I rolled my eyes. Here we go. “Faris,” I said, in way of greeting. “Where are your clothes?”
Faris’s smile widened. “My dear, sweet, edible, Sammy. You do realize I have a life outside of this—” he looked down at the floor, “—confinement. If you must know, I was in the process of pleasuring the Barbie twins with my—”
“Stop!” I shouted, doing my best not to picture it in my mind. “Don’t want to hear about it.”
“Why ever not, dearest?” Faris moved his hips in a sexual manner, making me flush. “Jealous? Don’t worry, Sammy baby. There’s enough of me to go around.” He made a show of his chiseled, tanned, and hairless chest, and finished with a wink.
Cauldron help me. It didn’t help that I had seen what those tiny undies were trying to cover and doing a piss poor job of it, I might add. It was hard to keep from staring.
As a mid-demon, Faris ranked higher than a lesser demon but not quite up the demon ladder to be comparable to a Greater demon.
“You better watch yourself, demon,” said my grandfather, his tone suggesting the demon’s behavior was grossly inappropriate, if not outright impolite. He pushed off his work table and came forward, his fingers moving in a spell. He would have looked threatening if he wasn’t wearing a bathrobe. Now, he just looked mad. “That’s my granddaughter you’re speaking to,” he growled.
“What? You’re going to smother me with that hospital gown?” chided the demon with mock surprise.
“Bathrobe,” corrected my grandfather.
Faris twisted his face in a sour expression. “Yes, well... for all our sakes. Please keep it on.”
“Grandpa, it’s fine,” I told him. I was used to Faris’s antics. Poe, well, he was quiet. Too quiet as he watched the scene unfold, eyes on the mid-demon. “Let’s focus on the real issue here, okay?”
“Yes, let’s.” Faris dragged his gaze from my grandfather. “Sammy baby,” declared the mid-demon. He lowered his eyes and said, “you look like shit.”
“Thanks.”
“What happened to you?”
I took a breath and looked at the demon. “Faris, you have something I need.” Damn. I knew that was the wrong thing to say by the way Faris was looking at me.
His lips curled into a sly smile, and I swear I saw a star twinkling on his teeth. “Why, you wicked, wicked witch. It’s about damn time.”
“Information,” I blurted, though the damage was done. Shit—I glanced at his crotch again. “Something happened to me last night.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” grumbled Poe, and Faris’s attention snapped to him.
The mid-demon’s gaze flicked back to mine. “Sam, darling. If you’re going to tell me you had sex with someone else and didn’t invite me,” he said, hands on his hips, “I’m going to be a little disappointed. I’ve acquired some new toys, and I think you’ll appreciate the soft—”
“I was attacked by higher demons,” I exclaimed, impatience making my voice rise. Lack of sleep with a handful of leeches sucking on my flesh would do that.
Faris’s smile faded a little. “What are you talking about?” He barely reacted, pausing to glance at my grandfather before looking back at me.
“I’m talking about those black-eyed, clone bastards,” I told him. “That’s who.”
Faris raised a brow. “I know the type. How many?”
“Three.”
He watched me with rapt attention for a beat longer. “You’re alive. Why is it that you’re alive if—like you say—three higher demons attacked you?”
My heart pounded at the memory of how close I was to dying. “The sun. The morning sun appeared and they took off.”
Faris made a soft whistle. “Yes, that should do it,” answered the mid-demon, the faintest bother in his expression as he took in my disheveled appearance again. He sighed and said, “This is all very exciting, and I’m glad you’re not dead, but what’s it got to do with me? I have the Barbie twins waiting for me back at my apartment,” he added smugly. “They get pretty nasty if they don’t get their weekly... release.”
“I get it,” I said. I never had imagined him having an apartment in the Netherworld. I’d never really imagined the Netherworld having any kind of structures. I’d always pictured it like any version of hell—endless fire pits, burnt rubble, millions of demons torturing human souls, all the clichés. Perhaps I’d been wrong.
Damn. His crotch was in my line of vision again. Damn. Damn. Damn. I pretended to be interested in his feet. Turns out they were meticulously manicured.
“Barbie twins,” said Faris again and gave me an exasperated look. “Unless you have something other in mind,” he said and his smile widened, “I really must go.”
“The higher demons were sent to kill me by a demon named Vorkol,” I said and saw the recognition of the name flash in Faris’s eyes. “You know who he is. Don’t you?” My pulse raced and I shifted, nearly stepping out of my circle. “Who is he? Tell me, damnit.”
Faris slid his hands over his perfectly styled, short black hair. “You know how this works, Sammy darling. You can ask, but I don’t give information out for free.”
Crap. This again. I let out a long breath. “I know.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“So you do know him?” I asked. When he didn’t answer I pressed. “I need to make sure.”
The demon gave a nod of his head. “Yes. The name rings a Netherworld bell.”
I met my grandfather’s shocked look—part worry, part anger, part disbelief.
“He could be lying,” accused my grandfather. “You can’t trust him.”
Yup. All true. But I had no one else to turn to.
“Relax, you old bag of witch bones,” said Faris. His eyes found mine. “It’s simple.” He smiled like a man who knew he had me. “I know who Vorkol is. But the question is... what will you give me in return?”
Cauldron be damned. I knew he was going to ask this again. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Can’t blame a demon for trying,” purred the demon. He sighed dramatically. With his hands on his hips he added. “I want another night off of this triangular confinement. If there are higher demons after you, you’re going to need my help.”
I watched Faris, seeing the underlying plans behind his eyes. “What about the Barbie twins?”
Faris flashed me a smile. “They can wait.”
My jaw clenched, seeing I could never truly trust him. “Why do you want to help me?” I asked, knowing full well he wasn’t doing anything for me, but for him. There was something in it for him. Always was.
“Isn’t it obvious?” said the mid-demon, a smug smile on his face. “I happen to like my nights out of my confinement. If you die, who’s going to give me my free passes to the mortal world? I like it here,” he added, looking around. “And the mortal women happen to enjoy my company. I’d rather not lose that.”
I knew he was lying. That couldn’t be the only reason, but I also knew there was a bit of truth in it. Plus, I needed all the help I could get. If Faris was willing to help, I’d take it.