“You laugh at me?” Micitian roared.
“No, no, no.” Theo held up his hand to placate the demon. “I’m not laughing at you.”
There was more pounding. At least his mates were close. Hopefully.
“That is annoying,” Micitian complained.
“You could just let them in,” Theo suggested. “We could stay for dinner.”
Micitian perked up as if that was the best thing that he had ever heard. “What would you like for dinner? I can send my demons out to hunt boar. Or there is a dish that is coated in the blood of my enemies that is a delicacy, but I would share with you.”
Theo’s stomach turned. “Or we could just have pizza?” It was the first edible food that Theo could think of. He really didn’t want boar or blood. Eww!
“Boring.” Micitian rose from his throne. And were those bones making up Micitian’s chair? Like real bones? It sure looked like it. Hellcats! This demon was crazy. “But as my guest, I will accommodate you.”
Should he thank the demon? The rules in hell weren’t the same as fae. Less tricky as demons usually were pretty straightforward in what they wanted.
“First I have a gift for you.” Micitian beckoned him forward.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to get me anything,” Theo tried. He didn’t know what a gift from a literal demon god would entail. Nothing good probably.
“You’d refuse my gift?” Micitian demanded.
He just needed to get this over with. “Of course not.”
“Good. I’ve been holding this present for several days and it just keeps getting more annoying. Come along. We’ll eat your pizza after.” Micitian turned toward a door that Theo had missed earlier. Were his mates through there?
He stumbled, trying to hurry and follow the demon. “My mates?” Theo asked.
Micitian glanced back. “You have a one-track mind. Fine. I will allow them to wait more comfortably.”
What did that even mean? Theo was so out of his depth here. “Great. Good. Where are we going?”
Micitian gave Theo that creepy grin again. “To my personal prison cells. Where your gift awaits.”
Uh-oh.
* * * * *
Mitch
The entrance to his sire’s throne room was blocked, which just proved that Micitian had indeed summoned Theo away from him. Mitch had waited too long and now would pay the price. Fuck!
“Why can’t we get in?” Alek asked, frustrated.
“My sire is playing with us. He has Theo and isn’t going to allow us entry until he pleases,” Mitch replied. He pounded on the portal wall even though it wasn’t doing them any good.
“I thought Theo couldn’t be summoned again!” Wylder exclaimed.
“My father is a master of magic. If anyone can get around our protections, it is him.” Mitch hated that it was his fault that Theo was in this predicament. “He won’t hurt Theo. In his very messed-up way, Micitian wants our approval. This is all about his jealousy of the chosen.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Dario had tears in his eyes. “He was in here all alone. I shouldn’t have left him.”
“He should have been safe in the apartment,” Mitch responded. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Theo was stressing out and I just added to it,” Dario said.
Fuck! Leaving the blocked portal, Mitch strolled over to Dario. He grabbed Dario’s chin, forcing the golden dragon to look at him. “You were trying to help him. We both know that Theo would have felt bad for yelling and would have apologized.”
