place. They fucking whimpered, and my powers rejoiced in their forced submission. I tried not to gag.
“S-Samael is who you’re looking for. He’s over in the dungeon,” they said.
“And where is this dungeon?” I asked, taking on a more sultry tone as I dug deep into the coffers of my power, forcing my will on them.
“It’s over there.” They pointed toward the left side of the building. They snickered. “Good luck trying to get him to give you any information.”
I’d been here less than ten minutes, and I was already ready to beat the fuck out of anyone who came near me—something I wasn’t proud of. The more things seemed to change, the more they stayed the same, I guessed.
Forcing my way through crowds of Demons, I made my way to the dungeon’s door by physical force or by using my powers. They could either be mad or horny, I didn’t care. I’d prefer the latter, since it fed me better.
I found Samael much like I’d found Az on a regular basis.
It’d been millennia since I saw Samael, and yet he had his dick in someone while getting railed from behind.
His pale skin contrasted with the green scales of the demon behind him, and the purplish tone of the demoness underneath him.
The demon behind him was pushing his hips into Sam hard enough that the person underneath him was screaming in rapture as Samael’s hips snapped in time with the demon behind him.
I didn’t have time for this shit, so I let loose on my powers and fed on all the sexual energy radiating off them in waves.
It was the first time in days that I was sated.
I blew out a quiet breath of relief. Their demeanors changed, confused at their deflating boners, and I started slow clapping while walking their way, full and high off their lust.
“My, Samael, I think the last time I saw you, you were doing much of the same thing, just in a vastly different setting. But not at—” I glanced at my phone“—2:40 in the afternoon.”
He startled. Samael took a minute to get his bearings, then sauntered toward me, naked, with a shit-eating grin. The other two continued where he left off, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. I guessed they both had a quick re-up time.
“Ah, Vada, I was wondering when you were going to show your face,” Samael greeted me with no concern about his nudity. I was used to nudity by now, but I expected better out of the demons here. I’d have to manage my expectations.
“Well, since you seem completely fucking oblivious to everything going on around you as usual, it seems like nothing has changed,” I replied with a bite.
His face went red and he sniffed, rubbing his forearm across his nose. Cool, so he was high as a fucking kite, too. “What the fuck do you mean ‘oblivious to everything’? Everything is good.”
I dragged him by his ear like the little man-child he was to the doorway to see the fighting happening in the main space of the faction. “Does this look like everything’s good?”
He cursed, then paled, quickly dressing while I stood by the doorway.
Once done, he sent out a wave of power that almost had me submitting too.
Samael was a fallen angel who retained some of his powers of peace when he fell.
For a strong demon, power of peace rather than destruction was rare, but it was often necessary.
The Pax was the perfect place for someone like him, instead of Hell.
The room quieted down and everyone turned toward the doorway we were standing in.
I casually leaned against the jamb, making my first impression on these fools.
In the Demon Realm, respect was earned by power.
I didn’t know if that was the case here, but I tried to give the impression that I didn’t give a fuck about any of them while also having the ear of the de facto leader.
“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on right now!” Samael shouted, his power pulsing like a living thing.
“Pan’s dead.”
“Murdered.”
“We have a traitor in our midst.”
Everyone started shouting at once, and all I could focus on was that my friend was dead.
What the fuck happened? The tension in the room ramped back up, and Samael pushed more power into the room.
Some of the weaker demons in the vicinity bowed in supplication, while others showed quiet hostility, not quite daring to voice their opinions.
I made note of those individuals. It was clear I would need to keep an eye on them going forward.
Samael’s leadership obviously was hanging on by a thread.
I didn’t have time to grieve my friend yet.
“Pan’s dead? Where the fuck is security?” Samael shouted over the cacophony again.
Four demons headed our way, and Samael made a gesture to follow him out of the dungeon and into an office on the other side of the floor.
I tried to push Pan’s death out of my head, but I was shattering.
I quickly wiped under my eye to confirm I wasn’t crying, then impassively walked toward the office, trying to maintain my composure.
It was quieter in here, and I was thankful for that.
“This is Vada Livinicus. She has come to us from the Demon Realm. I believe she’s been in St. Louis for less than a week,” Samael said to the guards who entered with us.
I nodded to everyone. “I don’t mean to be rude, but introductions can wait. What’s going on? I was with Adaela when the alarms started going off, and we rushed here to figure it out.”
The guard to my left, a woman who appeared to be a slayer, one of the Demon races from the Seventh Circle of Hell, spoke, “One of our lower-level Demons was found near the kitchens with missing limbs and a bullet hole through the forehead. No one heard or saw anything. There doesn’t appear to be any trail leading anywhere either.
” She winced. “Pan was found in his office. We haven’t yet figured out his cause of death.
He was technically a God, so it would take a lot to kill him. ”
Samael’s eyes were wide, and it was clear that he was panicking.
He was probably too high to realize the severity of the issue right now, but Pan’s leadership as his second was hitting home.
He was realizing that he was now responsible for the Demon Faction.
Samael had always been about the party, even millennia ago when we first met.
I sighed, then took over, wanting to get this rolling so we could figure out our next steps.
“Has the perimeter been secured? Were we able to find any leads on who might’ve murdered someone in the most secure building in the world?” I asked.
The guards studied me with equal parts suspicion and respect.
They realized the same thing I had about Samael, and they were likely wondering about my timing in coming here, too.
The fact was, I was close friends with Pan and Selene, his wife, and we’d been making plans for my arrival here on Earth for over a century—ever since I’d learned of Adaela’s existence.
I would likely have to have this conversation with the Demon Faction soon enough, but today was not that day. We had shit to take care of.
“We could not find anything that pointed toward a breach anywhere,” one of the guards said.
“We are in the process of interrogating the members who have been here, but we don’t have any updates.
The Demon’s closest friends and family have been notified of his death, but that’s all the information we have right now. ”
“Okay, good work on getting things started. What do you need from me?” I asked.
The guard considered me for a minute, then said, “I think you might be the best person we have right now to notify the rest of the Pax factions about what’s going on. In the meantime, we will continue our search for the murderers. Can you contact Adaela and see where they’re at?”
I glanced at Samael since he hadn’t said anything, only to see him passed out in a chair.
I groaned. Samael was genuinely a good pick as a leader when he had his shit together, but it was clear to me that Pan’s death was hitting him hard.
Same, friend. I sighed. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take care of that.
I’m going to give you my number. Can you text me any relevant information about the Demon Faction like names, locations where people were injured or killed, and anything else you find might be important to this investigation? ”
I texted Adaela as we continued discussions and game plans.
My eyes glared daggers at Samael in disbelief.
When he sobered up, I’d sit down with him and make sure he understood his responsibilities to this faction and to the Pax.
I did not move here to become its de facto leader, and I’d love to have my friend back.