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Chapter Ten
On Show
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Austin’s mother met him at the top of the stairs in a gown that looked like something from a children’s fairytale. Form fitting and cascading with thousands of little gemstones, the woman was like a black swam made into crystal.
‘You look lovely ma,’ Austin sighed.
She beamed at him. ‘Ta darling. You really should wear your suit more often, you would get so much more attention from the ladies,’ she fussed. Austin struggled not to roll his eyes. He held his arm out for her as he had always been taught and began to escort her down the stairs. He had a very distant memory of his handsome and imposing father leading his wife down the same stairs.
No one truly knew why Rimmon Arvaris had disappeared, leaving behind his fortune, beautiful wife and only blood born pup. It seemed ridiculous that he would have been killed. By the time Austin was born, Rimmon was one of the oldest and most prolific Contract demons alive on the earth plane. Even the Overlords were very careful how they moved about the Arvaris Patriarch. Then, one day, Rimmon dressed himself, walked out the main doors and never came back.
He was gone so often that no one noticed at first. It took maybe a week or two for the silence to settle in, for his mother to look towards those enormous windows with something like worry in her eyes. Every time Austin looked back on those days, he tried to think if there was any little detail he missed, any odd mannerism or mention of a forbidden name, but he spent so little time with his father that nothing came to mind.
As a young teenager, Austin had been completely torn between excitement and devastation. Excitement, because for the first time in his short life, he dared to dream that he could have a normallife without the dominating force that was his father. Devastation, because he knew his mother was torn inside and he didn’t have the kind of bond with her that could heal. She definitely became colder after those first few months. She’d never exactly been ‘cuddly’ but more than ever, she became obsessed with settling her son with another demon family.
Years crawled by and rumors spread like wildfire. If the demon community knew something, they weren’t telling. Rimmon Arvaris was apparently, gone in a whisp of smoke and yet no one truly thought he was dead. But if he wasn’t dead, where was he? It was unheard of for a demon that powerful to leave his kingdom. If not for Elizabeth’s strength of character and firm partnerships with other families, the Arvaris kingdom might have crumbled to dust already.
Maybe he’d been captured somewhere? Held in servitude like a common coal demon in a binding circle. Honestly though, no one believed that much. Austin couldn’t really say he was saddened by the man’s leaving, only that he felt self-pity now for the situation he found himself in. Austin was once again in the demon world playing dress up for people who would eat him alive… in the literal sense.
The manor’s ancient warding had been changed just for tonight to make it possible for demons to enter a few of the vast rooms. Their invitation card would allow them to step inside until the event ended. The feeling of unknown demons inside their house was both disorientating and incredibly uncomfortable. Now that he had taken a contract, Austin felt it more acutely than ever before.
They descended each stair gracefully, Austin moving with the gliding step he’d been taught when he was five years old. Below were the sounds of an orchestral, dazzling lights, conversation and the clinking of crystal flutes and tumblers. Eyes looked up at them from a sea of powerful auras and swaying colours. It was as hypnotizing as it was terrifying.
Breathe. Show no fear. Head up. Breathe.
Almost as soon as they found the floor, they were surrounded. Austin was actually a little reluctant to let go of his mother’s arm, but Elizabeth was already sweeping away.
‘Darling, you look glorious!’ squealed an oily man in a three-piece silver suit. He was a Fortune Demon. Very powerful in their own rights, they were bred in the fifth ring and came to earth to bring luck or rather borrow luck for humans. Fortune Demons worked much like a monkey’s paw. They gave, but they also twisted everything they promised.
Elizabeth raised an elegant hand and the man quickly bent to kiss it, showing two stubby little horns growing out of his mop of dark hair. Austin could already feel his skin crawling. Out of instinct, he looked over his shoulder for Exton. The hellhound was standing at a respectful distance. He met his master’s eyes and gave him a small, encouraging smile.
‘And here they are. The beautiful wife and the only Arvaris pup.’ Austin fought down a growl as Nathair stepped towards them. The Fortune Demon quickly scuttled out of his way. Nathair’s aura was a painfully bright cloud. It surrounded him in a wide circle as lesser demons shrank away like so many rats before a fire. If a gold glitter bomb could be incorporeal, it would be this arrogant twat’s aura.
‘Overlord Nathair! We are of course honored that you would join us for our little gala,’ Elizabeth said sweetly.
He raised her hand and gave it a kiss. ’But of course. I do love a good party and your son did such a good job to invite me,’ he purred. Creep. Those slitted eyes fell on Austin, and he froze. ‘And there he is.’
Elizabeth sent her son a commanding look. One that very clearly said behave. Austin forced himself to smile blandly. ‘Overlord, I’m glad you could accept our invitation.’ His tone could have been a little less flat but really, he was trying his hardest. Ish.
To his overwhelming embarrassment, the snake-eyed demon swept forward and scooped up his own hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. Austin went completely still, feeling the dangerous touch of a very sharp fang.
‘You must show me around. It’s been centuries since I’ve set foot in this abode of Rimmon’s,’ the overlord sighed. Austin looked once at his mother, saw her eyes flash, and knew he didn’t have a choice.
‘Of course,’ he said. Nathair wound a possessive arm through Austin’s and steered him away from his beaming mother. Austin snagged a flute of champagne and drank it down in several painful bubbling gulps. If he was going to get through tonight, he was not doing it sober. He heard Nathair snicker.
‘Thirsty?’ he asked innocently.
Austin glared at him. ‘Very,’ he deadpanned. He regretted it the second that long smirk stretched across the overlord’s face.
‘Oh darling, I have something for you to drink if you’re parched,’ the man purred.
‘Can you not be gross for any longer than five minutes? Asking for a friend,’ Austin said flatly. A demoness standing close by choked into her drink.
The overlord’s eyes seemed to sparkle under the gorgeous light of the tinkling chandeliers. ‘Oh, you are just so sassy! You’re very lucky I find that attractive. Contractor Demon or not, I usually don’t take lip without the price tag of their tongue in exchange.’
Austin swapped his empty glass for a full one. It really did annoy and worry him just how right Nathair was. The overlord could probably kill just about everyone here and Austin couldn’t do anything to stop him. He was still powerless here. He was barely one step up from a human and most demons considered humans less than pets. The only thing that set him apart was his potential to be more, to be useful to the demon that owned him. Feeling sickened, he drank his second champagne as fast as his first. Distantly, he realized this probably wasn’t a great idea. He hadn’t eaten all day and his head was beginning to spin gently. As he blinked, Nathair swapped his empty flute glass for a full one.
‘Trying to get me drunk?’ Austin asked.
‘You seem to be doing a fantastic job of that yourself,’ the overlord said cheerfully. ‘So, I’m curious. Why did you ask me here?’
Austin hesitated. He had a strong feeling that admitting that he was hoping to use the man as a pawn in his own personal vendetta was a bad idea. But then again, maybe mentioning the hunter demon was a good idea. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. That was… odd.
He tried again, tried to talk about the new demon that threatened so much of his life. The words just… wouldn’t come. There seemed to be a string cut between his brain and mouth. Was this some kind of binding? He sipped his glass thoughtlessly. The alcohol was making him slow and stupid. He should stop drinking or at least put something in his belly.
‘Cat got your tongue, darling?’ Nathair cooed. He spun Austin around, swaying him in time with the melodic orchestra still playing dutifully in the background. People hurried out of the way.
‘Really darling, you sought me out. I could use a Contractor Demon, I really could. Doll you up, take you out, you would be the prettiest little bird on show. You would never have to worry about your mother or your little shop again. All it would cost is your contracts and that lovely little body of yours. I promise you, I’m very good at what I do.’
Austin shook his head, trying to clear the fog. ‘I’m not for sale,’ he said thickly.
‘Mmm, shame. I wonder if your mother feels the same way…’ Nathair turned his head, looking around for the black curls of Elizabeth.
Panic seized Austin and he quickly grabbed the man’s arm. Nathair looked back at him, snake eyes deadly focused.
‘My dad!’ Austin blurted.
‘Excuse me?’ Nathair asked with an amused smile
‘You said it had been decades since you’d been here. I don’t really know many demons who actually knew my dad. I wanted to ask…’ Austin bit his lips, hoping he gave off the impression of coyness. ‘I wanted to know more about him, and I thought you could tell me.’
Nathair’s smile widened, showing way too much of his long inhuman fangs. ‘Oh, so you wanted to know about daddy? Now, I could definitely tell you some stories.’ Before the man could continue, a woman with waist long pale lilac hair swayed towards them.
‘Nathair!’ she called, her voice slightly accented with something that might have been Danish. As Nathair was momentarily distracted, Austin took a moment to put himself back together. His heart was rabbiting way too fast inside his chest. Exton appeared by his side with a plate of canapés.
‘Eat something,’ the hellhound hissed, his wide eyes giving away his concern.
‘Thanks,’ Austin rasped, accepting the plate. The food looked delicious. He noticed with some weak amusement that the hellhound had put as many bulky, carb heavy things as he could on the little plate to try and absorb the alcohol. Come to think of it… when had Austin polished off a third glass? He picked up the first, smoked salmon onion & capers on crostini, and popped it into his mouth. There was slow cooked lamb, spinach and rice croquettes next. He was so concentrated on eating that he almost didn’t hear the woman say;
‘I almost never come up to the human plane anymore. Contemporary human wars are so boring and overly political.’
‘Ah, Maja, I couldn’t agree more. The trick is to entertain yourself with something more… visceral.’ Austin suddenly wasn’t so sure he wanted to be sober. This gala was a nightmare made real. He had no idea who this new demoness was but by her glutinous purple aura and the fact that she had addressed Nathair by name and not title, she had to be another decently heavy hitter.
Austin supposed that was one tiny achievement of the night. For all his bluster and threat, Jedrzej had not made an appearance. Or at least, Austin didn’t think he had. He hadn’t exactly been paying much attention to the rest of the crowd. He tried to look around. There were so many people in different fabrics and colours, swaying to the music and talking in loud voices. Jed might have been there, and Austin wouldn’t know. That thought sent a cold chill down his spine.
‘So where is Rimmon Arvaris these days?’ the demoness asked. Her eyes fell on Austin. She had no less than threepupils in each eye. ‘He left such a lovely pup behind,’ she added. Austin nearly choked on his canapé.
‘Ah, we were just discussing that. Rimmon always was such an arrogant fuck. Really, I’m surprised no one decided to teach him a lesson.’
The demoness tittered. ’I would say his woman has already done that. For a human to take his fortune and not only double it, but guard it against his own kind is hilarious. Perhaps he’s too ashamed to show his face again.’
Austin bristled. He didn’t like the way they were talking about his mother as though she were some dumb animal that had done an outstanding trick.
‘Well, perhaps she’ll remarry. His blood bond can’t be that strong anymore. Though, she’s only got a few years left of her good looks,’ Nathair sighed.
‘Can you not talk about my mother as though I’m not standing right here?’ Austin barked.
They looked at him. The demoness giggled again. ’Oh dear, you’ve upset him.
‘That’s not hard. The pup seems to be quite fragile.’ Austin was done with this conversation. Their “tour” had been a grand total of walking from the stairs to the other side of the massive ballroom. That was enough. As he stuffed another canapé into his mouth, a part of him was still deeply curious what Nathair could actually tell him about his father. He didn’t doubt that the Overlord had some dealings with his father. Hells, the man probably knew more about Rimmon than Austin and his mother did.
But it just wasn’t worth it.
Despite Exton’s warning look, Austin grabbed another drink and left Nathair to his new friend. They were still laughing as he walked away. ‘Oh, you’ve chased him away!’ ‘Don’t worry, I can have him whenever.’
Seriously. Fuck his life.
Austin headed to one of the balconies for some fresh air. The night air was a relief on his warm face. As he breathed in, he tasted something like expensive tobacco and rich caramel. That was odd. Something told him he recognised that smell…
‘Oh, bravo, pet. You’ve outdone yourself with this one.’
Austin bit his tongue so hard he tasted fucking blood. He didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Jedrzej was painfully well dressed. His clothes were a mix of honey and cream, caramel hair artfully arranged. Leather designer shoes, gold cuff links and a tattoo showing on the muscular arms where the sleeves had been pushed up.
‘Not coming inside? Don’t have an invitation card?’
‘I really wouldn’t push me right now, pet,’ Jed growled. A hand reached for Austin’s shoulder. He wanted to pull away, but his body wouldn’t move. The demon shifted behind him in a mockery of an embrace. There was too much at stake here, too many eyes. He stayed rooted to the spot as the man’s hand settled more tightly over his shoulder.
‘What’s the matter? Don’t like sharing the limelight?’ Austin said. He tensed as those long fingers coiled gently around his throat and tipped his head back against the man’s shoulder. He fought down a shiver as he heard the hunter inhale, sniffing at his hair and neck like a leopard scenting the blood from a fresh kill.
‘I don’t appreciate others touching my things, no. I really should make an example of you.’ He sounded annoyed.
‘By all means. Overlord Nathair likes competition,’ Austin bluffed.
‘You think you’ve won this little game tonight.’
‘I don’t think I’ve lost…’ He felt the man let out a low purring laugh.
‘Come here hellhound.’ At first, Austin was confused. There was movement to his left and suddenly Exton was walking towards them. The dead, unfamiliar look to the man’s eyes scared Austin more than anything that had happened during the night.
‘Exton?’ The man didn’t look at him.
Jed smiled. ‘Did your pet not tell you about the powers of my clan? My people have helped grow many lesser species in the rings. Beasts made to bring down our quarry. Your hound knows his place.’ Austin watched in horror as Jed drew a blade and handed it to Exton. Exton took it, his face still creepily blank
‘Put the blade to your neck.’
‘Exton, snap out of it,’ Austin yelped. The hellhound wouldn’t or couldn’t. He brought the blade up to his neck, the metal catching the light of the ballroom.
‘Stop it! Let him go,’ Austin begged.
The man sighed and snapped his fingers. Exton went limp, the knife falling away from his throat.
‘You’re like a little baby eagle. Maybe one day you could be something grand but right now, you’re a fragile, ugly little eaglet,’ Jed tutted.
‘What do you want?’ Austin hissed, his eyes still fixed on Exton. The hellhound looked dazed and confused. He shook his head, as though trying to clear it.
‘You’re a Contractor Demon, pet. What do you think I want?’ Jed said flatly.
‘I can’t break my contracts with other demons, even if I wanted to,’ Austin snapped.
‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime,…’ Jed sniffed at Austin’s throat. ‘You can start your work for me on Monday.’
‘I don’t-’
‘I’m not asking,’ the demon snarled.
‘You’re mine. It’s time you earned your keep, little bird.’
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END
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