Page 2 of Dormeo

Lord Farly stiffens. If someone called him Farly in his own land and didn’t address him with his title, they would probably hang for it. But here, he’s powerless, and is forced to endure the disrespect in silence.

“ You, Father. Not we . I am so far uninvolved in whatever Machiavellian scheme you’ve come up with to entertain yourself.”

My father’s fake, and quite frankly, terrifying smile fades briefly, and his mask slips from the almost normal visage of a lower-level demon to the horror that lurks beneath.

Whatever plan he has up his sleeve, it’s one he’s particularly proud of, which doesn’t bode well for the man cowering before him.

Farly quakes and fails to smother his gasp, catching a glimpse of the real monster he’s dealing with for the first time. The reality of what he’s done appears to be sinking in as he shuffles backward on his knees, face pale, and heart racing.

He may have a heart attack before he leaves with whatever he came here for.

“Let’s not exaggerate,” my father says through gritted teeth, beckoning me closer with the long black talons that curl from the tips of his fingers.

Reluctantly, I approach, wishing he would leave me out of this one but knowing that resisting is futile.

Farly looks like he wants to bolt for the door but knows it’s too late. There’s no going back now.

“Ash is going to take good care of your collateral. She’s in safe hands.”

Farly’s gaze drops to my huge black hands and grimaces at the sight of my claws.

“And provided you honour your side of the bargain, Rose will be returned to you at the end of our agreement.”

My mind flits to the woman currently riding Gaap’s giant cock, another piece of collateral my father recently collected. I doubt whoever left her here would consider what Gaap is doing right now as taking care of her.

The muscles in Farly’s back bunch and twist as he turns to look at me, with more backbone than most of the human men we see down here.

“She is not to be harmed. Nor… used against her will.” Farly pales as he says the last part.

If Gaap gets his hands on her, she’ll be more than willing.

“For a man who’s agreed to hand over someone he supposedly cares for to the devil himself, your concern for her welfare reeks of hypocrisy.” I drawl, enjoying how he grinds his teeth in anger at being called out on his bullshit.

If he wanted her safe, he would never have brought her here, no matter how dire the circumstances he’s found himself in.

This last-minute show of acting like he gives a shit is to soothe his own guilty conscience. Nothing more.

“Ash will guard her personally.” My father’s assurance floors me.

This is new.

Surely, there are better things I could be doing for him than babysitting some spoiled Lady who’s about to experience a spectacular fall from grace. What is so important about her that I need to be dragged in to babysit?

“Anyone could do this job.” I complain, aware that challenging my father’s decision puts me on thin ice. “I thought you had other priorities for me .”

Like how to eliminate the various threats from other supernaturals, all looking for control of this very gateway.

“And that’s exactly why this is so very important.” He glares at me, fire dancing in his eyes.

That’s all the latitude I get for being his firstborn.

He has a plan. One that is not to be revealed to me or questioned in any way.

Got it.

“We will make sure that nobody else gets near the woman during her brief stay here while giving Lord Farly the necessary means to repay his gambling debts and keep his house and title. And in return, Lord Farly here is going to get us the very thing we need to keep everyone happy. It’s win-win.”

Swallowing hard, I look at Farly, who at least has the good graces to seem ashamed.

“Two weeks, Farly. Or we’ll keep her instead, along with your property and lands. And your wife will hear about what you have done.”

So, it’s not his wife then that he’s offered up, it’s his child.

Even worse.

Lord Farly lifts his head to answer back, rage making his pudgy face bright red, but before he can utter a word, my father sends him back to wherever he came from in a small burst of light with a mere flick of his wrist.

With a weary sigh, I don’t even attempt to find out what my father has up his sleeve.

“Where do I pick up this collateral?” I ask, knowing this is going to be a painful two weeks, but I can deal with anything, if it means quelling the war brewing on our doorstep.

Demons need to be united, not at each other's throats. At least, not when the other supernaturals are ganging up on us, ready to overthrow us from our seats here as guardians of the separate realms.

My father’s humanoid form disappears, and a cruel smirk creeps across his face.

He loves this part. Destroying some unfortunate person’s world by telling them someone they hold dear has betrayed them and sent them here to fend for themselves.

When I take his place, I wonder if I’ll relish these moments as much as he does.

I doubt it, but maybe that’s what spending this long at the helm, dealing with the worst of the worst, does to you.

“No need to go on a retrieval mission.” My father waves away my questions. “She’s already waiting for you in your quarters.”