Alright! Two weeks later and many nights of staying up past two in the morning... Chapter six is here! I tallied the votes and wrote this chapter accordingly. Thanks to all of you who voted! And to all of you who didn't vote but read the story anyway.
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She hesitated, her thoughts churning. "I-I'm not sure who I want."
Lucifer looked at her incredulously, shocked that she couldn't just pick one of the men quickly. "Why not? You have three princes who are fighting for your heart. You need only to pick one now and then choose from the other two later."
She dropped her head, a grimace on her face. "Yeah, but...I mean, I don't want anyone to feel bad."
Lucifer let out a long, agonized groan. She looked up to see the demon king cradling his face in his hands. Confusion, then understanding, swept through her mind. Of course Lucifer wouldn't understand why pleasing people and avoiding hurt feelings were so important to her. He'd never had to live in the world of humans or grow up being the main target for rival teenage girls. That, and the man was fucking
Lucifer!
Nonetheless, a wave a shame flooded her senses and she dropped her head. Her shoulders hunched, her ink black hair shielding her face. She was doing a credible impression of a dog caught rummaging through the fridge.
"Your father warned me you were far too sensitive, but I chose not to believe him." Lucifer dropped his hands and stared at her, his gaze softening when he saw her broken stance. "I suppose...if it's truly
that
hard for you to pick, you could perhaps try all three."
Her head snapped up, shock and confusion etching her features. "All three?"
WHAT?!
"Yes." Lucifer stroked his chin with long, clawed fingers. "Perhaps we could make that in itself a contest."
She cocked her head and crossed her arms. "How?"
"Well, by having all three at once, you could compare them against each other and find who has the best connection with you. And if you took all three at one time, you could decide who the better lover was."
"Wait, wait, wait." She held up her hands, trying to slow the speeding train wreck she was now riding. "All three at once? You mean
sleep
with all three at once?"
Lucifer nodded. "Yes and no. Obviously, you could take all three men at once. But perhaps each man could have a turn at you tonight. Then you could decide whose style and personality you like best."
Struck silent, Kara ran the option through her mind, he had a good point: If all three were given the same shot at the same time, that would give her the chance to compare the side by side. It would also eliminate the chance that one of them would try to take her somewhere or do something that would tip the scales unfairly. If they had to challenge each other while competing for her, it would force them to put their best foot forward and show their true colors simultaneously.
She had a bad feeling about that last one. Darian (not to mention his father) didn't do well with losing, Ladrian would get lost in the crowd and she was vaguely sure Lyzander could just push the others out of the way. But it seemed that a head-on competition between the three of them was the fairest way to go. Then again...maybe not. Those boys were half-blood demons, after all. They'd probably kill each other before she even started.
She looked Lucifer in the eyes and nodded. "No, it's alright. I'll figure out my choice a little later."
"Excellent! I shall tell the princes of our plan right away!" Lucifer turned to walk away, his massive wings almost knocking her over.
She jumped out of the way and looked at him, confused. "What? Now?"
He looked over his shoulder at her, golden eyes twinkling. "Silly girl. Did you forget that time moves faster in Hell? You've already spent three hours with your last choice."
She sighed. "Right. Could you ask them to wait for a bit? I don't feel so fabulous."
"You can choose your first lover tonight, after you've had a chance to see all three of them together." With that, Lucifer unfurled his enormous wings and launched himself up into the higher circles of Hell.
She watched him take to the heated air, her thoughts churning inside her head. All three men in one room at the same time. That would be like putting three starving pit bulls in a cage with one female in heat. They'd be lucky if the bed wasn't a pile of lumber and all three men were still alive. She giggled at the thought. Those men would tear each other apart for her.
Pausing a second, Kara went back to the kitchen door and turned the handle. Poking her head in, she watched Parthos moving quickly back and forth across the kitchen. He was consumed in his cooking; several pots already on the stove and two more ovens were in use.
"Hey." She spoke over the boiling pots. "You need some help?"
He laughed. "No, but that you, princess." He turned to face her. "But if you'd like to stay and chat, I'd be happy to – "
She cocked her head. "What?"
His face was worried. "You don't look so good. Perhaps you should go rest."
Taken aback, she did the best to defend herself. "No, I'm fine. I just..."
Parthos' face turned serious. "Princess, I've been around here long enough to know who is fine and who is not. You are not. Please, go rest. I can handle this."
She sighed. "Alright."
His smile returned. "Good. You have strength, princess. You just need to save it until it is needed."
She nodded and smiled back. "Thank you."
He waved at her, still smiling. She backed away and closed the door, turning back to the hallway they'd entered from. She began to walk, her mind going back to the thoughts of being ravaged by her three suitors. She imagined all three of them would probably start fighting the moment they entered her room. Even Ladrian, the calm one of the group, would fight for his share.
She shook her head, trying to clear the image – and a new crowding sleepiness – from her mind. For some reason she couldn't understand, her body felt exhausted. Perhaps it was the shock of having to deal with three men in the same room, or the lack of food in her stomach – when
did
she last eat? - that had her feeling so tired.
Oh, well. She'd sort that out later. For now, she decided to surrender herself to sleep. She yawned, her body's way of approving her decision. Slowly making her way out of the selection hall, she walked back to her room, her mind still spinning. Could she handle all three of them at the same time? Would they leave her alive at the end? She hoped so, although with three virile half-blood princes waiting anxiously for her vote, there was hardly a chance of her coming out unscathed.
She shrugged mentally. She'd only met each of them for a few hours. Maybe pitting them against each other would give her a chance to see their true colors. She smiled, happy to know that after all these years, someone was finally willing to fight for her. She reached her door to her room and turned the handle. Stepping inside, she was glad to hear the slam of the heavy wood when it closed. It made her feel safe and secure, as if nothing and no one could harm her.
She slipped off her robe and looked around. Her bed was empty, the sheets disheveled from spending the night with the twins. They had left hours ago, obviously not alarmed by her absence. Leaving the door open for her little walk had been a good idea.
She walked towards her bed, feeling more exhausted the closer she got. When she finally reached the edge of the mattress, she was dead on her feet. She flipped the blankets back and crawled into bed, wrapping the warm sheets around her self and settling into a deep and well-deserved sleep. However all of this was going to work, she'd figure it out in the morning.
Hot breath spilled down her neck and back, drawing her out of her sleep. The feeling of warm, moist air snapped her awake. She stayed completely still, barely daring to breathe, fearing the worst. Fear roiled through her veins, twisting and knotting around her throat. She felt the mattress around her head dip as two hands pressed into her pillow, supporting the intruder. She squeezed her eyes shut and silently begged for the torture to end.
"Ladrian? What are you doing?" Lyzander's voice broke through the deafening silence. The sound of his voice made the fear insider her relax a bit.
The mattress sprung back to its original shape as Ladrian launched himself away. "I was just..."
"Why in the hell were you smelling her? If anyone should be doing that, it's Darian. He's the one with the deviant appetite." Lyzander sounded more confused than angry.
"Yeah...Hey!" Darian's voice broke through, annoyed at Lyzander's subtle jab. "My appetite is not deviant, it is unconventional. It also happens to be extremely palatable."
"A lunch of human flesh doesn't sound like the most appetizing of meals." Sarcasm laced Lyzander's deep voice.
"You've never tried it, so you wouldn't know." Darian mumbled.
Fighting already. Well, what did you expect, your highness? They're competing for you.
Relieved that the intruders were her suitors, Kara decided that it would be best if she just got up and faced this head on. The sooner she intervened, the less damage they could do. Stretching her still-tired limbs, she rolled onto her back and sat up in her bed, pulling the sheets close to her body. All those nights of being toyed with and teased didn't do anything to ease her natural insecurity.
She watched the three men as their argument slowly heated to a boil. Or her right was Ladrian, wearing nothing but ripped jeans and looking like he'd just been slapped. True, he'd been caught taking a whiffed her while she was still asleep, but what else was a horny half-blood prince to do with a virgin princess? Relief washed over her when she saw that his newest scar had lost its angry red color, though the edges were still ragged and torn. It almost matched the first one, making him seem more normal.
