Wednesday morning dawned with a raging hangover and an overzealous child. I had only drunk two glasses of the beautifully sweet mead Castiel had brought to the dinner table but no one had warned me of its potency. It was the only alcohol I had consumed despite the entire city spending several days in full blown celebration.
Dragging Danny down to lay beside me, I snuggled back into my pillow and attempted to get back to sleep. It was futile. The small boy continued to laugh and talk at a painfully loud volume. Each word caused an answering throb in my head.
"Shush baby, mummy's head is sore." I croak as I scrunched my eyes closed in a vain attempt to pain rattling through my skull.
The little bundle in my arms stilled for barely a moment before he started to giggle, his body squirming in an attempted to get out of my hold. A second later he was free and once more jumping up and down on the bed beside me. I threw my hands over my ears in an attempt to drown out the sounds but two large hands wrapped gently around my wrists and pulled them away from my head.
"Come on Savannah, it's time to wake up." Lucius said loudly, his voice full of mirth even as it drilled painfully within my head.
Cracking open my eyes I pressed my lips together to fight the rising nausea. It appeared that being immortal was absolutely no help with the effects of imbibing too much alcohol. "Why are you so chipper? You drank so much more than me."
"I have thousands of years of experience in drinking Castiel's special mead. And because I'm awesome." The dark haired man boasted. His grin was so wide I could see his sparking teeth.
"Stop being smug, Lucius." I groaned, rolling my eyes at him. Regret set in instantly when the room starting to tilt and spin. Clamping my lips together, I pulled my pillow over my head and attempted to hide beneath it.
"Get up, Savannah. You need to get ready now if you want breakfast before we're due in the throne room."
"Throne Room?" I asked dumbly, lifting the corner of the pillow so that I could see him.
And see him I did. Lucius was dressed up – more dressed up than the suits and ties he had loved to wear at Satani Media when he was having a bit of a power trip.
Sitting up, I held the pillow between my hands as I gaped up at the man. He was breath taking. The black jacket resembled formal military attire, with a high neck and simple clean lines. It had been pressed to perfection with red bands around the cuffs and beautiful gold detailing around the button holes and collar. White gloves were tucked under the red belt wrapped around his waist. Even his shoes had been shined to perfection.
And there comfortably hanging from his hip was his angel sword.
"Wow."
"You approve?" He asked. His smile was smug even as the question left his lips.
Laughing, I threw the pillow at his face and then promptly groaned when my head gave an answering throb. "I do wonder. If you're wearing that, what do I need to be wearing? I don't think any of the dresses I have can possibly match up to your outfit."
And I meant it. The man would be drawing every eye in the room and didn't he know it.
"When you went shopping the other day, I may have asked the seamstress to take your measurements and create something extra special for the day." Lucius replied, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he waited for my response. "It's in the wardrobe. Now we men folk are going to leave you to get ready in peace. I'll get one of the ladies to help you sort out your ... hair."
With those parting words, he grabbed Danny around the waist and pulled him off of the bed. The two bent their heads together and giggled. No doubt the two of them were plotting against me. I had already sat on three whoopee cushions and found several plastic bugs in my food. I had a feeling this was going to be something else I wouldn't like.
Unable to force myself upright, I rolled to the edge of the bed. Peering over the side, I judged the distance to the ground before rolling off and onto the floor. I just managed to get my hands and my legs underneath me before I landed on my face. I drew in several deep breaths to steady my roiling stomach before crawling towards the wardrobe.
Upon opening the door, I discovered someone had removed all of my other clothes, all clothes except one giant mass of deep red fabric. It was almost the same shade as freshly spilled blood. With long sleeves, a fitted top, and a full skirt, the garment took up the majority of the wardrobe. The only way to wear the dress properly would be with a corset but the very idea of having the cords pulled so tight I could barely breathe was not appealing.
"Bloody man, what on earth is he up to?" I muttered, staring up at the oddly beautiful monstrosity.
The detailing was exquisite. I had never had much of an appreciation of clothing but even I could see quality when it was placed right before me. Reaching out a hand, I let the bottom of the dress slip through my hand. It was silk - expensive silk.
A knock sounded behind me before a young woman slipped into the room. She was wearing the uniform I associated with the castle staff but I had never seen her face before. Despite how awful I felt, I pushed myself to my feet and smiled.
"Are you here to help me get ready?" I asked.
The girl gave a small nod of her head. Her eyes remained lowered to the floor respectfully, an action that was a bit disconcerting. More and more of the staff were adopting the protocol. It was as if I had already married Lucius and had assumed the throne. He hadn't even given me a ring.
"That's great. I was worried for a moment I'd have to figure out how to get into the tent by myself." I said with a nod at the dress hanging all by itself.
The young woman's lips, which were a cerulean colour, twitched up into a faint smile. Her eyes lifted for a moment to the dress before dropping once more to the floor. Seconds later all hint of emotion were gone from her face.
I sighed quietly before turning away. "I need to shower first but I won't be gone long."
***
Within an hour and a half I was clean, dressed, and primped to perfection - or at least as close to perfection as I could manage. The nausea and headache were gone but it had been replaced by shortness of breath. It was the price of looking fierce. The corset, which I had caved into wearing with only a little nudging, forced me to stand up taller and the large puffy skirt meant no one would miss my entrance. My makeup had been done with dramatic flair; there was dark liner around my eyes while my lips were painted the same shade of red as my dress.
Standing outside of the throne room, I peeked through the gap in the doors. Our guests were already inside but Lucius had yet to make an appearance. I fought the urge to wipe my clammy hands on the skirts and instead focused on getting precious air into my lungs.
"You look amazing."
Spinning as quickly as the dress would allow, I glared at Lucius. "You know you're not supposed to leave the girl waiting. We need to get this over and done with so I can breathe again."
Stepping closer to me, Lucius wrapped his hands around my waist. A broad smile played across his lips. "You're cute when you're angry."
"I'll show you just how cute I can be." I retorted, punching him in the arm. "This dress is may be pretty but it is painful too." I pouted up at the man, sticking out my bottom lip and attempting to look as pathetic as possible.
"See. You're cute." He smiled and then pressed a kiss to the end of my nose. "Now, stop fussing. We have to make our grand entrance."
Giving me a conspiratorial wink, he held out his elbow. Looping my arm through his elbow, I held on tight. With a great shove, the doors swung open hard and fast. Crashing into the walls, the loud bang caused several of the gathered guests to startle. I resisted the urge to give them sympathy. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was a posturing exercise. Lucius was coiled tight, his entire body tense under my hold.
Staring straight ahead, I allowed Lucius to guide us down centre of the room. The crowds parted before us without a word needing to be uttered. I kept my head high and my shoulders back even as my heart thundered within my chest. If my breath hadn't already been stolen by the corset I was sure I would have been struggling to breathe under the attention of so many people.
When we reached the front of rooms and took our seats in the thrones, I finally took a moment to look out over the gathered demons. There were so many and their appearances were varied. Some could have passed for humans. Yet others, who were obviously older and more detached from who they had been, were so exotic and different that it took all of my self-restraint not to stare.
What followed next were several hours of peacocking and unmitigated boredom. Demon's stepped up, bowed to Lucius and gave him a gift. Usually it was something small, like an offering for his table or a trinket of some kind. Then they would ask a boon. It appeared that even in Hell nothing came for free.
Yet, despite how very tedious it all was, I felt on edge. Every time I tried to focus on the dry and very boring affairs unfolding before me, I felt the uncomfortable heat of an unwanted gaze. A lot of people were staring at me but I could almost feel the malice being sent in my direction. As I was still relatively new to the underworld and had had no interactions with any of the guests before, it was difficult to put together a list of suspects.
At least until he stepped forwards.
There was nothing friendly about the demon which lurched itself up to the centre of the room, one jarring step at a time. Malevolence rolled off of him in waves, as if his soul had been corrupted and now he wore evil as an invisible overcoat. Even his appearance had become corrupted. Other than the ability to walk upright, there was very little remaining of his former human self. His skin was a disgusting mixture of green and brown, thick and tough with strange bumps and crags on the surface. He was a large form, almost as wide as he was tall.
Yet, despite his departure from humanity, the demon was dressed in human finery. With a formal black suit jacket barely concealing his bulk and a blue silk cravat tied around his stubby neck.
He waddled to a stop but made no attempt to bow. Instead his gaze rested on me. I resisted the urge to turn my face away. I could deal with his unappealing appearance; I had seen many strange things in my time. Yet it was his eyes that made me uncomfortable. They were black – completely black.
The demon scrunched its nose and turned its attention to the man at my side. "Lucius."
"Terran."
All chatter in the hall dissipated as the men coolly regarded one another. The air rippled with power but Lucius gaze no indication he had even noticed. Instead, his fingers drummed the arm of the chair as he looked down at the bald creature below him.
"Have my felicitations, or should it be commiserations? I heard you were intending to marry but I did not believe the whispers when they said you were marrying a half breed." Terran sneered but the effect was diminished as he had to tilt his head back to meet Lucius's stony gaze.
"You would do well to mind your tongue Terran. You may get to play King of the Castle in your home but here I am the ruler. I sit in the throne not you." Lucius spoke quietly but it still caused goosebumps to form on my arms.
"For now," Terran sneered.
Fingers caressing the handle of his sword, Lucius raised a single eyebrow. "Is that a threat? It sounded like a threat."
The Demon's eyes flashed before he gave a mock bow. "Not at all, Lucius. I only meant that this is just a temporary situation until his Lordship's return. Now, I have taken up enough of your time and your adoring fans are waiting. Please accept my gift."
With a wave of his hand, a small form huddled form emerged from the side lines. It hobbled closer, a small velvet cushion held out before him. I frowned and leant forwards, wondering what was so special about the pillow. And then I saw it, a small vial nestled on the very top. And in the bottom something shimmered and sparkled.
"Thank you for the gift. What boon do you ask of me?" Lucius asked stiffly, not even attempting to take the vial.
"Nothing." Terran smiled, his twisted and gnarled teeth glinting before he walked away as fast as his stumpy legs could carry him.
The gift was taken away by a young woman in a simple blue cotton dress. She nodded her head in respect as she passed but nothing deterred her from her job.
Smiling at the woman briefly, my eyes flitted to the Demon's hastily retreating back. Leaning across the space between us, I whispered to Lucius. "What was it?"
"It was the remnants of the essence of an Angel's love – an angel's soul." Lucius replied quietly, his eyes moving over the crowd.
My head snapped around and a small gasp escaped my lips. Quickly, I pasted a smile on my lips and nodded reassurances to the waiting demons before turning my attention to the dark haired man at my side.
"Does this mean -?"
Lucius shook his head. "No. It's not from a new kill. I would say that it was at least a thousand years old. It is just a relic from the last great battle between Demons and Angels."
"Then why would he give it as a gift?"
Lips pressed into a thin line, Lucius stretched out a hand and wrapped his fingers around my smaller hand. He squeezed my hand gently. "Do you remember what happened with Uriel and Harmony?"
I nodded my head, my mouth going dry as memories flooded to the forefront. Uriel had been a young angel who had died several years prior, his soul torn from my body. An angel's soul was love in its purest form and Harmony was the beautiful succubus it had been used against. The pure essence of an Angel's Love was lethal to demons.
"How could I ever forget?" I replied, haunted by the agonised look that had been etched on the blonde demon's face in death. "So it's a threat. "
Lucius didn't answer except for the soft squeeze of my hand before he turned back to the waiting crowd and waved the next demon forward. My eye fluttered closed briefly and I gulped. Why did nothing ever go smoothly? Where was the reprieve?
I drew in a deep breath and smiled warmly at the newcomer. It didn't matter what threat we faced. We would face this as we had everything else – together.