Mischief glinted in his eyes before he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. “It's still early, my treasure. You might still get your wish.”
Heat bloomed in my stomach and sank south, pooling between my thighs. What didthatmean?
Taking a side step, he gestured to my throne. “Sit,” he instructed with a mischievous smile I didn’t trust for a moment. “I have a present for you.”
“A present?” A tiny gasp escaped me. In the chaos of planning for our Christmas in the Hells, I’d completely forgotten about presents. Or maybe I thought that making it snow, decorating the castle, and the dress for the ball was my present. “Is that why you were gone this morning?”
“Perhaps.” Another devilish grin. “It’s a gift for my queen and also the second thing we need for the necromancy spell.”
So, less of a present, but still a gift.
My stomach fluttered and I moved to step around him, eyes focused on my throne. I approached the edge of the River Styx slowly, my gaze dropping to the lazily flowing crimson currents littered with severed body parts of souls headed for the lower levels of the Underworld.
I crossed the small foot bridge he’d fashioned just for me, to keep me dry from the Styx, as well as any groping lost souls that might try to pull me in.
The moment I took my seat, Belial waved his hand and a package appeared in his outstretched hand, which he offered to me with a gentlemanly bow. It was roughly the size of a shoe box, pristinely wrapped in dust-colored paper and tied with a festive black bow.
Had he gotten me some gothic vertebrae heels? Cozy house shoes?
“Did you wrap this?” I asked, impressed, as I took the box from him.
A dark chuckle escaped him. “Cecil did, but you can pretend it was me if you like.”
With a curious smirk, I tugged at the ribbon and pulled away the paper, tossing it aside to reveal a simple box. It looked even more like a shoe box unwrapped.
Maybe he got me a new pair of combat boots.
Heart pounding and fingers tingling, I slowly pulled off the lid as I held my breath, and carefully examined the contents. My face scrunched as I found myself staring at a collection of something shriveled and flesh-colored. They definitely weren’t shoes.
There were seven of them, and the longer I looked, the more sure I was that I’d been gifted a shoebox full of something that would have me calling the police, if this were something I received back in my native world.
What the fuck?
My eyes flashed to Belial, who seemed to be waiting anxiously for my approval, then dropped back to the box in my lap. I stared, trying to make sense of what he'd given me, and out of morbid curiosity, poked at one of the lumps in the box. It was soft and leathery, but solid in the middle. Almost like a…
“Belial, are these ballsacks?”
My eyes snapped back to his storm gray ones, and the grin I found on his lips was fucking diabolical.
“Flesh of thine enemy, the second item required for the spell. I also thought they might look festive on your undead Yule tree. After the holiday, you may hang them anywhere you please.”
Judging by the number seven, they coincided with the heads adorning my throne. These weren’t just any testicles, these were the balls of my enemies.
My devilish, romantic demon king gifted me ballsacks for Christmas.
I balked, not quite sure what to say. “You know on Earth, we typically get boxes of chocolates or socks for holidays… not scrotums.”
“Good. Another new holiday tradition for us.”
As disgusting as the gift in my hand was, I couldn’t fight the smile working its way across my face. It wasn’t a trite offering like flowers. It was a symbol of my mate’s unwavering devotion to me. His willingness and enthusiasm to cut down anyone who attempted to come between us.
Any enemy of mine marked themselves with a target on their back—or in this case, their scrotums. I held the proof in my hands.
“You said this is the second thing needed for the spell.” My attention bounced back up to Belial. “What’s the last thing we need?”
He took the box from me and set it on the floor beside my throne as he knelt before me. A sinister gleam lit up his eyes.
“I’m about to take it from you.”
