“Who’re you?” the king slurred.
Both of us ignored him.
I stood, placed my book down, and walked behind the king. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I massaged them gently as Shemhazai prowled closer.
He scoffed. “Are you reallyhidingbehind that vat of lard? You think he’ll save you?” Shem asked. I noticed he looked tired, and there was an underlying air of sadness that hadn’t been there the last time I saw him.
He needed this, I realized. He needed something to do besides wallow in Hell alone. I knew he must be missing Lilith and Ramel. Everyone knew what Yahweh had done to them, and it was a fate worse than death.
Shemhazai was lonely and in pain. I could feel it. So, I was going to piss him off enough to get his ass back in the game.
Stroking my hand through the vile king’s short, unwashed hair, I smirked at the cat demon.
“Hehasbeen known to behead those who cross him.” I smiled, giving the confused Henry a pinch to his flabby cheek.
He didn’t like that.
His beady eyes darted from Shemhazai, then back over his shoulder to my smiling face, and the idiot finally seemed to register that something was not right.
“Guards!” he called, trying and failing to stand up from his chair. He was wasted and much too overweight to move with any sort of grace.
The guards wouldn’t hear him. The room had been charmed to repress sound since the moment I entered.
I patted his cheek in a condescending manner.
“Poor bastard. No one is coming,” I whispered in his ear, and his face went purple with fury.
“Harlot!Traitor to the crown!” hesquawked, taking an uncoordinated swing at me. “I will execute you for speaking to me with such disrespect!”
I was about to step out of the way when Shemhazai suddenly appeared in front of him.
He had the king’s wrist in a vice grip, his handsome face alight with rage.
“Disgusting mortal,” hespat. “You dare raise your hand against agoddess?” His rage morphed into a sick sort of amusement. “Perhaps I should cut it off?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Please, Hazai. I hardly need you to defend me against this… what did you call him?Vat of lard?”I giggled as I reached into my many layers of skirts, producing Eros’ elixir.
Shem was scowling down at the king, still holding his flabby wrist so hard that the man’s skin was turning black with bruises.
“Ugh. He’s vile. It would honestly be a favor to mankind if I took him back to Hell with me,” he mused, barely paying attention to me at all.
“I’m sure you’ll be together in Hell soon enough,” I quipped, using a small spurt of magic to float the bottle over the two of them.
Hazai finally tore his angry gaze away from the king, looking up at the blue jar with a frown.
“What are you?—”
“I know how badly you need a good fuck, Hazai. Let me help you out with that.” I smirked and tipped the bottle over them, spilling a thin line of syrupy elixir over their heads.
“What the?—”
Shem stumbled back from the king, reaching up to touch the oil that was now dripping from his hair and onto his forehead.
Henry groaned as the elixir seeped into his scalp, and Shem’s pupils blew.
I watched with satisfaction as his cock hardened beneath his pants, and realization dawned on him.
