Page 39 of Claiming Demons

“Tell me everything about him, Zaggy!” she exclaimed. “I must know how to capture my man. And who is this woman he’s seeing? Tell me where she is so I can kill her… slowly.” Her smile was manic. She wasn’t kidding and was actually excited about ending another goddess, even if doing so would have nasty repercussions for her.

“Fuck off, Erini,” I hissed.

Those gleeful, wild eyes turned dark. Her head tilted too far to one side. “You won’t deny me,brother.” Except her smile didn’t fade. “You remember that time I took you to Tartarus to play?”

I did. I’d been young and she’d been deceptively nice for once. I’d been itching to get out of father’s palace in the underworld, so, she’d taken me to Tartarus, the lowest of the realms of Hades, where the worst of the worst were tormented.

She’d tortured me there for months before father had realized I was missing and gone looking for me. I was a daemon, and killing me wasn’t easy, but I still felt pain and she’d known exactly how to cause the most agony while making sure I stayed alive and mostly well. She’d laughed the entire time, and when father had found me, he hadn’t even punished her. He’d told me to be more careful, that pain was just in Erini’s nature.

I’d left Hades not long after that.

“I’m stronger now,” I said to Erini. “You won’t find me as easy to deceive or capture.”

Yet she was still a minor goddess and even with my void fully under control, she was probably stronger than I was.

And she proved it the next moment, flashing in — faster than I could evade — to grasp my throat with a clawed hand.

“You’ll tell me what I want to know, Zaggy.” She dug her nails into my neck. “Or I’ll rip out your throat.” Her eyes twinkled. Then her grin grew. “No. I’ll tear out your heart, take from you what you love most. I’ll go attack your little animal shelters. I’ll tear all those innocent animals to shreds. How would you like that?”

Fuck, she knew me too well.

Except I grinned in the face of her — frighteningly lucid — insanity.

“I’m the Lord of Conquest, sister. If you do that. I swear I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth and trap you in some dark spot where all your power amounts to nothing.”

It wasn’t an idle threat. With enough planning, my aspect of The Hunt could take down those a lot stronger than me.

“You remember when Cousin Hercules challenged me to capture him?” I said. “I was able to seal that big oaf away where even his strength couldn’t help him. He’d never have gotten out, if he hadn’t admitted I’d won and asked me to release him. I’ll do the same to you, sister. If you touch my shelters or Fen or his woman, I swear, I’ll make you pay.”

I surged my void then, staring Erini down.

She flinched back as my void began to tear at her. She possessed the aspect of destruction and could counter my void… to a point, but…

“Ugh! I always hated your void!” She released me and backed away. I reined in my void. “What do you care about Fen’s hussy?” Her dark eyes narrowed slightly before widening with realization.

Fuck.

“You love her too, don’t you? The filthy slut has captured the heart of my little brother and my true love. She must die!” And with that Erini vanished from where she stood.

“Fuck me,” I whispered, as I massaged my bleeding throat.

It was only a matter of time before Erini found Ana. It wouldn’t be too hard. Anawasliving with me at the moment.

That said, Ana was a goddess herself and possessed the aspect of war. Also, her many aspects would make her inherently more powerful than Erini. Still, Erini possessed the aspects of destruction, rage, and envy, and all to their fullest extremes. She was also much older and more experienced in her power than Ana. I didn’t know who would win in a fight between them, and I didn’t want to find out.

I pulled out my phone and called Ana.

She picked up quickly.

“Hey there, sexy,” she purred on the other end of the line.

“Ana, I’m afraid we have a situation with another of my sisters.”

She sighed. “Another one? Again?”

“Yes, and this one’s far more powerful than Melinoe. Her name is Erini, and she’s a minor goddess with aspects of destruction, rage, and envy. And right now, you’re the target of her jealousy and she wants to rage-kill you. Sorry.”

“Whatever,” Ana said, non-plussed. “Let her come. I’m a warrior now, I can defend myself.”

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