Page 30 of Ashes to Ashes

He could still see the fear in her green eyes when she’d run from him.

Yet, beneath that fear, he swore he’d glimpsed something else - defiance.

“When I find you,” he purred to no one at all. “You will be mine. I will have you bowing at my feet, your lips pressed to my boots, and I’ll crush any who stand in my way.” He leaned forward. “Send up the next!”

The newest demoness stepped forward, her body trembling with greed and desire. Her skin was a sickly green, and Leviathan already knew the woman he’d fucked had not worn powder over her skin. She was silver as the forbidden moon.

As she reached out with quivering fingertips, she moaned as if he’d touched her. She traced the smooth surface of the object, her eyes fluttering in ecstasy as she remembered the unimaginable pleasure it had brought her before. “You have never experienced anything like this,” she whispered, running her tongue over her cherry-red lips, “Once you touch it, you’ll be hooked for eternity.”

Leviathan scoffed. “I did not ask for a description of how it might make you feel,” he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she stumbled back into the crowd of eager onlookers.

Another one stepped forward, a rare Nightshade Demon with inky black smoke trailing behind her like shadows. She was a sensual being, dripping with promises of ways she would accept his offer of to be queen. Her voice was as sensual as her body.

“It is delicate, a silver chain that stands out against my skin.” Her eyes glinted with malice as she thought about what she could do with such power.

Again, he knew his demoness was not this shade, but it was not entirely possible this Nightstand could shift her color. It was rare, and would have been incredibly beautiful. If she could do that, it would captivate the entire realm.

“Go on,” Leviathan dared to lean forward, seeing if there was any scent he could get from the demoness before him, but all that came to his nose was burning ash.

“A circle on the chain.”

Leviathan’s focus snapped as his heart slammed in his chest. This demoness was far closer than another and the puzzle pieces made sense.

“A single emerald?—”

The incorrect stone slammed him from his joy, a snarl spreading over his lips.

“A single emerald,” Leviathan repeated, barely containing his fury.

He saw her gaze shift, and that split second was all he needed to know she knew she’d been caught in her lie. Leviathan took a step closer to the dark woman, looming over her slowly sinking form with an intimidating presence that made even the most seasoned of demons tremble in fear. She was not what he sought.

With a snarl, Leviathan reached out and threw the worthless demonesses from him in disgust, watching her tumble away.

Leviathan’s heart pounded as he waited for the next potential candidate to step forward. The room remained silent except for the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional nervous shift of a foot on the floor. He watched as someone stepped towards him. Another subject eager to please. The demoness before him was dressed in rich gold and silver adornments, her skin a deep shade of silver like melted steel, and she was coiled with dark energy.

“It would be like this one,” the female said, holding a chain up high. The pendant dangling from it caught the light and cast eerie shadows on the wall.

He leaned in closer, his sharp eyes scanning every inch of the intricate design until he saw it—a small diamond circle inlaid into the metal beneath the jewel. A glimmer of hope ignited within him as he reached out to touch it, feeling the magic lacing through every fiber of his being. But she would have to prove herself the way all the others had.

But then he noticed something was off—the color wasn’t right.

When her first words said the necklace was gold, he barely restrained his need to throw her from the dias.

A wave of rage washed over him as each new candidate came forward with nothing but disappointment. Each failed attempt at providing what he so desperately craved only intensifying his desire for success. Demons fell like flies around him, brokenpieces scattered across the floor like discarded playthings while their masters cowered away or snickered maliciously from their corners.

He snarled in frustration, feeling his control slipping. His fury boiled over as he looked at the pitiful excuse of a creature before him, who he could barely see through his fury.

His patience had worn thin, and he let his primal instincts take over as he bared his sharp teeth and let out a bone-chilling snarl.

“Out!” His command boomed through the otherwise silent space.

The demoness before him cowered in fear, her trembling hands dropping the emerald she had presented.

Ignis appeared at his side suddenly, the faint scent of charred flesh marking his passage through the room.

“My Prince,” Ignis murmured, leaning close to whisper in his ear. “A human is outside insisting the necklace is hers.” His voice was cool and collected despite the surrounding chaos, his eyes impassive as he described the impossible.

He couldn’t help his smirk. Of course, humans would believe they could lay claim to a demon’s throne. Demons owed their control over humans to their incredible stupidity.

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