He chuckled softly, his gaze tracing over my form again in quiet consideration.
“Of that, I have no doubt, Hecate, Mother of Witches.”
My smile widened, and I realized Ilikedthis demon. Enjoying the company of a demon wasn’t something I had ever thought I would admit, but the universe was a mysterious thing.
“Still. Be careful of him. He is the god of war. He may not be the brightest, but do not underestimate him. If he comes for you, he will not rest until he has you beneath him.”
I scoffed. “I will never lay beneath a man, Shemhazai.”
“Call me Shem. Or Hazai.Shemhazaiis such a mouthful.” He smirked, and I gave him a quizzical look.
“You do not like your name?”
He shrugged. “I did… once.”
“Hazai, then,” I agreed easily, which caused the slight tension I hadn’t noticed in his shoulders to ease.
“Regardless, Hec,” he said, shortening my name in return, “whether you agree to lay beneath Ares or not is irrelevant. He considers rejection to be a form of foreplay.”
I glanced at him, letting him see the fire in my eyes.
“I ride the men; they do not ride me.”
His eyes twinkled in amusement, and he chuckled.
“Well. If you ever want to take someone for a ride,” he winked, “I’m more than willing to volunteer.”
For some reason, his advances didn’t annoy me the way Ares’ had. Shemhazai was looking at me like we could have fun together, not like he wanted to own me. It felt like the beginnings of what might be a friendship, more than a conquest, and my heart warmed.
“You’ll have to catch me first.” I smirked, and his grin widened.
“Mm. My favorite game.” He winked, and I laughed just as the crowd around us went wild. Only one Christian remained in the arena, and Emperor Diocletian stood up, urging the crowd to cheer for the man’s life.
“This is my favorite part,” Shem said, sitting up eagerly. “The human’s vote if the winner lives or dies.” His eyes flashed with glee. “If the winner is a Christian, Diocletian almost never lets them live, no matter what the crowd says.” He was nearly vibrating with excitement.
I turned to watch, and sure enough, despite the fact that the crowd was cheering for the winner’s mercy, Diocletian held up a fist with his thumb jutting out to the side. The man who stood battle-torn and ragged in the corpse-ridden arena was shot through the heart with an arrow.
He fell dead, and Shemhazai’s eyes lit on fire with clear joy at the man’s justiceless demise.
“See you in Hell,” he purred, and it was at that moment that I realized who Shemhazai was. He was the demon of chaos that ruled the underworld with Lilith, the goddess of death, and her reaper, Ramel.
Rome 290 AD
Iwas one of the last to leave the Colosseum. When the crowds dispersed, I wandered through the arena, allowing my magic to soothe the aching wound that so much hatred and violence had stained upon the earth.
A sadness welled in my chest at all the lives that had been sacrificed for the frivolous whims of men and, apparently, a chaos demon.
The rain continued to fall, and the sky above churned with dark, angry clouds, but I welcomed the tears of the universe. They washed away the blood and the pain that radiated out of the sand beneath my feet. I mourned the forgotten souls, knowing that no one else would.
After this small ritual, I turned to leave, making my way toward thePorta Libitinensisin lieu of thePorta Triumphalis, as there had been no triumph here today.
“I told you I would find you.”
Ares’ voice rolled through the wet air behind me, stopping me in my tracks. His deep voice competed with the rumble of thunder overhead,and I turned to face him, ignoring the cold chill that rippled through my body at his dominating presence.
“And I told you I was uninterested in being pursued,” I replied, my tone bored.
When we had met in the imperial box, Ares had been posing as a human man. Now that we were alone, he let his true colors show.
