Page 26 of A Demon Is Forever

He didn’t want aConsort; Royal or otherwise. He was pretty sure he’d been firm about hiswishes. But he had a sneaky suspicion that not only did his political advisorspay little attention to his desires, but that one, if not all, had their ownagenda.

And their ownConsort candidate it would seem. As all five were gathered at a nearby table,each with a She-Demon seated beside them. The females appearing to fall withinthe right age range to be considered a candidate. More telling, they all hadthat look about them.

Hmmm, the look?

He wasn’t surewhere everyone had gotten the idea that he liked the colour red. Butpractically every young Demoness here was wearing some shade of it. Kalebsuspected his mother had been dropping a few sly hints around Court for shitsand giggles. It would explain why the women, to a degree, all looked rathersimilar. Long, straight hair, with only a handful of exceptions. Red glossylips. High hemlines and sky-high shoes.

His Valkyrieobviously hadn’t gotten the memo. Shaw wore a shimmering charcoal greystrapless dress that looked like liquid metal against the mocha caramel of herskin. No make-up. Finally releasing her hair from the high knot she habituallywore. The golden tipped spiral tight curls exploding out of her skull in alldirections creating a kind of halo. It was delightful. She was delightful.Causing mayhem and tears from the moment they’d entered the banquet hall.

“Stephanie isright.” Shaw sent a nearby candidate sobbing quietly into a handkerchief adisgusted look. “You Conflict Demons are way too sensitive.”

No, they weren’t.Conflict Demons were master manipulators. They locked on weakness and poked andprodded at it until their opponents buckled and fell by the wayside. They’dbeen doing it for eons. Taught from the cradle to play their parents offagainst one another. Yet, it appeared the sharp edged tongue of a Valkyrie wastheir Achilles heel.

Alarmingly Shawhad had to do so very little to get a reaction, it was both worrisome and yetawesome.

A cluck of thetongue as she stared at some She-Demon’s thighs. Refraining from saying theword cellulite out loud but somehow with nothing more than one sound sheconveyed it quite clearly. In another instance, she had done nothing more thantilt her head to the side as a guardian introduced his candidate and release aslight, barely audible, sympathetic sigh of pity. The candidate had immediatelyreleased a braying sob and hadn’t ceased crying yet.

“You seemparticularly talented at finding everyone’s deepest insecurity.”

“I have twobiological sisters and a million sister Valkyries. We come in all shapes, sizesand colours. We are Freyja’s chosen. Psychological warfare is kind of innate tomy kind. Knowing when to smirk to cause maximum humiliation. When to raise aderisive eyebrow to make an opponent wet themselves in fear. We thought we’dcornered the market. Then Stephanie took over as CEO and made it mandatory forevery Valkyrie to read at least one woman’s magazine.”

“I imagine thatwent down like a lead balloon.”

“Yeah, so muchbitching and moaning, me included. Then I read one. Let me tell you, I wasfloored. I’d never read a more subversive passive aggressive treaty on how toundermine someone’s confidence than that glossy mag. One page would be, you areperfect, don’t change for anyone. Next page, how to harvest seaweed so you canlose half your body weight in five weeks. Followed by an article about the tenthings you’re doing wrong when it comes to eyebrow grooming. Did you knowpeople groom their eyebrows? I mean other than split them into two if you havea particularly nasty mono-brow. Everything was like rah-rah, you’re great… but.There was always this lurking but. It was amazing. We learnt so much.”

Grinning, Kalebleaned back in his chair, relaxed, happy. Who would have thought he’d be at aCourt function and actually enjoy himself? Not him. But Shaw wasn’t justgloriously unconsciously gorgeous. She was smart. Dryly funny. With a slightlynasty edge that rubbed his Demon side in all the right ways.

Pity he couldn’tpretend this was an ordinary date. That he was an ordinary Demon. No, right nowhe wore the heavy crown of the Conflict Demon Monarchy. And boy, didn’t thatsuck practically every single second.

His gaze shiftingto meet the pointed looks of judgement his table of advisors were sending hisway. As always, they were unhappy. Kaleb inclined to return the sentiment. Moreoften than not the group of five made his job a hundred times harder with theirconstant bickering and dissent. They were Conflict Demons, it was their raisond’etre to sow seeds of mayhem, but these five were relentless. Plus, theyseemed to have forgotten that their actual job was to give support and aid tothe reigning Monarch. Certainly one of them had even gone so far as to takesteps to change that situation.

“So?” Shaw leanedover, lowering her voice to all but a whisper. “Which one do you think it is?”

“Who is?”

“The traitor.” Shesmiled as Kaleb’s eyes widened in surprise. “Please. They were outside youroffice yesterday morning and a Gxthian manages to crack your private Portalaccess and stage a sneak attack? Then today they happen to track you down atthe medical facility, only for a Gxthian Hunting Party to turn up soon after?Someone really doesn’t like you. Which one do you think it is?”

“Take your pick.”Kaleb turned towards Shaw, lifting her hand, slowly running his thumb back andforth across her knuckles. Making it look like they were indulging in anintimate private moment instead of discussing who was trying to have himkilled.

“Vanessa, with theyellow hair and robes, hates that I won’t award her family any new contracts.Her grandson runs the family company and is a lazy idiot, so never going tohappen. Bartius, in the grey robes with the beard? He thinks I’m a witlessmoron and would prefer a sea amoeba was Regent rather than my good self. He’sfun to wind up. Shunia, in the blue robes, her family had a lot to do with thewar and have taken a huge hit since peace was declared. She keeps pushing forme to declare war on anything or anyone and to do it now, now, now. Kreyon, theslick dude in all black. He’s a rigid traditionalist behind that smarmy smile.He’s unhappy that I’m not a misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic despot. Lastlythere’s Seamus, in the brown robes. Don’t let the cheery smile and Santa Clauslooks fool you. He has three ex-Berserker relatives: an older brother, and twonephews. He thinks I’m wasting everyone’s time and the Realm’s money trying torehabilitate them. I’m pretty sure he’d prefer all the Berserkers were lockedin a deep dark hole and the key thrown away. More significant, if his olderbrother does recover, then he’ll take up the helm in regards to the familycoffers, edging Seamus out.”

“Quite the groupof snakes you have there. Which one do you think it is then?”

Leaning over Kalebtook the opportunity to brush a kiss across the back of Shaw’s knuckles,unsurprised as the Valkyrie squeezed his hand hard in warning, ouch. “I havepeople working on it. Unfortunately for me, even if I discovered the truthright now, it wouldn’t stop the rest of the Gxthian Hunting Party from comingafter me.”

“True, once acontract is signed, those dudes don’t stop coming. Sucks to be you.”

“Luckily I have myown personal Valkyrie bodyguard for the next… eight days to see me safe.”

“About that. Whathappens in eight-”

“Your Majesty.”The head steward appeared at Kaleb’s shoulder. “Forgive the interruption but Ibelieve the guests would like to leave… and they can’t unless you do so first.”

“Oh, what, noafter dinner drinks?” Two wails of anguish sounded and several She-Demons begansobbing a little louder. “Okay, perhaps not. Maybe we should call it a night?”He looked to Shaw who shrugged. She was about to suggest they Portal back tothe Earth Plane when the five political advisors hustled forward, flanked by agroup of Palace guards dressed in all black.

“Turning in forthe evening, Your Highness?” Shunia enquired loftily.

“It has been arather… stressful few days for you.” Kreyon posited.

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