The First Book of Demons (The Book of Demons Saga) (14 page)

Chapter
Forty

A spotlight lit the stage set in the center of the enormous throne room.  Carolina materialized from thin air as a harp began to strum softly. She moved her arms, undulating to the music, charming the crowd with a few simple yet precise movements.  She danced around the room, matching the rhythm of the music.   Her hips dipped and swayed to the beat of a heavy drum.  It was a mesmerizing performance that held the crowd captive. 

While everyone was entranced by his mother’s
dancing, Balthazar took the opportunity to watch Alexandra.  Her lips were parted ever so slightly as the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten them.  Her wide eyes shimmered as they followed the dance, while Balthazar found it difficult to tear his eyes away from her.  His attention was dragged away from Alexandra when he realized Azira was watching him.  She tilted her head curiously at Balthazar.  A challenge, silently questioning his actions.  He shifted his gaze, but it was too late.  Azira caught the look in his eyes, and she understood the desire behind them even if he didn’t. 

With a final beat of the drum
, Carolina ended her dance which was immediately followed by an outburst of cheers and applause.                            

Balthazar stood
from his throne and a hush fell over the crowd. 

“Mother,” he began,
his voice steady, “you have honored me with your performance.  I have a gift for you.” 

Balthazar motioned for his gift to be brought in.  The doors of the throne room opened.  A chained, bloodied demon was dragged in and thrown before Lady Carolina. 
Alex recognized him instantly.

“Your newest eunuch, mother,” Balthazar
said. “However, I’m afraid he can’t speak.  His traitorous tongue has been removed.”

The breath stuck in Alexandra’s throat
.  There was a barbaric amusement gleaming in Balthazar’s eyes as he presented his mutilated brother to the crowd.  Alex couldn’t help but feel sorry for Hasan.

“Lord Sultan Balthazar,”
Carolina said with a proud smile on her face, “my beloved son.  It is you who honors me with such a generous gift.”

  Carolina
hated Hasan since the very day he was born.  She despised his mother, Sultan Sami’s second wife, a contemptible woman who had birthed a useless son and died shortly afterward.  In the royal hierarchy, princes always outranked wives, even the Sultana.  But now Hasan was hers to command.  The removal of both his tongue and pathetic manhood was just an added bonus.  

#

Tavi picked his way across
the festival hall, balancing a goblet of sugared wine in each hand. 

“Lady Carolina,” he said, stepping up the dais to
her table, “captivating as always.”

She inclined her head at the compliment, watching him curiously. 
He held a goblet out to Alex, expecting her to take it from him.

“It is not an option, girl” Tavi replied with a smirk
on his lips, “You owe me a toast.”

“I do?” Alex said,
her eyes narrowing.

“You do,” Tavi said taking a seat next to her. “It was an honor to fight with you, and a toast is customary amongst those who savor victory together.”

Alex never drank.  She didn’t care for the bitter taste.  But it would seem she was backed into a proverbial corner, so she accepted the goblet and toasted Tavi.  The sugared wine poured easily down her throat and she was surprised by the sweet flavor.  It lacked the typical bite of an alcoholic drink. 

“Wow, this is really good,” Alex
said, taking another gulp of wine.

Azira
watched Alex as she drank the sugared wine enthusiastically and a plan began to form.

“Tavi,”
Azira called across the table.

“Yes, Lady Azira,” Tavi said, looking
in her direction.

“
An enemy as powerful as Raza deserves much more than a single toast, does he not?” 

“That’s a
bsolutely right,” Tavi said, a smile spreading across his face as he beckoned a servant over to the table. “We are going to need a lot more wine.”

Chapter Forty One

Alexandra giggled as she watched the acrobats flipping and flying around the room.  Tavi
sat next to her still, utterly entertained by her inebriated state.  Carolina on the other hand was not so pleased with the situation.  She leveled a callous stare at Tavi, chastising him with her eyes.  Balthazar rose, signaling an official end to the Taj Festival. 

“My Lord,
” Darius said, as Balthazar turned to leave, “should you not summon a Lady to begin your Harem?”

Balthazar
thought for a moment, his peripheral vision fixed on Alexandra.  He knew what was expected of him; what was protocol.  As he saw Alex laughing with his younger brother he felt his anger begin to rise.  He was angry at himself.  Not because the way he had treated Alex made her hate him, but because try as he might he could not stop himself from caring for her. 

“Azira,” Balthazar said,
“and her younger sister, Nila.  Send them both to my chambers.” 

As Alexandra’s alcohol hindered mind registered what was happening her heart fell into her stomach.  The smile on her face faded. 
Carolina picked up on the shift her energy.

“I believe we have all had too much
wine,” Carolina said, standing from her cushion, “Let us go walk in the garden.” 

A smirk on her beautiful face
told Adira that Carolina was planning something.  The two demon ladies gathered up the drunken girl, bidding Tavi a good night, and the three of them made their way to the royal gardens. 

The gardens were
always an amazing sight to behold, but on a crisp night such as this it was a special pleasure to stroll through.  The coolness of the breeze ghosted over Alexandra’s heated skin, as she stumbled behind the two ladies that were leading her down the small pebbled trail that wound throughout the gardens.  Alex inhaled deeply trying to clear her mind and regain some sobriety. 

The ladies came to
an artificial pond that occupied a small portion of the gardens and sat down at the water’s edge.  Carolina called over the only servant that remained in the gardens during the nights.  He scuttled nervously up to her, bowing before the Sultana. 

“Go to the kitchens,”
Carolina said, “I want a snack brought to my apartments.  Nothing of the festival food, I have tired of it.”

The servant bowed
and turned to go about his task.

Adira sat patiently, waiting to figure out what Carolina was up to.  She could not be hungry after all the food from the festival.  There was another reason she wanted to occupy the only servant that would be in the gardens that evening. 

Lady Carolina stood suddenly, Alex and Adira unconsciously mimicking her action.  Alex waivered at the sudden movement she had forced on her intoxicated body.  Carolina stepped closer to the girl, pushing her gently back down onto the bench.

“Alexandra,” she said softly, “you have had much too much sugar wine.  I think it would be best if you remained her
e for a moment longer.  The fresh air will do you well.  You may return to my apartments once you are feeling better.”

Carolina turned to walk away before there was any time to protest, Lady Adira following beside her. 

“Ah,” Carolina said, stopping and turning back towards Alexandra, “Simply follow this path to the fork, and take the right.”

Adira looked quizzically at her.

“Remember, go right,” Carolina said again as she disappeared into the darkness of the gardens, Adira following beside her.

Adira said nothing as she followed Carolina back through the garden on the neatly groomed path.  They came to the fork and gave each other a knowing look, a smirk spreading across Lady Carolina’s face as they turned to the left, returning to the harem quarters. 

Chapter Forty Two

“Nila,” Azira said, grabbing her sister by the shoulder, “you will not ruin this.”

“But sister,” Nila said, a tear threatening to fall, “I do not wish to mate Lord Balthazar.”

Azira slapped her sister hard across the face, a red palm print quickly forming on her cheek. 

“How dare you insult the Lord Sultan in such a manner,” Azira fumed at her sister
’s ignorance.  “Who could possibly make a better mate?”

“Prince Kaveh,” Nila said, rubbing at her cheek, “I love him.”

Azira narrowed her eyes at her younger sister.  It was as she had suspected.  There had been a rumor floating around the nobles that Nila was cavorting with the prince.  Normally it would be a good thing, except when there was a Lord Sultan involved. 

“Forget about prince Kaveh,” Azira said, turning her back to her sister, “all that matters now is that we please Lord Balthazar.”

#

Balthazar paced in his chambers.  His mind
haunted by unwanted images of Alexandra.  The way her eyes sparkled with awe at the festival. Her innocent curiosity.  Her trusting naivety. Her scent still lingered in his nostrils, delicate and mingled expertly with the perfumed oils of the harem. 

A
growl bubbled in his chest.  Why was he still thinking of her?  She was a tool to achieve his goals, nothing more. 

The doors to his bedchambers
opened.  Azira and Nila stepped in, their heads bowed in respect, as they waited for Balthazar to acknowledge their presence. 

“Disrobe,” he said, not
caring to look in their direction as he seated himself on a thick pile of white silk cushions, his back leaning against a triangular cushion.

The
sisters stepped further into the room as they reached behind them, unlatching their tops.  Their bare breasts, round and perky, finally grabbed the attention of the young lord. 

“Continue,” he
said, perusing the demoness sisters.

Azira turned to her sister, her hands reaching for the ties that held the silk skirt at her hips.  She pulled Nila closer to her as the garment dropped to the ground, pooling around her feet. 

“Isn’t she beautiful, Lord Balthazar,” Azira said as she guided her sister in a twirl, displaying her to the lord.

“I did not tell you to speak,” Balthazar
said.

Azira
bowed her head in apology, and continued her work, removing her own skirt. 

Balthazar couldn’t help but think he should have been mor
e aroused by the display.  The utter lack of challenge in these females was somehow off-putting.  His entire life had been thus.  The most noble and beautiful ladies had been on their knees before him since the day he was born, hoping to gain his favor.  These two were no different. 

“A
re you not excited, My Lord,” Azira asked her eyes drifting to the lord’s less than noticeable arousal.  The demoness couldn’t help but shrink with the thought that Balthazar was still thinking about that human girl.  She had not forgotten the way he had been looking at her.  It was the same way he should have been looking at Nila and her right now.

“Excite me,” Balthazar
challenged, leaning further back and picking at a bowl of Anouri fruit.  It was a mild insult and he was hoping to provoke them.  The taste of the fruit brought a flood of memories.  Memories of Alexandra.

Azira moved
closer to Balthazar, her eyes heavy with lust.  Her sister followed close behind her, but there was a hint of hesitation that intrigued Balthazar.  She did not want to be here, he realized.  This would be the perfect opportunity for him to test them.  They had been conditioned to do anything he told them, but he wondered how far they would go against their own desires to please their Lord Sultan.

“Taste her,” Balthazar said, watching for the sisters’ reactions.

Any intrigue quickly diminished as the sisters complied with his demands.  Their bodies splayed wantonly across the white marble floor of the Lord Sultan’s bedchambers.  Azira trailed kisses down her sister’s body, lingering at her most sensitive parts, her tongue swirling around hardened pink nubs.  She slipped further down Nila’s body, tasting her as the smell of arousal wafted through the air.  Azira brought her sister to the brink of ecstasy, pulling herself away and crawling over to Lord Balthazar while Nila was left to recover from the flood of pure pleasure.

Balthazar was
painfully aware that he was entirely limp.  Rather than arousing his desire, the display had only served to degrade the sisters and further put him off.  Azira slid her body between Balthazar’s legs and grabbed for another piece of fruit.  Juice trailed down her chin, dripping onto her bare chest.  She trailed a finger along the drip, bringing it into her mouth and sucking seductively on the clawed tip.  Her other hand reached into the lap of the powerful demon before her, her lips puckering in disappointment.

“Are you not hungry?” she
said, confused by his impotence.

The only th
ought going through the Balthazar’s mind was how much better the Alexandra’s arousal smelled when mingled with his favorite fruit.  Balthazar had had enough.  He stood suddenly, knocking the demoness to the floor.

“You fail to arous
e my appetite,” Balthazar replied, looking down his nose at Azira.