“Hmm, wonder if we should cut these out before we throw you in the cooking cauldron,” he mused, plucking at one of my nipple piercings. “I’ll leave them for now. It will be something for Mammon to pick his teeth with later.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rayven
As fast as Icould blink, the three-headed demon’s image melted away, replaced by Belphegor’s preferred feminine form. He stepped out of the bath, water dripping from his shapely form and little black dress—if it could even be called that with how little fabric there was. It was soaked through and clinging to his skin.
Leaning toward a small oval mirror mounted to the stone wall, he wiped the film of steam from the glass to admire himself. “I look so damn good, Mammon is going to want to eat us both.”
He turned back toward the bath, mischievous fire burning behind his black eyes as his claw-tipped fingers unlocked the manacles clamped around my wrists.
Before I could react, he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of the tub.
I slipped and stumbled, his nails digging unforgivably into my skin as he dragged me across the bathroom. Blood beaded at the puncture wounds, which only made him smirk.
“There,” he said, looking back so his glowering eyes could roam over me. “I have a feeling you’re going to taste fucking delicious, little rat.”
I was thankful he no longer resembled Asmodeus, but that didn't alleviate the pit of dread in my stomach. Now that I’d gotten a glimpse of the beast lurking beneath his exterior, I didn’t know if his feminine mask was much better.
I stared at him, trying to bury the images of Asmodeus bathing me, his rough hands violating my skin as they roamed, but they were branded on the backs of my eyelids. He’d scrubbed me thoroughly, but now, I felt dirtier than before he’d bathed me.
Belphegor was a horror.
While the other brothers were obviously awful and relied on simpler methods of torture, the Lord of Gluttony could sink down into my deepest fears and make them appear. He could twist reality, and even though I knew it wasn’t real, my racing heart and the icy dread spreading through my chestwere.
Belphegor excelled at creating bone-chilling terror with his shapeshifting powers, and I was afraid he’d have more tricks up his sleeve before he was done with me. Whatever they were, they were sure to be horrid.
I’d been so certain the Lord of Gluttony couldn’t be worse than the other demons I’d dealt with so far, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Was being driven insane by psychological torture—along with whatever other kinds Belphegor could think of—really better than being eaten? Probably, but the thought didn’t comfort me the way it had an hour ago.
“Come on, rat.” He jerked on my arm, dragging me back through the bedchamber and into the corridor. I was still wet, leaving a trail of seasoned bathwater in my wake; I was marinated and ready to be boiled.
My throat tightened as we headed for the dining hall, the prospect of my violent death causing my pulse to race. My panicked breaths came faster, my mind whirling, trying to come up with a plan.
There was no plan.
Even if I gave Belphegor the slip, what the hell was I supposed to do? I was trapped in a fortress. There was no way in, no way out. If I got away, I was only prolonging the inevitable.
“Whatever you were planning to do with me before, it has to be better than eating me. You said so yourself—once the meal is done, I’m gone. There’s nothing left to torture once my soul lies with the Lord of Bones.” My voice was a little shaky, but I tried not to sound afraid.
Belphegor’s eyes slid over to me, and he licked his grinning lips. “Your screams earlier said otherwise. Although, I must say, your fear isdelicious. Tastier than your mortal flesh could ever be.”
My stomach twisted into painful knots. Thoughts of Asmodeus touching me, rubbing his filthy fucking hands all over me, had me tasting bile, but I had to do this. At the very least, I had to buy time for Belial.
“If only Mammon saw things your way for once,” I said. Belphegor’s jaw twitched at my words, but he said nothing. “Fear is infinite. You could torture me forever and never get tired, but if Mammon eats me…” I swallowed hard, shoving my fear aside. “The fun stops now.”
“You’re not wrong,” he said, an amused look twisting his features. “And you’ve only gotten a taste of what I can do.”
“But Mammon knows best, I guess.” I shrugged, my eyes casually searching the hall for any sign of the Lord of Greed or the other demon lords. They must have been outside, tending to the cauldron, making sure everything was in perfect order. “It’s probably best if you obey him. I wouldn’t want to be on his shit list, that’s for sure.”
Belphegor whipped around abruptly, nails digging into my arm hard enough to make me wince. Pure, unbridled rage burned behind his dark eyes.
“I do notobeyMammon,” he growled, stooping to leer in my face. “I do what I want, not what some demon oaf demands.”
“Right…” I drew out the word as I rolled my eyes, ignoring the pain shooting down my arm from his tightening grip. “Obviously. I mean, he told you to bathe me and you did, told you he was going to eat me and you went along with it. Sounds to me like he has you on a short leash.”
If looks could kill, I would have been dead on the spot. I’d struck a nerve.
Belphegor’s lip twitched as he stared me down, looking internally conflicted. I held my breath, hoping he’d take the bait and decide to keep me for himself. All he had to do was defy Mammon and sneak me out however he got here.
