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"Three bonded?" The King of Darkness checked. "That is a new record, is it not, Ishtar? It is always amusing to watch the bonds develop, but we never had more than two at the same time."
Balaam's bride, still crying, reached for the dagger the other bride had discarded after cutting Balaam to distract him. In awe, I watched her slash the dagger across her arm, and then allow her blood to flow over my dead brother's headless body.
Phoebe winced next to me, and I pulled her protectively under my arm, suddenly grateful that Fay wasn't here to witness any of this.
"A heartwarming gesture, child, but utterly useless, let me assure you," Behlial chuckled.
Ishtar rushed to the girl's side and gently took first the dagger from her, then wrapped the young woman's arm with her scarf.
"Come, dear, there is nothing you can do for him." She coaxed the girl to her feet, and she threw herself against our mother, who led her out of the room.
"Well, what do you have to say in your defense?" Behlial railed against Abaddon.
"By any means necessary," Abaddon cited.
Behlial shook his head. "Let me make this perfectly clear boys. You are not to use your brides or anybody else to do the deedyouare supposed to deliver. You are supposed to kill your brothers, not allow others to do it for you. Do you understand?"
He turned abruptly and yelled at the Tainted hiding in the shadows of the many pillars. "Clean this mess up!"
"And you," Behlial yelled at Abaddon, "will stay in your quarters until further notice. I will need to decide what to do with you. Guards!"
With a contemptuous glare at us, he turned. "Dismissed, take your breakfast in your room, fuck your little brides, and give me my sons. Azazel, you will take that one with you." Behlial pointed at the other girl who came in with Balaam. "You should have enough stamina to please both of your brides seeing that you didn't do anything last night."
The warning in his voice was clear, and with a sigh, I held my hand out to the girl, who fled not toward me, but Phoebe.At least Phoebe will have somebody to give her company, I thought sardonically, and tried to figure out what to tell her.
"What's your name?" I asked with another sigh.
"Di-na," the girl stuttered.
"Dina?" I asked to make sure.
She nodded and clung to Phoebe. Well, maybe Phoebe would clue her in, because all I wanted right then was to be with Fay. I had never liked being in the throne room or Behlial's presence, but this time I was happier to leave it than ever before.
I took the girls back to the royal chambers, where we sat down so I could explain what was happening and what their roles would be.
"I will not touch you," I reassured them.
Where Phoebe had been docile toward me so far, Dina didn't seem to have such scruples. "Why not, and why should we believe you?"
"You have no reason to believe me," I hedged, not inclined to disclose any information about Fay. "But my actions, or lack thereof, will speak for themselves. All I ask in return is that when Behlial calls upon us in the future and the issue is brought up, you will lie and say that yes, we had sex."
Dina harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. "And why should we lie for you?"
"Jesus, Dina," Phoebe piped up. "Will you leave him alone?"
"No, it's fine, it's important you understand." I leaned forward and gave Dina my best menacing glare. "Because if Behlial finds out I did not bed you, he will send you to one of my brothers who will." And then, with my best improvision of Behlial's demonic grimace I added, "Or maybe Behlial himself will do the honors."
That pulled the wind from Dina's sails, and she went quiet. Phoebe rolled her eyes at her in anI told you to shut upway but remained quiet.
I was about to leave the two of them when the door opened without a chime to announce who it was. Agitated, I looked up, expecting to see Behlial, but was surprised to see Ishtar with Abaddon's bride in tow.
"Azazel," she greeted me with the same smile she always wore for her sons, the one that said she was addressing her favorite. I would have been flattered had I not known that she gave the same smile to each one of us.
For as long as I could remember, Ishtar had always tried to not only make us feel special, but to instill a bond between us brothers. The same bond Behlial tried to break with every encounter we had the misfortune of having with him.
"Mother," I greeted her, because she liked being called that title even though she hadn't given birth to any of us. What happened to her own son was anybody's guess, but tradition required the seven brides give their sons into Ishtar's custody to have her raise them as her own. "You honor us with your presence."
"I brought you another bride, Azazel." She pushed the girl gently forward. "This is Sara. Be kind to her, she lost her karamio." Karamio was the male version of karamia. It was strange to hear the word, a word I had never heard before, but I supposed it was only logical that if us Daemons found our karamia in our Nayphyllym, they in turn would find their karamio in us.
