Demon King (Claimed By Lucifer #1) - Elizabeth Briggs Page 0,64
for Fallen, naturally. Shifters are wrath, though their emotion is more like passion. Imps are envy, although they mainly thrive on attention.”
“You said last night that dragons were demons of greed.”
“Yes, it’s where the whole dragon hoarding stereotype comes from.”
She tilted her head as she considered. “Lilim are lust, obviously. What about gluttony and sloth?”
“Gargoyles, like the ones who attacked you the other night, are sloth. They can turn to stone and they feed on sleep.” I finished my food and used my napkin to wipe my hands. “As for gluttony, that would be vampires. They require blood to survive, just like in lore, and they’re very charming.”
“Glad I haven’t met any of those yet.” She gave my shoulder a playful shove. “I can’t possibly handle any more charm.”
We finished up our meal and I was surprised to find that in this dive bar with her I’d been having a great time. Even with the greasy chili dogs and weak beer. All I needed was Hannah by my side to feel complete, no matter the locale.
As we stepped outside I said, “Now that you’ve had your fun, let me take you to do one of the things I’d originally planned for tonight.”
Her brow furrowed. “No more private helicopters and thousand-dollar dresses, please.”
I held up my hands. “I promise I won’t spend a penny on this particular endeavor.”
She twisted her lips, like she was contemplating saying no, but then she nodded. “Okay. I suppose we can see the Mob Museum and the world’s largest slot machine some other time.”
“Wonderful.” I held out my hand and my blood pumped harder when her fingers wrapped around mine. Then I cloaked us in shadow so any stray gazes wouldn’t notice us before lifting Hannah in my arms and launching into the air. She tightened her grip around my neck, but not like she had with the dragons. She trusted me not to drop her.
My chest humming with pleasure, I took us higher and higher, holding Hannah so she could see the city beneath us. The hustle and bustle, the lights and the music, all of the chaos that was my home. We didn’t talk, just held each other as we flew over the city, enjoying the feel of being close as the cool night air bent around us.
Eventually, I landed on the top of the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest structure in the city and the perfect spot to lord over it like a king and queen gazing across their domain.
“Welcome to The Strat. Best view of the whole city.” I put my arm around Hannah’s shoulders and she leaned against me.
“It’s beautiful.” She turned to look up at me with those bright eyes that missed nothing. “But why do you live here and not in Hell?”
My chest tightened with long-repressed pain. “After thousands of years of war against the angels, Hell became uninhabitable. Heaven too. Our numbers were dwindling, and it was clear both our races would die off if something didn’t change. Archangel Michael and I met in private over many years, discussing how to negotiate peace between our kinds. In the end, we signed the Earth Accords and called a truce, then brought all the angels and demons to Earth, closing off Heaven and Hell permanently.”
Her eyebrows darted up. “The angels and demons were okay with that?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Hardly. Many were angry with us at the time. Hell, many are still angry. Archangel Michael even lost his life over it. But it was the only way to save our people, and I stand by the decision.”
Her hand found mine and she squeezed it. “I’m sure you did what was best. But…why Vegas?”
“About forty years ago, when I realized we couldn’t live in Hell anymore, I started building up Las Vegas to be a safe haven for demons, where they can feed on humans without harming them or exposing our kind to the world. Here, humans are allowed to indulge their sins, and demons can reap the benefits.”
The wind whipped strands of her golden hair across her cheeks. “And the Fallen?”
“The Fallen act as the…keepers of the demons, you could say. I have strict rules about not harming humans, and one of the requirements of the Earth Accords is that we keep our presence hidden from the mortal world. My Fallen make sure the demons stay in line.”
Her face softened as she gestured at the sparkling city below us. “You did all this, creating this entire empire, just to