Chapter 7
ASMODEUS
Iwatch the little mortal, Simone, stumble around my brother’s territory for half a day, protecting her from critters small and more formidable.
I’m not sure how the swamp imp ended up on the banks of the Phlegethon, but it did, and it got her good.
Her bright eyes have been dull for hours, her body seemingly just going through the motions.
Her long, chocolate brown hair has come undone, cascading down her back.
And she’s been wasting her throwing stars on shadows and tree stumps, slowly leaving herself defenseless.
Finally, after hours of frustration, she finally enters a narrow ravine that leads to my territory.
Just a few steps more, little fairy.
I can hear her stomach rumbling, see the way her lips are cracking in the heat—she’s starting to falter, the toll of the poison and exposure to the harsh elements visible to any predator watching.
Lucky for her, I’m the biggest predator for leagues, and while I want a piece of her, I won’t spill her blood to get it.
It feels almost cheap, noticing the way her leather armor molds over her ass while she’s obviously incapacitated, but if I learned anything from living for millennia, it’s that you can’t fight your nature.
I’m not Simone’s guardian angel, though I’ve almost been acting as one since I first laid eyes on her.
Countless times, I shadowed her team on their missions, eliminating the most perilous threats before they got close enough to do harm to her.
I didn’t intend to take her today. I told myself I’ll watch her from afar, watch the way she is when she’s not surrounded by her boisterous teammates.
See that quiet nature play out when she’s alone with her thoughts.
But as she sets foot into my domain, and I’m free to take her without angering Ashtaroth…
Well, there’s only one path open to us both now, isn’t there?
Simone stumbles forward, landing on all fours, and I’m there by her side before she can blink, reaching out my hand. She looks up at me, confused, uncomprehending.
“Hello, little fairy,” I murmur in greeting. When she just looks right through me, ignoring my hand, I move it to cup her delicate chin. I click my tongue at the sight of the burn on her cheek. Up close, I see every swollen, pus-filled blister. “You’re a mess, aren’t you, Simone?”
“W—” she slurs. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”
I tilt my head, considering. She’s in no shape to run away from me screaming. But a part of me doesn’t want to see the disgust in her eyes, the fear that comes with knowing you’re face-to-face with an archdemon.
“You need help,” I say instead of answering her. “Food, water… somewhere safe to rest.”
“I…” Simone hesitates, squinting at me. “I need to get back to Abaddon. I think I’m late.”
I nod at her. “Very late. They’re already looking for you.”
She raises one perfect dark eyebrow. “They are?”
When she tries to look around like she might spot them in the walls around us, she loses her balance again and nearly meets the dusty ground.
“Hey, hey,” I say, quickly righting her. “Let me take you out of here.”
But where? If I take her to my villa on the banks of the Lethe, my brood won’t give us a moment of privacy. If I take her to my ziggurat, she will be offended by the much less visually appealing demons in my armies.
Well… there is one place. We would be alone. There would be only one entrance and exit I could easily ward against intruders. I could fill it with luxuries, flowing gowns, heavy jewels—things human women killed for in the past.
It would only be temporary, of course. No female has ever held my interest for longer than a fortnight, and I imagine this one only has because, as one of the mortals under the Council’s protection, she was forbidden and out of reach.
Once I seduce her and she gives in, inevitably dulling that spark of intrigue, I’ll return her to the Fallen in Purgatory.
I take Simone into my arms, and she struggles weakly, mumbling protests even as her eyes drift closed. She’s all elbows and knees and so light—I’ll have Forneus, my majordomo, bring her food from the finest restaurants in Paris.
“Shh,” I tell my little fairy as I straighten to my full height. “You’ll be safe soon.”
From everything but me.