Page 69 of Demon Sworn
Next to him is Akor, though unlike the rest of us, he’s not standing. Instead, he crouches on top of a raised podium, his pink mohawk a stark contrast to the black and purple theme of the room. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing, and at this point, I don’t even bother to ask. We learned centuries ago to let Akor be Akor. Surprisingly, he decided to wear a suit for the occasion, the bright white color is another thing that causes him to stick out like a sore thumb. When Zolroth had asked him about his attire, sounding aghast, Akor simply shrugged. “Katrina brings out the goodness and purity in me,” he explained, as if that makes even a lick of sense.
But again, let Akor be Akor.
Finally, we have Van, the final member of my murder. The man is currently so damn happy, he’s emitting lust from every one of his pores. Even I’m getting a boner and the desperate urge to fuck him, and I’ve been around his powers most of my life. He didn’t bother to comb his reddish-brown hair today, the strands wildly disheveled as if he ran his hand through them one too many times. He’s practically bursting with energy, no doubt comparing this to whatever rom-com he watched with Katrina just last night.
“Are you boys ready?” Lucy appears in the doorway at the opposite side of the room, grinning wildly. She wears a—shocker—bright purple dress that clings to her curves and heightens the color of her vibrant hair. She still has her glasses firmly in place as she swaggers towards us, her two hellhounds on either side of her, while the third hides in the back.
“Cherry! Oh, Cherry! Cherry! Let me take you in my mouth. Twist your stem with my tongue! Cherry!” Akor sings, jumping from the podium and straightening. He smooths a hand down the front of his white suit and begins to bounce on his toes, still humming beneath his breath that godawful song.
“You guys are going to be blown away. I did her hair myself,” Lucy continues, tossing back her hair and moving to stand beside Adam, who’s fucking cute in a bow tie, though he refused to wear dress pants, so he’s in jeans.
The little guy immediately turns towards her with a wide smile, screaming, “Aunt Lucy!” at the top of his lungs. Lucy’s enemies would surely have a field day if they ever discover she’s besotted with a tiny human who likes to show off his booger collection to her.
But all thoughts of Lucy and Adam dissipate when the door at the back of the room opens and Katrina steps inside.
My breath leaves me. Time stops. Fuck, I’m pretty sure even my heart stops beating for a second as she glides forward, a delicate blush staining her porcelain cheeks.
The black wedding dress has a tulle skirt that cascades around her, edged in wisps of ebony lace. It poofs out around her slender waist, while the top itself clings to her body, accentuating her delectable curves. There are no sleeves. Instead, the dress has a straight neckline that stops just above her breasts, revealing a tantalizing hint of cleavage. Her pink hair tumbles around her in loose, elegant curls while the top half of her hair has been coiffed into a bun. The outfit is complete with a black tiara resting in her hair—one I recognize as belonging to Lucy. Crowned by the devil herself.
Holy hell, she’s fucking radiant.
I swallow, suddenly unable to speak, to think of words, to do anything but gape at her like an idiot as my heart seizes up before melting and making my entire body feel like one giant fucking smile.
Zolroth’s jaw is on the ground as he gives her googly-eyes, and Akor has stopped singing and is now staring at her like a lion studying a gazelle seconds before he pounces.
But he can’t pounce, not yet. Not until after we complete the ceremony that will tie her to us forever.
Out of the corner of my vision, I watch Kastros sign,You look beautiful,and her blush deepens, somehow heightening her natural and ethereal beauty. She smiles, eyes glimmering with warmth and excitement, as she continues walking down the aisle.
Unlike Earthly and Heavenly traditions, there’s no music. Nothing but the steady beat of her heart to guide her. Because that’s where we vary from all those pedants, after all. We rely on free will and our own hearts to direct us, unlike silly, trivial things like music.
A bouquet of wilted black flowers from Lucy’s personal garden is in Katrina’s hands. They’re called Roses of Luck, rumored to give the person who touches them many, many years of good luck. Every petal that breaks from the stem, cascading to the ground, is another year added.
As I watch, mesmerized and gobsmacked, two obsidian petals drift to the ground, and I smile.
Fuck, it feels funny to smile. Unnatural, even. I’ve spent centuries without doing it, and suddenly, I’m doing it every fucking day.
Because of her.
Because of this goddess of a woman gliding towards me, her eyes alight with happiness.
Lucy, standing behind the podium that Akor was crouching on just minutes ago, smiles warmly as Katrina finally approaches us.
Katrina stands to one side so she can face us before sliding her gaze towards her best friend.
Today, Lucy will serve as our dark priestess. It’s considered the highest honor to have the devil herself unbless our bonding.
Lucy clears her throat, moving to grab theDark Book of the Damned, though I can’t tear my gaze away from Katrina. Her gaze flits from me to Zolroth, from Zolroth to Van, from Van to Kastros, from Kastros to Akor, before finally settling her gaze on me again. My heart is so full, I’m afraid it’s going to burst, that any second, the room will be showered in blood and guts like a macabre confetti cannon.
“We’re gathered here today to join Katrina Colt and the murder of Raziel together in unholy matrimony,” Lucy begins, but I zone her out, studying Katrina beneath the flickering candlelight.
She’s so beautiful, my chest aches. And my cock, though hopefully, that will be rectified soon. I want to lunge towards her like an animal, a caveman, and rip off that black dress, baring her perfect, perky tits and toned stomach. And then her pussy lips, wet with arousal and—
“Do you, Katrina Colt, take Raziel, Kastros, Vangrennoth, Akor, and Zolroth as your bonded demons of your own free will, understanding that you will stop aging and become immortal to live out the rest of your life with your demons as their Center?” Lucy turns towards my lover, my existence, and I watch Katrina wet her bottom lip. Tears glimmer in her eyes as she stares up at us, her gaze unable to settle on one person for longer than a second.
“I do.”
How could two fucking words undo me? My heart is sliced open worse than it’s ever been in any of the battles against Heaven. It’s pulsing—vulnerable and unguarded—as I hold it up like some ancient sacrifice and offer it to Katrina.
