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My other brothers were already seated or stood leaned against pillars, awaiting our brides. I noticed my brother Seth looked strained, as his eyes stared transfixed at the entrance as if he expected someone in particular, while Nergal's and Grigori's expressions were almost bored.
Marduk and Abaddon were seated opposite each other, broodingly staring to where the brides were going to assemble shortly. Balaam tried to appear bored, but the tension in his shoulders was unmistakable.
Movement by a side entrance turned my attention away from my brothers. A beautiful female dressed in sacrificial white walked haltingly in. Red hair flowed down the left side of her neck, leaving the right exposed, ready for our fangs to sink in.
She stopped in front of the thrones at the top of the steps and stared defiantly up at Behlial.
Seconds later, another maiden entered, another redhead who was so pale, she stood out like a beacon in the dark hall. She nervously sidled up next to the first who had entered.
A raven-haired beauty followed and then another redhead who made Seth gasp, and when I turned to look at my brother, he wore a funny expression on his face.
"Already having picked?" Nergal antagonized him.
"They all look the same to me," Seth replied, but the lie was obvious as it flowed from his lips, and I scrutinized the female who had caught my usually composed brother's attention.
She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but so were the other six, especially the one with the ebony skin, and I might have chosen her had my heart not decided on another mere hours ago.
I needed to keep my little secret from my brothers though. The contest that would follow the choosing ceremony would be brutal, and at its conclusion only one of us would be left standing.
I allowed my gaze to move over my brothers. I would have no problems dispatching Nergal, and Balaam ranked right there with him, but the others? I figured I could have taken Abaddon out without much of a bad conscience, but Seth and Grigori were closer to me, so was Marduk. Which was exactly why I had intended to wait this little contest out until only one brother was left and prayed it wasn't one of them.
"So you are this season's crop?" Behlial's voice turned my attention back to the brides. He had moved down the steps from his throne to torment the first female who had walked in, taking her chin in his hand and moving her face to assess every angle.
I balled my fists. From what I was told, Ishtar had reigned longer than any other Queen before her, but it was Behlial's choice if he wanted to replace her with one of the widows my brothers would eventually leave behind, just like he had done so many cycles ago with Ishtar.
Not that it would matter to me, I would be either dead or… well that was the crux of it. I didn't know where or what awaited the victor of Behlial's sick contest.
But I felt sorry for Ishtar who, for all intents and purposes, was my mother. On the other hand, being replaced meant she could go to Elysian and be free of Behlial. Maybe it would be a blessing if the old lecher found a new toy.
"Excellent," he now said. "My name is Behlial, King of Darkness. What is your name, my dear?"
"Judith," the girl answered in a wavering voice.
I watched with detachment as he repeated the process with the other brides and only got curious when he stopped in front of the female who had so obviously caught Seth's attention.
A quick glance toward my brother confirmed my suspicions as his fists clenched and unclenched. He better be careful. If I noticed, so would Nergal, and Nergal would choose before Seth.
For a moment I contemplated picking the female. I could keep her safe for Seth, but that would raise all kinds of complications, most of all a sort of camaraderie between him and I that we couldn't afford since, in the end, there would only be one victor.
"Well, aren't you special? Tell me my dear, what's your name?" Behlial's voice sounded dangerously pleasant, and even though the girl couldn't have known how dangerous Behlial was when he was pleasant, she appeared wary of him.
"Lilith," she spat with so much venom she surprised me. It seemed as if Seth had chosen wisely.
Behlial turned to us gleefully and repeated her name, "Lilith, that is a strong name. Let's see if you will be able to live up to it."
He turned back to Lilith, with his nose only a hairsbreadth away from her slender neck. I noticed Seth's body coil as if ready to push himself off the pillar he was leaning against and prepared myself to hold him back, even though I had no idea why I would do so. Luckily, Grigori beat me to the punch, hissing, "Easy, brother."
For a moment I thought this would be the end, but Seth's tension grew until I placed a hand on his shoulder as well. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Nergal noticing and sighed. This would not end well.
Thankfully, Behlial moved on to the last girl in line. She seemed the youngest, and her blonde hair reminded me of Fay. The girl trembled like a leaf, and I wondered why it bothered me.
"Do you know why you are here?" Behlial droned.
It was Seth's girl who finally spoke when the silence drew on too long.
"They only told us that our blood is special and that we are descendants of a race called Nayphyllym. They said you would cease your attack on Earth once you had what you wanted—us."
Behlial folded his hands behind his back, giving Seth an assessing glance. Yeah, the King of Darkness had definitely noticed my brother's interest. "Ah, Lilith, as I hoped, you seem to bring honor to your name."
