Page 24 of Cry for Help

I tried to mirror his stance, but everything was just toointeresting—plus, the lust magic in the air made everything feel warm and sparkly.

I was officially drunk on sex magic.

A door opened on the other side of the room, revealing a golden-skinned woman wearing a red pantsuit and matching lipstick.

“Are you here for Murmur?” She asked, her voice husky and inviting.

Stolas pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s here. Again?” He growled.

The succubus offered a disarming shrug. “I can go get him.”

“I’m here to speak to Asmodeus,” Stolas growled.

The succubus glanced at me. “She has to stay here.”

Stolas glanced at me, narrowing his eyes as he debated arguing. I shook my head. I was fine waiting. Maybe it was the lust magic talking, but I didn’t feel threatened.

“We’ll keep her company.” The succubus purred. “She can wait with Murmur in the parlor if that makes you feel better.”

“Sure.” Stolas shrugged, affecting disinterest.

The succubus stepped aside, gesturing to the open door.

“Go with her,” Stolas told me. “I’ll come get you when I’m done.”

I nodded, knitting my fingers together as I walked towards the golden woman. My steps felt too light, and my head swam. The further I got into the house, the less in control I felt.

I locked my teeth together, knowing that I couldn’t slip up. I couldn’t speak, not like this.

I had to hold it together.

The succubus led us away from the vagina room down a corridor that looked suspiciously like a hotel with numbered doors.

She chose a door, seemingly at random, and the noise rushed me as the lust magic increased tenfold.

The air smelled metallic, like burning copper. The lights were dim, without a window in sight, and smoke hung just above head level like an ominous fog. The music was low, enough to allow for conversation, but the bass echoed through my bones with every step.

I spotted him on the cushions in the corner, with a long pipe in his fingers, as he relaxed amidst a sea of red-tinged smoke.

Murmur.

I’d only seen him once. His hair was close-cropped, and his high cheekbones and regal bearing gave me the impression of a fox studying their prey. His eyes were bleary as he sucked on the pipe and reclined back on the velour cushions. Sprawled out and drunk.

I really hope I hadn’t walked into an opium den.

I approached Murmur, the only demon I knew, hoping he wouldn’t recognize me despite only meeting once. He was a member of Stolas’s ‘flock’ and one of my purchasers, after all.

But with every step, I felt less confident in my safety.

The warm and inviting glances from the golden-skinned lust demons seemed predatory, like coyotes stalking their prey from a distance.

I kept my shoulders squared and my eyes fixed on Murmur as I walked stiffly across the room, plonking down on the cushion next to the demon.

I tucked my knees to my chest and stared forward, hoping I’d be safe until Stolas returned.

“Did Stolas send you to reign me in?” Murmur exhaled a puff of smoke, laughing sardonically. “Perhaps he hoped I would no longer come here if I had a woman at home.”

I shrugged. Honestly? What he did was his business, not mine. People did a lot of weird and desperate things to satiate urges.

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