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

63

Until now, I'd never even stopped to wonder how a demon could have a beating heart to betray such emotions in the first place. Or even possess them, on second thought. But I shouldn't be surprised. Demons as a whole were greedy, not only Mammon even if he held that august title of the Prince of Greed, so of course, Lust would be afraid of losing his most promising to-be-thrall. Was I stupid? Why was I so stunned at that? It was all the more proof that I needed to be supremely cautious around him. He was putting so much value on my safety to ensure I would be the most superb, bewitched sex slave, after all. Yet another reminder that I needed to exercise constant distrust of him.

But I couldn't help it, the little spark of mixed shock and beguiled fascination — and dare I say it, maybe even a little humbled wonder — that flared in my stomach and twisted it into a queasy mess. A powerful demon was obsessing over me for no good reason. A Prince at that, an almost mythically elusive being who had no business holding me close like I was the thing he treasured most in all the worlds. Did he have no pride? Even an incubus who fed on sex should understand the relationship between prey and predator.

Then again, humans doted on pets all the time. This was nothing groundbreaking.

My heart sank. The stupid piece of shit. What was it 'sinking' for?

"Hurry up," I rasped. "Help. Mammon."

"He's doing just fine, love."

Seemed that way. Mammon was much closer now than he had been moments ago, the snarling coming from so close that if I reached out, I was sure to brush against his pelt. With Lust so intent on coddling me instead of fighting off the sirens, it was no wonder that Mammon had had to pick up the slack. He must have been protecting both of us while Lust was distracted with me. Still, my demand was more for the sake of the growing, urgent need for space between Lust and me. I couldn't think straight with him so close. Holding me so intimately, with not a hint of his usual carnal fever but with all of his rampant possessiveness — even more than usual, actually. I couldn't deal with it right now, not with my senses in such confused disarray. Until I had my head back on straight, I couldn't trust myself around him. Incubus, I reminded myself, but it was no use. I pushed lamely at his arms, still too befuddled to put all of my strength into it. Too bad he took that as an invitation to tighten his grasp.

"Stay still," he murmured. "Your core is still seeping magic. If I leave you now, you'll hemorrhage it all over again."

"What. Talking about? Don't have..."

"Surely you can't deny it now, love. How do you think you just subdued all those sirens? There's barely any remaining now."

"What?"

"It was quite impressive, you know. You created your own incantation to cast the spell. That's a sign of tremendous, brute magical strength. You didn't even realize you were doing it, which makes it all the more terrifying. But I would expect no less from my queen."

I had no idea what he was saying, but if it made him happy, he could babble on all he liked. I pushed at his arm again, with more strength this time. My head was still all over the place, but the pain had faded even more by now, leaving behind only a throbbing ache that ran from my mouth down to my throat like I had spit up something poisonous. What had that been about, anyway? But I could ask that question after I figured out the state of our predicament first.

"Sirens gone?" I asked, handily ignoring everything else Lust had said, particularly the part where he blamed their timely retreat on me. As if. "Done? No danger?"

"No need to strain yourself, my Sable. You shouldn't speak until the corrosion heals. But yes, they're gone — for now. I'm sure they'll return in greater numbers later, but I caught you before you could go any farther out into the storm. As long as we retreat back to shelter quickly, we have time to recuperate. Ah, and there goes the last one. Mammon, excellent work. I see it wasn't a mistake to let you linger with us after all."

"Shut up. How did you let this happen. Useless!"

The growling started off almost completely animal, but morphed swiftly to a familiar, husky voice by the last word. Mammon must have transformed back to his human form. I opened my eyes and stared hard in the direction his voice had come from, and sure enough, the long, vertical streak of tannish color confirmed my guess. Weird, though. My ears were still swimming like I'd dunked myself underwater. For some reason, it sounded like he wasn't speaking English, yet I understood him nonetheless. Clearly, I was still dazed. I needed to get my shit together if I was going to get anything done.

"Calm yourself," Lust replied, mild as ever. All the urgent heat that had simmered in his voice was gone now, back to perfect, drawling composure. "Sable has only just recovered. Don't disturb her with your temper, or all the effort I expended to steady her core will go to waste."

"How much did she lose!" Mammon barked. "How long did it take you to fix it!"

"Frankly, she lost a great deal — look at it — but there's no need to worry overmuch. After a brief inspection, it's plain to see Sable has much power to spare. In fact, that she lost so much isn't a sign of the severity, but rather of the great pressure that made her expel so much even with such a small tear."

"A tear? What tear?" I repeated, growing increasingly alarmed and confused, but my question went ignored as a wave of familiar heat billowed violently against my turned face. I stiffened in Lust's arms, sharp dread bursting in my chest. I knew what came next. Shit.

"Again and again, you prove you can't protect what's yours," Mammon hissed. His voice was a lot closer now, almost next to my ear. I couldn't even shiver at its closeness, muscles locking up tight against the sheer intensity of it. Holy shit. "From now on, she doesn't leave my sight. I stay with her at all times. She doesn't go anywhere without me, ever. Do you understand?"

"Don't test me, Mammon." Lust's voice was cold, frigid, as deadly in its calmness as Mammon was in his rage. "Mind yourself, and I'll take care of what's mine."

"She's not yours anymore."

"She's mine!" Lust snarled back. Violent, killing intent swelled in the air, both demons' emotions spilling over like boiling magma and scorching my skin. "Take her from me. I dare you to try."