Chapter 53
Raven
“No more demons attacking innocent humans and magicals.” I glared at my father as he man-spread on our couch. Or rather, Rasmus’s couch.
I’d called him here for a meeting. One where I politely informed him he needed to behave before the humans nuked us all.
“Not all the victims were innocent, pet,” Zane pointed out, which from my father’s enthusiastic nod, he apparently agreed with.
“My legions do not kill indiscriminately,” Dad claimed with a petulant sniff. “Only those that deserve it.”
“And the humans who were slain while singing hymns in a church?” I pointed out.
Dad huffed. “A sad case. Azimoth heard them screeching about casting out demons and acted in my defense.”
“And the seal shifters murdered during a bonding ceremony?”
My father examined his recently manicured nails. He seemed proud of the skulls the nail bar had added.
“Mistaken identity. Zazriel’s intelligence said it was a meeting of angels stuck in the human realm. We hate all angels, so of course my demon legion attacked first without asking questions.” He appeared genuinely upset at my suggesting his demons were in the wrong.
I rolled my eyes. It was obvious my father was a sociopath with no moral compass whatsoever. I stood a better chance of persuading Kenji to become a vegan than making him feel guilty about the crimes committed in his name.
Luckily, the humans had listened to the magical community’s reassurance that there would be no more demon attacks thanks to a truce with my father.
My father’s appearance on global television had helped. A hot guy in a designer suit didn’t look remotely scary, and with eighty percent of the population now in lust with the king of the demon realm, people happily forgot about the bloodshed.
Alaric stared into space as Dad monologued on all the reasons why demons needed access to the human realm, and I wondered if he was thinking about his long-lost fiancée. The witch murdered by one of my father’s demons at the solstice ball.
I gave up trying to persuade my father that the demon portal should be sealed.
“It would be rude to discriminate against an entire species based on a few problematic behaviors.”
He plucked a cookie from the tray Maverick had removed from the oven. My bear scowled but refrained from complaining, even though I knew he’d baked them especially for me.
“But I suppose I can put measures in place to control who passes through the portal,” Dad conceded, rolling his eyes.
“I still think we should just seal it again,” Maverick muttered.
“Mom managed it, so I guess it must be possible.” Surely I could do it? My father’s chin snapped up. Hellfire flickered in his obsidian eyes.
“Your mother was the strongest witch I’ve ever encountered. That's why I fell in love with her.” He sighed. “If only she’d loved me enough to stay.”
“Why did she leave?”
He pouted. “She didn’t appreciate my other wives.” My jaw dropped.
“Wait…what? You had other women? Were they your soul-bonded mates?” I assumed my mother wasn’t if she’d left him, but who knew?
“Of course not.” From his incredulous look, my father didn’t understand why I’d think that. “I am the king! I can have any female I like.”
Wow, his sense of entitlement truly was impressive.
I scowled at him. “You do realize that’s major red-flag behavior, right?”
“What are these red flags you speak of?” He peered over my shoulder, confused.
“Red-flag males are to be avoided at all costs.” No wonder my mother had left him. First he’d abducted her with the aid of her enemy, and then he’d trapped her down in the demon realm. What a complete asshole.
Dad bristled at my tone. “Females love me. I’ve only been in this realm for three days and already have two thousand matches on the hook-up app the incubus recommended. My harem will be much expanded by the time I return home.”
I stared in disbelief, wondering why the goddess had gifted me such a terrible father figure.
I’d always wanted the sort of dad who took pleasure in taking his daughter shopping or teaching her how to drive.
Instead, I had a father more interested in hooking up than building a loving relationship with his long-lost daughter.
The sort of sex-obsessed nightmare who suggested we hit up a nightclub on our first daddy-daughter bonding outing.
“Be grateful the mer queen isn’t your mom,” Kenji piped up from his spot on the window seat. He sniffed the air and then snickered when Fig trotted in with an apple in his mouth.
“Yes…eat more fruit, pig,” Kenji whispered, licking his lips and salivating. “Roast piggy, yum.”
I gasped in horror and swung a cushion at my evil kitsune, but he blinked away.
Dad continued swiping on his smartphone as Maverick dropped three cookies on a plate for me and then removed the rest before Dad could help himself to any more. Despite how dangerous my father was, none of my males seemed scared of him.
“He’s not scary, pet,” Zane said in my head. “Besides, if he hurts us, you’ll melt him.”
True. Dad might be the demon king, but his magic didn’t behave the same as mine. He could wield shadows and snatch souls, but my magic melted people thanks to the fire element. It was way cooler.
Still, I found it amusing how everyone apart from my mates acted like he was the scariest person in the room.
With Dad’s support, Adam had had no issues taking over Tiberius’s role in the Mage Council and the Supernatural Council. Dad announced he stood behind Adam, and if anyone didn’t like it, all they had to do was file a complaint with Azimoth, his second-in-command. Nobody did, of course.
The human leaders had taken one look at my father’s hellfire glowing eyes and immediately dropped all threats of retaliation for causing so much damage around the Mage Council headquarters.
Not even the new head of the Nightshade Coven, who’d stepped into Brianna’s designer shoes, raised a complaint.
Poor Brianna. We’d shoved her into a home for senile witches with dementia.
It seemed the best place for her. The witch doctors kept her medicated and let her paint pictures of flowers and bunnies.
Adam reckoned she had less than a year, but if she stuck around too long, I’d speed things up.
Nula had fully recovered, much to everyone’s surprise. It turned out that having her eagle back was the push she needed to begin healing both physically and mentally. That and being given a fresh opportunity to get to know her son without fear of her abusive husband hurting either one of them.
She and Alaric had spent many hours over the last few days talking about mundane things, and I knew how happy their conversations made him.
Fig gobbled down his apple, core and all, and then scuttled away in search of more snacks.
“I have a gift for you,” Dad announced when he’d finally worn me down over the portal issue.
“Gift?” My eyes narrowed.
“Yes, I had my most trusted arch-demon arrange a designer to create a lovely bedroom for you. For when you come and stay in my palace.” He flashed me a toothy smile, which made me nervous.
“Come and stay?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to visit the demon realm. Surely it would be too hot and smell of sulfur?
“Yes, darling. It’s your home, after all, and you are the heir to the throne. My subjects are excited about meeting their princess.”
“The same subjects who have tried to kill me several times?”
“That’s open to interpretation, darling.
I sent my best minions to find you. They may have been a bit too enthusiastic in their retrieval methods, which they paid for.
” He scowled before switching back to a blinding smile.
“But that’s all in the past. I finally found you.
Now come and see your lovely new bedroom.
Melchior tells me this design is all the rage for girls in the human realm. ”
With a deep sense of misgiving, I took his phone and stared at a photo of a bedroom that looked like someone had vomited Pepto Bismol everywhere. Pink. So much pink.
Oh my goddess, it was hideous. I’d have a migraine if I slept there.
“You don’t like it?” My father slammed his fist down on the table at my horrified expression. Shadows seeped out, filling the room. Something clattered in the kitchen, and a spark of alarm shot down the bond between me and my bear. My other mates piped up, asking if I was okay.
“I’m fine. Just not happy about my hideous pink bedroom at Dad’s place.
“General Melchior will die for this!” Dad roared. “He told me you’d love it!”
“I can see where you get your penchant for dramatics from now,” Kenji observed from where he’d blinked back into the room with a sausage in his mouth.
“Chill, Dad. It’s, um, different, but I don’t…hate it.” Lies came more easily than I’d like, but I supposed it was my demonic heritage. Demons lied all the time, right?
“You like it?” The shadows disappeared.
“It’s lovely.” Sure, I’d probably have nightmares if I ever slept there, but hopefully my mates would help distract me.
“Excellent. I’d rather not execute my most loyal arch-demon.”