Page 47 of True Sacrifice
“Oh no, little fox. This is your game to play. And you have played it well,” Justice purred.
Justice grabbed me in a flash, pulling me astride him in his chair. His fingers weaved through my ponytail, wrapping it tightly around his fist as he grabbed me and pulled me in for a scorching, passionate kiss. All my pent-up emotions from the past week surfaced at once as I grabbed him back, matching his pace. It wasn’t long before my control snapped and I lunged for his neck, digging my teeth in sharply and taking large gulps. The little sip from his wrist had barely taken the edge off. Justice’s hand came to rest on the back of my neck, cradling me as he offered his blood.
When I pulled away, the room had gone silent. Jasper and Jax were still on opposing sides of the room, but now they were staring at me.
“Fuck Princess, that was hot,” Jasper grumbled while adjusting himself. I tried not to lose control of myself like that often.
Justice’s blood has such a rush to it as my body quickly got to work neutralizing the poison in his veins. I noticed a few last drops of blood remained on Justice’s neck after his wound healed, and I quickly grabbed them with a lick. Justice grabbed my hips, pushing into me. Letting me know, without a doubt, he felt the same way Jasper did with my little display.
“She’s not yours today, Justice,” Jax growled out. The flatness in his tone dulled the effect, but Jax was on edge.
“She’s not yours today either, Jax,” Jasper said, firmly crossing his arms.
“It’s my turn,” Jax repeated, and I could tell that this was about to go nowhere fast again.
“Jax hasn’t had a day with me yet. However, you have shown no interest so far in even wanting a free day with me. We also didn’t know when you would be back and Jasper made plans already with other demons,” I said. Jax was going to need to learn how to communicate. As much as I wanted to move forward with Jax, it wouldn’t be fair to Jasper either.
“I challenge you to combat,” Jax said, looking right at Jasper.
“Hand to hand only, no powers,” Jasper replied with a grin.
I looked over to Jax, who stood rigid, his hands clenching and loosening again. “You don’t have to do this,”I whispered to his mind. “You promised me we would take a break from training, and we can learn some spells together. You can have time with me every day now that you’re back.”
I hoped for a reply in my head, but I didn’t get one. “I agree to the terms,” Jax bit back.
Jasper’s eyes widened with shock, but he quickly schooled his expression.
“To the arena then,” Jasper said with a smile that made me nervous.
I looked to Justice for an explanation. “Come with me, little fox, we’re going to want good seats for this,” Justice said as he spanked my ass for me to get up. Jasper and Jax were already gone by the time I stood. Justice offered me his hand, and I took it, allowing him to lead me to wherever we needed to go, while he explained the shit show that was about to go down.
Jax had challenged Jasper to an official fight over who got to go on the free day with me today. Despite, of course, what I had to say about the matter. Justice said once I was a demon too, I could fight for my side if I wanted to challenge. Demons could fight in hand-to-hand or power magic battles. If the two parties couldn’t agree, an official would flip a coin.
Demon officials, who sat and watched these fights, judged the entire thing. Justice said demons needed to vent frustrations and settle disputes without the disputes lasting for centuries. There were a few fights already scheduled for the morning, so Justice hurried us into some good seats. He was excited about this, like it was a show. At least these were willing demons, and there was a no killing rule.
Killing a demon required the removal of the soul. In Hell, this would mean reaching into the demon with magic specifically targeted at soul removal, because our bodies in Hell heal at such a rate that no matter the physical injury, you will not die to where your soul leaves your body. Problems arise when we are not in Hell and are therefore not constantly regenerating our power. When we are in mortal realms, if our body dies, our soul leaves.
The boys would come out of this alive. Maybe it would help to smooth some tensions between them. I guess I would go out for the day with whoever won, but they better get this shit sorted before I gain full powers, or I will fight back. I could see both sides, and this display seemed to shock Jasper.
This is the first duo up,” Justice whispered, dragging my attention back to the center, where two demons met each other. They shook hands and then bowed.
“Current fight, Theo and Nick. Fighting for hunting rights of case number 254831520. Battle style, full power,”an announcer boomed overhead.
I watched as the two demons walked away from each other. One was a beast of a demon with large bulky muscles and no shirt on. His back carried giant wings that looked almost like they could belong on a dragon. They shimmered green with a hint of teal.
The other demon was built more like Justice, lean but limber. He was as white as a ghost from head to toe. Even his clothes were white. The only thing not white was his eyes, as they stared back in a haunting red. He looked like a nightmare set free.
“That’s Theo,” Justice said, pointing toward the one in all the white. “He’s a good friend of mine. His power has to do with the air. He can turn into it, like a vapor floating above your head. He can also manipulate it around him, causing tornados and drafts for him to soar on. Or sometimes, he can freeze the air in your lungs so you can’t even breathe.”
That seemed powerful to me, and I wondered if he was another one of Hell’s princes. So far, I wasn’t sure if I had ever met one, even at the feast.
A large gong sounded, and the two demons began circling each other. They sized each other up for a few moments before Theo attacked. Nick was violently pushed back by a great rush of air. He collided with the stone wall, pinned in place under the blast. He smiled back wickedly as he flicked his wrist.
Long spikes of hard black stone erupted from under his skin. They shot through the air, hitting Theo like bullets, tearing all the way through his body. It was enough to release Nick from the hold of air. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he went barreling toward Theo, knocking him flat on his back. Theo hadn’t even registered yet that Nick had broken free as one of the black daggers shot from Nick right into Theo’s heart.
Blood shot up onto Nick’s face and he grinned in triumph, letting his wings expand. He got up off Theo, reaching his hand down.
It took Theo a few minutes for the blood to slow and then stop. He grabbed Nick’s outstretched hand with a smile as he was pulled to his feet.
