Chapter Four
Raphael
I struggled hard not to laugh at Andre’s childish antics. He was all man, but maybe that was the problem. He was so masculine, he hated having to admit he enjoyed spreading his legs and getting it as good as he could give it. I had already slicked my cock up with lube, but now I was pouring some on his tight, wrinkled hole. He had a gorgeous one, too. I loved licking and sucking on it. It puckered so well, you could actually wrap your lips around it and give it a good rimming. And when I did it, he squirmed in pleasure just as much as Brian did.
I took my time entering him, because unlike Brian, Andre had to really adjust to my girth. The Agoto didn’t transform his body to take his mates the way Brian’s Agoto had done to him. But we still enjoyed sex all the same. He grunted when I pushed deeper, and I could tell he was controlling his breathing. His body remained relaxed until I was buried all the way. I groaned in pleasure as I just stayed still, savoring the sensation of being caressed by his insides. Damn, I treasured our union.
I wrapped my fingers around his leather harness, the one I knew he wore for Brian’s benefit, and I began pumping my cock in and out of him. I made sure to massage his prostate with my cock on each stroke. His body quaked in ecstasy as we fucked, and Brian was making all the right sounds that went straight to my cock. I knew it wouldn’t be too long before he busted his second nut. The bed, which I had reinforced, didn’t rock with our movements, but the mattress was another story. It bounced with each thrust. I was fucking Andre as he fucked Brian, each of us moving as one with a pace that created intense pleasure.
Brian was the first to come, and his orgasm triggered Andre’s. They both quaked as they rode their climaxes. Andre’s ass clenched up around me, milking me even more as I continued to fuck him, driving me through the roof. I roared as my orgasm rocked through my body. I knew I was filling him with quite the load, as I was always good for a healthy dose of cum. We panted and grunted until we were all sated and our balls were empty. I pulled out and fell back on the bed, my chest heaving as I took in all the air I could.
Andre rolled over onto his back, his wet cock lying limply on his muscular thigh. As for Brian, he was just lying on his stomach, eyes closed and panting the hardest. This was complete satisfaction for us. Not only was it something we wanted to do, we needed to do it. We stayed powerful and grew stronger as long as we were together and mating. One of the reasons why I forcibly moved Andre into our home. He was being stubborn as always, and even after shit had kicked off with Katashniel, he was still trying to keep his crappy apartment. As head of our triumvirate, I had to put a stop to it. I would always put a stop to their behavior if it was destructive.
I climbed out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a piss and grab a shower. While I was in the shower, the two of them joined me. We didn’t fuck again. Instead, we washed up and climbed out. Every night, we had to patrol with the Society. We were all members now, as was every powerful demon in Adriel’s army, which numbered in the hundreds. Even the Lords were executives within the Society, making all of the decisions. We were spread out all over the world, but it wasn’t just Adriel’s army. Other demons from other levels of hell were inducted as well. They had to agree to help if they wanted to keep their gates to their respective hells open.
It was a new day and age, and therefore, old alliances had to be replaced. Sides had to be picked indefinitely, because another war was on our fronts. I think somehow, I always knew something like this was inevitable. Not necessarily through the actions of Katashniel, but by demons being careless and being exposed in this day and age of technology. Adriel was smart in how quickly he took control of the situation. In order to keep things from getting completely out of control, it was wise to show the humans that demons had always been here living among them. Also, leaving the world leaders in place helped the rest of the humans retain their calm.
Declaring martial law and having the streets filled with soldiers all over the country was unnerving. As a matter of fact, it was happening all over the world, depending on how each government handled the change. I didn’t think Katashniel had expected Adriel to expose himself and his army. My king might be half human, but he was no fool or punk, as Brian would say.
I did take satisfaction in the fact that I didn’t have to expose myself since I didn’t work in the public sector. That was done for a reason, as Adriel didn’t want to show his full hand. Some demons did well being hidden like I was. Business was still flowing, because order was being restored. The world had to function like it always had been. That was the only way to prove we could co-exist. I felt pity for Brian and Andre, who had to be under the constant eye of human scrutiny. I’d hate to ever have to answer to them, but they grinned and beared it, along with other demons. I just wanted to see what everything would be like once we destroyed Katashniel and his minions.
I grabbed my favorite sword from the gym, which doubled as a weapons armory. After giving Andre a playroom for him and Brian, I had to put the weapons somewhere. Both Brian and Andre were with me, picking out their chosen armaments. We all had our standard issued Glock from the Society with the special demon-killing bullets. But it was always wise to carry a second weapon, preferably one that could take out a Lord.
I could honestly say I hated having to work for the Society. Well, hate might be too intense a sentiment. I would just say that I strongly disliked doing it. I’d known about them for a long time and never had any interest in joining. That was Brian’s thing, but Adriel wasn’t giving me or any of his knights a choice. As a matter of fact, any demon worth their powers was now a member of the Society. Augustus was FBI and Society, which was hard because, like myself and others, we were now working two jobs. Of course, Adriel didn’t want to hear any complaints, and none of us gave them. He was the king; he ordered, we obeyed.
I was walking out of the gym when I felt Adriel’s call. It was like a chill that went up and down your spine, leaving you a little lightheaded. I turned to see that Brian and Andre were shaking off the sensation, so I knew he’d called all of us. This was the second time he’d done it. The first time it happened was last month, and it was something I didn’t know he could do as he’d never done it before. I think he preferred to use a messenger or the cell phone because it didn’t take any power or deep concentration on his side to call us to him. The fact that he was doing it now must have meant this would be a meeting of great importance.
“Well, let’s not keep the king waiting,” I said, then walked over to the two of them, wrapping my arms around them. I teleported us to where Adriel was waiting. As soon as we settled, we knelt immediately, showing not only our respect for our king, but also our servitude. He needed to see it more now than ever before. With all the demons betraying him and joining Katashniel’s side, he needed to know who he could trust.
“Rise,” Adriel commanded, so we did.
Now that I was able to look at my king, I saw that we were in his office at the Society headquarters. He didn’t come here often, if at all, really. These days, it was hard to tell where he was. He came to you or called you, not the other way around. Adriel was sitting behind his desk, dressed head to toe in a black suit. His tie was silk, as were the suit’s lapels. He was gorgeous with his silver hair and dark eyebrows that perfectly framed captivating silver eyes that held our attention. I tore my gaze from him to take a look around the office, as many other demons were also present. By my calculations, there were five Lords, two lieutenants, and forty-six knights, myself included. Last time a powerful group of demons had been gathered like this, King Adriel was going to close the gate to Eighth-hell. Something very important was about to go down.
Vahiel, Rohan, and Nasini were the three Lords I was most familiar with, and only one of them I considered to be a friend. Nasini was the head of our demonic line, the first Agoto, and she could give or take any other Agoto that wasn’t a part of her own triumvirate, I think. Vahiel and I had been friends for centuries. For a Lord, he was one of the most laid back of the lot, not one for most of the pomp and circumstance, as Brian would say. Rohan, well, now that he was comfortable in his human flesh, was another Lord who was fiercely loyal to Adriel and would gladly kill any demon who wasn’t. He was also great in bed, and I and my mates enjoyed fucking him when he was in the mood.
From what I knew, Adriel was the strongest royal out of all the levels of hell, so therefore, he was allowed eight Lords. Two betrayed him, one of them was dead. I knew he had five who were on this plane. One, I didn’t know at all, not even his name or what kind of demon he was. He was sitting in the shadows in the back of the office and, apparently, no one was going to bother him about it. As for the other Lord, she was the one who actually terrified me above all others. It didn’t help that she was in the body of a beautiful six-year-old girl. Lord Oria worshipped the ground Adriel walked on, which was good, but she looked at the rest of us with a discerning eye. I had witnessed on one occasion what she did to a demon who had betrayed Adriel. It was a fate worse than death.
The demon still lived, but she was forever trapped in her own mind, surrounded by everything that had ever terrified her to her soul. For Lord Oria was a lokai, a fear demon. Just being in the same room with her was unnerving. Probably one of the reasons why she loved being in a child’s body. The innocence one would presume should be there—wasn’t. Oria was sitting in one of the chairs across from Adriel and her little feet were swinging like a child’s would. Oria even had the nerve to be wearing Mary Janes and a pretty, pink ruffle and lace dress and lacey socks. I turned away from her and focused on Adriel. The king was scanning the room in silence and no one said a word.
“You are all my strongest warriors, that is why I’ve summoned you here for this ritual,” Adriel began. “Tonight, I need to create a new Lord. I need the blood of my current Lords and knights. I have everything else I need to bind the new Lord to me.”
Well, I hadn’t been expecting that at all. I’d never seen how a Lord was made. A knight was created just by being awarded the title or by birthright. From what I knew, it was a gift given to Nasini for her loyalty to Adriel that all of those in her line would be knights. She wasn’t the only one who had gotten that gift, considering the other forty-one knights in the room. There used to be forty-seven, but we lost one in this retched war. As for us, we were considered pure demons because the Agoto bonded with us, giving us demonic powers. I believed that was one of the things Brian and Andre had to come to grips with. Hell, even I’d had my own rough patch accepting my fate, and my son had paid the price for my stubbornness. His death really was my only regret, and I had vowed to never let another Agoto I was responsible for ever have to suffer such pain and misery. That was why I was so hard on Brian and Andre. It paid off as far as I was concerned.
Agotos were unique and revered. No other demon reproduced like we did, and even if one was lucky enough to impregnate a human, the child would be diluted, like King Adriel was. It was something that was looked down upon in the demon world, which was why we were at war now. Adriel had my respect regardless, though.
Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, I was about to witness the creation of a new Lord and was curious as to which demon would be the lucky recipient. This was a monumental occasion. I looked at Brian and Andre, I could tell by their perplexed expressions they were just as curious as I was about the new-to-be-Lord.
Adriel stood up and came around his desk to sit on it. “I don’t make this decision lightly and gave great consideration as to which one of you were worthy. I need to increase my powers, fulfill my stable of Lords, and choose one whose line will become powerful knights.”
I was looking around the room to see which one he’d pick. I knew it would be a lieutenant, as they were the ones who could be upgraded to Lords. For a knight to be upgraded, I would think they’d have to be super special. Never knew it to happen, only lieutenants. The majority were still in hell, though. Some of the demons who were present I was slightly familiar with, but didn’t really know them on a personal level. We’d only fought together the night Katashniel broke free, so I wasn’t sure about them or their natures. The two lieutenants present, I didn’t know at all, having never seen them before. They were intimidating, to say the least. Stone faces, white auras, and you could feel the power emanating from them.
“Nakai, please step forward,” Adriel said, beckoning for the demon to approach.
I turned to see a beautiful Asian woman with delicate feminine features step through the parting demons. Her long, black hair was braided in a single braid down the length of her back. She was petite in stature, but that had nothing to do with her true power. Nasini was also petite, but I wouldn’t fuck with her. She was wearing an all-black outfit meant for stealth, which clung to her every curve like a second skin. The two swords on her back were to let you know they weren’t there for show.
She lowered her head as she knelt down on one knee in front of Adriel. “My king, I am honored.”
“As you should be,” Adriel agreed. Well, he wasn’t lacking in the pride department. “I am impressed by the initiative you’ve shown since arriving on this plane. That is why you are worthy.”
“I will always serve you until my death, if it should ever come,” she said.
“I would expect nothing less,” Adriel stated. He looked up at the rest of us and smirked. “There should be no jealousy among you. Is there any?”
We all answered in our own way. Some shook their heads, others replied vocally, but we were all in agreement. Even if there was jealousy, I was sure no sane demon would admit it. Of course, whether or not they admitted it wouldn’t matter. Adriel would know. And by the way, his gaze zeroed in on one particular demon. It would seem he had discovered a liar in his army.
“Zachriel, I see jealousy in your eyes and know it is in your heart,” Adriel said.
I looked at the demon that gave Brian the “heebie jeebies” as he put it. The one with the dual male and female voices. The Hanta demon who had helped him solve his first Society mission. I wondered if he had seen this coming, being a seer demon.
Zachriel smiled sweetly at the king. “Only one half of me is envious, my most gracious and wise king. Pay me no mind, Sire, please.”
Yeah, you could hear both male and female voices at one time, and the cadence in which Zachriel spoke didn’t help make it less creepy, even by demon standards. I understood and shared some of Brian’s feelings towards the demon, but being as old as I was, I was quite used to all sorts of demons and their quirks, so to speak.
Adriel snorted and I saw him roll his eyes. If anyone was patient regarding a demon’s quirks, it would be our king. “Nakai is a Bokada and this promotion is long overdue.” He turned to Vahiel. “Please gather everyone’s blood.”
Vahiel, who had been sitting in the other chair, leg draped over it, nodded and stood up. He was extremely powerful being an alchemist demon, the first and only of his kind. It wasn’t easy for Vahiel to reproduce. He once told me he could only reproduce with one kind of demon, a Morgren, which was a very low-level yet highly coveted demon that could bear another demon’s seed. Like a demonic incubator, and the child born would be a full-demonic version of its dominant parent demon. They were first-hell level demons who remained in hell as they could not take a human form or make themselves look human. And Vahiel had summoned one once and was so reviled by its appearance and stench, he changed his mind and sent it back. I wondered if there would be any others one day. Would King Adriel force him to mate in order to produce another Sadake? Who knew? If it ever happened, he had my sympathies.
As it were, Vahiel was indispensable. Adriel was going to need him to complete this ritual. As for Nakai, I could see why she was about to be upgraded. A Bokada was one hell of a demon. Like Agotos, they had control of an element. Where we produced fire and could turn someone into ash, they produced ice, meaning they could freeze anyone, human or demon, instantly. This was all according to Vahiel, who told me about the Bokada many years ago. Like I said, this was my first time ever seeing one. I wondered what initiative she had taken that had earned her the promotion. Adriel didn’t seem like he was about to elaborate. I figured I would ask Vahiel later.
Vahiel made quick work of collecting blood from each demon. He was now standing in front of me, waiting. I looked down at the bloody knife he was using. “You’re not even going to wipe it off?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you worried about germs?”
I scoffed and held out my wrist. He laughed and sliced my flesh with expert precision over my vein. I winced a little because it stung. It was a blade that could kill a Lord, so the wound was deep and didn’t heal instantly. He was able to get the amount he desired by the time I started to heal.
“Took it like a big boy, I’m proud of you,” he teased.
“Fuck you”, I mouthed to more of his laughter. Next, he went to Brian, who held out his wrist. He did the same thing over and over again until he’d collected every demon’s blood, then went back to Adriel, who held out his wrist. The king didn’t even wince when his flesh had been sliced. As I watched him, I couldn’t help but be enamored. For three centuries, I’d avoided him. It was easy, as I wasn’t on his radar. He communicated through Nasini. He didn’t need to speak directly to me. But when Brian came into my life, a lot of things changed. For one thing, Adriel took great interest and we became his favorite knights, to the jealousy of others.
I wasn’t concerned about other demons’ opinions of me or my mates, really. I wouldn’t kill them for their jealousy, but I would hurt them if they ever stepped out of line with me. That was if they were still loyal to Adriel. I encouraged Brian and Andre to do the same. It was especially important to maintain a no-nonsense approach these days when so many demons were out of control; testing waters and crossing lines. They needed to be put in their place or killed if they proved to be difficult or disloyal.
After Vahiel got Adriel’s blood, he took Nakai’s, then placed the bowl of blood on the desk and began sprinkling herbs and other things into it. He was also chanting a spell in a demonic language I didn’t fully understand. I got every tenth word or so, which was surprising to me. I had never thought there was more than one language, or that one could be so ancient I’d be lost in trying to translate it. Made me wonder just how old Vahiel was, as he’d never told me his age. I did know he loved earth the way it was and didn’t seek to have hell reign upon it.
Vahiel kept his secrets, one being how he created the sakoya all demons loved to drink. It was the only beverage that could give us a great buzz or knock us on our asses. He never let me see how he made mine, I was just directed to pick my order up when it was ready. He could make it in different flavors and intensities. I usually took his mildest mixture, and it was still strong enough to put Brian down for the night. As for this ritual, it was so intimate and I felt privileged to be able to witness it. I hoped Brian and Andre felt the same.