Page 70 of Wicked Savior
“There used to be seven Princes of Hell. Each had a sin they preferred. Whenever someone committed the sin, their power increased. To ensure a continuous supply of followers and power, they created the Houses of Sin,” I explain. “Even though they were killed in the battle against the angels, the houses live on in perpetuity.”
We enter Lust’s boudoir, and I hand the Duke of Envy a gold token. His mouth turns down in disappointment, but he bows and thanks me for the visit.
After we leave, Evren leans in and whispers, “Why was he upset?”
“It’s a contest. First prize gets a trophy and bragging rights for a year. All other houses receive a gold token for their participation,” I murmur in her ear. Unable to help myself, I place a kiss on her neck.
She shivers. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see which one you pick and why.”
I chuckle. “Only you would want to know why.”
We make our way to Wrath’s boxing ring. Vargas stands shirtless, sweat dripping off him, above the green demon who shoved me earlier. I dip my chin to acknowledge the win even though I had no doubt who would come out on top. When the Duke of Wrath comes over, I hand him a gold token.
The demon immediately gets angry, but Vargas claps him on the shoulder to remind him to be respectful. He chokes down his rage and inclines his head toward me.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Without replying, I turn and escort Evren to the House of Sloth’s showcase. We walk over to where the duke is lounging on one of the beds. He holds out a lazy hand for the token, which I hand to him.
“Thank you, Sire,” he says. With a huge stretch, he returns his attention to the male feeding him grapes.
Evren’s eyes dart between the two of us.
“Sloth never tries to win the trophy. It’s too much work,” I explain.
Her brow furrows, but she says nothing.
“Not everyone enjoys working as much as you do,” I remind her with a smile.
Greed and gluttony each receive a gold token. The prize is down to Envy and Pride.
Ultimately, Envy wins the trophy this year. They usually use showcase beauty, but I liked the extra effort they brought this year with the rare items. Instead of shouting and screaming about their win, they enlarge the trophy until the entire ballroom can see it.
The Duchess of Pride sniffs when I hand her the token instead of the trophy. “Thank you, Sire.” She turns to Evren with a calculated gleam in her eyes. “Care to demonstrate your power? The trophy we award rivals no other.”
I chuckle. Pride couldn’t let a loss go without a dig.
Evren strokes my arm. “It wouldn’t be fair of me to compete but thank you for inviting me.”
The duchess smirks. “Of course. It would be bad for Lucifer’s… guest… to be defeated so easily.”
Evren squints at the duchess for a second as if she’s examining her under a microscope and purses her lips in thought. She extends her arm until her hand is in front of the duchess’s face, then snaps her fingers.
The entire showcase with everyone in it disappears.
Delighted with her show of power, I roar with laughter.
The crowd begins to gather around us.
She wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a long, deep kiss. “You should laugh more often.” Her eyes dart to the people around us. “Or maybe not. Everyone looks terrified right now.”
Demons love nothing more than power. “They’re terrified of you, my divine goddess.” My lips find the sweet spot between her neck and shoulder. “I’ve done my duty and given out all the prizes. I’m ready to leave and spend the next few hours holding you. Tomorrow will be here too soon.”
“I’m ready,” she assures me. She snaps her fingers, and the entire showcase reappears, along with the duchess and the rest of her people. “You should be grateful I’m not a vengeful god.”
The duchess bows deeply, then shouts. “The winner is… Lucifer’s goddess!” Her red eyes are twinkling when she turns to Evren. “I’ll have the trophy delivered to his office tomorrow. Thank you for participating in our showcase. It was a prize I wasn’t expecting.”
Evren raises an eyebrow but says nothing.
