“I feel sorry for you.” Dougal ducked and punched out, knocking the demoness in the guts. She flew backward, ending up sprawled on her ass. Just as Dougal shook out his fist, she was on her feet again and coming straight at him, head down, like a bull on the charge.
Her horns weren’t long, but they could do some damage. Dougal hardened his belly, letting her come.
The clang of horns against rock rang around the room, and the demoness screamed, “You broke them. My horns, they’re broken.” She backed away, patting at the broken stubs. “What the hell are you?”
“You can call me King Consort. You’re done, and you’re dismissed.” Dougal turned as he heard a yell he recognized.
Scott had been cornered by what looked like his father and two of his brothers. Scott was fighting hard and holding his own, but his family wasn’t playing fair and was aiming for the rounded belly Scott was trying to protect.
Dougal mentally slapped himself around the head for even tugging on that thread in the first place. Striding across the room, knocking aside any demon that came anywhere close to him with a casual swing of his arms, Dougal came up behind the wimps—they still hadn’t shifted.
“Don’t you know it’s not nice to gang up on a pregnant man?” he snarled as he scooped all three of them up in his arms, dragging them off their feet and slamming them against his rock-hard torso. Looking over their heads, he grinned at the pretty blue demon. “I’ll hold them, you hit them. That’s what families do for each other.”
“They tell me I’m weak when my bear makes me strong.” Scott scowled, not needing a second invitation, laying into his family, fists and feet flying.
“My back hurts all the time.” The demon punched all three men in the face in rapid succession. “Look at what this pregnancy is doing to my ankles and feet. Look at how puffy they are.”
Dougal was impressed that Scott’s demon could still lift his leg that high and deliver kicks like slaps, which had all three men’s head jerking to the right.
“That’s not the worst of it. I’m horny all the damn time, and my belly gets in the way,” he over-shared.
The blue demon stepped in close with a fierce expression, and Dougal could smell the fear coming from his relations. “I want a triple cheeseburger with extra bacon and fries so bad I can taste it, and you’re stopping me from having that because you thought it would be a good idea to challenge our king! I don’t need this shit, do you understand me? I don’t need you!” Scott’s demon smushed all three of the faces together, his biceps bulging as he squeezed and squeezed, and then…
“Damn, now I’ve made a mess.” Scott brushed at the splatter on Dougal’s chest and shook it off his fingers. “I’m sorry, Dougal.”
“Do you feel better now?” Dougal dropped the bodies and gave Scott a quick hug, despite the sticky mess he was. “You can pop on back to George if you like. I know Asmodeus would understand.”
“This has been coming a long time.” Scott turned, looking around at the mess of upturned tables, smeared food and body fluids, and the various demon bodies strewn across the floor. “It’s probably why the king doesn’t have parties very often. I’ll stay.” He clicked his fingers, and a triple burger and an order of fries filled his hands. “This is history in the making. Although it looks like Asmodeus might need a hand.”
“He can fight anyone in this realm one-handed.” Dougal immediately scanned the room, looking for his mate, losing the smug smile.
“I’m not sure how well he could win against a half a dozen harpies who all want to claim some kingly demon spunk for themselves.” Scott pointed with his burger at the far corner. “Ouch.” He winced and then took a big bite of his burger. “I think they got his pants off him. He’s not happy,” he said around his mouthful.
“We are never having a damn party here again.” Incensed, Dougal flew across the room, faster than most could see him, landing with a skid, his eyes narrowing on those who were daring to touch his mate.
There were female demons surrounding Asmodeus. Six of them, including Vito’s wife and Lady Flora. Asmodeus was holding them off, but frankly, he didn’t have enough hands. While he was pushing two away, two more were darting in, tearing at his pants, stroking over his skin. The two behind him, he worked to evade by swinging a hand behind him when he had a free one, which wasn’t often with the frontal attack. As fast as Asmodeus dropped two of them, two more were there to take their place. What Dougal didn’t understand was why they were all holding little screw-top jars.
“What the hell is going on?” Dougal spread his arms, his fists resting against his chest, flexing his shoulders and biceps unsure where to actually start.
“Eep.” Vito’s wife fell back and scuttled around, trying to hide behind his mate. “It’s tradition,” she yelled, peering around Asmodeus’s waist. “The king took our husbands, so we get his seed,” she added as the others joined her.
“Please tell me you’re shitting me?” Dougal glared at Asmodeus, who wiped off a streak of blood from his face. His breathing was heavy, and his hair was all over the place, but he seemed unharmed.
“Old law, I think. Ancient even.” Asmodeus waved an arm indicating history perhaps, but then he slapped downward as another hand crept towards his exposed dick. “I said no. It’s not even a law, more of a twisted distortion of what used to happen. Centuries ago, back at the time of the first king—”
“Your great-great-grandfather.” Dougal nodded, folding his arms across his chest.
“There was still a lot of fighting until the demons of the time got used to the idea of being ruled by someone else. My great-great-grandfather did kill a lot of people—demons who challenged him. He only bonded with his chosen partner, he didn’t have a blissful one. There were stories that told of how he would fuck the widow to appease them—helping them through their grief—although how truthful that is, you’d have to ask Rote.”
“Sounds like your great-great-grandfather was a randy bastard who enjoyed getting his rocks off with as many demonesses as possible.”
“You were the one who said demons were weakened by not taking a blissful one.” Lady Flora stepped out from Asmodeus’s shadow. “But if we don’t have one of those, then how else are we to strengthen the family lines without the spunk of the strongest of them all? You saw the state of my husband in his shifted form. Can you imagine being fucked by that? I’d far rather use a turkey baster and some of the king’s sperm next time I’m fertile. At least then I know I’ll get pregnant.” There was a chorus of agreement from the other women.
“And… and…” Vito’s wife said, reaching up and touching her broken horns and throwing Dougal a baleful look. “You might be capable. I’ll admit you can protect your mate, or blissful one, or whatever trolls have, and that makes you a fitting consort, but can you get pregnant and give your king the heir he needs to keep this realm strong?” she threw at Dougal smugly.
Dougal met Asmodeus’s dark eyes and grinned at the caution he saw there. “I think you’ll find we have that well in hand. As this evening has proven, Asmodeus isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. In the meantime, if you’re that keen on actually doing the demon realm any good, get out among the other realms and find your own blissful ones because they won’t be here. In the meantime, get rid of those jars, and show respect for your king who faced all challengers today and came out victorious.”
“We still have a right to his spunk,” Vito’s wife insisted, not letting go of the idea she had a right.