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RAUM WATCHED EMBER boldly strut away from his quarters. He flicked the door shut with his tail when she was out of his sight. He looked around at the destruction he’d caused and huffed out a sigh. His dining table and chairs had been smashed in his rush to stop her from leaving. His leather couch and armchairs were in a similar condition.
Changing back into his human form, he sauntered over to the sideboard where the alcohol was stored. It had somehow managed to avoid being trampled in his pursuit of the demoness. The magic of Nox restored his furniture to its previous condition as he poured himself a snifter of brandy.
He took a seat on an armchair to stare into the crackling fire to brood about what had just happened. Even in summer, the catacombs were cold and dismal. The black rock his sanctum was made of made it very obvious he lived in a cave. No matter how high he rose in the City of Night, he would always be relegated to living in the bowels of Nox. This would still be his home even if he could somehow find a way to prevent the city from being destroyed after the Immortal Triumvirate had been overthrown. He couldn’t exactly trust any of his minions to take charge of the demons so he could live in a mansion above the ground.
Raum shook his head to dispel his pointless fantasies. He blamed it on wearing his human form too often. Pretending to be civilized was making him forget who and what he was. He belonged down here in the dark depths of the earth. Apart from the temperature, hell had been very similar to this. The main difference was that he was the ruler of his kind here. He liked being in charge and he wasn’t about to relinquish his position to anyone.
His thoughts strayed back to Ember. She was the key to him cementing his position as a true ruler of Nox. Once their power was bound, he would become far stronger than he already was. While he doubted he could take Lucifer on, he would be more than powerful enough to rule this city.
“If only it were that simple,” he murmured, keeping his voice down so his guards couldn’t hear him.
The hellion both intrigued and frustrated him. He didn’t care that she was possibly the most wretchedly ugly hell spawn in the Demon District. Their kind didn’t treasure beauty like other species did. All they cared about was dominating others and exerting their will to get what they wanted.
Beleth had been a prime example of the true nature of demonkind. He’d caged Ember and had tortured her for three decades. She was permanently scarred and irreparably damaged from his ministrations, yet her will was still strong. Beleth hadn’t broken her and she’d bravely stalked Raum with the intention of killing him when she’d gained her freedom.
“She almost succeeded,” he reminded himself ruefully and placed his hand on his chest where her talons had punched through his heart. The naughty little minx had believed she’d bested him, but he was harder to kill than she’d realized. Instead of being grateful that he’d ordered his lackeys not to harm her, she’d been furious. Ember didn’t want his protection, but that was too damn bad. She was his, or she soon would be. No other creature would ever lay their hands on her again.
He sipped his brandy while musing about exactly how he was going to convince Ember to join his cause. He’d vowed he would never hurt her again and he’d meant it. When he’d had her pinned beneath him, he hadn’t felt the usual surge of triumph. He’d felt something very different. It was something he’d never felt while he’d been in his demon form before. Usually, coupling between demons was fast, violent and ended with one or both of them getting hurt.
His instincts to render the demoness helpless and take what he wanted from her hadn’t risen. Instead, he’d tried to seduce her as if they were both human. Raum had sensed Ember’s initial fear and resignation of her fate. Then he’d sensed her confusion when he hadn’t satiated his desires on her. He’d been firm, but gentle and she’d responded to him despite herself.
A smug grin appeared on Raum’s face and he knew he could win the hellion over eventually. He could be very persuasive when he needed to be. His grin soured when he remembered Halloween was only four months away now. The worst part was that Ember now knew he needed her and how important she was to his cause. The minx was aware that she held all the power. Bonding with him had to be her decision, so he was going to have to continue his gambit to seduce her.
“I believe I’m up to the challenge,” he said as he levered himself to his feet. Sitting around and brooding wasn’t going to get him anywhere. The night was still young and he had errands to run. He didn’t have any meetings scheduled, so he had some free time on his hands. He made his way to an exit that deposited him near some boutiques in the City Square. It was time to fill the empty side of his closet, which meant he was going to be spending the next few hours shopping.
When Raum stepped through the door of a boutique, the fairy behind the counter went pale. She clutched the countertop before she could swoon. “How may I help you, Guild Master?” she asked in a frightened voice. She was strong enough to still have wings, but they were dull rather than sparkling with fairy dust. Her dress was pale green to match her hair. Her gown was covered in tiny gold stars that she must have painstakingly stitched onto the fabric. Magic was too precious to be squandered on creating clothing.
The demon turned to take in the beautiful gowns that were on display. They were exactly what he’d pictured Ember wearing and he smiled charmingly. “I require an extensive wardrobe for a lady friend,” he told her.
Gathering her courage, the fairy nodded cautiously. “I’m sure I have what you need, my lord.” She reached beneath the counter for a notepad and pencil. “Do you have this lady’s measurements?”
Raum looked at her blankly for a second. “She stands about this tall,” he said, holding his hand up a couple of inches beneath his chin. “She has full breasts, a tiny waist and curvy hips.”
He smiled a little as he pictured Ember, but the fae woman rolled her eyes. “That’s a good start, but I’m going to need more precise information than that, my lord,” she said. “May I draw the image of her from your mind?”
Raum narrowed his eyes mistrustfully as the tiny fae creature rounded the counter and drew a wand out of her pocket. “If you must,” he said reluctantly.
“Picture your lady friend and I’ll extract the image,” she said.
Drawing on the memory of the first time he’d seen Ember in her human form, the demon lord did as he’d been instructed. The fairy touched her wand to his temple and he felt a tiny spell go into action. She drew the thought from his mind and a life-size image of Ember appeared between them. He took a step back to admire her in all of her naked glory. “Will that suffice?” he asked.
The fairy nodded and put her wand back in her pocket. “It’s perfect, my lord,” she replied and began to sketch her absent client. Within minutes, she’d measured the image’s size and had drawn a perfect replica of her. “That should do it,” she said and dispelled the image with a wave of her hand. “What sort of clothing does your lady friend require?” she asked.
“Gowns, of course,” Raum replied, gesturing at the beautiful dresses that were on display. “She will also require lingerie and other types of clothing one wears for less formal occasions,” he added vaguely.
The fairy nodded, showing a hint of pity at his utter cluelessness. “Leave it to me, Guild Master,” she said. “I’ll arrange for the other clothing to be made by my colleagues. We should have an entire wardrobe ready for you in a couple of weeks.”
“Will it take that long?” he asked in disappointment.
“If we could use magic, we could have it done tonight,” she said apologetically. “We have to sew by hand now, so we’ve employed skilled witches to do most of the work.”
“I see,” the demon lord said. “I will compensate you and your workers for your efforts when you are done.” She nodded absently, flicking over to a new page to begin taking notes. They would most likely request high quality food and other items to be sent to the boutiques, then hand them out to their workers. The barter system was one of the few things that still ran well in Nox.
His shopping expedition hadn’t taken anywhere near as long as he’d thought it would, so Raum headed to the Demon Guildhall. He passed Azazel’s door on the way to his office on the top floor. Even from a distance, he felt the increased strength that emanated from his second in charge. His good mood evaporated at the reminder that betrayal was both imminent and inevitable.
