“Don’t fuck with me, princess.”
“I tried that, remember? I wasn’t impressed. Now, if you don’t mind?” I attempt to rip my arm out from his hold, but he doesn’t let me.
“Who?”
“Elvor and Judd, if you must know. They’re taking me on a date; they’re courting me. They think I’m special and worth getting to know, not some petulant slut,” I sass back at him. Toth and I have this push-and-pull thing going on between us. It’s amazing how well we can get under each other’s skin. As excited as I am for Elvor and Judd to take me out and explore the connection the three of us have, I can’t deny the lingering interest I have in Toth.
Maybe since I saw him first, I imprinted on him or something? I can’t imagine Hell would have something as fucking stupid as imprinting in play. It’s the only thing that makes sense, though. Or maybe I just want to be powerful enough to make Lucifer’s most devout follower my own.
“When are you going to stop bringing that up? I didn’t know who you were, or I would have never even touched you,” he says, and I roll my eyes.
“Then why are you so worried about what I’m doing, Toth? Is it because I’m your Lord’s bastard daughter, or is there something deeper going on there?” I rip my arm from his grasp and leave him with that final thought as I head to the foyer.
Elvor and Judd both stand there, awkwardly waiting for me. Elvor because he doesn’t seem to know how to act around Judd, and Judd is probably shitting himself over picking up the Devil’s daughter for a date.
“Well, don’t you two look handsome?” I compliment.
“We got you something,” Judd states, and I have to put in actual effort to contain my grin. Gifts aren’t something I’m used to, so I will happily receive any and everything my suitors bring me. Judd takes the box from his pocket and opens it for me.
It’s a gorgeous beaded rosary with a pentacle at the end; it’s all black and goes beautifully with my dress.
“It’s gorgeous, thank you,” I say. Judd unfastens it and places it around my throat. I fiddle with it for a few moments and look back at both of my dates. “So, where are we headed?”
“The carnival,” Judd announces.
“We’re going to Earth?”
“Not quite,” he says. Both he and Elvor hold out a hand to me. We portal away as a trio, and it’s so cute I might throw up.
It barely takes us but a few seconds to get to our destination. I look around at the overcast sky that looms with darkness as the night begins to greet us. There’s a black carousel in front of us, blasting carnival music overlaid with screams. I look around and take note of the people milling about, eating food, and playing devious games. That’s when I realize we never left Hell.
“There’s a carnival in Hell?” I ask dumbly.
“Usually around Earth’s Halloween. Elvor helps organize it,” Judd informs me.
“Elvor, you worked on this?” I ask the large man who hasn’t said anything yet. I wonder if that evening in my bedroom was a fluke, or maybe he only feels comfortable speaking when we’re alone.
“He did. It’s not what you would consider a normal carnival,” Judd says, scratching the back of his neck, and I realize that there are more booths than anything. There are only a few attractions. “The carnival is when Elvor selects the worst of the worst from the pit, and the rest of the demons in Hell get to partake in their torture.”
My mouth falls open, and I rush off, moving down the row of white and red tents to find my first game. It’s not a simple target that the demon is throwing darts at. No, it’s three people’s heads.
“Wow,” I breathe in awe. “Elvor, was this an idea of yours?” I ask, and he shrugs his shoulders. Creative, violent, and sweet. What more could a girl ask for?
“What would you like to do first?” Judd asks.
I hear a loud dinging noise and look to my left, where I find dunk tanks. Oh, they are far beyond any normal dunk tank I’ve ever seen depicted in movies on Earth. I automatically walk over to the game, and Elvor nods to the demon in charge of the game, who then hands me a bucket of balls.
The tank is massive, and the soul from the pit sits on the diving board, trembling. “Please, no! I’ll do anything.”
“What were his crimes?” I ask Elvor.
He leans down, whispering in my ear so only I can hear. “The worst kind you can imagine. He deserves worse,” he murmurs. The fact that he answered my question directly doesn’t go unnoticed. Even if no one else can hear him, I can. His voice soothes something inside of me, but his words have a burning rage rising up to the surface.
I look back up at the man on the diving board, and I trust Elvor’s judgment. So when I throw the first ball and hit my target, I watch with absolute glee as he falls from the perch he’s sitting on and lands in the tank.
The result isn’t instant, but as the man thrashes and attempts to grip onto the edge, to pull himself up and out safely, it finally happens. The piranhas that were in the tank strike. It only takes one nip from one of the large fish, but as soon as it does, there’s a frenzy, and they all begin attacking the man. The tank fills up with blood so quickly that you unfortunately can’t see much of the carnage, but it was enough to be entertaining.
If Elvor designed the games, then my new boyfriend is absolutely a psychopath.I’m so lucky.
