She cocked her hand on her hip, an amused smile tugging at her lips. “Not all demons are the same, you know?”
He shrugged, averting his gaze. “I’ve only dealt with a few.”
Horatiu clasped his hands behind his back. “Balban, Sitri, and Aosoth.”
Magnus arched a brow. “They your friends?”
Phoenix cursed beneath her breath, mindful of Tor’s disapproving glare like she was still a fucking kid.
“How can you think we’d be friends with the demons who killed our parents?” Daeva’s voice rose and cracked with watery emotion.
Magnus didn’t flinch at the censure in her tone. “You’ve interacted with them?”
Gah! He was so thickheaded!
“My brothers and I fed Aosoth and Sitri to the beast,” Horatiu answered.
Magnus leaned back in his chair, giving Horatiu a long look. “Your demon brothers, or the Albescus?”
That cool façade Horatiu had built around himself finally cracked. “The Albescus are not my brothers,” he seethed, his eyes flashing demon red.
The alphas stirred, grumbling and growling. A few of them reached beneath the table. Phoenix gave Tor an accusatory look. What were they reaching for? Amethyst guns? Real guns?
“What is this beast you speak of?” Magnus asked while baring his fangs.
“An ancient djinn,” Daeva interjected. “Being swallowed by the beast is a fate worse than death.”
Magnus eyed her coolly. “And what happened to Balban?”
“We cast her down to a lower dimension of hell,” Horatiu answered. “If she ever comes back to our dimension, we’ll feed her to the beast, too.”
“Why didn’t you feed her to the beast in the first place?” Magnus snapped.
“We were forced to bargain with her in order to save Daeva,” Horatiu answered flatly.
Magnus leaned back in his chair again, but not before sharing a knowing look with Tor. “Our sister should’ve never been placed in danger.”
“You’re right,” Horatiu growled, his nose lengthening and fur sprouting on his face, “though I wonder why you suddenly take an interest in her welfare. You didn’t seem to care when the Albescus were pummeling her.”
Daeva tightened her grip on her mate’s arm, as if she could stop him from shifting and pummeling Magnus. Phoenix wondered if he would take on his demon alpha form if he shifted, with tusk-like fangs, black fur, and horns curling out of his head. If so, Magnus didn’t stand a chance. Demon protectors were much bigger than their Amaroki descendants.
Magnus’s jaw dropped, his eyes flashing yellow. “We didn’t know they were abusing her.”
Phoenix shared a look with Daeva.Do you believe him?
No,she answered as she dug her fingers into Horatiu’s arm,but it doesn’t matter anymore. This bickering helps no one.
Horatiu clenched his hands into fists by his sides. “And you didn’t know because you didn’t look after her as brothers should. Since you are suddenly so concerned, it would please you to know that her matesdolook after her, and she’s no longer in danger.”
Magnus jumped to his feet, leaning his knuckles on the table, brown fur sprouting on his face. Jovan pulled Eilea and the baby away from the table.
Horatiu laughed at Magnus, long claws sprouting from his fingertips. “You don’t want to take me on, pup.”
Phoenix tensed, magic tingling her fingertips as she prepared for Magnus to fly off the podium.
Boris stood and latched onto Magnus’s arm, whispering in his ear. Her brother grumbled as he slowly sat back down.
Boris remained standing. Nostrils flaring, he narrowed his eyes at Horatiu. “You smell like an alpha. So it’s true. You were changed.”