Sinners' Kingdom #1: The Book of Lust (Complete)

57

Think. Think. Lust and Mammon couldn't fly, and neither could I, so what were our choices if the sirens surrounded us and just sang their throats out? I could hear them even now from this distance, so far that Lust and Mammon had yet to be able to lay eyes on them, so if they came close and gathered in huge numbers, if the strength of their cursing magic swelled and overwhelmed me...

"The whip!" I exclaimed. "The Indra's Net, the thing Sarina had. She gave it to me, but I lost it when we teleported off the mountain. Is it still in the water? Can we retrieve it? That thing's reach was ridiculous. It can definitely hit something in the air!"

Mammon made a doubtful noise. "Cords from Indra's Net are rare. If that woman gave it to you so freely, it must be counterfeit."

"Yet even as a counterfeit, it was strong enough to take Sable from me," Lust mused. "If only we were more well-versed in artifacts to know, but that was never our forte... It would be good if Bel were here to verify it. He's likely eaten one or two and would recognize the taste."

Uh... okay, no idea what he was saying at the end there, but I was sure of one thing. "Sarina said it would be strong enough to help me against—against, uh, strong enemies, so whether it's genuine or counterfeit, it'll help us now. And the sirens will seek shelter in the storm, so it's the best time to get it. We're in the clear until the storm stops, right?" Hopefully, they didn't catch on that I'd been about to say the whip could help me against the Princes themselves. Thank God I stopped myself in time. I couldn't imagine they'd be excited to let it land back in my possession if I revealed Sarina's true claim.

"Let's just go," I insisted. "It's such a waste otherwise. And aren't you two always going on about how I'm so defenseless?"

"My love, of course you're not defenseless, you have me—"

"I need the whip! Help me! I just need you two to be my eyes for me because I can't find it on my own like this. Please, come on."

"You can't even see," Mammon growled. "The Indra's Net would only be any good in your hands. Demons can't wield true cords of the Net at all, but even counterfeits are disobedient in our hands. They're protected by witch magic and defy us."

"I need it!" I said stubbornly, more determined than ever. The more Mammon resisted, the more I realized how urgent it was that I get that whip back. It might be my sole defense if — well, if things between me and these Princes went badly a lot sooner than I was ready for. God. Why had I let myself get so comfortable? All that self-flagellating over giving in to these demons so easily, but clearly my resistance had been purely superficial if I couldn't even register the importance of having actual protection. What was the use of being on my guard if I wasn't taking any real action?

Yes!

I!

Needed!

That!

Whip!

And you know what? Fuck shame and dignity. I had neither of those left after both demons rode me like I was the village bicycle anyway. If I had to throw a fit to get my way, then so fucking be it, because I. Didn't. Give. A. Damn.

"Find it for me!" I insisted, raising my voice until it echoed in the cave. "Find it or I'll go by myself! I don't care about anything else! I want it and I'm going to go get it! Right now! Let me down!"

Not that I was unprepared for it, but Mammon met me pound for pound, arguing right back. "It's useless to you! And by now it's lost in the water. The currents have probably taken it out to sea and it would take days to find it even if it's been beached! You don't need the Net, you need us! I mean, me! So forget the whip!"

"No! Go to hell! That's mine and I want it back!"

"If I could go to Hell now, I would, and you would be coming with me, with or without that Net!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Eat my whole ass!"

"Keep tempting me and I might, witch!"

... Mammon was practically howling in fury now, but if my internal arm bells were on point, somehow the conversation felt like it had taken a distinctly horny turn. Surprisingly, Lust had had enough of it, or maybe he was pissed for another reason. The rich, low, almost slinking quality of his voice was dangerous enough to kill.

"Don't shout at her, Mammon," he said. "Or your throat could very well see far more blood than it already has." His arm tightened under me, hitching me closer. Strange... there was that manic energy surging again, rippling into my skin and almost crackling like static. Only now did I recall suddenly that I'd felt the sensation right before falling asleep earlier. What was going on with him? "I'll be taking her back to the shore as she wishes," Lust continued. "Do try to stop me. Though I have to say, it's not very efficient for us to fight here and now, is it. It might even attract the sirens to attack sooner. Endangering our poor Sable so, how could you."

"You... fucking..."

"Or alternatively, you can follow along to better ensure her safety, yes?" Lust ran his fingers down my arm, making me shiver. "Though I'm more than enough to do so alone, of course."

Movement. He had already begun walking, so we must be leaving the cave now. My heart stuttered when Lust shifted to press a kiss to my chest through the robe.

"As I always will be, of course."