Slay My Soul

We are sitting around the breakfast bar drinking coffee, shooting jealous gazes over at Carino and Eve, who are passed out cold. They finished fucking each other's brains out somewhere around four in the morning. That's seven hours of solid fucking. Not including the time he had her before she called his hidden vampire forward. That's impressive. That's also seven hours I wasn't fucking her.

"Is it like that every time?" Max asks. Looking both in awe and equally intimidated. Yeah, none of us realized quite what sex with a vampire was like. We are all feeling a little lacking.

"Not like that, no, that's a blood lust claiming," Luka explains with a chuckle. "It happens when two vampires mate for the first time. Can we fuck like that every time? Yes. As long as we are willing and keep the feeding going, we could fuck for eternity."

"Is it always so messy, I mean bloody?" Darius asks, intrigued.

"Ah, no, usually we are tidy eaters. Carino clearly has a blood kink and I'm picking Eve does too." Luka says, looking a little awkward. "I do too on occasion, but I didn't think that would be her thing, so I never suggested it."

"There's a lot of things I didn't think were her thing, but things have changed since we lost Reece." Darius murmurs.

"Yes, Eve was always worried about her inner darkness taking over and consuming her. We have talked about it often. It seems to have gained a step or two. Not necessarily a bad thing though. She will be more ruthless and won't hesitate to do what needs to be done." Luka advises.

"What about the Magda thing? You guys have to admit that was a bit much." Ly says. "Should we be worried?"

A few of us readjust ourselves as the memory of Eve dripping blood everywhere enters our minds. Ly narrows his eyes, glancing around us. "Really!" He throws his hands up. "You're a bunch of psychotic, kinky fucks!"

"There's darkness in all of us," Sirus says, covering his daughter's blood-smeared body with a blanket. "Some have more than others and some just hide it better." When the fuck had he come in?

"You need a cowbell attached. It's creepy as fuck how you sneak everywhere." Darius grumbles. Sirus snorts a laugh.

"Marcus told me that once." he laughs.

"Speaking of which, is he still with us?" Acassus asks.

"No, Eve took my toy away," Sirus scowls. "The little bitch cried and thanked Eve when she told him she was ending him." He flicks his attention to Mikyda. "I see your idea bore fruit, one down two to go." I had to take my hat off to Sirus. He hates the idea of his daughter fucking us all, but he understands the urgency of bringing her full power into play.

"What do you mean? What idea of Mikyda's?" Max asks confused.

"We have kept her sexually frustrated for days, hoping she would crack and bond with one of you. Why do you think we kept sending you to check that Eve was okay?" Mikyda asks.

"I thought it was because you were worried about her being overworked and not resting enough." he huffs angrily.

"We were already keeping tabs on that. At least it has finally worked for Carino. I'm confident we can get Eve to crack with you too." Mikyda grins. Max looks at him in disgust.

"No," he says flatly. "Eve and I will happen our own way, in our own time - not because she's frustrated, thanks to you. What the hell were you guys thinking!"

"We were thinking the war is banging on our doorstep and our girl still has three mates to claim, to survive it. We will not risk losing any more of our chain and losing Eve is definitely not an option," I growl. "If she's not fully bonded we are all dead and the world as we know it will be gone. I don't like forcing the bonds and neither do these guys, but I will not risk losing Eve." I see Sirus catch my eye, making weird jerks with his head, and ignore him. "She needs to be at full strength and if helpful nudges make that happen, then that's what we will do."

"Fuck the Fates," she says quietly behind me. Her clawed hand settles around my neck and squeezes in a warning. I swallow hard. Oh shit! Sirus sighs and looks at me in disappointment. Oh, that's what the head jerks meant.

"I'll make my own fate, my way, my terms, and when I'm good and ready. Am I understood?" I nod cautiously. This new Eve that's been stepping forward from Reece's ashes, is unpredictable. I love it, but not so much when I'm on the receiving end.

"Sorry Eve, it was my idea," Mikyda says, surprising me by putting his neck on the line. "We were just trying to help."

"We don't know when the end game starts and don't want to get caught with our pants down," Acassus says with his usual no-filter delivery. I would face-palm at his lack of finesse if I wasn't worried about the movement getting my throat slit by Eve's sharp claws.

"You can't force love!" She snaps at him and his eyes look like a wounded puppy's. Mikyda looks just as remorseful. "Would you all prefer that I flop over the counter here and one of you can force Max to fuck and bond with me?" There is a mass of shaking heads indicating no. We would never force sex on anyone.

"Yes," Sirus says boldly. Even I snarl at him. What the fuck! "For God's sake Eve, your bond with Max is active. Your wolf is chomping at the bit for his dick and yet you both hold yourselves back like prudes. Most wolves are mated within twenty-four hours of meeting - And then, there is you. Fighting every step of the way. The fate of the races depends on you completing the chain, yet you drag your heels. What are you going to say to our people if our enemies invade and you fail? Oops sorry, I didn't take a dick! I'm sure they would completely understand, as they are being massacred," He says dryly and blurs out of the house.

Eve makes a strange whimpering noise and releases my neck, her claws gone. Damn it! I'll take her angry, over sad any day. She breaks my heart when she's hurting. I turn and pull her forward, wrapping my arms around her.

"Ignore him, Angel, he's being a tool," I tell her.

"No, he's right. I have dragged my feet and I have everything to lose," She says, defeated. "We all have everything to lose. You guys were right to push me. You may have nudged me but it was still my choice. I chose to do it. Sorry and thank you. I don't mean to be difficult," she sniffles. She wipes her eyes as Mikyda hands her coffee and she snuggles into my lap. "We need to figure out how to get to the demon mate. Nothing more can be done until we know how we can do that. It's all for nothing without him."

"We better wake Carino then," I say. "He knows the most about them." Luka nods and prods a very tired and grumpy Carino, informing him we need his expertise. Carino staggers over, completely naked, and takes a seat, trying to get his bearings as Dev slides him a coffee. We let him caffeinate before we start the questions. He looks up at us halfway through his coffee, taking in the silence and serious faces.

"Oh shit, did someone die?" He asks worriedly.

"No, nothing like that. We need to ask you more questions about Demons," I tell him.

"Thank fuck," he mutters, downing the rest of his coffee and pushing it away. "I don't know everything, but I'll help where I can. Fire away."

"Is there a way to unbind Asmodeus from Belestine?" Luka asks.

"No. When Demons are summoned, the contract is negotiated between both parties. The summoned one is bound to the circle but can be returned to his realm if the contract isn't struck. If the contract is agreed to, they remain in the circle. Bound until they complete their task or the summoner dies. Once the task is done they are given the agreed payment and sent back to their realm. If our guess is right and freedom from their banishment is on offer, then he is bound until they win the war. Asmodeus cannot cancel it or disobey it, he is solely at the mercy of the agreement."

"Shit!" Dev swears.

"Can Eve enter the summoning circle?" Ly asks. Carino nods.

"Yes, but if he's feral or not her mate, that puts her in great danger. He may kill her if she does." Eve shivers in my lap and I stroke her hair. She suddenly sits bolt upright.

"Carino, do you know how to summon demons?" She asks hesitantly.

"I do, but I can't summon him to me, he's already under contract and can't be summoned till it's completed."

"What about other Demons? Can they be summoned with Asmodeus bound?" She queries.

"Well, yes. All Demons can be summoned. I can't summon all of them though. Not even I would have enough time for that. So we can't bind them to not fight," He says shaking his head.

"How many brothers does Asmodeus have?" Oh, clever girl!

"Eve, you are so damn smart!" I say, hugging her fiercely.

"Seven," Carino answers.

"Think you can summon seven potential mates?" A grin forms on his face.

"Yes. That, I think I can manage. Clever girl," Carino says with heavy admiration.

"I figure, why go twisting ourselves in knots for the bound Demon when we haven't eliminated the other princes as possibilities," Eve shrugs.

"I'll set my circle to the task immediately," Carino says. Hopping off his seat and striding for the door.

"You might want a shower and clothes," Eve calls out, snickering.

He curses and diverts to the stairs hurrying off to make himself presentable.