Page 36 of To Crave Madly
“What is going on here?”
I instantly bristled at the authoritative tone intruding from the doorway behind me. I was so used to being the most senior rank in the room that the presence of this man set my teeth on edge. I didn’t like sharing power. I didn’t give a fuck who this man thought he was; if he tried to exert some dominance over me, I’d tear his throat out. In my current mood, I might fucking do that anyway.
Jasper sprang to his feet and promptly keeled over. If I wasn’t so pissed off, I’d probably have laughed, but my temper was being constrained by the thinnest of threads, so laughter was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Sire, I can explain—”
“Save it, Farrow,” the newcomer stated harshly. This single statement lowered him further in my estimations. What kind of leader was he, to demand an answer and then refuse to let the speaker provide it?
I rolled my shoulders in preparation for a good show of power. I could feel my wings stirring beneath the surface, eager to aid me in my display of strength. I turned and gazed at the man in the doorway. He was smartly dressed, lean but with a subtle strength lurking beneath the surface. This vampire was old. I could see it in the way he held himself. He was confident and sure. He knew what he was capable of and he knew what he was worth.
I smiled disingenuously as he stared at me. I could tell he was trying to work out who I was and if I was worth the time to cultivate as an acquaintance. Very few people knew who I was. Only those who had been to the Under Realm had any real idea of what I looked like, and Jasper’s team of course. Although how they knew who I was was still a mystery to me. I suppose they did have a Hell Hound; perhaps he imparted his knowledge of the Under Realm to them. I had never met this vampire before. I certainly would have remembered the smarmy overconfidence wearing a snarl and a suit. He clearly had no notion of who I was. I couldn’t wait to see his face when the realisation hit home.
“Who the devil are you and what are you doing here?” the old vampire asked disrespectfully, his bright gaze defiantly trying to assert his dominance.
I chuckled wickedly. He had no idea what I was capable of, nor the way he was suddenly grating on my every fucking nerve. That was never a good combination for me. I was apt to do something cruel. “What a poor choice of words.”
“Speak plainly, or I will have you removed painfully.”
I let a smirk curl my lip. “How amusing, but that’s not going to happen.”
The vampire shifted his weight from foot to foot. Nervousness started to settle into his posture, and it set his jaw and fists clenching as his temper at me rose. His eyes flashed with anger and I could tell he was putting all his focus in trying not to take a swing at me. I could have laughed at his audacity. Didn’t he know that, at this very moment, he was only alive because I wished it so? He would only have to whisper one wrong word, and the thin veneer of pliancy I was wearing would disappear in favour of my instinct to destroy and torture.
“Listen, asshole. I don’t know who you think you are, but you will show me the respect I deserve.”
I shook my head as the vampire before me came closer to losing his temper with all the grace of a petulant child. I flicked imaginary lint off the edge of my sleeve as I made him wait for my response.
“You cannot demand respect, vampire. It is earned and you certainly haven’t earned mine.”
“Tell me your name,” he spat. Rage flashed manically in his eyes and I felt amusement swirl through me. He was so close to the edge; could I manipulate him into throwing himself over?
“And what would you do with my name,boy?”
Unable to contain his rage any longer, the vampire let out a frustrated roar. “That’s it! I will not tolerate this in my domain. Farrow, take his head.”
My gaze flicked to Jasper who suddenly looked uncomfortably caught in a conundrum. He clearly had to follow orders, but he also knew who I was. I stood calmly for one more moment, giving Jasper the chance to make his decision. When he didn’t move towards me, I knew he wasn’t going to attempt to remove my head. In Jasper’s seconds of indecision, I snapped open my wings and used them to propel me towards the vampire. My hand clasped his throat, and I slammed the older vampire into the wall. His eyes went wide, and a gasp of surprise left his mouth as his spine jolted against the hard surface.
“I am not a merciful creature,” I whispered, my lips close to his ear. Menace laced my tone and I felt him tremble in my grasp. “Take this as a warning to think before you speak. Next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
His fangs descended as a reaction to my attack. His body was going into defensive mode, but it was too late. I already had him pinned and he would be wise to take the punishment.
“Who are you?” he croaked, his voice hoarse from being compressed under my hand.
I grinned maliciously. It was time for the moment of truth. “I am Lucifer, King of the Under Realm, Lord of Hell and Ruler of all Dark Creatures.”
His terrified eyes widened further as my wings spread to their full magnificence. His face blanched as the penny finally dropped. Oh, how I enjoyed torturing a soul who deserved it. There was a certain thrill in tasting a person’s fear. It’s why I enjoyed the taste of lies so much. Everyone who lied always had a fear of getting caught. To me, a lie was like a little morsel of decadence exploding on my tongue, but fear, I meantruefear was like gorging on a feast of all your favourite foods while enjoying a beautiful woman or man. Or sometimes both, if I was in the mood. Exquisite and extravagant, decadent and far too self-indulgent.
“Leave us.” I released my grip on him and thrust him toward the door.
“Your Majesty, I did not know. Had I known—”
“I do not want your grovelling,” I sneered. I was not in the fucking mood. “Begone, vampire.”
He bowed deeply and shot a glance at Jasper. I could tell he didn’t want to leave him with me but something about Jasper was tolerable. I had discovered in Jasper a vampire that could be useful and I wasn’t about to lose the only competent vampire in this place.
“I will keep Farrow as an Ambassador of sorts while I am here. You will release him from any duties he may have and make him available to me.”
I could tell the older vampire wasn’t happy about that at all, which only spurred my need to have Jasper by my side. If it pissed him off, it merely amused me more.
