“No, no, no. Anael’s throne will be the same size and shape as mine and sit on the dais right next to me.” Zagan resisted the urge to claw Ferris’s face. Not only would his mate not like it, but the demons had finally got the floor, walls and even the ceilings clean and he was loath to get them dirty again.
“Consorts sit on a cushion at their master’s feet. It’s the way it’s done down here.” Ferris’s stubbornness was one of his good points, but not right now.
“That line of thinking is a clear indication of why you’re still single,” Zagan roared. “Pets sit on a cushion at a master’s feet. Mates aren’t pets. Consorts aren’t pets. They’re not slaves, servants or concubines. They’re equals. Can’t you get that through your thick skull?”
Ferris tugged on his ear. “The dais ain’t big enough to hold two thrones,” he said, eyeing the floor space. “We could put your mate’s down here at floor level.”
Zagan let out a long breath. Sometimes managing demons was like knocking down a brick wall with a toothpick. “Do you honestly want my feisty mate anywhere near you when you’ve got your dick out? What if he slips with the sword, or worse, zaps you with a dose of kindness and compassion while you’re trying to get your funky on? What if, thanks to Anael’s power, all of you started singing, writing poetry and braiding each other’s hair instead of fucking every Friday night?”
“He could do that?” Ferris’s eyes were so wide, Zagan was sure they would fall out.
“Still think he needs a throne on floor level?” Zagan countered. He didn’t know the full extent of his mate’s powers, but then neither did his demons and now they’d realized Anael could wield the one weapon that could wipe them out, they’d all been on their best behavior around him.
“I’ll put the order in with Grog to get it made. Me and my brother will widen the dais.” Ferris stomped off and Zagan looked around for his mate. He was usually easy to see, given Lucifer’s mandate about showing their wings when they were in his domain.
In the two days since the fighting, Zagan learned his demons fell into three camps when they considered Anael. There were those who didn’t trust him, but kept their mouths shut about it. The bulk of them accepted him as Zagan’s consort, but were wary of him. The third group, which seemed to include every other demon in the realm under the age of five hundred, were in awe of him and his powers. Anael was surrounded by such a group now. They weren’t braiding their hair exactly, but as Zagan got closer he could hear Anael giving advice to someone who was clearly lusting after someone above his station.
“You need to find a way to show you’re different,” Anael was explaining patiently. “You guys have hot sex all the time. That’s not going to help you stand out. If you’re keen on someone for more than sex, then you need to show you understand their other needs.”
“But sex is the way demons learn if they’re attracted to someone.” Porag had become one of Anael’s ardent admirers. Any doubts he might have had about Anael’s strength was quickly dispelled by the sight of Anael carrying the sword. “No point in having a relationship with someone if the sex is lousy.”
“What makes for lousy sex?” Anael held out his hands. “You get a stiff cock, find a hole to stick it in and orgasm. Bam. It’s not rocket science. You could get the same effect shoving your dick in a soda bottle.”
“It wouldn’t fit.” Tyrell, another young demon working his way through Zagan’s ranks laughed and cupped his crotch.
“Then that would probably be lousy sex.” Anael’s laughter joined the others. “But you guys don’t go around sticking your dicks in soda bottles, or any other receptacle that it might fit in,” he added with a wink at Tyrell, “and why not? What makes sex with another person different to soda bottle sex?”
Porag scratched his head, his mouth twisted as he thought about it. Zagan would have laughed, because thinking wasn’t Porag’s strong point, but he didn’t want to interrupt and draw attention to himself. He leaned against one of the huge pillars that dotted his throne room, wondering what his guard would say.
“Feelings,” Porag shouted. “You’s talking about feelings. Like the heat of another person’s body and the way their muscles or tongue work you up into a lather and you blow. A soda bottle can’t do that.”
“Yes, that’s a start.” Anael shook his head. “But when you have sex with someone, what do you feel here?” He patted his chest.
“Heartburn?” Tyrell suggested. “Because, I have to say, if I’ve been bingeing on Mama Caan’s chili and then I’ve got to get my rocks off, all I want to do is belch when I’m done. It’s all that exercise.”
“I think you’re fighting a lost cause, my precious,” Zagan said, pushing himself off the pillar and stepping up behind his mate. “Do you see connection potentials between any of my demons?”
“Of course,” Anael’s upturned face with his perpetual smile caused Zagan to think he had heartburn. Every time his precious angel smiled at him, it was as if the sun came out. “All beings have a connection somewhere.”
“We do?” Porag looked at the others in the group. “Well, if we do, why don’t you just pair us up and let us get on with it.”
“Because everyone has free will,” Zagan said, tugging his mate to his feet. “You need to feel the connection for yourself for it to be effective. Am I right, precious?”
“Close enough.” Anael stepped willingly into his arms. “I can only ever nudge a couple in the right direction,” he added looking over his shoulder at his latest admirers. “Making a relationship work is something that’s unique to each pairing.”
“I still think you’re fighting a lost cause, precious,” Zagan whispered as he led Anael away. Lucifer sent word earlier that morning that he wanted to see them. Zagan assumed it was to do with Lady Zoltus and he hoped his angel was now fit enough to face her again. “I know what you’re trying to teach them, but remember they will always be true to their natural state.”
“But demons love,” Anael pouted. “I’ve seen it with mothers and their children playing in the streets.”
“My men are damned. That’s why they were assigned to me. The fact that you can even get them to consider the possibility of love, is a huge step forward.”
“What does that mean, damned?” Anael asked as they stepped out of the hall and crossed the compound. “Your demons seem no different from any others I’ve met.”
Nodding to the guard who opened the gate, and leading Anael through, Zagan considered his answer. It was difficult tucking his angel under his arm when the man’s wings started to flutter in the light breeze so he settled for them holding hands. Anael had no problems with PDAs, for which Zagan was grateful. It meant he could stake his claim on his angel for all to see.
“A demon who is considered damned is marked in some way,” he said slowly, unwilling to undo all the positive work his angel had done with his demons so far. “Demon children are born with a soul as white as yours; just like any other paranormal. They grow up, admittedly in hell, and many of them lead normal lives in the Underworld. And like any other species, there are some who are more inclined to the negative aspects of life than others. If they act on it, then that can damn them.”
“I never thought demons were evil,” Anael agreed. “Demons are guardians, preventing condemned souls from causing havoc on earth. That’s a very important job.”
Pleased Anael thought so, especially when other angels he’d met in the past hadn’t been as kind, Zagan tightened his hand holding his mate’s. “The damned aren’t evil either,” he said as the Administration building came into view. “They’ve just committed some acts, usually against their own kind, that permanently marked their soul. Haures, who I hope you’ll meet soon, leads the spirits of the damned – the souls of humans who carry the same mark. It might sound strange, but Lucifer gives the damned, both demons and human spirits alike, the chance to redeem themselves by protecting the innocent among us.”
“It’s a good idea,” Anael agreed. “Some of the other angels used to think I was naïve when I said I didn’t believe any being was born evil, but I’ve always thought that way. It all stems back to choice.”
“I’ve done some things in my life I’m not proud of,” Zagan admitted as he held the Administration door open, allowing Anael to pass through. “But when the chips are down, my men follow my orders and they’ve done a lot to protect this realm.”
“They don’t fight on earth?” Anael asked as he smiled at Carmine, manning the reception desk.
“No being with a mark on his soul can set foot on earth,” Zagan whispered, as Carmine picked up his phone, presumably to let Lucifer know they’ve arrived.
“But you…oh….” Anael’s bright eyes twinkled and his smile was infectious. “Speaking of which, I’ll need to return to my apartment soon. I’ve been slacking in my job and Head Office will notice.”
Zagan wasn’t sure he wanted Anael wandering around among humans who were attracted to his light. But it wasn’t his place to insist his mate stay with him. “I’ll go with you,” he said instead. “As soon as we’ve seen the boss.”
The things I’ll do to see that smile.