Demonic Desire (Becoming Lust Book 2)

by Destiny Diess

  Maria smiled at her, cheeks flushing red, and readjusted her dress, so her breasts weren’t falling out of it anymore. I walked through the portal and nodded to Esha. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, Commander. Eros wanted me to be here when you arrived.”

  My lips curled into a smile, thinking about Eros and how hard he had worked to make tonight perfect. But all I knew was that tonight might be the last perfect night for a long time, if Belial’s prophecy was true and the Unholy Trinity would begin their rise tomorrow during my ceremony.

  Pink petals from the cherry blossoms littered the white stone walkways. Demons, dressed in their most sultry silk clothing, walked toward the palace, laughing with their friends. Esha followed us toward the palace, glancing at Maria every so often.

  “I should tell you that Trevon, your ex-boyfriend, is here upon Eros’s request,” Esha said, finally breaking the silence. My brows raised. Eros asked Trevon to come after what he had done the other night? Esha stared up at the palace, gazing at the long line to get in. “He told me it was for his safety, since Zane can’t watch him tonight.”

  I slowly nodded my head, wondering if that really was the reason. Sometimes Eros’s reasoning wasn’t always what he made it out to be. We walked alongside the line to the front doors and into the castle.

  The lobby was bustling with people, dancing and flirting with each other. The sweet scent of Passion Delight lingered heavily in the air. I glanced around the room, locking eyes with Eros who stood near the platters of Fervor Crisps with Lucifer.

  Brown hair parted to one side, a strand curling onto his forehead, those devilish eyes staring at Luci. I glanced at them for a moment longer, feeling that lingering ache in my core and reminiscing on the memory of the other night when they had kissed. His plump lips curled into a soft smile, and I smiled at him, my heart feeling full. While it was erotic and so damn sexy, something about it seemed so intimate.

  Maria gazed around with me, finding Zane standing by the bar and getting his drink mixed by Jasmine. My gaze flickered to her, tongue sliding against my fangs. Tonight would be glorious, before Hell turned upside down.

  Esha and I followed an eager Maria to the bar. She placed her palms on Zane’s shoulders and squeezed lightly. Zane turned around, inhaling sharply. His eyes widened, pupils dilating, when he saw Maria in her tight, little dress. “You’re not wearing the dress I got you,” he said to her, but I could tell that he didn’t mind. Not. At. All.

  Jasmine pushed two Passion Delights across the bar, and I grabbed one. “She couldn’t wear that thing,” I said. “It wasn’t anything that one of the commander’s friends would wear.” I grabbed Maria’s hand and twirled her in a circle. “And, besides, doesn’t this look good on her?”

  Zane stood, wrapping his arms around Maria’s small waist. “Good?” he asked. He mumbled something inaudible against her lips, and Maria’s cheeks turned bright pink. When she giggled into his chest, he took her hand and his Passion Delight and tugged her toward the Triad who sat on a couple couches near the far end of the room.

  “Watch her,” I said to Esha. “Don’t let anyone hurt her.” Esha nodded her head and walked toward them, keeping her distance but watching Maria.

  I sipped my drink, placed my forearms on the bar, and leaned forward, watching Jasmine take care of some demons. Unlike the other morning, she was dressed in her usual little black dress. It came to her mid-thigh and dipped along the chest line all the way to her abdomen, showing off so much skin that it made me want to—

  “Do you like my new uniform?” she asked, twirling in a circle and walking toward me.

  I sucked in a deep breath, smelling her, and slid onto a seat. “I do.”

  “What do you like about it, Commander?”

  After taking another sip of my drink, I swallowed hard. What did I like about it? God, I liked a lot about it. I smirked at her. “That you’re in it,” I said, feeling the warmth in my core.

  She leaned against the bar, placing her elbows on the counter and pressing her breasts together. “What else?” she asked, face inches from mine.

  My heart raced in my chest, and I could smell the sweet scent of cinnamon drifting through my nostrils. I inhaled and stared into her intense eyes. “I like the way it fits on you,” I said, brushing my finger against the neckline of her dress. “The way it plunges between your breasts…” I ran my finger down it, fingers brushing lightly again her breasts. “The way you get goosebumps when I touch you in it,” I whispered.

  For the first time, her cheeks flushed. I sipped my drink, feeling the liquor courage pumping through my veins, and stood. “Do you like mine?” I asked, trailing my hands down my sides to my waist.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “What do you like about it?” I asked with a smile, throwing her words back at her.

  “What’s not to love about it?” Eros asked in my ear. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he placed a lingering kiss on my neck. He gazed up at Jasmine and smirked against me. “Isn’t that right, Jasmine?”

  Jasmine smiled and nodded her head, not daring to say a word in front of Eros, like usual. I arched a brow at her. “What do you like about it, Jasmine?” I asked her again, wanting her to answer me. Something about finally having the upper hand against her made me excited.

  Eros trailed his hand over my breast and squeezed. “Do you like this?” he asked Jasmine. Jasmine leaned further against the bar, watching us, and nodded her head. Eros trailed his fingers down my body to my hips, gripping my ass in his hand. “This?”

  Jasmine sucked in a deep breath, and Eros’s hand traveled even lower to the high-slit in my dress. “What about this?” he asked, slipping his hand under the material and brushing it against my underwear. I clenched, a wave of heat warming my core.

  Eros rubbed his fingers in small circles around my clit. I grasped his hand, but he pushed it away. “Let me touch you,” he said, wrapping his other hand around the front of my neck and kissing my jaw.

  I stared at Jasmine, watching her watch Eros from across the bar. Her legs crossed, her eyes hazy, her scent so damn strong. “She wants to touch you, Dani,” Eros whispered into my ear. He pressed his hardness against my backside, and I clenched.

  God, I bet he wanted to watch her touch me too. I licked my lips, staring at Jasmine and trying so hard to control myself. Earlier, I promised that I wouldn’t go into the Lust Rooms until later tonight when I knew this party would go smoothly.

  After gathering all the goddamn self-control I had, I leaned across the bar, placed my drink right in front of her, and said, “Maybe later, I’ll take you up on your offer.” Then I walked away from them and back into the crowd, deciding that it would be a good idea to find Trevon, the one damn man I wasn’t attracted to anymore, and hoped it’d calm me down.

  But I didn’t know if anything could calm me down at this point. All I could think about was what I had promised Jasmine. It would be the first time I had ever even thought about being with another woman, and while part of me was hesitant, the other part of me wanted it.

  From across the room, Trevon stood by the Fervor Crisps, picked one up, and broke it into two pieces, stuffing one in his mouth. I pushed through a few people to reach him and Maeve who were talking.

  “You’ve both met already,” I said with a smile, cutting into their conversation.

  “Dani,” Trevon said with a smile. He went in for a hug, but I stepped away, not wanting to feel uncomfortable again. Trevon looked pissed for a moment, then he turned back to the Fervor Crisp. “Maeve and I had met before. She’s one of Samantha’s friends.”

  Maeve almost choked on her pastry. “No, I’m not.” She scrunched her nose in disgust and shot me a I-don’t-know-where-that-came-from look. “I’ve met her a few times in passing. She used to be part of my friend group on Earth, but…” She shivered, as if thinking back to a terrible memory, and leaned close to me. “She was always so jealous, and that’s coming from an Envy.”

&nb
sp; God, did I already know that Samantha was a jealous woman.

  I glanced at Trevon. “How is Samantha doing?”

  After stuffing the other half of the crisp into his mouth, he shrugged. “Haven’t seen her.”

  Trevon hadn’t seen the one woman hell-bent on getting with him? My stomach tightened, an uneasy feeling forming. But… for tonight… I pushed the thought away. She’d be another problem I would deal with tomorrow.

  Chapter 31

  “There you are,” Lucifer said about an hour into the party. Everything had been going surprisingly well—so well that I was getting suspicious of someone saying something and ruining all the fun.

  Maeve bowed her head to Luci, a strand of her blonde hair falling into her face. Trevon rolled his eyes, not even sparing Lucifer a glance as Luci curled his arm around mine and tugged on it gently. “I’m going to steal Dani away for a bit. She has to make some announcements.”

  When Lucifer pulled me away, Maeve and Trevon fell back into an easy conversation. I gazed back at Maeve, not in jealousy but in curiosity. She and Trevon seemed to get along very, very well. Maybe… they'd be good together. It’d get Trevon off my back and a demon like her might keep him satisfied. Maybe she’d stop all the jealousy he had for Eros.

  “I hope you’ve chosen your court,” he said to me. Before I answered him, Lucifer cleared his throat, and everyone stopped talking—almost immediately. I glanced up at him with wide-eyes at the complete control he commanded just by his voice alone.

  One day, I wanted to have that kind of power. I wanted to be able to control hundreds of demons just by speaking a single word. That was power in its rawest, simplest form.

  “As leader of the strongest kingdom and one of the first fallen angels,” Lucifer started, gesturing around the room filled with demons. “I have the honor of introducing the new soon-to-be Commander of Lust.”

  I stared around at some demons I’d met in Chastion, like the Triad and even Annen who was in the back smiling widely at me.

  “Dani will announce her court for tomorrow afternoon,” Lucifer said, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing tightly. He pulled me toward him and leaned down only slightly to whisper in my ear. “Remember what I told you, Dani.”

  After taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and placed my hands by my side. “Tomorrow, I will become Queen of Lust, and while all of you will watch the Courting Pit and my Crowning Ceremony, I can only allow a select few by my side and into the Pit, if someone wants to challenge me for my rightful place.”

  That weird and awkward part of me wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood because big crowds of people really weren’t my cup of Passion Delight, but I pressed my lips together and saved that for when I was with Eros.

  “The Commanders, the Lords and Ladies, the heirs to the throne and their siblings of each kingdom will all be there, as tradition states, to take part in the Pit—if needed—and to watch the Crowning. For my court, I have selected…” I took a deep breath and smiled. “Eros…”

  Eros stared at me from across the room, his devilish green eyes filling with excitement.

  “The Triad,” I said. Axel gave Enji a fuck-yeah-we-get-pussy look, while Zane just stared directly at me like he had been for days now. I raised my brow. Maybe that wasn’t the best decision of my life, but… we’d see.

  “Jasmine.” She waved at me from across the bar, lips in a small, seductive smile, her tongue sliding across her lower lip. I smiled back, then looked at Maeve who stood alone by the Fervor Crisps. “And Maeve.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” someone said from across the room. Everyone turned around, heads snapping toward the door. Heels clacked against the granite floors, and demons parted the way for someone to walk.

  My eyes widened when I saw Kasey emerge from the crowd, a sleek black silk dress clinging to her body and pearl earrings hanging from her ears. She had a scowl on her face, and her eyes were a bright green.

  I glanced at Eros who looked just as confused as I was. Lucifer chuckled from beside me and sipped his drink. “Finally. Something to lighten this party up.”

  After giving him a side-eye, I glanced back at Kasey. She marched right up to Lucifer and me, pursed her blood-red lips, and swung her high ponytail around to her shoulder. Eros hurried through the crowd, snatching her by her wrist, but she pulled it away.

  “What are you doing?” she asked me. “Letting Maeve into your court? Inviting her here?” Her eyes glowed brighter than they already were. Maeve wove through the crowd until she stood by my side, brows furrowed in worry. Kasey stared right at her. “You shouldn’t be at this party.”

  Before Maeve could say anything, I stepped in front of a towering Kasey and glared at her, trying hard to keep Javier from rattling my insides. “She has every right to be here because I invited her.”

  “Do you know who she is?” Kasey asked, jaw twitching. She took another threatening step forward, trying so hard to intimidate me. And while I thought she was intimidating at one point… she didn’t scare me now.

  “I didn’t invite you, Kasey.” I pressed my lips together. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Maeve is from one of Envy’s most schemeful families. They take everything from people. Is that really who you’re going to choose to be in your court instead of me.”

  And while I thought her outburst was all because she wanted to be friends with me again, her last few words proved that this was all for herself.

  She was envious. Of me.

  Maeve stepped closer to me, almost visibly shaking in fear. Though her eyes were usually an intense green, they were soft now. And it scared the living hell out of me to see her look so… broken. Maeve had always been strong, but now she looked so weak. “She’s lying, Dani. She doesn’t want you to have any friends other than her.”

  Eros glanced at me, and I stared back at him, wanting nothing more than to tell him to get her out. She was ruining the entire party, my one night before the damn chaos began.

  Kasey shook in rage. “Maeve is bad news. You can’t blindly trust Envies.”

  I stepped forward, something inside of me snapping. “You’re right,” I said to her, clenching my fists by my side. Eros stepped closer to me, but I held my hand up at him. “Don’t, Eros.” I was finally going to give her a piece of my mind and, unlike on Earth, I would not hold back this time.

  Kasey pursed her lips at me. It was a subtle, Envy action. And it enraged me.

  “I shouldn’t have trusted you,” I said. She was an Envy. She hurt me over and over, and I let her. It was stupid and rash and weak of me to do, but I learned my lesson. I wouldn’t trust people like her again, people who switched up on me in a moment’s notice.

  She flared her nostrils. “Are you serious, Dani? Are you that fucking blind? She’s a monster. She will hurt you. She’s—”

  “You’re just envious of Dani,” Maeve interrupted, standing by my side, that strong expression back on her face. “You’re jealous that she will sit on the throne that your mother always wanted.”

  My brows softened, and for a moment everything made perfect sense. It was Kasey stirring up trouble around Lust; she was the one spreading rumors about me not being strong enough to rule the kingdom.

  Every part of my body hurt in betrayal, but Dad had told me that betrayal was coming, so I should’ve been prepared for it. I swallowed my hurt and steadied my voice. “Is that what this is?” I asked. “Are you trying to make a claim to my throne that my father had sat on for thousands and thousands of years?”

  “I am a lot of things,” Kasey said. “But I am not envious of you.” She stepped closer to me, and for a moment her features softened. “I just want the best for you.”

  “The best place for me is on the throne.”

  Her lips twitched, and that anger re-appeared in her eyes. “You humans joke about Hell like it’s nothing… but it’s shitty down here sometimes. People will try to kill you. You won’t be able to handle it, Dani. You can barely
handle me gone.”

  I growled at her. Not only did she not believe in me, but she was embarrassing me in front of all the other commanders. She thought I would be a terrible leader and that someone else deserved to lead the kingdom.

  “Don’t fucking tell me I won’t be a good commander. I will take anybody’s soul who tries to take my throne, rip off their horns, and mount them on the fucking wall. The throne is mine, like it was my father’s. I will not let anyone tell me otherwise. And if you want a fucking war, then I’ll give you one.” I balled my hands into fists. “Take her to The Chains.”

  Kasey widened her eyes, acting as if she was surprised that I had so much confidence. But I was fed up with her and her lies. “You can’t do that. I have to attend the ceremony tomorrow; I’m a sibling to the heir.”

  “No,” I said. “You’re not. Your mother is dead. Your father is dead. You have no claim to any throne, especially one that isn’t yours.” I clenched my jaw. “Now, take her away before I have to do it myself.”

  Chapter 32

  After Esha escorted Kasey to the portal, people at the party slowly started to leave. One by one, they all downed their Passion Delights, muttered some farewells to me, and hurried toward the palace doors. I frowned at their departing figures, trying so hard not to shed a tear.

  It wasn’t fair how Kasey could come in and ruin this all for me. It wasn’t fair that she had been the one who stirred up trouble around Lust. She was supposed to support me, not hurt me.

  Maeve wrapped her arm around my waist and rested her chin on my shoulder, her sweet scent of lavender drifting into my nostrils. “Are you okay?”

  I gently pushed her away. “I just want to be alone right now,” I said, jaw twitching. Though this whole situation made me an emotional wreck, I could just feel my wrath bubbling inside of me. I didn’t want to freak out on anyone. I just wanted to relax. “Please, go.”

  She frowned at me, then nodded her head, walking toward the palace doors without making a fuss about it like Kasey did. I wanted to stop her and ask her if she was okay after that, but I felt like I would snap into a bunch of tiny little pieces.