A faerie is requested to entertain the son of the Daemon King
•••
"Primrose..." He repeated deeply, his tone almost as obscene as his gaze. My wrists were held in one of his hands, being squeezed tightly above my head so I couldn't free them.
I didn...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Azrael POV
"My people, the people of Avernus. Thank you for gathering here today at such a short notice, I know you're all probably wondering what occasion warrants such a meeting."
My father's eyes locked with mine as he took a brief pause from speaking. His gaze held hesitancy and resistance, but I made sure that my eyes showed signs of what he would endure if he didn't follow through with what he had promised me. He had already tried to escape his fate earlier this morning.
"Azrael, you can't expect me to go out there and denounce myself in front of our people. You already got what you wanted, Rose is alive and well, and you got the satisfaction of killing Cyprus. Why can't you just let this go?"
My nostrils flared at his audacity. Let this go? I've let it go my entire life. I let him frolic around with his trophy wife and son as they thrived off the back of his heinous crimes.
If anything, I was giving his mercy. This didn't need to be a conversation; I could very well give him the treatment he deserves and let him be yet another dead body to soften the earth and feed the soil. He should be thanking me for my grace.
"You disgust me." I spat as I inched closer to his frame. "This is an opportunity for you to be honest, to confess your sins and take accountability for what you've done. If you can't see that then I'm more than happy to usurp your position and take the crown the old-fashioned way. I will formally announce a challenge and with the people of Avernus as a witness, I will sink my claws into your chest and rip out the blackened vessel you call a heart."
"If father won't fight you, I will. I'm not afraid of you, bastard."
I narrowed my eyes at Ronan who had evidently been eavesdropping on our conversation as he appeared from behind the door suddenly.
"If it's death you crave, I can think of many other ways that would be less painful than by my hand."
The blonde sneered at me and looked me up and down in disgust.
"Your arrogance is sickening."
I tilted my head, letting Bael taunt him as my eyes flashed to black momentarily.
"Then by all means, prove me wrong."
Ronan's chest rumbled at the threat, but he remained quiet as fear rolled off of him and waves and my daemon lapped it right up.
With a satisfied growl Bael pushed himself to the back of my mind once more.
Needless to say, self-preservation took hold and the King succumbed to the former of the two options. Now, we all stood outside, as the castle does not have a room big enough to host all nearby Avernus residents.
The royal family stood before all on an elevated platform with the rest of us gathered below, giving them and the King one last chance to revel in their supremacy.
