City of Thorns by C.N. Crawford

Chapter 15

Orion had led me into what I’d thought was a closet, but was actually an elevator. While we rode it down, I kept studying the map.

“You have to put that away when we get to the bottom.”

“I know.” I’d drawn the gates of the city so many times, but I’d never imagined what was inside it. This was forbidden information and deeply fascinating.

The map showed that the city was divided into seven sections—eight if you included the Elysian Wilderness, south of the Acheron River.

The Luciferian Ward—and the Leviathan Hotel, where Orion lived—were right on the eastern side overlooking the ocean. South of Luciferian was the royal Beelzebub Ward, and the great Tower of Baal where the king lived. Once I had the king’s approval, I’d be staying in the Asmodean Ward—west of here, on the river. It was the smallest ward, and I suspected it had grown smaller over the years as the neighboring wards encroached on it.

Curiosity burned bright in me. I wanted to see everything—the old prison, the ancient demon temples, the demon bank. This place not only contained my mom’s killer, but it was magical.

When we reached the ground floor, the elevator opened into a lobby, and I shoved the map into my new red handbag, next to my new phone.

I stepped into the bright sunlight of the lobby. From above, sunlight poured through a dome of windows like a Victorian greenhouse. The floors were ivory marble, designed with black tiles in an Art Deco style. Sweeping stairs led up to a mezzanine, with a black railing that somehow looked like sexy lace.

I’d never actually been in a place like this before, and I had to remember to keep my jaw closed and not look awed by the grandeur. Mortana would not be impressed by this place. She’d be bored by all of this. So I pulled my eyes away from the beauty of the building, and I focused on my catlike walk, on my swaying hips.

On the way to the door, we passed a handful of people, who gaped at me. Two gorgeous demon women with red eyes and curved ivory horns—one blonde, the other with raven hair—huddled together and whispered as I crossed to the door. I had the feeling that word had already gotten around, and I gave them a confident smile.

That’s right, demons. The succubus bitch is back.

Orion pushed through the large glass door, then held it for me. With swaying hips, I found myself stepping outside into a city of golden stone. In the sun, the world gleamed around me, and my breath caught at its beauty.

With its narrow streets—clearly made in a time before cars—the city looked medieval. The hotel opened up onto a piazza of sorts, where cafés and shops lined a large stone courtyard. Arched passages jutted off from the square. In the center of the square, the stones formed a geometric shape sort of like an upside-down isosceles triangle, with lines curving off it and a V on the bottom.

Orion gestured at the symbol. “As you can see, Mortana, the Luciferian Ward is unchanged, and Lucifer’s great symbol remains.”

I sighed. “Delightful.”

Now the real question was, did one of the squares contain a star symbol? And which of these fuckers burned my mom alive using fire magic?

When I surveyed the square, I realized all eyes were fixed in my direction. A shiver of dread rippled over me, but Mortana wouldn’t look overwhelmed. Mortana would loop her arm around Orion’s and smile smugly—the same kind of wry little curl of lips that Orion had been displaying since I’d met him. So I did just that.

With his body close to mine, his warm magic radiated over me, soothing and seductive at the same time.

Arm in arm, we crossed into one of the arched passages. In here, where it was empty, Orion leaned down and whispered. “I don’t think people are thrilled about your return.”

“Just the succubus issue?” I whispered back.

“That’s part of it. And also, you’re with me. The king and I are now the two wealthiest bachelors in the city, and the unmarried demon females have been competing for our attention. Infernal debutantes presented at court in a series of balls and soirées, each of them hoping to become a queen or duchess. Demon females wait years, centuries even, hoping to find the most advantageous match they can.”

I looked up at him. “Why aren’t you married?”

“I don’t see any reason to marry.”

“And the king?” I asked. “He’s centuries old. Why marry now?”

Orion shrugged. “Before, he could fuck every woman in the city, and he probably has. No one had a claim to him. But a king is expected to marry, so he must choose a wife.”

We walked through a series of narrow streets and stone stairwells, past shops and hotels. We swept past a round library belonging to Belial University.

Orion quietly explained to me that in the ancient days, Lucifer—the shining one—was the supreme demon god. Even now, Lucifer’s power permeated the city. The temples were mostly abandoned, but some demons still left offerings to the old gods.

“Do you believe in them?” I whispered.

He glanced at me. “I don’t know, but I don’t really give a fuck if they’re real or not.”

Ah, of course. His arrogance knew no bounds—not even when it came to his gods.

* * *

In the Mammon Ward,we stopped for lunch at a restaurant by one of the river’s tributaries, the Erebus Stream. It burbled past us, gleaming in the sun. We sat by a pedestrianized road of amber stone, and I watched the demons stride past in their designer clothes, some of them with metallic horns that sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.

Far across the square, the Bank of Thorns loomed over a square, with towering columns that made it look like an ancient temple. Black brambles grew over the stone.

A few mortals walked past, dressed casually in Belial University sweatshirts and leggings. They moved differently from demons, and their expressions were unguarded, in awe at the beautiful world around them. By contrast, every demon stood out to me as a predator, gliding along with lethal grace. The demons kept their features calm at all times.

None of them bore the star I was looking for.

I leaned back in my chair to sip the red wine Orion had ordered for us. I was no wine expert, but this was amazing.I let the dry flavor roll over my tongue, then swallowed. “Delicious.”

He returned my smile. “Claret from grapes in the fields of Elysium. One of my favorites.”

The waitress returned, staring almost exclusively at Orion. And who could blame her? The woman had functioning eyes, and he looked like a god. Her cheeks flushed as she took his order, and she flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder.

With a smirk, he said, “I’ll have the duck breast.”

I was pretty sure she actually gasped at the word breast. She bit her lip and cocked her head, as if he’d just suggested spanking her. “Yeah?” she said. “Is that all you want?”

Orion had said flirting was all about making it clear you wanted to fuck someone, and this chick was a goddamn expert. Frankly, she’d be much better than me at the succubus role.

I had to admit, I found it a bit irritating. For one thing, I was starving, and she still hadn’t taken my order. For another, what if this were actually a real date? I mean it wasn’t, obviously. I had no reason to be jealous, so I wasn’t.

But she didn’t know that.

The real question was how Mortana would handle this situation. Personally, I thought she’d be fucking pissed. Mortana liked being the center of attention, and she wasn’t getting any right now. Nor did I think she would tolerate this kind of disrespect.

I cleared my throat. When the waitress finally turned to look at me, I narrowed my eyes at her and made my body go as stillas possible. Having just experienced this a few times from Orion, I knew how unnerving it was. Plus, this was basically a bitchier version of Dr. Omer’s I’ll sit in silence until you realize what you’ve done technique.

I watched her rosy cheeks go pale, and then I slowly tapped my fingernails on the table. “Are you quite done with that little display?” My voice came out sounding cold and distant.

“Sorry,” she stammered. “I was just taking his order.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, mortal.” I chuckled. “But you know, your desire does give me strength.” Never in my life had I sounded so imperious. To tell the truth, I wasn’t entirely sure where this was coming from. “Your lust is making me positively ravenous.”

I watched her throat bob as she swallowed. “Did you want lunch?”

Orion was picking up the tab, so I might as well get something expensive. “Lobster Fra Diavolo.” An appropriate name when I thought about it. “I’m feeling a bit devilish.” I bared my teeth. “And if that doesn’t satisfy me, I’ll need to feed on something fresher, so you’d best tell the chef to make sure it’s good.”

She stumbled back from me, then turned to hurry to the kitchen.

Shit. Was that what my id was like under all my repression? Did I have an evil side?

When I turned back to Orion, he was studying me closely. “Mortana, you really haven’t changed at all.”

I leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, “I like being back.”

He raised his wine to me in a toast. “To the most malignant, evil demon to ever grace this city.”

Every time I looked around, I realized people were craning their necks, trying to listen in.

I sighed, looking out across the Acheron River to the south bank. “The Elysian Fields. I do remember them fondly. Is it true that during your Infernal Rite, you slaughtered fifty demons?”

He twirled the stem of his wineglass between his fingertips, and the crimson liquid glinted in the sunlight. “Well, I don’t like to brag—”

“Liar.”

Amusement curled his lips. “Fine. I love to brag. Yes, I killed fifty demons. And yes, I think the others find me terrifying.”

Did the king find him terrifying, too?

I sighed, trying to get into my role. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen King Nergal.”

“Don’t worry.” He flashed me a dazzling smile. “You will see his head soon. But now you have unwavering loyalty to the new king, don’t you? You know how it is here. Vae Victis.”

Woe to the vanquished. Expect brutal treatment at the hands of the victors. Another reminder that I couldn’t fall into enemy hands here.

I lifted my wineglass, smiling, and repeated, “Vae Victis.”