He stares at me hard for another moment, until he finally gives a terse nod, satisfied. He turns on his heel, continuing to stride straight ahead, and I swallow down the panic, but I realize as I follow him on unsteady legs that he didn’t answer my question.
Hmm.
We finally reach the end of this long ass corridor, and Taz leads me up a wide staircase. Sounds start to filter toward us the higher we go, and by the time we reach the top, I’m out of breath from the climb and my ears are pulsing with the beat of heavy trance-like music.
There is a line of guards standing on the upper level, all of them with their straight backs against the walls and eyes forward and unmoving. There’s a set of double doors in the middle of them, and Taz heads for those. Two guards swing the doors open without a word from Taz, and then the sound amplifies tenfold. I’m hit with the noise like it’s a wall, and I actually stagger back from it.
Tazreel puts a hand on my shoulder and tugs me forward, and I walk out on the balcony and look over the edge.
There are demons everywhere.
It’s like watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The outside veranda, or whatever the fuck rich people would call this outdoor space, stretches vast, with marble sex sculptures, huge fountains, and a pool that looks big enough to fit a baseball field. The black sky stretches above us with red starred pinpricks, which just adds to the ambiance.
Below, littering every inch of space, are more Abdicated and other Inner Ring demons. They’re drinking, smoking from shared pipes, swimming, dancing, and...oh, yep. There’s a few orgy piles going on too.
My eyes are wide as I take in the scene in front of me, and it takes me a second to realize that everyone has quieted down and stopped in the revelry to look up at Taz. I take in the rapt looks and eager eyes on the demons waiting with bated breath to see what Taz is going to say, and I get the distinct impression that he’s some kind of Hell celebrity.
He raises his arms high in the air, like a king greeting his subjects. “Welcome!” he shouts, and the crowd practically eats up that one word like it’s the most delicious thing they’ve ever tasted and they’re ready for more. “It has been far too long since all of you graced my house, and I couldn’t think of a better reason to welcome all of you back. Today marks a special day in my long life, and this day will go down as historic from now until the realms have fallen.”
Thousands upon thousands of voices cheer at the same time, the sound so staggering it steals the breath from my chest and assaults my ears. I stare down at the sea of faces, holding my own face perfectly still as everyone stares up at me.
“As your proud host tonight, I present to you, my newly discovered progeny. Nihil, please welcome, Delta!”
A roar of more excited screams fill the air, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with them. Beside me, Taz’s wing nudges mine.
“Huh?” I ask, dazed.
“Wave,” he says, and like I’m on autopilot, I lift a hand and wave, matching his movement. Another cheer rises up.
“Now, in honor of Lucifer himself, let’s fucking celebrate!” Taz’s voice rings out over the masses. “Gluttonously eat, greedily drink, and lustfully indulge until you yourself stand before all of us announcing the fruit of tonight’s efforts!”
Hands clap together, practically shaking the ground even from up here, and then I’m being swept away, down a set of stairs right off the balcony that I hadn’t noticed before. More guards are at the bottom, acting like velvet ropes to give us room to walk into the throng.
I thought this many people was intimidating up there? Yeah, it’s way, way worse down here in the thick of it.
Speaking of thick…
I cough, waving a hand in front of my face as orange-ish smoke claws at me from the air. “What is this stuff?”
“Stupor,” Taz answers. “It’s commonly smoked at gatherings. It helps one relax and...revel in the indulgence.”
The only things I want to indulge in are shoes without heels, a bath, some Thai food, and four very particular Hellgate demons. The guys’ faces instantly flash in front of my eyes, and I bite my lip. I remember the dream I had of them back at my house, and fluttering butterflies start dive-bombing my ovaries. More Stupor smoke is blown my way, and I decide what the hell. If it shores up my courage, I’m game. I inhale deeply.
Like he can read my mind, Taz stops me, his blond wings suddenly flaring out and blocking us from view as he turns to face me. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.”
My brows pull together. “No? No, what?”
“It is fine to dally once or twice. Fuck them until the Hell hounds come home for all I care, but you may not claim those males as mates. They are lesser. Just Guardians. You are meant to claim a Nihil mate, of which I will select, approve, and arrange for you.”
Anger fuses to the inside of my lungs until I expel a breath that feels as hot as rage. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I hiss at him as my purple wings pop out on either side of me. I cringe inwardly when they become apparent in my periphery, but I let them do their own thing. I don’t think they like Taz’s wings trying to show us up.
“I am your Sire,” Taz answers coolly. “Therefore, I am in charge of you.”
“No, you’re not,” I retort. “You’ve known about me for a day. I’ve been living my life, alone, for almost ten years. You may have been my sperm
