Eden inhaled sharply. “Does he know you’re here?”
“I don’t know. But coincidences are usually fate giving us a kick in the ass. All I know is he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t know what happened to me with the curse. And he wouldn’t understand that I’m. . well, I’m different than I used to be.”
This was shorthand for saying Darrak used to be demonically evil and now — thanks to being infused with humanity after possessing humans for hundreds of years — he wasn’t.
Which meant this other demon would be everything Darrak once was — powerful, destructive, scary, without conscience or empathy. Someone she’d want to avoid in every way possible. “What would this demon do if he found out what happened to you?”
“I’m not sure.”
She shivered as she got in the car and turned the key in the ignition. “So this demon. . he’s an old enemy of yours?”
“No,” Darrak said wryly. “Actually, he was my best friend.”
Being promoted was a good thing. Even when it hurt like. .
Darrak braced himself as the fire scorched his body, burning away his former incubus self and replacing it with his new archdemon form. On the surface, he looked the same. Inside, it was a major upgrade.
Which was good. He’d always hated being an incubus.
Well,
Ever since he’d been created from hellfire five centuries ago, he’d been made to feel like a lesser demon. Made-demons rarely were treated as well as fallen angels or humans who’d sold their souls in service to the pit. Demons like Darrak were treated as if they hadn’t earned the right to any privileges and should feel, quote, “honored to exist in the first place.”
No damned respect.
But that was all behind him now with this promotion to archdemon. Darrak wouldn’t be used anymore to do anyone’s dirty work — he was nobody’s slave. New strength and power coursed through his improved form. From the corners of his eyes he could see his long curved horns. His skin was covered in amber fire. His upgrade came with fire as his element to call — appropriate, being that he was created from it in the first place. He looked at his hand, at the rippling flames that filled him with warmth and power. He could destroy a lot with this new perk. The thought pleased him.
“How do you feel, Darrakayiis?” Lucifer asked. He always observed promotions like this firsthand, although from an unseen vantage point.
The use of Darrak’s true name made him stand up straighter and answer truthfully even if he’d been inclined to lie. “Never better.”
“You’re very lucky. Many do not survive what you have just been through. Their forms are destroyed and swept into the Void.”
Sure,
“That remains to be seen, incubus.”
Darrak’s lips thinned. He wasn’t an incubus anymore, but he didn’t correct the prince. Lucifer had a nasty, destructive temper on him. Not that Darrak had ever met the boss face-to-face before. He’d only heard the rumors — and there were many of them.
“You now answer only to me,” Lucifer said. “You are in my trusted circle. You will defend and protect me whenever I need you, without question or comment. Do you wholly agree to this?”
There really was only one acceptable answer to that question. Anything else would be asking for that one- way trip to the Void. “Yes, my prince.”
Lucifer’s archdemons were essentially his personal bodyguards — the only ones, outside of his vast harem, who ever saw Lucifer in person. But, except for his duties to Lucifer, the benefits of the job were endless.
“Go now,” Lucifer said. “And I will summon you when you’re needed.”
Darrak lowered his head in an obligatory bow before turning and leaving the antechamber. He immediately shifted to his human form and raked a hand through his dark hair before grinning at his accomplishment. His demon form was necessary to wear when in Lucifer’s presence — it was a show of respect, much like wearing a uniform — but his human form had always felt more natural to him. Plus, the horns ran the risk of scraping against archways. They were very impressive, but not terribly practical sometimes.
“So?” another voice asked him as he turned the corner of the mazelike halls of Lucifer’s palace.
A smile twisted on Darrak’s face as he turned to see his friend Theo. “So what?”
“How did it go?” Theo had long black hair he always wore tied back by a strip of leather. He had a slight exotic slant to his brown eyes that spoke of many different nationalities, which helped him fit in just about anywhere at any time in the human world.
“Don’t forget the
Theo’s grin widened. “Told you so.”
“You did indeed.”
“Ask and ye shall receive. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”
Darrak laughed. “Reading the Bible again?”
“I love fairy tales. They make me feel all tingly inside.”
“As you can see, I survived the conversion. Which I’m told is rare. Thanks for the warning on that.”
Theo crossed his thickly muscled arms. “Warnings are for cowards. So now you’re finally one of us. One of the chosen few that can do whatever we want and have power left over to spare.”
“All thanks to you.” Darrak’s gratitude surprised even him. If it wasn’t for Theo, he wouldn’t have gotten this rare chance to move up the food chain.
Darrak and Theo had both been incubi created from hellfire at the dawn of their existences. Both created to serve their masters. But Theo had a real drive to become something more, never satisfied with where he was. He made Darrak see it was possible to want more, to achieve more. All one had to do was put one’s mind to it. He was very inspirational — for a demon.
“Follow me,” Theo said. “I need to ask you something very important, but not here.”
That was interesting. Darrak followed him until they were deeper in the palace, a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed or overheard.
“So now what?” Darrak grinned. “Shall we go out and celebrate? Head up to the human world? I can go there now at will, can’t I? I don’t have to wait to be given permission.”
“You can do anything you like now.
Darrak’s smile faded and he tensed, feeling a strange sense of foreboding. “Is there something wrong?”
“No,” Theo said, although he seemed preoccupied. “Do you trust me, Darrak?”
“Yes,” he responded immediately. “Out of everyone I’ve ever known, I trust you above them all.”
“That’s good.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to tell you something. Something important.” Theo hesitated.
“You can trust me with anything you have to say,” Darrak assured him.
“Can I?” A straight black eyebrow raised.
“Of course. You’re like a brother to me.”
Theo snorted. “Always so emotional, Darrak. You’re just like a human.”
Darrak knew an insult when he heard one. “Am not.”
“I’m jesting, of course. I’ve seen you drain their energy and take their souls. No hesitation, no second thoughts. I’ve seen you tear apart the ones who cross you with your bare talons. Why do you think I’d recommend
