Page 24

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January 23, 2006

S tanding in the throne room in Katateros, Simi stared at the other demon suspiciously as she moved her head back and forth, trying to believe what they’d told her. Akri-Lexi had brought another Charonte home along with a ghosty named Danger.

The Charonte’s skin was marbled red and black, and she had yellow eyes. Simi looked at her closely as she tried to remember all those centuries ago when she’d been just a little demon.

Simi frowned at her akri. “What do you mean, she’s my sister?”

With tears in her eyes, the Charonte stepped toward her. “Xiamara, do you not?—”

Simi cut her off. “I am the Simi. Xiamara is my mother.” Surely her sissy should know that?

Shouldn’t she? If she was her sissy, she would!

Unsure of what to think for sure, Simi approached her slowly and poked at her arm. It’d just been so very long since she last saw one of her people. Could this really be her sissy? “You look real.”

Her lips quivered. “I am real.”

That made the Simi angry. How could she be real and be her sister and leave her alone all this time? “Then why did you not come see me?”

“I couldn’t. The bitch goddess wouldn’t let me.”

“Artemis?” Simi squealed. “The Simi hates her!”

“No,” Xirena corrected, “the other bitch-goddess, Apollymi.”

“Hey!” Simi snapped in synchrony with her akri.

Xirena looked even more confused.

Angry that this Charonte would dare disparage the one who’d given her such a wonderful akri, she glared at her. “She a goddess, that Apollymi. Don’t you ever call her such a name! She always good to the Simi. She makes me hornay warmers to keep my hornays warm and she gives me lots of cookies when the Simi comes sees her.”

Xirena’s jaw dropped. “She does what? When have you been in Kalosis?”

Simi put her hands on her hips. “You heard me, deaf demon. She a good lady, that Apollymi, and the Simi will hurt anyone who says otherwise.”

Xirena stepped forward and whispered loudly, “Will your akri let me talk to you alone?”

Simi blew a raspberry and waved her hand. “My akri don’t control me. More times than not, he do what his Simi says. Mosty withs no complaints.”

Xirena appeared horrified by her words. “He’s your akri! Mind your tone!”

Simi blew her another raspberry. “He’s my daddy.”

“He’s your akri,” she said from between clenched fangs.

As if she knew anything about akris.

Looking at her akri, she scowled. “There’s something seriously wrong with the Simi’s sister. Why she keep saying you my lord and master when you’re just my daddy, akri?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea, Simkey. You need to set her straight.”

“Hmm.” Simi considered that sharp barking. That rang bell as she remembered her sissy all the time fussy at her.

For everything.

Maybe this Charonte was her sissy.

If that was true …

Simi wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders and led her over to the corner where she had her own television monitors. “See, in this world, Xirena, the Simi does what she wants and akri, he say, ‘Okay, Simi, whatever you want, Simi.’ Unless it involves eating people. Then he usually says no, but that’s the only time. Other than that, he do what the Simi says. See how that works?”

Xirena appeared completely baffled by her words.

Simi popped her head up to look at her akri. “Where she staying now?”

“You could share a room with?—”

“No,” Simi said immediately as she realized what her akri was about to do. “The Simi don’t share her room, akri. Ever. You know this. I don’t care that she is my sissy. My room has all my special mementos in there. I think you should make her one of her own.”

The smile on his face said that her akri knew better than to argue with his demon. “Okay. Where do you want me to put her?”

She thought about it for a few minutes. “Kind of next to the Simi’s room, but not so close that she blocks the view to my Travis Fimmel billboard that the Simi has on the great wall.”

Xirena appeared horrified. “Your what? What’s a Travis Fimmel?”

Simi’s jaw dropped as she looked stunned. “You don’t know about Travis Fimmel? Oh, sissy, you are deprived. He the finest man alive.”

Xirena shuddered. “What have they done to you? You lust for men?”

“Well, I don’t lust for women. They okay and all, if that’s what you want, but that’s not the Simi’s interest.”

“No,” Xirena corrected, “I mean, you lust for humans?” The way she said those words sounded like it was the most horridest thing her sissy could imagine.

But Simi couldn’t even begin to understand that. “Well, don’t you?”

“Ew!” Xirena looked at akri. “What have you done to her? You have corrupted a perfectly good demon!” She looked back at Simi. “You need to see Drakus.”

Drakus? “Who that?”

“He the finest Charonte demon to ever live. He can breathe fire out his nose and mouth at the same time.”

That did sound like fun. The Simi could only imagine something so beautonius! “Ooo!”

Akri cleared his throat to get their attention. “Simi’s too young for that.”

“No, she’s not,” her sissy said in unison with her.

Akri-Lexi laughed. “I think you’re outnumbered, boss.”

Akri turned to see Alexion behind him. The ghosty Dark-Hunter, Danger, was entering the room just behind him.

He sighed as Alexion stopped beside him. “Forget Armageddon, this is the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Two Charonte in one room.”

Ignoring her akri, Simi took her sissy so that they could sits and compare notes on “hot” men and male demons. She wanted to know lots more about this Charonte that apparently were still around.

Okies, she’d be mad at Apollymi for that later.

Right now, she just wanted to hear more.

Akri-Lexi turned to Danger and smiled. “I think it’s a good thing we have a woman in the house now. Maybe she can talk some sense into them.”

Danger snorted. “The demons are your domain, not mine. I’m not even going there.”

Akri actually whimpered as Xirena began telling the Simi so much about the correct mating habits of the Charontes. “This is going to get ugly. Thanks, Lex.”

Simi rolled her eyes and ignored them completely.

This was her sissy! She wasn’t alone anymore. It felt glorious to know that there were more of them.

She didn’t know why akra had lied to her. It hurt so much to think about, but she wasn’t going to hold a grudge.

Akri had given her the most wondrous life any demon could have hoped for. She would never faults her akri.

Especially given how much love she felt in her heart right now.

What was it that akri was always saying? Sometimes things had to go wrong so that they could go right.

This felt right, so she was willing to let it go and hold no grudges against anyone.

She had her sissy, her akri and friends.

What more could any demon want?