As we stood there, locked in each other's embrace, a haunting whisper came from somewhere nearby, followed by another and another.
The ghostly voices rose, louder and louder until they became almost a song, an eerie melody…
They were singingCarol of the Bells, my favorite Christmas song.
I blinked in awe, swiveling my head back and forth, in search of the choir that emerged seemingly from nowhere.
My eyes landed on the Christmas tree, and realization sank in; the voices were coming from the tree.
No, from theornaments.
They were swaying almost imperceptibly, moving to the sound of the tune sweeping through the throne room. Serenading us with their dark, eerie carol of the Hells.
I wasn’t sure how Belial knew it was my favorite. I didn’t ask. He’d performed several other Yuletide miracles for me, so why not one more?
“Merry Christmas, Belial,” I said, beaming up at him with so much love I could barely contain it.
He positioned himself so that he was standing behind me, with both of us facing the tree while the lost souls in the ornaments sang their haunting carols. His arms wrapped around me, his hands coming to rest on my tummy.
“Merry Christmas, my treasure,” he whispered in my ear, his tone raspy and full of adoration. “Let’s do this every year.”
“Celebrate Christmas?”
“Certainly. But that’s not what I was talking about.”
I twisted around, blinking at him. “Then what do you want to do every year?”
“Get you pregnant. Now that I know I can breed you…” The demon king’s feral grin had a fresh wave of heat stirring between my thighs. “I’m going to do it again.”
The End
Epilogue
Rayven
With my undeadtree perfectly trimmed and every decoration in place, it was finally—finally—time for the ball. I couldn’t be more excited.
Christmas in the Hells was more perfect than I could have ever imagined.
A live band of skeletons dressed in waistcoats and nothing else dragged their instruments into the large hall and set up in the corner farthest from the bone thrones. They struck up a dark tune that filled the space, accompanied by the haunted ornaments singing from the undead tree.
The tree itself was the center of attention, glittering as the light caught on the bobbles and teeth draped over the branches. Even the ballsacks looked undeniably festive.
When everything was ready, the doors opened to welcome a spill of spirits, demons and ghouls inside. They were dressed in elegant clothes—though, some of them moth-eaten—from gowns to three-piece suits.
The large room was filled with music and dancing, happy chatter and brilliant lights fitting of Hell’s first Yule ball. Suits of armor, also festively decorated, clanked as they took up their positions around the edge of the room—added security after the last celebration had gone awry.
As I watched the party commence from my throne, my chest warmed with pride. It was everything I’d dreamed.
I dragged my eyes over to the Lord of Bones sitting on his throne beside me, waiting for everyone to pay their respects. He’d shift into his lesser form before we danced; I knew him well enough to know that. But he would never miss an opportunity to assert his power, his authority as the Lord of Death in his full regalia of bones and brawn.
Skeletons and bodies in various stages of decomposition added gifts to the growing pile at the base of the tree before approaching their king and queen to show their respect. Then, they moved on as the haunting music picked up its pace.
When movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention, I looked up to see Belial standing there in his lesser form with his hand outstretched. His bare face looked so handsome in the blue flamelight from the candles decorating the Yule tree.
“Would you like to dance, my queen?” His deep timbre had a shiver rattling down my spine, and I took his hand eagerly.
As we crossed the River Styx together, there was a beat of hushed acknowledgement as eyes whipped in our direction. I should have been used to it by now. Still, the attention had heat creeping into my cheeks. Belial was entirely unbothered, watching me carefully with his silvery eyes.
