Page 10 of True Sacrifice
Jasper stood, and Morrigan stood with him, giving the audience a small wave. A roar of applause sounded all around me as demons scrambled to stand. A few even gave a whistle as they took in just how delicious my mate looked all dressed up for the party. I couldn’t wait to get a closer look. She didn’t stand in applause long before returning to her seat, as if she was ready for the attention to be off her.
“I’m sure some of you have noticed,” Jax’s mom started back up once the room quieted again, “Jax and Justice are not with their mate this evening. They wish to discover if their mate bond is secure. Tonight, Morrigan my dear,” the smile painted on her face was cruel, “you will need to find your other two mates.”
“And if I refuse?” My pet lifted her chin high and let her voice ring out. The other demons at my table gasped and shifted their eyes to me discreetly.
Jax’s mom was a fierce, and frankly terrifying, demon. Like Jax, she looked almost entirely human. Her breasts were too large and too perky to ever pass as natural. Her hair was raven black, like Jax. She kept her eyes entirely black as well, including the sclera. She could trap your soul in a mental prison type world. Of course, once you realized where you were, it made breaking free from her power easier.
“Then, I will kill you,” she said simply. “My son is one of your mates. If you refuse to take part, I will deem you unfit for my son and therefore, the only solution I have is to kill you. The permanent kind this time.” It was very hard to kill a demon, and practically impossible while they were in Hell, unless you were crazy powerful. But until we fully transitioned our little mate into a demon, she was far more vulnerable.
I mean, I’ll have to peel back the skin from her face before she could lay a hand on my pet, but the woman was serious about her son.
I saw Jasper lean over and whisper something in my pet’s ear. She nodded sharply, and I was hoping it meant she agreed to play our game. I was ready for a good fight if she chose violence, but a game of chase sounded delicious.
Chatter rang out as Hell delivered food to each of us at our tables. The demons at my table continued to shoot passing glances at me, as they discussed the eventful mating announcement. I’m pretty sure Jax’s show wasn’t doing anything to calm the minds of all the demons around. Instead, he’d made this into quite the spectacle.
I felt the myriad of emotions in the crowded hall. It was almost overwhelming and reminded me exactly why I hated to go to these sorts of things.
Do whatever you want to her, she’s just a human. It’s not like her life actually matters.
The magic of Hell never got old as it gave me a goblet of poison to drink, my favorite. My first sip gave way to the numbing, tingling feeling that helped to lower the intensity of all the emotions and voices that ran through me like a rushing current. I relaxed and enjoyed another sip of poison. I was too far away to see what meal my mate had thought up. I hoped Jasper was at least making sure she was eating.
After a few boring courses, I slipped further into the shadows of the room and left. There was no room in my mind to even try a conversation with the surrounding demons, and they looked relieved as I left. I slipped into a hallway shrouded by shadows just off the main room. I found exactly what I was looking for as Hell opened up a room for me. A comfortable leather chair and a matching sofa filled the small room. I sat down comfortably on the chair close to the fireplace. I closed my eyes and pushed my way into Crowley. I had kept this one around, hoping my pet would recognize it.
Jax wasn’t the only one that wanted to play some games, but everything I planned on doing with my little demonling required privacy from prying eyes.
CHAPTER5
MORRIGAN
Yvonne helped me prepare for this circus of a feast I was attending. Despite my feelings on the subject, it was important to play their games tonight. Political shit was all this really was. Putting on a friendly face in front of the masses while you stab each other in the back. Tonight, I needed to get the masses on my side. Considering my less than amazing social skills, I would have to act my ass off to get through this one.
The demon that spoke at the start of the feast was Jax’s mother. She was hauntingly beautiful and equally terrifying. Jasper had whispered into my ear that I should simply agree to play her game. He also assured me, no matter what happened, he would never allow me to be hurt. Coming from the demon that locked me in a room, it didn’t give me a lot of comfort.
I wasn’t very interested in food this evening, even though I knew now it was safe. Since I arrived in Hell, I haven’t been hungry for food. Maybe it was the whole adjusting to the new demon body thing? Mostly, I spent the first part of the evening pushing my food around my plate with a fork while listening in to everyone’s conversations.
“Do you really think she’s going to pick out Jax and Justice with all these other demons around?”
“She better be able to. You know how Marlene is, that girl will be nothing more than a puddle of blood and bones.”
I looked up from my plate to put a face to the speaker, but it was nearly impossible with so many demons around and the conversations changing so rapidly. Everyone was busy talking about someone else. I spotted an occasional glance my way, but Jasper did a good job of staring back at them, making them quickly look away.
“Don’t look so sad. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking the bond isn’t real,” Jasper whispered in my ear as I resumed my task of displacing food.
“How am I supposed to find the other two demons? Can’t you help me out a little bit, or would you rather I get chopped up into little pieces tonight?” I hissed back at him.
He offered me a glint of amusement. “Thought you wanted me to be the good guy?”
“You said it yourself. That’s not who you are. So, help me cheat.” I gave him my best puppy dog eyes.
His eyes lit up as he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “maybe I’m not a good guy because you aren’t a good girl.” He nipped at my earlobe and fuck, I found it sexy as hell. Ugh, no. My life is on the line right now. I must focus.
“So how do I follow the call or whatever it is I need to do?” At the very least, he could give me a little direction if he didn’t want to just point them out for me.
“You’re going to have to open up that mind of yours a bit. When you go up to a demon, all you have to do is think, ‘would I fuck him?’ if the answer is yes, then that is your mate. The bond makes you feel entirely repulsed by anyone other than your mates.” He pulled back so I could look him in the eyes.
Would I fuck him?My eyes skimmed over his horns. I reached my hand out timidly to touch them. He moved his horn to touch my outstretched fingers, encouraging me to continue. My fingers glided up each ridge as they spiraled around. They came to the crown of his head, then curved back towards his ears. They blended in so well with his hair it was almost hard to see their blunt tipped ends. I curled my fingers around the end, giving it a sharp tug.
“Jasper Prince of Lust, I will not sit here and attempt to eat my dinner while your mate is stroking your horn. Save it for your chambers,” screeched a demon several seats down from us. Her skin was dark purple and her hair a wispy white. She had large black batlike wings resting on the back of the chair.
