“Is that so, my consort?” Satan asked, enjoying her hostility. His arm tightened around me, but for all intents and purposes he looked completely relaxed to the crowd.
“Yes,” she said and coyly batted her eyelashes at him. “She is below us and doesn’t belong here.”
“Interesting. Would you like to challenge her?” he asked.
Challenge me to what?
Amanda blanched and glanced around the room looking for support. A fairly large number of Demons clapped, the rest watched warily. I tried to catalog some of her supporters. They were possibly the ones who would happily lead me to a portal if my presence was such a blight on the community.
“If I wasn’t with child, I would destroy her,” she hissed.
I’d had enough between Lust and the cheap silicone floozy insulting me. I didn’t want to be here and it was quite obvious I wasn’t wanted. There was no way in hell I would reveal that I was with child too, but her cakehole needed to be shut. “Well first of all, Pamela . . . whoops, I meant Donkey Nipples, although I could level your ass with my eyes shut I don’t think I’d have too much fun, but I’d love to take you out after you give birth, so please by all means pencil me in.”
“My name is Amanda,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
“That’s what I said.” I grinned when I saw all my cousins from Hell giving me the thumbs up.
“Enough,” Satan insisted, but his eyes glittered with amusement. “My consort shouldn’t be upset.” He released me and took her in his arms. She melted into him and he whispered something in her ear that made her purr like a kitten. She sauntered back and took her place near Cole smiling like a Cheshire cat.
“So,” my scarily beautiful uncle told his people, “Astrid is to learn the ways of her people. We are indebted to her and shall treat her accordingly.”
I glanced over the crowd. They weren’t pleased, but it didn’t seem that there was going to be a riot. No one was stupid enough to cross Satan. With a nod from my uncle, I went back to my cousins.
“Enough with formalities,” Satan shouted to his adoring crowd. “Let the party begin.”
The Demons surged the area where Satan stood, trying to get a word or a touch in. He was a god to them. A living, breathing, beautiful, evil god.
“That was outstanding,” Wrath said, coming in for another lip lock. Thankfully Dixie pulled me into a non-sexual hug and I escaped Wrath’s lovin’.
“She hates you,” Greed said. “Look at her.”
Sure enough Amanda was sneering at me, her teeth bared in what I guessed to be blatant Demon aggression. I smiled and winked. She turned an unattractive mottled red and mouthed, “You’re dead.”
“Did she just threaten my life?” I asked Wrath who was watching with great interest.
“I believe she did,” Wrath answered. “What ever shall you do about it?”
Killing her was out of the question. Too many witnesses, plus I was working without my Vamp powers and she was pregnant. But wait—when in Hell . . . I let Amanda’s anger and discontent wash over me and I absorbed it. A strong wave of dark magic ripped through me and it felt good. I glanced over at Lust and let my body take in her ire too. This was almost too easy. My fingers tingled and I saw the black glitter covering them. Could I do it? Should I do it? I may as well try something small to figure out if I could protect myself in real danger.
I raised my fingers and pointed at Amanda’s overly blown up sneering lips and I flicked. I watched my magic, a gorgeous mist of black glitter, travel from my fingertips to her mouth...and it popped. I popped her enhanced lips and they deflated like a flat tire. She looked ridiculous and I laughed. She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth and shrieked.
Satan turned his attention to her. “What’s wrong?” he snapped impatiently.
“Nothing,” she said from behind her hand, staring daggers at me. “I bit my lip, excuse me.” She left. Quickly.
“What was that about?” Satan turned to where we were huddled laughing. We all shrugged innocently, but his gaze narrowed in on me. Holy Hell he was magnetic. To hide my fear and guilt, I smiled and waved. Thankfully his attention was demanded by his people and I was safe—for the moment.
“Brilliant,” Greed congratulated me. The rest looked on with approval.
“The sheer fact that you called her Donkey Nipples makes me love you,” Pride offered dryly. “You’re alright with me.”
Dixie squeezed my hand and grinned. I was fitting in with the Seven Deadly Sins and it felt good. Was this what it was like to have sisters?
“Has Astrid met Grandpa yet?” Sloth inquired as we began to head out.
“We have a grandpa?” Help me Cousin Jesus. I couldn’t imagine he was going to be delighted that I’d offed his son.
“Oh, yes,” Sloth told me, clenching her teeth like she was talking to a puppy or a baby. “You’ll love him. Why isn’t he here?” she asked her sisters.
“Because there are too many of us present. Besides, he’s still recovering from the broken ribs and concussion you gave him,” Gluttony snapped.
“You broke his collarbone last month,” Sloth countered nastily.
WTF? They beat up their grandpa?
“Whatever. He heals.”
Groping with the thought of these gals performing a smackdown on their grandpa, I revised my thoughts about having sisters.