by Cate Masters
Yes! It could be possible to have Zeveriah for herself. The solution was within her grasp.
So was the demon’s penis, dangling like a tempting, ripe fruit. Fully engorged, it was swollen and purple, with veins rippling throughout, an added texture that spiked Veronica’s lust simply looking at it.
Poor thing. The demon needed relief. Veronica swam in front of her, taking a savoring taste with her tongue as she rose to stand in all her naked splendor in front of the demon. “I’m going to the changing room. The farthest one in the back.” She knew how to take care of the demon, and then remove all traces of the hermaphrodite’s scent so Zev would never know.
She sauntered past the bench where her robe was draped. Instead of lifting it, she kept walking and glanced over her shoulder.
The demon leapt up, snatched Veronica’s robe and followed.
***
Lily flopped onto the soft sofa at Persephone’s house, exhausted from the whirlwind day. A tour of the Underworld, meeting other archdukes and their wives. The political structure, she decided, was not unlike that on Earth.
Much as she hated to admit it, the Underworld had a certain beauty to it, an edge of danger and mystery. Part of her felt at home and it was great to have family around. Yeah, they were weird and unpredictable, to say the least. Still way better than her adopted mother, Jean.
She turned toward Persephone, who paged through the current edition of Cosmopolitan. “Who selected Jean as my adopted mom?”
“Jean maintains a foothold in the upper kingdom, even if her allegiance is to the Underworld.”
“She’s a double agent?” Talk about strange.
“Of sorts, yes.”
“Wish she’d given me the luck of the Irish along with the MacInnis name.”
“The name MacInnis is significant, dear. Literally, it means ‘descendant of angels’.”
Some clue. From that, she was supposed to divine that her father was angel? “Jean sucks as a maternal figure. In case you were considering having her raise anyone else.”
Persephone finally looked up. “Did she not provide for you?”
Yeah, Jean provided grief aplenty. If Lily had been a boy, her balls would have been busted so many times, there’d be nothing left to them. “She never made me feel wanted.” Something Lily could never forgive.
“I’m so sorry, dear. You’re wanted here. By us all.”
Except for some, the overarching desire was to see her gone, maybe by violent means. “I know. It feels really good. You know I have to go back soon.”
“Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Zeveriah will be heartbroken.”
“Hardly. I’m sure his concubine has a remedy. Anyway, I…” Should she reveal her heart to Persephone? Could Lily trust her? “I’m in love with someone else.”
“What? Who?”
From the surprise on Persephone’s face, her grandmother thought it a new development. She sat up. “No one here. It’s Bodie. I mean, Bodiel.”
Alarm smoothed her grandmother’s face. “Shh, never speak his name here.” She set aside the magazine and rose.
“Why not?”
“It’s forbidden. Hades would have conniptions. And never let him learn you’re infatuated with one of them.” Persephone paced to the desk in the corner, placed a pen in the holder, and then sauntered into the kitchen.
An angel. Like her father. “All right.” Yeah, that would bring back all sorts of bad memories, for them both.
Chapter Eleven
Hells, what have I done? Veronica should never have come to this place. The wind screamed, blowing incessantly, tearing at her gown and hair.
She climbed from the chariot and led the horses to a run-in shelter beside the low-slung building. Not at all what the palace of a goddess, even a banished one. Except for a dim light flickering behind the thick leaded glass windows, it looked deserted.
Let’s get this over with. She held her hood in place and reached the door. A circular, black metal serpent, swallowing its own tail, served as the knocker. How original.
She rapped the knocker against the door. A hiss sounded, and the door opened, but no one stood inside to greet her. A pungent odor assaulted her senses; of what, she couldn’t tell. A dank sewer filled with putrid fluids might smell better. She drew her hood to her nose to shield it.
“Hello?” She stepped over the threshold and halted.
Snakes coiled around chair legs, hung from the torch posts, slithered across the tiled floor. A closer look revealed the tile to be gemstones – smoky quartz, tourmaline and amber. Urns of tiger’s eye and garnet invited Veronica’s touch until serpents hissed from the rims.
From behind a dark veil, transparent enough to show a woman’s shape, a deep female voice asked, “Who are you? And why are you here?”
“I came to beg your help.” What should I call her? Veronica knew of no title, but Lilith might take insult if she called her by name. Hastily, she added, “My lady.”
A grunt of amusement sounded. “You took quite a risk in coming to see me. So far from any.” Behind the veil, the goddess went to a table and poured from a decanter. Hisses echoed, and the susurration of movement. Is she part serpent? No, it had to be the goddesses’ snakes, a common pet in lower sections of Hell.
Veronica had no use for pets of any type. “Please, you are the only one who can help me. I’m desperate.”
“You endanger your life, concubine. I have no interest in your problems. I’ve severed heads for less excuse.”
“How did you know…” Never mind that; concubines were well known everywhere, she supposed. “I must dispose of The Destined One, who is promised to wed the Archduke of Hades Section Six.”
“Dispose of? Such a delicate phrase for such a nasty thing.” The words rolled off Lilith’s tongue in a slow taunt.
Veronica had no time for semantics. “If I kill Lily, wouldn’t it also be sweet revenge for you against Hades?”
“Hades will receive his due in time,” Lilith hissed. “He shares equal blame for my banishment with those above.”
The goddess sought revenge against the angels as well? “Lily’s part angel, too. So you see, it’s perfect. You’ll have revenge on both sides.”
Lilith stilled, only her head turning toward Veronica. “Part angel?”
Ah, so that caught the goddess’ interest. “Yes, she is the daughter of Illiana and Zacharel.”
“Persephone’s daughter mated with an angel? How interesting.”
Finally, something worth bartering, though everyone else already knew it. Veronica tried to quell the shiver in her voice. Desperation would get her nowhere. “Hades hid Lily away. Unfortunately, upon her twenty-first birthday, he invited her back. She had the foolishness to accept.”
“And you seek to rid both worlds of her. How?”
“I was hoping you could advise me, goddess.”
Lilith laughed, a sound that could curdle milk, full of cruelty and bitterness. After it ended, Lilith sat silent for a long while.
Veronica wondered whether she should take her leave while she could still walk of her own accord.
Finally Lilith said, “My advice does not come cheap. The cost will be steep.”
“I’ll pay anything. Name your price.”
“Return to your archduke.”
Veronica sagged with despair. She’s not going to help!
Lilith continued, “Wait until I send for you. When you return, I will give you my advice. Not before you make the required payment in full, of course.”
Yes she is! “A thousand thanks, goddess.” Veronica could hardly breathe, she wanted to whoop for joy.
Another bitter laugh. “Goddess. Yes, once I was a renowned goddess. The Sumerians celebrated my wisdom, my courage, my passion. I was the divine female. The first woman.”
“What happened?” Many spoke of Lilith’s downfall, though none could say why.
“Politics,
I suppose. I was created alongside Adam, and I refused to obey him. Or any man.”
Even Hades, Veronica guessed, so he must have banished her to this distant corner, far from any soul.
“Beware any man who would enslave you – either in body or mind. Make certain this archduke is worthy of you before you risk so much for him.”
Veronica stammered, “I love him.” And the status a marriage to him would afford her.
“Give your heart, then, but not your freedom. If he is as jealous as Adam, you are doomed.”
“You laid with other men?”
“The archangel Samael.” Lilith clicked her teeth. “Now he was a fantastic lover. Inventive, playful, with the stamina of a racehorse. Hung like one, too.” She snickered, and then sighed. “I could never return to Eden after such an eye-opening experience. Hard to believe I was fashioned from the same earth as Adam – the dolt.”
Solitude made for a loose tongue, apparently. Veronica found Lilith’s gossip fascinating, but her surroundings grated every nerve. The incessant wind, the stench – rank even by Underworld standards – and serpents everywhere. Lilith must be used to them; Veronica could swear a very large one stayed close to her side, matching every step.
Lilith went on. “Take care they don’t demonize you, as they did me.”
“I’m a nymph.” Not a demon.
The curtain flew apart, and Lilith’s angry face loomed near Veronica’s. “And I was a goddess! Not now, would you say?” Her hand swept down.
Veronica’s gaze followed, and panic crushed her throat. Below Lilith’s waist, a thick, scaly body of a serpent merged with skin. She’d guessed right; Lilith was part snake. In more ways than one.
The goddess’ harsh laughter rang throughout her chamber.
A hasty thank you was all the farewell Veronica gave as she rushed out the door, the wind screeching in her ears.
***
The dainty coins tinkled as Lily fitted the mesh belt over her hips.
Pride glowed in Persephone’s face. “Your body’s made for the dancing silks. Beautiful.”
“They are, aren’t they?” She raised her arm to admire the sheen of the sky-blue fabric attached to her wrist, so light it floated at the slightest movement.
“I meant you, darling. You’re stunning. If you were to perform in that, every soul in the Underworld would be mad with lust.”
Not the outcome Lily sought. “Then I’m glad the lesson’s private.” Away from prying attentions of everyone, but mostly Zeveriah. “Are you sure the dancers don’t mind teaching me?”
“We’re all so pleased you’re taking an interest in your heritage.”
Not what she’d asked. If the women had to do it against their will, Lily wanted no part of it. “I’d love to learn all the story dances. I’m not disturbing their schedules, am I?”
“Here comes someone now.” Hardness glazed Persephone’s eyes as she turned to the woman entering the studio.
When Lily looked up, she understood. The dancer who pierced her with hateful glances throughout the performance approached.
Persephone tilted her head in the slightest nod of acknowledgment. “You’re Lily’s first instructor?”
The gleam in the woman’s eyes held no merriment. More like murder. She bowed. “Yes, mistress.” Turning to Lily, her shoulders squared. “I am Veronica.”
Sounded like less of an introduction than a challenge. “I’m Lily. Thank you for taking the time to teach me, Veronica.”
The woman’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly as she bent one leg in front of her and bowed. “It is an honor.” The graceful arch of her leg displayed her powerful leg muscles.
“The honor is mine.”
Persephone sighed. “Did you bring the extra set of zills?”
Veronica lifted a pouch and emptied its contents into her palm. Out tumbled four tiny brass cymbals with intricate designs carved in them. “Two for each hand. Fit one to your thumb, the other to the middle finger.”
The woman spoke like a drill sergeant. Fine with Lily; she understood. Dancing was a strict discipline that required grueling practice. She didn’t want any special treatment because of who she was.
Persephone sent Lily a tight smile, full of apology. “If you’ll excuse me. I have a prior engagement.”
“Of course.” To the instructor, she asked, “Which dance will you teach me first?”
“There are an infinite variety of story dances, as infinite as each woman’s personal story.”
“Whichever you think best.”
“First you must become accustomed to the zills. Most find it extremely difficult.”
Lily touched her fingers together. The musical cling made her want to move, to create a melodious, fluid harmony between body and metal. “I can’t wait to begin.”
“Let’s, then.” Veronica ducked her head as she stepped one leg back and circled her arms to the front in a low bow.
Guess I’m supposed to follow her lead. Lily copied her move.
From the peaceful pose, Veronica burst open her limbs, an explosion of movement as she twirled, one leg bent across the other, foot pumping her up and down in an increasingly fast swirl, her body like a hurricane surrounded by streaming silk, zills clanging in time.
Whoa. She tried to keep up, but had barely begun to master the rhythm of body and zill when Veronica leapt like a gazelle, silks billowing behind.
Simple enough, though Lily struggled to keep a consistent beat with the cymbals to match her leaps. Focus. And relax. Intent on the dancer’s body, she kept her muscles at once taut and fluid. Despite Veronica’s increasingly intricate movements, Lily mimicked her, a beat behind but otherwise flawless.
In a flurry of clings and swirls, Veronica descended to the floor. Lily did likewise, heart pounding from the workout, exhilarated.
Clapping sounded, a slow and disturbing appreciation.
Lily lifted her head and stifled a groan. Zev. So much for the private lesson. She wished Persephone had stayed.
“Bravo.” Eyes bright, he stood in a wide stance.
She glanced at Veronica, who lifted her torso, chest thrust out. Everything about the woman pleaded for Zev’s attention.
Zev extended his hand. “You must have used zills before.”
Lily pushed herself up. “No, I need much more practice.”
If he had a lick of sense, he’d muzzle his goofy smile. Instead he turned it toward Veronica. “Kudos to your excellent instructor, then.”
The image of icy aloofness, Veronica could have frozen Hell over with her demeanor. “I deserve no credit. Lily is a natural.”
Ouch. Not exactly a compliment, spoken in such an acidic tone. Lily forced an air of graciousness. “Thank you. I simply followed you. Not an easy task.” Maybe a little kissing up would ease the woman’s mind.
Her brief, tight, thin-lipped smile said otherwise. “We’ve much work ahead.” To Zev, she added, “Much of it is tedious. Not worth your time.”
“Nonsense.”
“I’m sure you have much more important things to attend to.”
“My schedule cleared unexpectedly. I have some free time.” His glare silenced any further argument she might make.
Lily got the distinct impression his schedule had included an appointment with Veronica, and she’d interrupted.
After a stiff curtsy, Veronica studied Lily. “Next, you will learn a slave dance.”
Ominous-sounding, the way she said it. “Great.” Better if Zev would go away. She’d have to simply ignore him.
He settled onto the bench, the only seating in the room. The way he leaned forward, elbows against his knees, he looked like a panther crouching.
Go find another prey. Lily gave her focus to Veronica, but Zev’s presence was palpable, a predator on the loose, and she couldn’t shake him from her senses. Nor could she shake the feeling that he equally held Veronica in his sights.
***
Self-restraint came at great cost. Zev bit his forke
d tongue to stop himself from offering to join their dance. Yes, a threesome with Veronica and Lily… he heaved a ragged breath, imagining himself in the role of the Warrior with two slave girls. Beautiful, tantalizing slave girls. Someday, he would have them both. Not today. Perhaps Veronica might aid him in winning Lily over. He’d never seen the girl so pliant, so willing, following Veronica’s slightest movement.
Strange, seeing them together like this. Veronica filled her dancing silks with more flesh, making for more curves. Beside her, tall and lithe, Lily still had a girlish look about her. Not quite ripe. Everything about Veronica exuded raw sex, from her plump lips to her plump hips, perfect anchors to hold when he banged away at her. Lily’s graceful moves held less seductive charms. Her slim hips swayed like a willow in the wind, elusive as the girl herself.
Afraid he’d drool, he had to close his mouth when Veronica writhed to the floor, arms raised above her head, torso twisting and buffeting as if receiving blows. What the…
Veronica’s words came between gasps. “Now the master is beating his slave. No master tolerates disobedience.”
Lily mimed her, and asked, “Why doesn’t the slave run away?”
“And suffer worse punishment? No, slaves understand it’s better to endure a small beating. Now she wants to make it up to him.” Pressed to the floor, Veronica reached upward toward the invisible master, her face sorrowful.
“Make it up to him how?”
“The master decides. Mostly, she will give herself to him. Do whatever she can to please him.” Veronica rose to her knees, hands sliding along imaginary thighs, then inward. Her head bobbed, tongue flicking.
Oh, yes. Zev leaned further forward, cock thickening, straining against the constraint of skin just as he strained to hold himself back.
Lily sat back on her legs. “A blow job?”
The disgust in her flat tone killed some of his pleasure.
Veronica instantly restored it. Palms flat on the floor, she raised her hips and undulated. A perfect impression of the fuck he longed to give her.
With an uncertain glance at Zev, Lily rose. “Maybe we should continue another time.”
