Page 46 of Demon Demands

“As it is an honor to have the Mother of Demons stand by our side,” Stone countered with a genuine smile, bowing slightly at the waist to show his mutual respect.

The orchestra slowly began to play again as Sloane and Stone made their way through the crowd, shaking hands and talking hellish politics.

As the guys and I weaved around the demons, I overheard a stocky, minty green demon complaining that Sloane didn’t finish the bonding. He was eager to step in and fuss to her face too.

Peppermint stepped in my path, stopping Sloane from joining the rest of her mates. Stone stood to her right, glaring at the offending demon as he moved closer to her than necessary.

“You must have forgotten, but there is another step. Are we to assume that this mating is for political gain and not a true bond? I could have helped you build a better reputation in Hell had you accepted one of my countless offers.”

Sloane grinned sweetly, poison coating her lips as she answered. “We haven’t forgotten, we’ve chosen to do that privately. Are we to assume that you’re only bringing this up because you’re concerned, Councilman Vale?”

She cocked her head to the left, looking him up and down. “Or would you enjoy hearing my real assumptions? I think that you're looking to gain clout or maybe you just want to watch me fuck my mate so you can take those memories home to keep you company at night. I can assure you that I neither need nor want anything to do with you. You won’t gain any more of my time and attention than what you have now, but I’m not sure that you’ll be happy when you walk away.”

Sighing dramatically, she shook her head. “I’m quite nauseated with your pathetic love letters and unsolicited pictures of the lompus vine between your legs. I’ll have you know, I don’t take kindly to your unwanted advances, and I don’t appreciate you trying to make any sort of a scene in front of my mates.”

She dragged the s out on the last word, and he didn’t miss the plurality of it. His eyes widened comically as he glanced around, seeing her other four mates standing with me behind him.

Leaning in, Sloane lowered her voice, but I was close enough to hear that poison drip off her lips as she spoke over his attempts to backtrack. “I have six mates, Councilman. I’m well satisfied and taken care of. You’ll be the first person I replace if you continue to insult me, my Equal, or any of my mates. Take a good look at them, so you know who you should steer clear of. I’m sure the previous Devils and the council would love to hear all about the propositions you’ve accosted me with over the years.”

Raising a single eyebrow, she smiled once more — the fucking azalea that brightened my life. “Don’t forget that your position is in my hands now. As will be your life if you don’t get the fuck out of my face.”

He scoffed at her. “You can’t threaten me. I have immunity in Hell, and my position was voted for by the people of Lilk.”

With a devious smirk slashed across her lips, she shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. “I like lurking in the shadows, Vale. Remember that when you're alone. The True Devil gives no fucks about killing you. And we will, with time, since you’ve been working with Satan. We do love the thrill of the chase, so make sure you run far after you let him know that we’re coming for him too.”

Palmer studied her as she tracked her newest prey through the crowd. “What’s a lompus vine?”

She scrunched her face up, biting the corner of her lower lip. “Mmm, it’s hard to describe without showing you. Picture the thickness of a straw, green pus oozing out of pinprick sized holes all over it. If you disrupt them, they emit a foul rotting meat kind of smell, and if you ever get the pus in your mouth, it tastes like, uhm… Think about the smell of gasoline, except in your mouth. They grow between the rocky crevices on the shoreline in Voletan.”

“And what of the marks that jackass was talking about?” Novak inquired, trying to wipe the disgusted expression off his face at Sloane’s description of lompus vines.

Stone chuckled. “It’s just a bite.”

Vaughn bounced his wide-eyed gaze between Stone and Sloane several times. “With your shark teeth?”

Lifting his lip in distaste, Stone replied with an eye roll, “Yes, Vaughn, with our shark teeth.”

Sloane held her hand out to the fae. “How about a dance before the vampire whisks you away to safely end your trip?”

Vaughn closed one eye tightly as he glared at his feet. “I don’t know if I can talk my feet into moving that fast. Dance with Novak first, so I can watch and then figure out how to make my shoes work, Princess.”

Sloane giggled at Vaughn as Novak led her onto the dance floor. I was amazed to see that the vampire could waltz, and then dumbstruck when Briggs cut in.

After she danced with all of us, Stone ventured off to mingle and get a feel for the demons who made up the Council of Hell. The other three decided to go to sleep while Novak wanted to go on an unsupervised tour of the palace.

That left Sloane and me free to dance the night away, lost in our own little bubble of nonexistent time. We gained more than enough attention to last a lifetime as I twirled my mate through the expanse of the room. Her smile was infectious as she filtered through the thoughts in the room, telling me what everyone was thinking.

When exhaustion finally settled in, I walked her to the door of her bedroom. Leaning in to kiss her cheek, I whispered, “I love you, Sweetheart. I just wanted to say it one more time before we act like it wasn’t said tomorrow.”

“I love you too, York.” She smiled coquettishly as she shut the door in my face.

13

Sloane

Wednesday Late Night

After the party, most of my guys had gone to their rooms to sleep. Except Novak. The nosy vampire had been wandering the halls of the palace for hours, checking all the rooms out and terrifying the help as he kept up with Vaughn.