Page 6 of Chaos Demons

“I think she has an aspect that is blossoming and it’s filled with violence and distress. I don’t know what it is, yet, but I feel like it’s fueling her anger at the moment. There may be nothing youcando until she comes into her power and begins to control it. I’m sorry, Ana. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

“You got that right.” She sighed heavily and thumped her head back against the wall and returned her gaze to the ceiling. “Where would she get an aspect like that?”

From you,I didn’t say. It was still a mystifying option that I didn’t understand yet. I wouldn’t say anything to Ana about it until I knew more.

“I… don’t know,” I lied. And on top of that, there was more bad news. “As Eva comes into this aspect, if she doesn’t learn to control it, it’ll spill over and affect those around her. We may all soon start feeling as angry as she is.”

“Fuck me,” Ana bit out. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

I put the dustpan down and pulled Ana into my arms. Her body was so full and lush, soft and warm, I couldn’t get enough of simply holding her.

She put her head on my shoulder and sighed, her arms circling me. Neither of us said anything since there wasn’t anything to say. Our embrace said it all.

I kissed the top of her head, smelling her lavender and citrus shampoo, a scent that clung to her and defined her: soft yet bold and tangy.

Thiswas where I needed to be: close to her, in her arms.

I’d happily give up all my billions to be with her… and I was starting that process already.

Some of my businesses I’d sell, others I’d hand off to those I’d hand-picked and trusted to run them. For a while now, I’d been hands-off with most of my businesses except for Elysium and my shelters. Those… I’d keep. The others I didn’t want anymore. Depending on how good a job Ana’s Uncle Don did with my banks, I might give them to him. We’d see. I didn’t need any of that as long as I had this amazing woman in my arms.

“I’m here for you,” I whispered. “I’ll always be here for you, whatever you need.”

“I know,” she mumbled into my chest. “You’re so wonderful, Grey, thank you.”

Those words made everything in my life make sense, made everything…right.

The doorbell rang, but I held Ana a moment longer, not wanting to leave her warm embrace.

Except the doorbell rang again and again… and again.

“I… should get that,” I whispered, slightly annoyed.

She released me slowly. “And I should see who it is.”

We made our way over to the door together, but with every step, I felt a growing sense of dread. My daemon senses tingled and, as I opened the door, I knew who was on the other side.

I’d known her all my life, I knew her power, herfeel. The door opened to a far-too-thin woman with jaundiced, sickly yellow skin, sharp features, hazy grey-green eyes, and hair that was half mat-black, half bone-white.

“Melinoe,” I breathed, feeling the muscles of my jaw tighten. What in Hades was she doing here?

“Brother,” she rasped.

“Brother?” Ana echoed. She looked from Melinoe to me. “You two don’t look anything alike!”

“That often happens with daemons,” I explained before turning back to my sister. “What are you doing here?” I hoped this wouldn’t last long. The last thing this household needed was The Lady of Madness.

Oddly, Melinoe didn’t answer me and instead looked at Ana with a sneer. “So… this is the slut that’s tempted you away from your empire, your life. And she hasn’t even dedicated herself to your greatness. She opens her filthy legs to two other daemon princes.”

Fury burst to life in Ana’s eyes and I felt a similar rage rise up within me. Except before I could rebuke my sister, she pushed on.

“I’ve come to take you home,” she said. “I’m worried about you.” There was an odd sincerity in those words that I’d never heard before.

“Piss off, you bitch!” Ana hissed and her control of her aspect started to slip, which meant that suddenly I was angry and aroused at the same time. “You have no right to come to my house and—”

“But this isn’t your house, is it? It belongs to your uncle, who isn’t even a daemon! What sort of worthless daemon whore can’t even afford her own place?” Melinoe scoffed.

Her contempt reignited my rage, and I slapped her… hard, sending her reeling and forcing her to cling to the front stoop’s railing to stop from falling down the stairs.

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