Page 42 of Claiming Demons
But Fen wasn’t there to greet us.
And despite the wonderful, anxiety-reducing bliss Ramsey had induced on the way here, I began to worry.
Fen wasn’t the type to bail… not without calling or something.
“He’s probably just a little late, or we’re a little early or something,” Ramsey tried to soothe me. “Don’t worry, Silverlocks. He’ll be here.”
Except Fen wasneverlate, so Iwasworried, but I tried to quell my uneasiness as Ramsey and I made our way inside.
ANAIS
We entered the hotel,and instantly I was swept up in the grandeur of the venue and the event. The lobby was decked to the nines, the doormen and bellhops wore tuxedos, and women in sparkling sequined gowns were ushering guests from upstairs or outside into the main ballroom, which was massive and decorated to the hilt. But the splendor of the room was nothing compared to those who mingled within it.
The only true goddess I’d met so far was Freyja, and before me now were dozens of deities, all lavishly attired, looking amazing.
Most of the men, like Ramsey, wore suits or tuxedos, although a few were draped in old fashioned robes or togas, and several even wore armor.
The women displayed a panoply of styles. From barely-there dresses, far more scandalous than mine, to regular ball gowns of all styles and colors, to older styles of dresses, or robes and togas like some of the men.
As Ramsey escorted me into the ballroom, I gawked at the array of powerful Empyreans around me. Not just because of how stunning they were, but because I couldfeelmost of them. My daemon sense pinged off many of those around me to various degrees signaling their levels of power.
And yet — even with all these other sights to see — Ramsey couldn’t take his eyes off me. And there were many others who admired my passing, which made me blush like a schoolgirl.
“Well, look at you!”
The semi-familiar voice caught my attention and I turned to see Freyja striding up to me. Unsurprisingly, she’d chosen the barely-there style of dress. It was practically a negligee, barely long enough to cover her ass. Two narrow panels of pale pink covered her front and back with slender strings tied over her shoulders and at the hem to keep them from flying away, and her magnificent breasts were barely contained by the not-quite-see-through silk, which made it clear she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
And still, Ramsey’s eyes slid off her and back to me easily.
“That’s quite the dress,” Freyja said. “You might turn as many heads as I will, perhaps more, just from being the novelty of a newcomer.” She gazed at me for a long moment. “And you’ve come into more power since last we met. Your aura is… impressive.” She almost sounded jealous.
A tall, dark-skinned man, chest bared, wearing only a simple wrap skirt from waist to knees, approached from behind Freyja and draped a well-muscled arm over her shoulders.
“Hey there, Freyja darling.” His dark eyes drank her in like he’d spent a hundred days parched in the desert, then they turned to me and I got the same treatment. “Do you and your friend want to find a room and show me all your treasures?”
“Back off, Min,” Ramsey snarled. “You can do what you wish with Freyja, but Ana is mine!”
The tall man — even taller than Ramsey, which was impressive, though he wasn’t nearly as thick with muscle — gave a relaxed, disarming smile. “Don’t worry, cousin. I was just asking. Women are allowed to say no.” His smile widened. “Though… most don’t.” He turned back to Freyja. Her small frame, pale and blond against his tall and dark, were quite the contrast. “You up for some fun?”
“With you Min? Always!”
The two sauntered off and left the ballroom.
“He seems… nice?” I said, a bit confused. Were propositions like this going to happen all night?
“Min is Horus’ brother, god of sex and fertility. At least he wasn’t walking around with a raging hard-on, which isn’t uncommon.”
Something told me there were going to be lots of godly “quirks” I would have to get used to.
“And… people just wander off to have sex?” I asked.
Ramsey scoffed. “Given the number of Empyreans devoted to beauty or sex or love or fertility or whatever… yeah that happens a lot. There are private rooms off the ballroom where couples or groups can go to get their freak on.”
“Charming.”
Another tall dark-skinned man approached. This one bore some faint resemblance to Ramsey — his proportions were certainly similar, large and tall and made for brute force. He was dressed in a bespoke tuxedo, perfectly fitted to his powerful frame.
“Fuck,” Ramsey swore softly. “This may be unpleasant.”