Page 37 of Hidden Sacrifice
“I could never be happy without you, Princess,” Jasper said as he looked at me with nothing short of love in his eyes. He was the first of my demon mates to say that he loved me, and the look in his eyes told me he meant it.
“Great,” Justice said, clapping his hands together. I had to look down to see him. Holy fuck, it was weird being this tall.
Jasper refused to let me down to walk as he carried me over and deposited me on the bar.
“Hi guys,” I waved to Ryan, Springfield, and Zebadiah as they smiled and greeted me. I looked around; Justice was now missing.
“When are you down for a bit more gaming?” Ryan asked, and I looked at Jasper as I awaited his answer.
“He means you, Princess,” Jasper said, looking at me after a pause.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, turning back toward Ryan. “I don’t know. I don’t think there’s enough space at the hunting cabin, but for sure, once we get back to the palace.” I tried to imagine sitting on the small couch playing video games elbow to elbow with Jasper.
“We could turn the spare room into a pack cave,” Jasper suggested, and that sounded like a great way to give everyone a little more room in the cramped cabin.
“Oh, shit,” Springfield muttered, turning to face the bar again as he took a large gulp of his drink.
Following his gaze, I caught the simply stunning female demon standing inside the doorway, looking around the club with an evaluating eye. She was tall and thin with long dark straight hair.
“Come on, Springfield, it’s been two centuries. The two of you need to move on,” Ryan said, turning back to face the bar.
“Who’s that?” My curiosity couldn’t be contained anymore, especially since lustful wisps of longing were rolling off Springfield.
“That is Amira, Prince of Pride,” Jasper whispered into my ear as he leaned over me to grab his drink.
“Prince?”
“The title Prince is given to the heir next in line for that sin’s throne. Princess is the title given to any Prince’s partner. So, if Springfield here had sealed the deal with Amira like he wanted to, he would have been Springfield, Princess of Hell.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little as I looked over to Springfield. Dark hair with tanned skin, his eyes a shocking blue. He was attractive, I guess. Glancing back over to Amira, I could see them fitting together.
“So, what happened, or didn’t happen with all this?” I asked Springfield gesturing to him and then beyond in the direction of the other Prince of Hell.
His cheeks blushed, and I worried it might not be something I should poke at so lightly for a moment. I can’t take the words back now; I may well sludge through, even if it’s awkward.
Springfield downed another shot, his eyes scrunching up slightly. Opening them, he looked at me, clearly trying to find the words to tell his story.
“He swung,” Ryan said, leaning up against the bar on the other side, forcing me to turn. “And, of course, he missed.”
“Why, of course?” I looked around to the other demons for help. Springfield didn’t look like a demon that would have problems closing the deal, so to say.
“Because he always fucks up important shit.” Ryan smiled past me to Springfield before saluting the air and draining his glass. “He has been pining for her for centuries, then one night he gets up the balls…”
“Nah, he was just plastered,” Zebadiah interjected with a teasing smile.
“Balls, liquid courage, horny as fuck; the catalyst isn’t essential. So anyway, he goes over to her, in the middle of the club, and asks if she is interested in breeding,” Ryan said, cracking up laughing.
My head slowly swung back toward Springfield, my jaw hanging open. He stood there with his hands in the pockets of his pants as he looked pointedly at the floor.
“Springfield. You didn’t?” I managed.
His eyes met mine, and he gave me an apologetic smile. “I didn’t know what else to say?”
“How about practically anything,” I laughed, grabbing a glass of whatever the others were drinking. They were all downing it in one go, so I figured that was what I should do. The liquid burned like fire as it raced down my throat, settling inside my stomach, making it feel like the inside of a volcano. A small burp rose from the fiery depths within me, and I exhaled a small plume of white smoke that tasted like marshmallows.
“Demons have sex recreationally, for power and breeding. He wanted her as more than a casual hookup and not for the power boost. It was the most concise term he could use to state his intentions,” Jasper supplied, coming up between my thighs, rubbing his hands along my skin.
“Still, he could have started smaller. See if she is interested in him back before asking about kids.” My hands came up to rub Jasper’s biceps; he wore a fitted black t-shirt with the words, too hot to handle, written across the chest. I used my fingernails to scratch his skin lightly, and I felt the grumble of a growl from his chest.
