“Well that’s the background, which you needed to know.” Misa licked her lips as if her mouth had run dry. “Now, onto the beings. We’re all different and you need to understand that so you can choose appropriate guards to watch over you.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “This is giving me a headache.”
Kyden laughed. “Go on, Misa.”
“When the worlds were born and Satan reigned over the Underworld—including Satan—there were seven demons in total that made up his guard and were known as the Demon Lords. Each of them carried one sin to seek out souls. When the human would have a desire to commit one of the sins, the demons would grant their request and steal their soul.”
“Sell your soul to the Devil, right?” I offered.
Misa nodded. “Let’s see, there were Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belphegor, and Satan.” She counted on her fingers as she went along. “Yes that’s seven, each of whom presided over one of the seven sins. You know—lust, greed, envy, etcetera. These are demons’ ancestors. Ones who long ago left our realm to join Satan, but in their place, demons have been born to follow in their duty.”
“You breed?” I snapped out.
She shrugged. “We are destined just as you and Magnus were.”
I cringed at that and Kyden stiffened. The emotions that ran through us both made breathing difficult.
Kyden smoothed his hand over mine, gave me a soft smile in an obvious attempt to settle the pain in my heart. I had to admit, having this bond with him made things between us even stronger. It took the unknown out of the relationship. The wondering what the other person is thinking. Whatever I needed, he would react to it because now he could sense it. Reading Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was a thing of yesterday.
Misa didn’t notice our little moment and went on. “We’re destined to one that will make our offspring stronger. So, it continues. We seek out humans who are desperate to receive their sin, give it to them with our powers, then drain a part of their life force.”
“Okay that explains that part, but what about the witches and warlocks there,” I stated. “When did they come into the picture?”
“As the battle resumed between the two worlds, Satan’s witches began to breed with the demons and produced warlocks.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” I said with a little shrug. “So getting it straight, demons seek out humans that want to commit one of the sevens sins, and when they do, the demon will give them what they’re after in return for some of their life force?”
Misa nodded.
“Do the humans know?” It was the obvious next question.
She shook her head. “After the life force is drained, the human’s memory is gone with it, and another one put in place to explain the reasons for getting what they were after.” She raised her brows a little and gave a knowing glance. “It keeps our world safe.”
“Hrmph,” I wasn’t at all happy about that. They should know that they’re taking a few years off their life to get that new car, but really, some people would probably do it anyway. I let it go. “What do the witches and warlocks do then?”
“It works in a similar way. They offer souls to the Underworld to give it strength. Before, as you know, it didn’t matter what souls they would take. They would draw the runes and give up whoever they pleased.”
I held up my hand to stop her before she got ahead of herself and left me confused in the wake. “What runes?” She reached back and tapped her back. The indication was clear. My hand touched my tattoo. “They’ll draw my willow?”
Kyden appeared a bit taken back and even placed his hand on top of mine as tension ran through me. His, mine? I settled on, both.
“And Kyden’s as well,” Misa added, her tone casual, as if she were ordering a banana split and not talking about scary things.
Something felt so wrong and dirty about this. Until now, I hadn’t realized why I’d been granted this tattoo, and now knowing it didn’t sit well with me. “So, you’re saying that when they draw either my tattoo or Kyden’s, the rune will activate dark magic?”
“That’s right.”
God, I needed a really long hot shower. “Why do they do it? I mean, what do they get out of it?”
“To be a part of the Underworld, you always have to be giving to it, feeding it. Our magic is driven by human life forces. Witches and warlocks can only remain in our realm if they are doing that. They’re just providing to their world is all.” She stood. “I believe I’ve told you what you need to understand the Underworld better so that you can make an informed decision about your guard. Remember, you need the strongest beings surrounding you. To keep you and our world protected. Choose wisely.”
Just like that she left, the door slammed closed behind her. For a good ten minutes, neither Kyden nor I moved. We sat in silence as our bond swam in emotions.
I finally snapped out of my shock and turned to him. “Well that was certainly a lot to take in.”
He arched a brow. “Indeed.”
Chapter Five
When Misa said the challenge was being arranged, I hadn’t really thought she meant so soon. It had only been hours since she left Kyden and I, and now we were in the auditorium in the Underworld.
“Wowzers, look at them all,” Haven said next to me.
She had firmly told me that she’d be coming to witness this event, as did everyone else too. The majority of the Council’s guard was with us tonight. The chance to see the Underworld was just too tempting to pass up. The realm was so secretive, everyone drooled with desire to see it.
Me, I would rather be somewhere else. A little guilt made me swallow deeply. We had yet to find a way to get Willow here. She couldn’t pass over into the Underworld, and wasn’t pleased in the least that she was left behind.
Focusing away from my guilt, I glanced at Kyden who sat next to me in a ridiculous throne chair that rested against the back wall of the auditorium. “I hope this is quick.” I felt like a complete and total idiot in this chair. Talk about being put on display, a place I wasn’t fond of. Thankfully, since we made the rules, I could have Haven and the others stand next to us. It definitely made the moment less tense.
Kyden brushed his hand across my cheek. “It’ll be alright, Álainn.” Even though he said it, I could feel the protectiveness running through him. He didn’t like me being surrounded by so many dark beings.
It was odd to feel his possessiveness first hand like this, and it sure helped me understand him better. It wasn’t that he wanted to control me but it was more about him, his feelings. He couldn’t lose me and the thought of my being in danger terrified him. He didn’t like feeling terrified or frightened, and that’s why his possessive trait always came out so brusquely.
Kyden’s expression turned curious as he continued to brush his finger against my cheek. “This place makes you happy?”
Clearly, he sensed the emotions I felt from getting a grasp on why he was the way he was. “No.” I shook my head softly. “You do.”
He leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss.
“Our Lady and Lord,” Azar’s voice drew our attention, “have gathered here tonight to see this challenge. All who wish to guard them step forward.”
Suddenly, the auditorium filled with dark swirling clouds, and then swiftly, thousands of demons stood before us.
“Bah,” I shouted.
Kyden jumped too. My shock startled him but he chuckled in response. “It’s going to take some time to get used to that.”
“Ha! I told you I was a basket case.” When I heard of what bonding was exactly, I knew Kyden was in for it. He was always so controlled, rarely reacted. Cool and calm, on the other hand, was far from that.
“I’m glad I do, Álainn.” He reached out and took my hand in his, squeezed it tight. “It shouldn’t surprise me that you act entirely on your emotions, but it does. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought you’d have hidden a little of yourself, but you don’t. You expose it all and I cherish that about you…”
I snuggled into him. “You’re Mr. Unreadable.”
He winked.
Someone cleared their throat loudly. I snapped my gaze from Kyden to see that everyone watched us, most with smiles. “Er…sorry about that,” I told Azar. “You can carry on now.”
Kyden chuckled.
Azar didn’t look frustrated, simply smiled and looked back to the crowd. “Lady Nexi and Lord Kyden, may I present your followers who have requested to join your guard.” He waved his hand out to the crowd of well over a hundred demons, witches and warlocks.
I leaned back over to Kyden. He angled his head down and I whispered in his ear. “What do we do now?”
He shook his head and whispered back, “Haven’t a clue.”
My gaze fell to Misa and quickly waved her over. When she reached me, she bent down so I could keep my voice low. “Er…what do we do?”