Prince Of Lust: Chapter 13

The pounding in my head mimicked the noise coming from the other side of the door. I shook my head, hoping the room would stop spinning by the time I reached the knob.

“All right!” I yelled at the soon-to-be-dead person who’d woken me up at four in the morning.

I swung the door wide open to see a face I hadn’t seen in years. “Vassago?”

“Hello, brother,” he said warily.

I stepped aside to allow him to pass by me, then I shut the door behind him.

“Where have you been? No one has heard from you in—”

“Fifty years. Almost fifty-one. I was trapped in a human board game.”

I gaped at him. “You’re kidding.”

Vassago, the Prince of Envy, was thwarted for decades by cardboard. He didn’t look worse for wear, considering. I’d assumed he had been shielding himself behind foreign factions, inciting World War III, but he’d been hidden from all forms of tracing. Even Eligos, the duke who was known to be the most talented seeker, couldn’t dash away the cloak concealing Vass.

“I was saved and want to return the favor. But for that, I need your help,” he said, holding open my refrigerator door and taking out an apple.

He took a large and vocal bite then wiped the juice from the corner of his lips. Whatever he’d come for, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to fulfill his request. After my poor performance with Dabria, it would be close to impossible to muster any of my powers to lend to one of my brothers.

“Vass, you’ve been gone a long time. Things aren’t the way they used to be. I am not as powerful as I once was. I will do my best, but I can’t promise you the outcome you might be hoping for.”

It pained me to admit.

I would do anything for another prince of Hell. Vassago had fought by my side during the Fall and had spent his time on Earth inspiring war, distraction, and rampant sins worthy of the deepest pits of Hell. To say I respected him wouldn’t have been a powerful enough description. He was, in my opinion, one of the most powerful demons to have ever been. And on the occasions we had teamed up, it had only taken a snap of our fingers to demolish empires.

He looked at me with a perplexed brow and a second cheek full of fruit.

I released a sigh and circled the kitchen island to check that the hall was clear. Ezequiel and Dabria were sleeping soundly in her room once again, but the sound of voices could easily wake them.

“My influence has been lacking,” I admitted, pressing my forearms on the cool marble of the countertop. I hung my head between my shoulders in shame.

“I’m waiting for a riveting explanation,” he said with piqued curiosity. “And remember that I haven’t had a real conversation in half a decade, so spare no savory detail.”

I huffed a weighted laugh, unsure of where to start.

I hadn’t talked about Mara or the deal I had struck with Ezequiel to save her life only to have her walk away from me forever. My heart sank at the reminder of the last time I’d seen her and the argument we’d had. Perhaps someday I would be able to redeem myself in her eyes, but I had nothing of quality to offer as a show of my growth and atonement.

“A tale for another time. But the bottom line is that I haven’t been able to perform my tried-and-true powers over others in a long time. So, unless you’re wanting me to extend an invitation to one of the most exclusive clubs in L.A., I don’t know what I can offer you, brother.”

He cocked his head and looked me over.

I didn’t doubt that I smelled like Dabria; I hadn’t showered after she left. I didn’t want to have to go into those details with Vass or explain that there was a Reaper in my home who was relying on me to complete her training and that Ezequiel and I both had fucked her.

What a fucking mess for him to be released into.

“I don’t believe Celeste would be impressed with The Deacon,” he concluded. “No offense.”

“None taken.” I managed a weak smile and he returned with a humored shake of his head. “You must be very grateful to Celeste to come and request a favor.”

A dreamy, love-sick smirk pulled at his cheeks. He was positively smitten with this human, and that alone was impressive.

“I would bring her the moon if she wished for it. But all she wants is to fulfill a dream. My influence is powerful, but not the right kind for what I want to accomplish. I was hoping to cause a great deal of lust-filled scandal to pave the way for her to win out on her ambitions.”

He tossed the core of his snack into the sink and propped the heels of his hands on the counter behind him.

“Why?” It was my turn for speculation.

He took a pause, but his doleful smile didn’t fade.

“She was made for me. Every speck of her being was gathered from the reaches of the universe into a soul that has been promised and presented for my repentance.”

I believed him fully. As delusional, unhinged, and manic as the notion was, Vassago had been convinced that Celeste was some sort of endowment for the years he’d been exiled.

“Then you know what she desires. You don’t need my influence or help.”

My statement seemed to resonate. He was pensive for a moment before a sound from down the hall broke the silence.

“Vassago?”

It was Ezequiel.

“Watcher.”

Unlike other demons, Vass did not shy away from the Watcher Angels. He understood them in ways that few of us could. Though he hadn’t formed a bond with any other Watcher like I had with Ezequiel, Vass had respect for their kind.

“I have to go, but you owe me a titillating story and a drink,” Vass said to the room, likely realizing that if I were in some sort of trouble, I would have turned to Ezequiel.

I walked him to the door and pulled him into an embrace to breathe in a brother I wasn’t sure I would ever see again. His palm thumped against my back before he pulled away then stepped through the void to continue the mission he’d set out on.