Page 9 of True Sacrifice
I decided on a black button-up shirt with a simple pair of black slacks. As soon as Jasper made it to my room, he tried to get me to put on that black fucking vest to match him and Jax.
“Don’t push it,” I snarled. The material felt suffocating against my skin as I tried not to rip it off me. They fit the pants to me perfectly, but that didn’t mean they were comfortable. How the fuck did Jasper handle being in clothes like this all the time?
“You too? Really, Justice?” Jax said from the door, giving my attire a once over. I never covered my runes.
Jax was wearing his black button up vest, slacks, and even shined shoes. He dressed in business casual most of the time, but the vest was all Jasper’s influence. I won’t make a comment on his attire, since that would just make him even more grumpy.
“Have you seen her yet?” I knew the moment I looked into her eyes that she was my mate. At least Jasper hadn’t fucked up that part and brought the wrong girl.
Jax grunted in response and then scowled. Anger rolled off him.
“Oh, so you saw her.” I grinned. Jax was playing a losing game, trying to refuse the call. We all knew accepting a mate was a bad idea considering who we were, but Jasper changed all that. He said yes. There is no going back. We would fall in love with her, and her with us, no matter what we did. That wouldn’t change the danger she is in just for being our mate. We would need to protect her any time she was out of our wing of the palace.
“It changes nothing.” Jax said with a growl. Someone was losing control of themselves. If he wasn’t careful, his form would start changing. Jax always liked the clean, almost human look. His runes were in the shape of extremely detailed tattoos. Courtesy of Aggie, of course, the only rune maker that Jax allowed to mark him. He covered most of his skin from his neck down in runes and spells, marking all his years of advanced practices. By sheer power only, Jax was our pack leader.
Jasper always wore his horns and tail. Sometimes, he would add in the wings if he was feeling mopey. How else do you storm off dramatically than jump off a ledge and fly away to solitude? No matter how Jasper tried to change his appearance, he always gave off teddy bear vibes. Violent, but also huggable. Even with his tendency to create dissention, he was easily the most popular of the three of us. The orgies likely had something to do with that.
I kept the elongated sharp ears that poked out an inch from my shockingly white hair. Oh, and of course, my runes. It was just the way I saw myself in my head. If I wanted blood red hair, all I would have to do is think about it and it would change. These demon bodies allowed you to be whomever you felt is you.
I wondered if our little pet would change her looks when she became demon enough to do so, or if she would hold on to her mortal form. Of course, it wouldn’t matter to us what form she chose, as demons mated to the soul, not the body. Right now, her soul was transitioning from mortal into celestial. Only angels and demons held celestial souls, and only demonlings could make a soul transition.
“Do our parents know we won’t be at the table for the feast?” I asked Jasper, we really had had little time to discuss what happened while I was Crowley.
“Yeah, they know. I’m telling you, I’m pretty sure most of Hell is coming to this thing. Well, the powerful ones that could secure an invitation, that is. None of the other princes have mated. It was bad enough we were in a pack together, but now we have an extremely powerful mate. We are an obvious threat, not only for our parents’ thrones, but we could be a contender for Hell itself.” Jasper confirmed every fear we ever had about taking a mate.
“Jax, should we even be playing this game with her? We’re going to have attacks coming at us left and right. A good deal of them will be directed at her, too. Shouldn’t we just whisk her away to a mate realm for a few centuries, while we work through the bond?” Jasper asked.
He had a point. None of us even wanted to be next in line for our thrones. We could just skip out with our mate to an exclusive retreat realm. We could get to know her as she got to know us. No politics or demons coming to kill her.
“No. I can’t just leave. Maybe if I publicly refuse the bond, it will help everyone calm down and show we are not making a bid at power.” Hints of fear streamed from Jax. We knew why he couldn’t just leave. We knew why he had to evaluate this mate bond and see it in action. He needed to see her in action.
“Are you going to do it, then? When she finds you at the feast, will you refuse her in front of all the elite and the commoners?” Jasper asked, as if he expected Jax to admit, even now, that the pull was working on him.
“If it will help to defuse some tension, then absolutely. Really, I don’t even expect her to guess that I’m her mate. She ran into me in the hallway and absolutely nothing shined in her eyes saying that she had any clue who I was.” Jax leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Veiled emotions of anger rippled through him. He had expected her to instantly be in love with him, panting after him like some animal unable to control herself.
After spending the past few days with her, I knew it wouldn’t be like that immediately. She had a powerful personality, and while she might feel the pull towards us, she would be just as adamant about us proving our worth to her. She had mentioned an ex several times during all her ramblings, and I got the impression it was a recent split. We would have to earn her if we wanted a moment of her time, mate or not.
“It’s time for a show,” I said with a grin. My head firmly back into the game. I was going to set a trap to catch a little fox tonight. Frankly, Jax could sit around and torture himself for another decade or two for all I cared.
Jasper left to collect Morrigan. Jax and I headed for the ballroom. We weren’t even sitting together. Both of us had our own dark corner to blend into. The other demons at my table made no comment about a prince sitting among them. Good. I hoped they remembered what I hid beneath this shirt.
Harder please. Make it so I can’t walk tomorrow.
Jax’s mother, Marlene, stood from her seat, perched high above the rest of us. She sat along with all the other royals. The original sins. I saw my father, Mammon, sitting with at least three of his wives. None of which was my mother, of course.
My father did not allow my mother to come to many events, unless specifically invited. She was one of the few elder demons left from the time of Adam. My father was Greed, which meant he kept all his powerful toys locked away. I glared invisible daggers at him, hoping he could at least feel the intensity of my gaze. He should have let her come to this; it was about her son after all.
Jax’s father, Beelzebub, scanned the room, no doubt looking for his son. His form was that of a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair swept back and a full, and a well-groomed beard. He preferred the aged look since many demons touted an eternally youthful form. Even Lucifer looked to be somewhere in his mid-twenties.
Speaking of Lucifer, I didn’t notice him in attendance. Honestly, it would have been weird for him to show up to such a public event. Usually, he held private gatherings in the throne room with only his sins and a few select others. Lilith should be around here somewhere though. She wasn’t a sin, but she was one of Lucifer’s first attempts at creating demons.
I spotted Jasper coming up the stairwell as he led my pet toward her seat. I watched, feeling jealousy run through my veins, as Jasper pulled out her seat for her and she smiled warmly at him. He must have done a great job talking to her today for her to have calmed down so much.
I reached out to feel the emotions of the other demons seated around the table with me, trying to soothe away the uncomfortable feeling of having emotion. Curiosity. Fear. Apprehension. I pulled them all into myself, getting lost in the sensations like my own personal drug.
“Good evening, everyone.” Jax’s mom bellowed. The room went silent. She may not be an original sin, but her flesh was marked with the same copious amounts of runes as her son. Beelzebub was always demanding more and more power for his family. I didn’t notice Ezra, Jax’s younger brother, amongst the elite. At least Jax wouldn’t have to split his attention between our mate and his brother for the evening.
“We are all together tonight to celebrate a demon and demonling mating.” A rumble of cheer gave up. Jax’s mom gave a pained smile. It did not thrill her. I could almostfeelthe rage coming off her. “Jasper, Justice and Jax have all found a mate in a sacrificed human soul.”
