enemies close. I lean my head on the cool window and sigh. I’m so tired but there is still so much to do today. Unlike regular Demons, I need to sleep. The others don’t require it to keep functioning, they just do it to pass away a few hours of every day.
“Annabelle!”
I groan. “Fuck off,” I mutter, recognizing the creepy voice in my head.
“I’m waiting, Annabelle. As soon as you close your eyes, you’ll be mine.”
“Good luck with that,” I snap.
“You’ll succumb. I can feel the exhaustion seeping in. That power is draining you, Annabelle. You need to sleep, girlie. How will you defeat Lucifer if you don’t?”
I grimace but ignore him this time. I push off from the window and flame out to the sin bin with extra hot flames so that they all know to back the fuck off from me and so it is clear that my powers are in perfect working order.
I land right in front of Razor. His eyebrows go up, but his casual stance doesn’t alter. He is seated in a highbacked chair as three naked females are practically crawling all over him. They back off as I stride forward, a sultry smile on my face. Killing him will only annoy his followers and that is something that I don’t want to deal with right now. Factions are common and they come with the territory. As long as I remain the strongest, and I am, then Dad told me not to bother too much with them, unless they become a serious problem. So far, Razor has been all talk, up to last night. But I intend to make sure he knows I’m on to him.
He adopts a wary air, but doesn’t move as I lean in, resting my hands on the arms of his chair and giving him a good view of my cleavage. His snake’s tongue flicks out of his mouth, tickling me between my breasts, but I ignore it instead of wrapping it around my fingers and yanking it out of his mouth.
“Did you enjoy fucking me last night?” I whisper to him.
“Did you?” he asks back, but his tone is cautious.
“Mm,” I murmur. “I always wondered what it would be like with one of your kind.”
“I’m happy to oblige you again…Your Majesty.” The sarcasm is evident in his last two words, but I ignore it.
“Don’t wait too long,” I murmur.
He gives me a smug grin, which I wipe off his face by turning to the side so that everyone can see my next action. I lean in even closer and give his face a salacious lick, letting him and everyone else know exactly how I see him. He is my property and now everyone knows it.
I give a wicked laugh as I walk away from him, red-faced and spluttering with indignation. Sure, it’ll aggravate him, but now that I have his number and he knows I’m not scared of him, he might think twice about acting again so soon.
Feeling marginally better, I head off to deal with the other asshole who touched me.
I flame out mid-stride to the area of Hell where the Gargoyles live.
It is all high buildings and cold stone here, unsurprisingly. What is surprising is that when I ask to see Aleister, I’m escorted to the very top of the highest building, via Gargoyle flight.
“Thanks,” I mutter as the Gargoyle escort drops me gently to the floor and then flaps off. I look around and my breath catches.
“Wow,” I say before I cringe. I’m supposed to be all cool and what not and here I am gaping in amazement at the view stretched out before me. Of course, that view also includes Aleister, perched on the building’s ledge, as the most enormous Gargoyle I have ever seen.
His big globe eyes are taking in every inch of me as he stretches out wings that must span several meters on either side. He flaps them briefly as he leaps off the ledge, shifting before his feet hit the ground.
I brush my windswept hair out of my face and move closer to him. I’m drawn to him in an almost physical way. It’s startling and amazing.
I gaze up at him. He is looking down at me with those beautiful eyes, adoration swimming in them. He takes my hand silently and leads me over to the ledge.
“It’s gorgeous,” I exclaim quietly.
“It’s yours,” he replies steadily. “Of course it is.”
I actually blush and look down, curling my hair behind my ear.
“That’s where you