Page 44 of King's Obsession

They had talked extensively about Asmodeus going back to work. Dougal had offered to stay back in the forest with Elara, but Asmodeus vetoed that idea. He pointed out, rightly so, that Elara was the princess of two territories, which meant the demons Asmodeus ruled would want to see her. Would need to see her.

“They’ll think she was a figment of my imagination, or I had some terminal growth in my belly or something, if she doesn’t make an appearance.” Asmodeus had grumbled but Dougal could sense through their bond how proud the king was of their daughter.

At barely a week old, she was already aware of things around her, and cooed a radiant smile every time she saw her parents, or the trees around their home.

Admittedly, she also cooed and waved her chubby little hands at Silas, Wanda, Christa, Peni, and Scott. She adored tugging at George’s beard.

The funniest interaction Dougal had seen so far had been when Dakata finally held Elara, being so careful with Silas hovering at his side. Merihem had stepped close in his demon form, as though he deliberately wanted to see if the baby would get scared as he loomed over her. Dougal had held his breath—he was protective, too—but there was no need to worry. The air rang with the sound of a smack at the time. A very distinct sound of Elara’s hand whacking against Merihem’s cheek. The big red demon had jumped back, rubbing the spot, his eyes wide.

“That’s just her way of saying hello. Babies don’t have a lot of control over their limbs when they’re tiny,”Dougal had said, releasing his breath as he had gone and claimed Elara as Dakata had tried hard not to laugh. Merihem and Dakata had both bowed at Elara’s cot when they left, and he and Asmodeus shared a long chuckle when they were alone.

“It was a bitch slap.”Asmodeus had been thrilled.“Admit it. You saw it too. Not even a week old and she bitch slapped our controller.”

Happy days indeed, but now Asmodeus had work to do. “I’ll put the crib near the plants,” he said, clicking up a crib decorated in soft greens and pale lemon shades. The wooden baby bed he made sure had a thick padded base, with the sole embellishment of a solid gold crown embedded in the wood at the head end.

“You can put her here, my blissful one,” Asmodeus said, “and perhaps move the plants closer. Elara will enjoy being able to smell them. It will remind her of the forest. Which reminds me…”

He clicked up a fourth sign. This one didn’t have a base, but a hook instead, and Asmodeus stomped over and shoved it against Baal’s chest. “That is to go on the door,” he said firmly, before striding over to the throne and sitting down. “I’m ready for my first appointment. Let’s make this quick.”

“Can I see that sign, please Baal?” Dougal placed Elara in the crib and stroked down her nose, making sure she continued to sleep despite all the thumping, stomping, and whisper-yelling.

“This isn’t going to make the waiting demons happy.” Baal slowly turned the sign around so Dougal could see it.

He chuckled as he read, “If you stink of excessive cologne or perfume, then you will get kicked out.”

“There’s nothing wrong with natural scents if a demon bathes regularly,” Dougal chuckled as he went to take his place in his seat next to the demon king.

They almost got through the session with few issues. Most demons saw the signs, noted the crib, and quickly made their concerns known. Asmodeus was on form—rattling off decisions with barely listening to any context or backstory, and Baal was there to shepherd the demon back out the door again in double quick time.

Baal was super-efficient, and that helped Dougal relax.

There had been one sticky moment when Lady Flora swept in, saw the cot and Asmodeus’s reduced stomach and immediately flew past the signs Asmodeus had left around Elara’s crib, reaching to pick the sleeping baby up.

Dougal didn’t have time to get out of his chair. Asmodeus was there, pushing Lady Flora back with a blaze of magic. “The princess issleeping!” And that was that.

“I’ll come back when you’re in a better mood,” she said with a swish of her skirts. “You can get some pessaries for those hemorrhoids you’re clearly sitting on, you know,” she added before she left.

“I do not have hemorrhoids.” Asmodeus looked as if he was going to go after her, but Elara chose that moment to wake up, and Dougal told Baal they needed a five-minute recess to change her diaper.

When Asmodeus clicked the rather smelly diaper away, a huge grin appeared on his face.

Dougal felt he had to ask, “Please tell me you didn’t send that to land on Lady Flora’s head.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. I’ll remember that for next time.”

Asmodeus was smirking as he clicked up Elara’s bottle and popped it into the crib. Dougal heard a loud, outraged shriek coming from outside. He groaned and looked at his mate. “Where did that diaper end up?” he asked with a sigh, knowing it wasn’t going to be good.

“I sent it to a trash bag.” Asmodeus couldn’t even look at him as his lips quivered.

Clipping Elara’s onesie snaps closed, Dougal picked her up. “Was that a trash bag or ahandbag?”

“I swear sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, but that might be my non-existent hemorrhoid speaking.” A smile was still hovering over his lips while Asmodeus went back to his throne. “Next!”

Dougal followed more slowly, Elara in one arm, the bottle in his other hand as he settled himself in his seat next to Asmodeus. Elara was a healthy eater, although she tended to be a bit of a guts, taking long sucks of her bottle and Dougal wanted to be sure she took in as little air as possible.

When Elara had wind, her screaming could bring down a tree, so he liked to ensure that happened as little as possible. Which meant he paid little attention to their last appointment of the day, although Dougal raised his head when he heard Asmodeus growl.

The demon demanding his attention was older, in his human form, and dressed in impeccable clothes that showed he had good staff, if not good taste.

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