Enlightenment flooded Alec at that moment, the explanation of Terrin's role sliding together like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
"But - you said you were together. Earlier today you said that," Pia said, looking almost as confused as Cora.
"We are. He's my other half."
"We couldn't exist without each other," Terrin explained, obviously taking pity on them. "Think of it as a symbiotic relationship. A platonic one - I'm dating a power, as a matter of fact, and I believe before Sally took over the demon lord Magoth's position, she was seeing one of the cherubs who was responsible for the Internet."
"LOLcats," Sally said, nodding her head. "He's awesome about things like that."
"I'm so lost," Cora said, spinning around to look at him. "Alec? Is she God or not?"
"Not," he said, taking her in his arms and giving her a little kiss just to stop her from pulling out all her hair. "Together, Terrin and Sally are the Sovereign. They aren't a god, but they are good, so you can stop worrying that she's going to harm us."
"But she talked about torturing Ulfur and me," she protested. "Surely go - er . . . the Sovereign wouldn't do that? Surely he or she - "
"We're commonly referred to as it," Sally said with a little smile at Terrin.
" - surely it couldn't be a demon lord, could it?"
"Evidently she can." Alec wrapped both arms around her, providing her with the comfort he knew she needed.
"But wouldn't someone have recognized her? " Pia asked.
"I was wondering the same thing," Kristoff said, nodding as he glanced at Asmodeus. "Why would you not tell the other demon lords who she was?"
"I didn't know. It wasn't until I saw the two of them together that I could see her for what she is."
"Separate, we're nothing, just . . . well, just people," Sally explained. "I made sure that Terrin never came for a visit while I was in my palace here, just in case someone saw us together."
"Until now," Cora pointed out.
"Yes, well." Sally made a vague gesture. "It was inevitable that sooner or later someone would figure it out and take the premier princedom from me. I'm just sorry it was sooner; I was really looking forward to being the head demon lord. I don't suppose - "
"No," Asmodeus snapped. "Make me the premier prince now, and I will allow the others to go unscathed."
Sally sighed. "You just have no idea what you're missing not having me as a boss. Fine, you can have the job. I'll just spend all the energy I would have had to reorganizing Abaddon into thwarting your every move. Happy now?"
Asmodeus just looked at her with an expressionless mask, before turning to face toward Alec and the others. "You have three minutes to leave Abaddon. If you are here beyond that time, I will take you prisoner."
"The agreement between Abaddon and the Moravian Council - " Kristoff started to say, but was interrupted.
"The agreement is null and void as of this moment. You have two minutes and forty seconds remaining."
Before Alec could do so much as protest the cavalier overturning of an agreement that had stood between Abaddon and the Dark Ones for centuries, Asmodeus disappeared in a cloud of oily black smoke.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? There's a whole bunch of people after us, and they're bound to know we're here." I turned the lock on the door, just to make sure no one could get into our room.
"What people?" Alec asked.
"Eleanor, for one. That lichmaster dude for another."
"Bah." He waved them away, moving toward me with a familiar glint to his eye.
"Maybe I should feed you again. You only got enough blood to get your engine running before Pia and Kristoff left to take Ulfur back to Italy with them. I know you're still hungry."
"I'll feed in a bit."
I hesitated, worry riding uppermost in my mind. "Not only are those vamps still out there, and likely to come back and drag you off to the Akasha, but more importantly, you were literally almost ripped in half. Perhaps we need a bit of caution here. The healer did say that your injuries might take a bit longer to fully heal."