Page 30 of The Demon's Due
Stheno’s voice slipped through the shadows like silk and smoke.
“Ashmedai…” The way she said his name made it sound like both a prayer and a curse. “You look almost mortal in this light. Tell me,have the centuries softened you, or only honed your cruelty?”
Ashmedai smiled, slow and sin-laced through the mirror. “Careful, witch. You remember what I become when you tease.” His eyes gleamed, and for a heartbeat the cavern itself seemed to shiver from the intimacy. “And if I recall, you liked me better when I didn’t hold back.”
Stheno laughed-a sound too beautiful to belong to something so dangerous. “I liked you better when you didn’t hide behind your bargains.” Her slender hands reached through the bars, her wrists still bound in chains that shimmered faintly. “Let me out, Ash. I can be… persuasive. Remember how my mouth feels wrapped around your cock”
“I remember you have very sharp teeth,” he echoed. “And you distracted me while those parasites set their trap.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice until it wrapped around her like smoke. “But I am willing to put that behind me.Freedom comes at a price. A lock of your hair.”
Hersmile faltered. For a moment, silence pressed in like a held breath. Then her golden hair began to move-one strand, then another, twisting, writhing-until the illusion of beauty gave way to eyes of stone. Serpents slithered where hair had been, tongues flickering, fangs glistening with venom. They hissed and spat at the invisible ward that kept her confined.
“You woulddareask that of me?” she hissed, voice trembling with fury.
Ashmedai’s expression softened, though his tone stayed measured. “A small offering for your freedom, my love. Power demands sacrifice. You taught me that.”
Stheno tilted her head, eyes blazing grey. “And desire,” she whispered, “demands danger. Tell me, Ashmedai, do you still crave me?”
Síofra felt her heart stumble. She had come to think of Ashmedai as hers in some quiet, foolish way. He was the one who’d stood beside her, the demon who teased and protected and looked at her like she was.. more.
Now, watching him withher, that illusion splintered.
“Treachery can turn desire sour. You don't interest me anymore, Stheno”
The word hung between them like a blade.
Stheno’s gaze flicked toward her, amusement lighting her face. “Oh… so that’s the little mortal who thinks she’s tamed the king of demons.”
Heat climbed Síofra’s neck. She opened her mouth, but the words tangled in her throat.
The Gorgon’s smile widened. “She’s sweet,” she purred, “like a lamb standing too close to the slaughterhouse door, too young to recognise the smell of blood.”
Ashmedai’s eyes darkened. “Enough, Stheno.You may not realize this but you are talking to my queen.”
But the Gorgon wasn’t done. Her serpents reared, tongues tasting the air. Venom hissed against the ward as thin, silver streaks that sizzled on contact.
“She’s not worth your protection,” Stheno whispered, her voice a blade wrapped in honey. “You could have eternity again with me.”
The serpents lunged, spitting through the rapidly weakening barrier. The veil was always thinner during the twilight hours. One droplet of venom arced toward Síofra-too fast for her to react.
Ashmedai moved before thought could catch him. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close as he murmured a single word in a language that felt like thunder. The venom struck something invisible and burst into sparks, dissolving in the air.
Síofra’s breath caught; she could feel his pulse thundering through the chest pressed to her.
Ashmedai turned back to Stheno, his expression no longer soft. “Another trick and I leave you here. Trust me, no one will go against me to release you. And you are not the only gorgon walking this earth.”
Stheno’s serpents stilled. Her voice came quiet and trembling, more fury than fear. “Leave my sister be. I forget nothing,demon. Least of all what I owe you.”
Ashmedai’s power burned like a shadowed flame, spreading through the cavern. “And I forget nothing of what you destroyed. I am running out of patience.”
For a moment, it was as if the centuries themselves held still-their gazes locked through the mirror, ancient hatred and hope entwined in equal measure. Then Stheno smiled again, slow and cold.
“Still protecting your plaything. Very well.”
Ashmedai didn’t answer. His hand tightened on Síofra’s arm as he drew her behind him.
“Free me,” Stheno whispered. “Break the seal, and I will give you what you seek. Then we can take up where we left off.”
Morgan’s hand controlled by Ashmedai flexed at his side. Síofra’s jaw was stiff with tension, fury sparking hot at the way the Gorgon’s voice wrapped around him like silk. She didn'tunderstand half of what was being said, but she was a woman and she understood the tone.
