Page 40 of The River of Fire

“I have no interest in conquering his domain or interfering in any way. I will ask for forgiveness for my intrusion once we locate him.” He stands up like he’s going to leave right now.

“I’m going with you,” I say quickly. I’ll need my leathers and weapons.

Before I can ask him about their whereabouts he’s shaking his head. “No. Remain here. You would only serve as a distraction.”

I grit my teeth. “That could be my team member he held and I’m responsible for her wellbeing. I’d feel like a failure if I didn’t do everything I could to find her.”

“What you feel has no impact on my decision. You will remain here. Puck,” he calls out to the imp, “guard her.”

I bristle. Not only had he high-handedly decided I was a liability on his task, but to also think a walking calamity of a baby imp could keep me safer than I could myself? I stomp towards him, fists clenched, ready to tear into him. If there’s any chance that this is Simone, it’s my right to be there. But he only takes one last look at me, from my feet to the top of my head, as if making sure Itra really didn’t touch me and disappears.

“Asshole!” I yell, my throat giving up the ghost and making my voice break halfway through.

I’m breathing like an enraged bull. “Come, Puck.” I storm out of the throne room. “There must be a room full of priceless art we can destroy before he’s back.”

Chapter 29 – Lana

We didn’t actually go destroy art. I’m not a monster. Just banging one. Instead, I take advantage of Ashtaroth’s absence to check up on Kevin.

I ask a guard for directions to Naamah’s quarters and, surprisingly, one goes as far as to even escort us. The demon looks like a satyr, with the lower body of a goat and horns poking out from his wild mane of hair. I wonder if Ashtaroth’s home is usually populated with the somewhat human-appearing demons I’ve been seeing, or if the lack of hellhounds and other, more grotesque-looking creatures is for my benefit.

By some miracle, no furniture was damaged on our trek through the fortress. The guard stops at the door I presume leads to Kevin, bows, and leaves us.

Wondering what fresh horror I’ll uncover on the other side of it, I knock on the door. A gorgeous succubus with curly blackhair opens it. “Uh, hi, Naamah?” Yeah, I sure do sound confident. I clear my throat. “Your uncle told me my friend Kevin is here.”

Her glistening red lips open into a wide, mischievous smile. “Hi,” she purrs and I shiver. Her voice goes down like caramel-covered chocolate. “You must be Uncle’s pet.”

I wonder if I’ll leave here with a stitch of dignity intact. “My name’s Lana,” I supply, in hopes that she’ll use that instead.

“Lana.” It’s like she’s tasting the name and I try to control my body’s reaction. Freaking sex demons. “Your friend is tired, Lana.”

“Uh-huh.” I bet he is. She leads me through her quarters and I wonder if they’re her permanent rooms or ones available to guests. I expected more BDSM equipment from a succubus.

As we enter the bedchamber I hear Kev murmuring, “You said I could rest for a couple of hours.” He sounds so pathetic that I burst into laughter. Kevin is tumbling out of the bed when I lay my eyes on him, his legs tangled up in a sheet he trips over. “Lana!” He stands and cups his probably abused – not that I want to think about that – groin. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“Clearly. Can you put some pants on?” I turn to the demoness with a wry smile, “If he’s allowed, of course?”

She just smiles, devastatingly seductive, her lilac eyes heavy-lidded and speaking of long, sweaty nights of passion. “I’ll leave you two to catch up. Come along, Puck,” she adds to the imp who was halfway up a carved bedpost, the top with its red canopy clearly his destination.

Once we’re alone, and Kev has his bits covered, we sit at the lush sofa adjacent to the bed. “You look… better than me,” he grouches, eyeing me up and down.

“You look like you’ve been locked away in the bunny mansion as the only guy there,” I cackle, looking at the hickeys all over his chest.

“Ah, well…” Kevin runs a hand over his close-cropped brown hair. “Better the devil you know than two fallen angels, I say.”

I try to cover my smile with a fist, but it shows in my voice. “I heard they’re incredibly skilled, actually.”

“They gave me a sponge bath!” Kevin throws his arms up, frustrated with my lack of understanding about the ordeal he went through. “And they cleaned every inch of me, Lana.Everyinch,” he finishes, horrified. I can’t help it anymore, I start laughing again, arms wrapped around my middle as my stomach muscles clench from the force of it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin grumbles. “And you? Are you really just okay with sleeping with that absofreakinglutely terrifying archdemon? I nearly pissed myself when he talked to me,” he blushes.

That’s not what I heard, I think, but spare him. Isn’t it impossible to pee while having an erection, anyway? I’ll need to find someone to confirm or deny. I don’t think Ash needs to pee. The toilet in his bathroom looks awfully new.

I clear my throat again instead. At this point, it’s becoming a tic. “He hasn’t hurt me,” I say. “Other than my pride.” And it’s true, I know that, but does that justify me enjoying him when hehashurt others?

“Doesn’t make him good.” But I think he realizes it’s a bit of a ‘stones and glass houses’ situation as he nervously grips the back of his neck.

“Oh, by that definition, I should fuck Daniel.” I grin at him and he scrunches his face adorably.

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