Page 87 of Villains and Vengeance
One of his men enters the room, eyes never leaving me even when he speaks to Dante.
I look at the floor. Actually, I follow my line of sight to where that little bottle of arania venom I dropped lays on its side just under Dante’s bed. I haven’t been able to get near it again, but I have a feeling Dante’s patience will run out soon …and without warning. When that happens, I’ll need to have it close by.
I gasp as I’m picked up by the shirt Dante gave me to wear.
‘It’s time, my darling human,’ he says, holding me in his arms.
He walks out of the antechamber and back into his throne room, which is now blessedly devoid of the baying crowd from earlier. In its place is a long table with fifteen mismatched chairs. And in those chairs are fifteen supes.
His generals.
And they’re all demons. In fact, as my eyes move over them, I realize they’re not just demons, they’re all incubi.
Dante sits down at the head of the table with me on his lap and I belatedly see that Maddox, Daemon, and Iron are here. They’re the ones closest to him on the right side. I guess that means they’re the demons of the hour since they brought me in.
My eyes move over them without really taking them in; I don’t want to see their smug expressions, their pleasure that I’m ‘getting what I deserve’.
Dante surveys the table, holding me gently but firmly enough that I can’t possibly get out of his grasp and sprint for the door. He’s also left the chains around my wrists to grip onto me more easily with one hand.
‘Thank you all for coming to this impromptu celebration,’ he says, his voice soft but easily heard by every supe in attendance. ‘As you can see, I’ve brought the beautiful guest of honor.’
He lifts me up like I’m the toast and I hear answering chuckles, but I keep my gaze trained on the table in front of me.
I’m dimly aware of wine being poured into glasses around the table by a crew of hard-looking pixies. The demons talk amongst themselves. It makes me think that actually, despite what Dante said, I’m not the center of attention. But then I make the mistake of looking up.
Every pair of hungry eyes is on me.
I flinch into Dante a little, and I feel him laugh. ‘I think you’re making my little human nervous,’ he says.
And then he does the unthinkable, he pulls me into his chest and takes hold of the backs of my knees, drawing up my legs and placing them on the table. The entire table can see everything, just like everyone could during the audience earlier. Somehow this is worse though, maybe because it’s a more intimate setting and I can feel each gaze boring into me.
I stifle a whimper and shut my eyes tightly.
‘Our apologies, Victoria,’ one of the demons I don’t know says smoothly.
I shiver at his use of my name, even though it isn’t my real one.
‘Let her sit with me, Dante. I’ll have her feeling much better in a moment.’
I hear noises of dissent coming from the others.
I tense and crack an eye. Dante’s not going to give me to the table, is he?’
But he just sneers at the speaker, a dark-haired incubus with a scar down his cheek. He lets go of me and I snap my legs closed, wriggling to get them back under the table again and out of sight.
He allows it.
‘As if I’d let you have her first after all your excuses about not being able to find her over these past months, Ashly. No, the spoils go to the clan who located her and brought her to me.’
No.
I can’t help shrinking in on myself at the demon king’s proclamation.
‘Congratulations to you and yours, Julian. Which of you would like to prepare her for the feast?’
I look back at Dante. I don’t open my mouth to beg, but he sees it in my eyes, and he caresses my cheek almost placatingly.
‘Don’t look so afraid, pet. You have a purpose at this table. You’re a delectable little treat for some of my most loyal. You’ll enjoy yourself too.’
