Page 88 of Bound By Lust

Let us bow and welcome home our kings, for their slumber is over, and their thrones await.”

At that moment, everyone, rows upon rows of millions of beings, bow as we stand there, all looking confused as fuck when Wilder leans over to me and Gannon, talking out of the corner of his mouth in a whisper.

“Bro, what the fuck is Mom talking about?”

“Hell if I know… I think she on some hoodoo voodoo shit,” Gannon whispers back and I nod in agreement.

“What the fuck is a hearth? And sovereign flames? Is she saying we’re zesty? Cause if one of us is the sin of zest, it ain’t me!” Wilder grits his teeth, and all my brothers turn to me.These sons of bitches…

“Now a moment of silence for our kings,” She proudly states and everyone bows their heads.

After what feels like eternity but from my count is roughly about seventy seconds, the crowd stands and this time, my dad steps forward.

“Today we introduce you to our kings!

Lord Lust!” An enormous red flame whooshes up behind me.The fuck?!I move out of the way, holding the back of my head in case they pull some Micheal Jackson shit and burn my hair. “Lord Wrath!” This time, an orange flame just as massive shoots up behind Wilder, who also steps out of the way, and hell, the rest of them move as well as he starts calling out the sins. “Lord Greed!” A Yellow flame “Lord Envy!” Green. “Lord Gluttony!” Blue. “Lord Sloth!” Indigo “And Lord Pride!” Violet.

“My seven sons, Pierce, Echo, Saint, Genesis, Gannon, Wilder, Legend. Seven sons, seven pillars…

Let Pride guide the world in chaos and fire.

Let Envy’s hatred flash green once more.

Let Wrath’s fury shake the earth, and Greed tear down everything that belongs to him! Gluttony feast on the bone of friend and foe alike, and Sloth snatch the peaceful dreams of even children. And let Lust reignite the pulse that drives the fever in everyone’s bodies to rut recklessly!

Let the fireworks split the heavens and shake the roots of the world, for our kings are home, and the Seven Hells are whole.

Now take your thrones, my sons!” Dad finishes, and I stand there in disbelief.

“Dude…” Gannon covers his mouth in a laugh. “Don’t tell me they called us down here to turn us into some bootleg fucking Power Rangers?”

“Ol’ Mighty Morphin’ time headasses,” Wilder giggles and all seven of us chuckle, but mother snaps her head our way and we all face forward. Not because we’re scared, but because this shit is just plain weird as fuck.

But still, we play the part and wave. Pierce glides down the boulevard as though the stones were laid for him personally.

Echo mutters, already redesigning the building in his head, probably.

Saint scowls at the fireworks going off, grumbling while sidestepping confetti.

Genesis clocks every jeweled collar and holo-ledger, pupils flickering with profit margins.

Gannon can’t keep his nose still, following the swirl of spiced, caramelized meat in the air. “Smells like a food crawl,” he groans as his stomach rumbles, eyes sparkling.

Wilder scowls and flashes a smile, tossing a wink at the nearest group of onlookers.

And I stand there still breathing in the miasma, letting it flow through my bloodstream so I can end this shit and get back to Jessica before she has time to miss me.

As we walk through the crowd, cheers crash over us again. Bioluminescent petals land on our shoulders, and someone presses a goblet of glowing liquor into my hand. My brothers exchange gazes, all of them seeming amused.

I can’t lie and say this isn’t interesting… the Seventh Hell or whatever the fuck it’s called, is cool as fuck, and doesn’tlooklike hell at all. Below us, there are rivers of fire, but it’s surprisingly not hot. They even have fish and children playing and swimming in them. There are trees with all types of fruits I’ve never seen a day in my life in books or movies.There are even fucking dinosaurs… the fuck…?

A vast amount of jungles and greenery in the distance along with violet sand dunes. There are tall, skyscraper-esque towers of bone and black crystal. Glowing flowers bloom, illuminating paths like something out of a fairy tale.

And supposedly it’s all mine… not supposedly… I canfeelit. This landismine.I wonder if I can sign it over to Jessica?

Our mother steps beside me, smiling brightly, bowing at my feet.Awkward as fuck…

“Lord Lust… do you feel it?” she asks softly. “This land is alive, answering to your presence.”

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