Page 38 of Demon Demands

They’d all commented about the pulp floating in the pale blue liquid, how it was both sweet and tart. I just didn’t think I could deal with a bunch of sick guys who were used to the way things worked on Earth.

Stone was the only one of my guys that knew anything about it. He smiled into his glass every time one of the others made a comment about how good it was.

And… Well, roecon juice came from the roecon fish. That sounded nasty, right? The food in the Underworld wasn’t a topic that I was ready to explain; however, roecon juice was delicious if you could get past its origins. It was similar to strawberry orange juice.

The “fish” was related to the sea cucumbers and starfish of Earth. They could be found rolling across the rocks in the shallow waters of the Voletan coast. The gelatinous consistency of their insides could be milked without killing them.

Jack and I had loved the juice as kids until we’d found out that it came from a marine animal. Papi had taken us to a roecon farm in Voletan when I was ten. It had taken me years to touch the drink again. Telling myself that it was like carrot juice, minus the vicious blending, had helped a little. I was seventeen when I drank it again, and only because it was mixed with tequila.

Some of my guys were getting drowsy, and quite frankly, I still wanted that nap. I hadn’t rested enough to tap into my sight ability since I’d met my mates.

For once, I felt like I actually needed it. I needed to know what our immediate future held. The power seemed to fizzle out whenever I was stressed, so relaxing my mind and body would help tremendously.

Before I could settle down, I had to show the guys where their rooms would be. Dolyn and Hyde would stay in guest rooms on Jack’s side, a usual setup when we were in Hell.

We preferred to stay at Dolyn’s when we could, though. Stars was less intense than Hell, the sights more alluring, the people weren’t likely talking to me to work their way into my graces.

“Come on,” I called, motioning for my mates to follow me. “You guys look like you’re about to fall asleep standing, and Vaughn keeps talking to that bowl of fruit about the end of the world.”

My fae scoffed at me. “It’s not fruit. They’re prophets, sent to Hell to show us the way.”

Novak scratched the light dusting of facial hair across his chin. “The way to—”

“Don’t ask him,” Briggs snapped, rubbing his tired forest green eyes. “Stop inciting his paranoia. I know you guys like to fuck with each other, but don’t help him feed into the beginnings of a bad trip.”

“Briggs has a point,” Stone acquiesced. “The last thing a realm full of demons needs is a winter fae running around, tripping his balls off, throwing ice stakes at unsuspecting citizens.”

“Uhm, two questions,” Jack chimed in, holding his right hand up. “A, how much did he drink? And B, what are you gonna do about the A R M O R in the hallways? You know that’s going to freak him out. Blindfolding him or having him close his eyes also won’t work.”

“Shit,” I whispered to myself. “I didn’t think about that.”

While the center-most part of the palace was full of neatly stacked rooms that were aesthetically pleasing to the eye, the wings on either side were filled with mazes of hallways. Doors adorned the walls, suits of armor sporadically placed to flank regally framed, original artworks. Each hand-painted mural depicted the violent history of the Underworld, some commissioned by Lilith, others made by her.

Those suits of armor had been fought in, bled in, and each helmet was a testament to the demon who wore it. After a noble death earned in battle, their horns were removed and attached to their suits.

The hallways were basically graveyards; the armor acting as life-sized tombstones for deceased members of the highest legions.

I flashed the guys, excluding Vaughn, a quick image of our current issue. As they groaned, I caught myself wondering how they could understand Vaughn’s mental state so well.

Clearly, they weren’t saints, I knew that. But outside of murder, and theft on Novak’s part, what else had they done?

That was something to think about later.

“Oh!” York shouted in excitement, causing me to blink out of my thoughts.

“What?”

A cocky smirk lit up his face, his eyes glimmering with amusement. Holding his hands in front of his shoulders, palms facing us, he swayed his hips to a familiar dance. “I got this. Lead the way, Sweetheart.”

York’s mind was filled with Latin music as he mentally flipped through a memorized playlist for his perfect song.

“Oh my gods.” I stared at him with wide eyes. “You’re not, York…”

He nodded. “I am.”

I glared at the ceiling, begging the universe to give me the patience to deal with these handsome, insane, clever guys of mine. “This is either going to be really amazing to watch or really horrible. There won’t be an in between.”

But I led them out of the kitchen, nonetheless. When we got to the archway of the first hall, I turned to York, lifting a brow as I informed him, “Now would be the time to start.”