AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d never felt old. The concept didn’t exist for me. I never got stuck in my ways because I had to adapt with the times. But the last week of being back among the living had been like stepping into a new dimension.
Seere now owned and operated several establishments around the city. Four of them were real estate, but his favorite was a strip club on a particularly dingy street outside the main drag of Los Angeles. The Red Room was dark, intimate, and otherwise lucrative. Unlike the exclusive dance club and bar that Sitri and the Watcher had developed while I was gone, The Red Room was only for human clients. The dancers, however, were demonic.
Seere had invited me along for the opening shift and was busily stalking the bar as I walked around the main stage. The sound of my borrowed loafers was deadened by the velvet-like carpets that surround the shiny black stage. It was polished to the point that my reflection stared back up at me with tired, baggy eyes and the scowl that had been fixed in place for longer than I could remember.
“You want a drink?” Seere called from across the room. “I’m making one for myself and Semper.”
Semper was his bartender for the night, a lesser demon who worked within his legion as a commander. I’d known her for just as long as any other, but now she was covered in tattoos and piercings.
“I’m not staying long. I have to make sure Celeste is at home tonight.”
It was Friday night. Celeste—I’d realized this morning—didn’t have class on Fridays. She had been home all day doing chores and catching up on things around her home. She’d told her male friend that someone would be returning from a trip on Sunday, and whoever Duncan was, he was worth deep-cleaning her house.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He looked up at me through stitched brows. “You’ve spent all your time watching that human since you’ve been released.”
“What else is worth my time?” I shrugged and pulled myself onto the stool across from him at the bar.
“You’re in the new millennium, brother. You can do anything. Be anyone. Travel this newer world and find your place back in the fold. Your throne has sat empty for many years. Lucifer will want to know you’re safe.”
I cringed at that. Lucifer had been a means to an end. Following him in the Fall was my rebellion against our Father. The years that followed and my reign as Prince of Envy for the deviants of Hell were consolations. I didn’t want to return to Heaven like a wounded dog with my tail between my legs, but I’d also never reveled in my position at Lucifer’s table. Being a strong and powerful fighter was in my nature—my essence. Every cell that made me whole had been created to be loyal, strong, and a warrior for whatever cause that was put at my feet.
My position as a prince of Hell was nothing but a glamor, a hollow adornment that gave me a higher rank in the hierarchy that I’d helped build.
What I wanted was a purpose.
What I needed was Celeste. To protect her and give her everything she’d ever desired just so she’d sing a damning gospel of my name while I devoured her, body and soul.
The itch under my skin to go to her side blossomed once again. “I have seen every inch of this world countless times. My throne will never truly be empty until the human race fails to exist, and by then, Heaven and Hell will be bursting at their seams. Tonight—and any other night I see fit—my eyes will be focused on Celeste.”
“Fine. But once you’ve gotten your fill, come by before you head home.” Seere leaned over the bar, his thick arms holding his muscular frame above the polished surface.
“I will.”
Chapter5
Celeste
I’d been cleaning for days. Duncan was on the train home from Boston and would be back in New York at any moment. He hated it when the house was a mess, and his standards were high since his mother was a professional organizer and party planner. I liked living in a less restricted way, but he had a place for everything and had to have everything in its place.
When the keys unlocked the door almost a half hour earlier than I expected, I practically jumped out of my skin.
“Hey! You’re home early.” I tried to hide the slight disappointment in my voice when Duncan came in with his suitcase trailing behind him.
“I caught a quick transfer.” He took me in and smiled wide, melting the worry I had about the state of the house.
Duncan wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me for a quick spin. He was only slightly taller than me but loved to pick me up as if he were some large caveman. My socked feet hit the rug a moment later, and he held my face in his hands for a sweeter-than-expected kiss.
“What was that for?” I giggled.
“I have amazing news for the both of us.” He slumped off his backpack and got down on his knees to rummage through it.
I crossed my arms and waited for him to find whatever it was he was looking for. Without thinking, I glanced out of the living room window, and my blood ran cold. Standing on the sidewalk was a tall, dark figure. Though it was night and the streetlight was shining bright over his head, light somehow refracted off of him or was absorbed by the horror he was made from. I knew it was Vassago without a doubt in my mind, and I hadn’t prepared myself for the moment I would have to either tell Duncan I summoned a demon or save his life from said possessive demon.
“Celeste.” Duncan’s voice brought me back to him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just anxious for you to tell me your good news.” I put on a smile but doubted he would notice that it was insincere.
“Here.”
