SILAS

My lip curls into a snarl as I stand off against the Incubi, my attention darting between each one as I wait for another to lunge for her. It comes quickly, and I twist Charlie out of the man's grasp before snapping the neck of another. Where the fuck is Alex?

Gray makes no moves to help, but I can tell by his stern expression that he's ready to jump in and assist should the Incubi decide to actually attack.

They are testing us right now, making half-assed attempts at grabbing Charlie to see Gray and I's reaction. The moment she asks for them they have a lawful claim on her, and I hope desperately that she keeps her mouth shut until Alex comes back from wherever the fuck it is that he's disappeared to.

I have half a mind to shift her back home and be done with this but know that that will do nothing but exacerbate the situation. It was a long shot to think that the Incubi wouldn't try something tonight.

Alex needs to hurry it up and come claim Charlie, though. The Incubi are still doubtful and wary of making any real attacks, not entirely convinced that the ruse we are putting on is untrue.

They won't take the risk of stealing her until they feel guaranteed that it will not ignite the wrath that lives inside of Alex.

The room is tense and on edge as they wait, their breaths loud as the music cuts off and we are thrown into an uneasy silence. The other Demon breeds gather around and watch in mild interest, always finding the drama that follows Gray to be a fun source of entertainment.

I probably would, too, if I weren't so tied to the goddamn Incubus.

My anger spikes as another one lunges for Charlie, his actions quick and seemingly genuine as he tries to grab her. I keep her out of his grasp as I fight him off, knowing that the moment they get their hands on her they will shift her away.

We would be able to follow easily, but the risk of it is more than I'd like to take.

"Calm, calm." Lust speaks up, his words vibrating through the air as his essence pours out of him in waves.

The sickly sweet scent causes my cock to twitch in my pants, and I watch through narrowed eyes as he drops his gaze to my hips. I don't doubt that each and every Incubi in this room can smell the arousal seeping from me, my body unable to resist the lure of Lust.

I don't even want to think about how strong Charlie's is at this moment. I'm not attuned to smelling arousal as they are, and even it is seeping into my lungs and clouding my mind. Her small body is a thousand times more susceptible to the Incubi essence than mine is, and I can't even imagine how much this must be affecting her.

Her shivering form is answer enough, though, and in a sad attempt to keep her sated and quiet, I shove my thigh between hers. She almost immediately begins to rut against it, her hips pressing against mine as she tries to get herself off.

I know that she'll feel shame for this later, but I'd rather have her embarrassed and safe than being passed around as Gray's last female, Nicollette, was. He would be wrecked if he had to watch another one of his loves be paraded around the den, her soft skin slowly turning purple as they cover her with bruises and her tanned skin losing all its shine as she's used beyond the point of exhaustion.

Nicollette watches us carefully before turning her gaze to Gray, her eyebrow furrowing as she tries to read him. He's changed quite a bit since they were last together, but he's still shit at hiding his more intense emotions.

That's probably why he's been avoiding her all night long, grabbing Shay and hurrying away whenever the woman nears. It's clear by his tight jaw and rounded shoulders that he hates having to be with Shay all night, but understand that he needs some buffer between him and Nicollette.

She would be able to read him in a second. One question from her on his feelings for Charlie and the entire thing would be exposed.

"Just because Gray's gotten himself another female doesn't mean that you all can go around acting like animals." Lust laughs, his eyes darkening as he watches Charlie writhe against me.

She pants and cries into my bicep as she rubs herself against my thigh, her noises growing in volume as I grab her hips and pull her harder against mine. Reaching down, I grab the slit of her dress and adjust it so she's rubbing herself directly against my pants, her underwear soaked through and no doubt leaving a wet spot on me.

If it keeps her distracted, though, then I don't care.

"Alex will be furious that you're forcing his female into a frenzy like this." I state, refusing to even acknowledge his claim that she is Gray's.

Lust laughs, his eyes shining with amusement as he takes a threatening step towards us.

"Yeah, then where is he?" He probes.

I gulp, my lips pursing as I try to come up with a reasonable excuse.

My shoulders relax in relief as Alex materializes behind Nicollette, a snarl on his face as he shoves his arm through her back and rips out her heart. She has only enough time to let out a gust of air before she crumples on the ground, the sound of her falling drawing Lust's attention.

I spot Gray flinch out of the corner of my eye, and bet that if I took a look at him that his face would convey nothing short of agony. He loved that woman with his entire being at one point, and I'm sure that he still blames himself for her position as the Incubi's favored whore.

Lust's expression is murderous as his eyes shift from his now-dead wife to her heart that Alex still holds in his hand. Her blood drips out of his palm onto her limp body, but Alex pays it no mind as he smiles at Lust.

The Incubi's essence dissipates at the distraction, the abrupt removal of lust in the air allowing Charlie to breathe as she slumps against me. Despite her relaxation, she continues to try and grind against my thigh, desperately seeking the pleasure that's been ripped from her.

I anticipate that she will come to awareness shortly, but knowing how painful it will be for her not to cum after ingesting so much of Lust's essence, I grab her hips and begins to move them for her. She cries out at the new pressure, her moans low as I mindlessly pleasure her.

Alex hardly spares me a glance as he drops Nicollette's heart and moves toward the Incubi whose nose I broke, the wrath within him visibly growing as he shoves his fist through that man's chest.

"Is there anybody else that would like to make a claim towards my female?" He probes, his black eyes narrowing as he turns his attention back to Lust.

Lust smartly steps back, knowing better than to get in a fight with Alex. It's not one that he'd win, especially while the Demon is losing himself to his wrath.

A tense silence stretches throughout the room as the Incubi begin to shift away, their bodies disappearing as they take this as their cue to leave. It's an intelligent decision, but unfortunately seems to be doing nothing to curb Alex's anger.

My worry grows as I watch him succumb to it, his pupils widening before his hands clench into fists and he releases the full extent of his power. I bury Charlie's face in my chest to keep her from breathing it in, hoping that my shirt will help to filter some of it out for her.

I look towards Gray in panic, watching as he turns and shares an identical look with me. I don't understand why Alex is getting so angry? Murder typically tens to bring out his wrath, but he's usually able to hold it back enough to get himself to the pits.

He shouldn't be getting this worked up over a claim on Charlie. He's made his point. Lust has backed off and the others will follow.

"Alex," I start, cringing as his focus is brought to me. "That's enough. Charlie is fine." I calmly state.

My words do nothing to calm Alex, though, and seem to do the exact opposite as he shifts and materializes behind another Incubi who's yet to leave. The poor man doesn't even have the chance to react before he's falling to the floor, his blood pooling out from the open wound in his chest.

There's a scream as the Demons who are too weak to shift begin to run, their frightened motions only fueling Alex's wrath and provoking him to continue his attack.

I cringe at the gory scene, my grip around Charlie tightening as she begins to violently twitch against me. She cries out as her body fights with her mind, the sound full of pain and confusion.

Her body is begging her to cum, to give in to the pleasure that Lust's essence promised her, but her rapidly clearing mind is fighting it.

I curse as I realize that I stopped moving her hips during my watching of Alex. I should have been paying more attention. A quick glance at Gray tells me that he feels the same way, his eyes hard as he watches Charlie cry out in agony. Her body will not settle until she's cum, and I can already tell that Gray is not going to be letting this mistake on my end go without reprimand.

I tense as Alex looks towards us, weary of his intentions as he suddenly lunges for me. Charlie's exhaustion makes her malleable as I force her behind my back, my stance widening as I gear up for a fight with Alex.

His reaction to the den's attempted claim on her is beyond anything that I anticipated, and I can't tell whether or not he intends to help or harm. A Demon overcome with wrath is an unpredictable one, and I'll be damned if I let Gray's female be hurt.

Finally jumping into action, Gray shoves Shay away and stumbles between Alex and me, his eyes wide in panic as he grabs hold of Charlie's arm and shifts her away. Alex follows immediately after, his hand darting out to touch Gray so he can tag along.

The added pressure of taking a Demon and a Human will exhaust Gray, but I hardly have time to worry about that as I'm suddenly left alone in a room full of frightened, vengeful Demons.

I square my shoulders and relax my muscles as they stare me down. After a murder, a Demon is expected to face retributions. The family of the deceased can come and claim punishment for the acts committed against the fallen.

It often leads to more fighting and is seldom done on the stronger Demons, but tradition states that the family still be given the opportunity. Alex's departure means that the retribution will fall to me, although I doubt any will step up.

Too many fear Alex to dare demand punishment for those that he has wronged.

Glancing around, I stare down the remaining Demons and wait for any others to appear and state their demands. Tradition states that I wait for an hour, but I will give them five minutes today.

I need to get back to the others as soon as possible. Gray is smart, and I'm sure will be able to find a way to keep Alex distracted while I clean up the mess here, but I know he can't fight him off alone.

"Are there any retributions?" I ask, trying and failing to keep the annoyance from my voice.

It's not the first time Alex has gone on a killing spree and been forced away by the Incubus, leaving me to deal with the angry families alone. Admittedly, the thrill of the fight tends to excite me, but there are more important things to get to tonight.

I hold back a smirk as I think about the last time I was put in this position. Gray's siblings invited him to a dinner a couple of decades back, and he had foolishly gotten his hopes up with the thought that they were trying to repair their broken relationship.

He was gone for less than twenty minutes before he was shifting back into our dining room and storming past us with misty eyes. It's not often that Gray is brought to tears, but Alex loses his shit every time.

Alex was gone before I could even turn and tell him to let it go, his body disappearing in thin air as he shifted to Lust in search of Gray's family. By the time I found him, a quarter of Gray's siblings were long dead and every inch of the dining room was covered in splattered blood.

Naturally, the asshole left before asking if there were retributions, his bond forcing him to seek out and find Gray.

Incubi aren't known to be fighters, their interests often aligning more with romance and seduction, and none wanted to challenge Alex or me. As I glance around the room, I sigh, realizing that today will be just the same.

I make eye contact with some of the stronger breeds, silently urging them to step up and fight me. I want to get this over with.

None make any moves, each one frozen in place as they stare at me in shock. I'm sure they know that even if they did manage to best me that Alex would come and take them out before they managed to deliver any fatal blows.

Even now I can feel him in my head, the slight pressure telling me that he is keeping just enough awareness to know if he needs to come back. I push at his presence, not wanting him in my mind. It's too dangerous. If he digs too deep and gets lost in the fated world, I doubt that I'll be able to help him.

They don't take too kindly to Wraths.

I stick around for another moment to confirm that there will be no challenges before shifting back to the estate, my ears perked as I listen for any signs of Gray and Alex. It makes most sense that the Incubi would have brought them back here, that thought confirmed as I hear the shouting from upstairs.

____

Read the completed book 1 (50 chaps) & ongoing book 2 on Patreon!

I didn't have time to proofread this so I'm sorry in advance for the trash

____