The next morning, rays of ethereal light filtered through the windows. As Miu's eyes fluttered open, she sat up in bed, and her gaze drifted from one side of the room to the other. She wasn't greeted by the familiar sights or smells of her cozy woodland burrow. Instead, ornate furnishings and décor came into view. In her sleepy stupor, it took her a few moments to recognize where she was: The guest suite in Cassian's palace in the sky.

Miu wrinkled her nose. Even the light fixtures and chairs looked like works of art. Precious crystals and gold detailing embellished the entire space, spanning from the ceiling to the walls. The room appeared far too haughty for her taste. It felt downright stifling. Miu rose from bed with a grumpy scowl. If she ever became the mistress of this palace, the fox demon vowed, then she wouldn't hesitate to restyle each room to her liking and preference.

A moment later, Vinna knocked at the door to fetch her for breakfast. "Come, my lady. The others are waiting."

Miu blinked. "The others?"

A wry gleam shone from Vinna's dark eyes. "The other demons who are also vying for Cassian's hand in marriage."

Miu couldn't help but smirk. "You make it seem as though he is a prized beast that we are all hunting."

Vinna tossed her a piercing look. "Do you have what it takes to take down the others?"

Determination brimmed inside Miu's chest. "I can decapitate a succubus with my bare claws. I doubt a mere bloodsucker or wingless seraph will give me much trouble."

"I see," Vinna commented in mild tones. "You are exactly as I imagined."

"In what way?" demanded Miu.

The nymph grimaced. "Barbaric. Savage. Cruel."

Wearing an unbothered expression, Miu chuckled darkly. "I shall take that as a compliment."

"I pity my master. He is being forced to wed one of your kind against his will."

A twinge of discomfort plucked at Miu's pride. She could understand Vinna's resentment of demons. Nymphs were widely known to be shallow, judgmental creatures. But Cassian was a different matter.

Weren't gods supposed to be enlightened beings?

The thought of having him scorn her simply for being a demon stung a bit more than expected.

As delicately as possible, Miu remarked, "War makes strange bedfellows of gods and demons, I suppose."

"Indeed, it does," Vinna murmured in agreement.

The two females eyed each other with distrust. Tension and animosity stiffened the air between them, but neither demon nor nymph uttered another word. Miu swallowed her displeasure. To succeed in her matrimonial endeavors, she would need allies in Elysium. Miu had hoped that Vinna might become such an ally. Now, it seemed that the nymph was determined to become a hindrance rather than an asset to her cause.

Tails swishing irritably behind her, Miu followed Vinna to the dining hall. Two magnificent chandeliers dangled over an opulent table carved from rich, dark wood. Plush velvet chairs, twelve on each side, colored in a deep burgundy red, surrounded the table.

Blonde Celestina and auburn-haired Lelu were already seated at the table. Seven other demonic-looking females sat beside them.

Three snake demonesses, Zisa, Zava, and Zeri, with matching green hair and slitted golden eyes. They looked like triplets.

A pink-eyed shapeshifter who went by Lucille.

Next to Lucille sat a shadow phantom who introduced herself as Votania. The phantom's curvaceous body kept flickering between her transparent ephemeral and opaque solid forms.

There was also an honest-to-goodness fire demon with bright reddish skin. Tattoos and piercings covered her entire body. Her name was Jeen. The tips of her spiky raven hair kept smoldering with burnished golden flames and embers.

A siren with a dark complexion and mesmerizing green eyes named Talinesse. Even without her song, Talinesse's voice echoed around the dining in a manner that was every bit as alluring as one might expect from a siren.

Not long after Miu joined the others at the table, several maids in white silk robes brought out their breakfast. The group of demonic ladies began to eat and chat over their breakfast. Miu didn't think twice about inserting herself into the flow of their conversation.

Lelu turned to Miu with an arched eyebrow. "I have not seen you around here until today. What is your name?"

A lie. Just yesterday, they had crossed paths in the hallway. Miu cocked an eyebrow back at Lelu, but she didn't call out the fallen seraph. "I am known as Miu of Seven Tails."

Celestina frowned. "What are you, exactly, Miu?"

Miu coughed. "Excuse me?"

The vampire princess leered at the furry white ears atop of head. "You remind me of some sort of beastly canine."

Miu narrowed her eyes into sharp slits. "You cannot tell what I am?"

Celestina scoffed. "I would not ask if I already knew, now, would I?"

"She is a fox demon, you fanged fool," Zisa hissed at Celestina, answering on Miu's behalf. Her slitted golden eyes darted towards Miu's seven tails with wary concern. "An old one, too."

"You are not wrong, Zisa. I am, indeed, a sly, old fox," Miu agreed with the snake demon. "But I come in peace. Mostly."

"Mostly?" Jeen repeated with a curious tilt of her head.

Smiling coolly, Miu declared, "Well, I cannot promise to be a saint if someone chooses to stand in the way of what I came here to achieve. I am sure the rest of you feel the same way. We are all here for the same reasons, no?"

The other females bristled at the challenge in her voice.

Jeen retorted with a feral grin, "Watch your tongue, little foxtress. You are not the only sly, old demon sitting at this table."

Votania murmured in airy, languid tones, "Ladies, ladies. Calm yourselves. Please. Our dear water god will choose the best among us. There is no need for rivalry or competition. The decision is out of our hands. We must simply be patient and wait for Cassian to choose his bride."

Zeri muttered under her breath, "Oh, get off your high horse, you see-through whore."

Votania gasped in outrage.

Readily, Miu countered, "Do not get me wrong, Votania. I may not be here to make friends, but I do not wish to make enemies, either."

"Well said, Miu of Seven Tails," Talinesse praised in lovely, lyrical tones. "I adore the way you speak your mind."

Her voice wrapped around Miu's senses like love. Like bliss. Immediately, the siren's words sent a rush of pleasure coursing through Miu's body. Her cheeks flushed with delight. Talenesse's compliment thrilled her to the bone. More than anything, Miu wanted the beautiful sea demon to like her, to praise her again. She had a sudden urge to do anything that the siren wished of her—

Miu caught herself just in time. She steeled her mind against Talinesse's charms and quickly withdrew from the conversation. The rest of her breakfast companions carried on with their chatter. Nostrils flaring slightly, Miu proceeded to study her rivals, inhaling their essences with great care. Most of them carried the scent of youth and inexperience. Celestina and the triplets were probably less than a century or two in age. Hardly a threat to a fox demon of her seven-tailed prowess and might. Votania and Lelu would be more troublesome, but they didn't appear to pose any real threat, either. However, when Miu's blue eyes locked on to Jeen, Talinesse, and Lucille, she recognized them as worthy adversaries. This trio of she-demons was unlike the others.

Right away, Miu sensed that Jeen might be one of the ancients. She was quite possibly one of the first demons forged directly from the fires of hell. A deep, dark power thrummed from Jeen's being. Powers that might rival even that of a god.

In a similar sense, Talinesse's magic was practically spilling from her slight frame. Old magic. Dangerous magic. She smelled close to a millennium in age. The siren brimmed with an overpowering aroma of spells and sorcery that would put Sirsi to shame.

Finally, there was Lucille. Strangely, it was the shapeshifter who worried Miu the most simply because she couldn't seem to read her, scent her, or decipher anything of significance about her. Lucille remained an enigma. Only a truly impressive demon would be able to mask so much of her abilities from Miu.

It was then Miu realized the shapeshifter had yet to contribute a single word to their conversation during this entire time. She kept her eyes on Lucille for the rest of their meal.

After the maids reappeared in the dining hall to clear the plates from the table. As the snake demons began to rise from their seats, Vinna trailed into the room. The nymph approached the table and announced, "I would like to request a few more minutes of your time, my ladies, before you return to the privacy of your rooms. There is a special guest who wishes to speak with all of you."

"Who is this special guest?" prompted Zava.

Vinna answered, "Ilessia."

Miu's eyes grew wide. Ilessia was the goddess who oversaw the four seasons in the mortal realm. She was also Cassian's sister.

Vinna continued, "The goddess is coming to oversee your initiation as marriageable candidates for the water god. She will serve as your guide during this time. Ilessia knows her brother best, and she understands exactly what he is looking for in a wife."

Votania's face fell with disappointment. "Do you mean to say that Cassian will not take part in selecting his own bride?"

"That is exactly what I am saying," Vinna confirmed. "My master has no interest in participating in such a trivial pursuit. He possesses far more weighty matters to deal with at the moment."

Talinesse cooed, "What an interesting turn of events."

Lelu grunted unhappily. "I cannot believe he has assigned his sister to choose one of us to become his bride!"

Votaina released a mournful whimper.

Jeen cast Votania a knowing look. "So much for no rivalry or competition, huh?"

"Oh, hush, you," Votania grumbled. "I do not appreciate your sarcas—"

An ear-shattering crack shook the dining hall, interrupting the phantom in mid-sentence. It was followed by a chilling gust of wind. The biting cold cut into Miu's skin like a thousand tiny knives. Celestina shrieked in fear. The flames and embers atop Jeen's head snuffed out like a dying candle. The cold-blooded serpentine triplets trembled in the plummeting temperatures. Soon, the dining hall was overtaken by a blizzard-like storm.

The doors swung open and in strolled a tall Amazonian female with midnight hair and silver eyes that seemed to mirror Cassian's features.

"Good morning, ladies," the stunning goddess greeted them in a booming, thunderous voice, "I see no need to introduce myself since Vinna has already done it for me. Rest assured, I am not here to waste my time or yours. Thus, I have decided that the contest to become my brother's bride begins... now."

Miu dared to inquire, "What are you talking about, my lady?"

In response, Ilessia snapped her fingers, and, instantly, a thick sheen of ice spread across the entire room, freezing over the doors and windows to create an impenetrable barrier.

The goddess smiled at Miu like a loving, nurturing mother, but her voice remained as biting as a blade when she proclaimed, "I challenge you to find a way to escape this room, little fox."

Ilessia's attention then returned to the rest of the demonesses. "Do be mindful, ladies, the last one out will be eliminated from my list of candidates. May the winds of fortune bless your efforts."

Shivering from the ice and snow that now threatened to engulf her, Miu cursed in silence. Talinesse was right. What a fucking interesting turn of events, indeed.