Mina woke up to find herself surrounded by darkness. The sun had vanished from the sky while she slept. What a shame! She wanted to watch the sunset wrapped inside of Vergil’s arms, just as they had done a few nights ago.

His aura surrounded her but it wasn’t as suffocating and oppressive as before, now it was softer … more gentle than all the other times she sensed it.

Turning around in the bed, she saw the faint shadow of snow-white hair beside her. A small smile curved her lips as she reached out to touch his face but ended up brushing her fingers against a hard, rough surface instead. Vergil moaned softly in his sleep and rolled to the other side but didn’t wake up.

“Sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to touch your horns,” she whispered, giggling before grabbing a lock of his long hair and starting to braid it.

You said that you didn’t need to rest but here you are sleeping like a baby. I guess the battle wore you out. She remembered the way he arrived at the hotel room and a shiver shook her body. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” she said in a hushed tone before kissing the thin braid she had done and sneaking out of the bed.

Guiding herself by the faint shadows of the furniture, Mina walked slowly, searching for the bathroom, until she found a door. Praying it led her to the bath and not some random corridor, she opened it and searched the wall for the light switch. When the bulb illuminated an elegant bathroom decorated in black and silver, she entered, closing the door behind her as quickly and silently as she could. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up her sleeping, handsome prince.

The brunette was in the process of looking for a towel when she sensed Vergil’s dark aura at her back a second before his arms enveloped her from behind and his fangs nibbled her shoulder.

“You were awake the whole time?”

“No.” His breath tickled her ear as he talked, and his hands roamed her torso until they dipped between her legs, earning a soft gasp for his playful boldness. “The bed got cold without you.”

She hid her small smile from him. “Look, love, I want to take a bath. Nightfall has arrived and I’m starving.”

“Me too.” His honey-laced voice made a shiver run down her back. “Let’s make a deal. I bathe you, and then you feed me.”

Without giving her time to answer, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the bathtub with him. She gasped in surprise and tried to get away, splashing water everywhere, but his love-filled caresses had her giving in to his will in no time. No matter what her mind said, her heart would always yield to his every whim because she had fallen madly in love with her demon prince.

Thanatos looked to the dark waters of River Styx as he extended his palm to his latest victim and absorbed its essence into himself. That was the twentieth soul he had consumed that day for the sole purpose of recharging and healing his wounded body.

Vergil really did a number on him. He knew from the start that if the child fought with everything he had it would be a tough opponent to beat, but never imagined that he would know his secret. Maybe she told him? Or had he found out on his own? Either way, the problem of beating the young demon remained the same …

“Do I need to give this mission to another?” The cryptic voice of Hades sounded behind him, and the reaper hastily bowed before his liege.

“Of course not, my lord.”

“Then give me results, for all the gods’ sakes!” Hades’ electric blue eyes turned black with anger. “Cerberus’ death is your fault! Now, because of your incompetence, I must look for another gate guardian, plus hear Echidna whining all day long about her precious son’s death.” The Underworld’s lord shut his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to tone down his temper. “Tell me how in Zeus’ name did a fucking mortal female kill an immortal beast?” Hades growled through gritted teeth while staring into Thanatos’ violet orbs.

“I don’t know but will do everything in my power to find out,” the reaper said, his face a mask of stoicism.

Hades looked at him one last time. In his eyes glowed a warning before his body disappeared like smoke in the stale air of the Underworld.

The minor death god remained, looking at the riverside. The stranded souls gathered in small groups at the other side, lamenting their awful luck of dying without a coin for the ferryman. The sounds of their cries were the same as that day so many centuries ago.

Sighing deeply, he turned around and left.  

I don’t care if you’re her son, you will die next time we cross paths. My life depends on my success.

Mina sat at the long dinner table with her back stiff, trying so hard not to stare at the spectacle around her. Demons. Everywhere her eyes landed she found more and more demons.

“Refresh my mind, cariño. Were there so many devils around when we arrived this morning?”

He grabbed one of her fisted hands from atop her lap and lightly caressed the palm, trying to soothe her while he answered telepathically. “Yes, but they were in their human forms. Since Mother sent the mortal staff home, they have the opportunity to walk around in their true skin. Wouldn’t you rush to grab a chance like that if you were in their shoes?”

“I guess so,” she mumbled without taking her eyes from the maids that walked around bringing food and wine. From the looks of it, the three females were different types of devils. One was enveloped in flames and apparently naked; the second one had gray skin and bat wings with the inside a yellowish-orange color; and the last one had small horns peeking from her temples, strange wings attached to her arms, and a very thin tail. “At least the winged ones are dressed! But what are they?”

Vergil laughed at her side, but before he could answer, the double doors opened and Lilith entered followed by a male with two spiraled, black horns that reminded her of deer antlers. Black spikes ran down his back, forming a menacing row that ended at the tip of his tail.

He had his eyes downcast as he walked behind Vergil’s mom, but snapped to attention the moment the queen mentioned his name.

“This is Aaron Dittrich, my dear daughter-in-law. He will be your bodyguard from now on.” The redhead smiled warmly.

The devil raised his head, and when his gaze met with hers, his entire aura changed completely. It went from total darkness to a mix of excitement and fear in a mere couple of seconds. His beautiful, silver eyes without irises were difficult to read, but Mina thought that a spark of recognition shone briefly inside of them before he lowered his gaze once more.

Who was that creature and where had she met him before? I never encountered a demon before Vergil, then why …

Lilith looked at the creature beside her and talked with a bored expression. “Go on. Show your human skin to your princess, Lilu.”

Mina noticed how Aaron clenched his jaw when Lilith addressed him by “Lilu” and made a mental note to never call him by his race’s name. It was far too obvious that he hated it.

Maybe he doesn’t like to be reminded he belongs to the weakest incubi race? the brunette thought as she stared at her new bodyguard.

The demon queen clicked her tongue, and the incubus paled, changing to his human form without wasting a second more.

The princess stiffened in her seat, opening her eyes and mouth wide before regaining her composure in a flash. He was the stripper that Mary brought to her bachelorette party!

Aaron had the same slightly tanned skin, dark-blond, spiky hair, and clear green eyes as the man who came to dance in a police uniform to her house. The broad shoulders and well-sculpted torso that she …

A furious blush heated her cheeks when she remembered what kind of package he was hiding under the leather pants that covered his legs at the moment.  

There was no doubt about it. Unless he had a twin brother somewhere in the city, Aaron Dittrich was the man she slept with the night before her wedding.

Oh no! She looked at her husband sitting beside her, and the color drained from her face. “Did you hear that?”

“At the very least it wasn’t a human.”

“Take your place behind the princess.” Lilith brought the attention back to her with another cold order to Aaron, one he rushed to fulfill in seconds. She gave a look to Mina’s empty plate and clicked her tongue again. “What in the name of Lucifer are you doing?” the older demoness exclaimed, raising her voice to the maids. “Hurry up and bring the princess’ special dinner!”

“But I can eat from what is already been served,” she said, not wanting to get the maids in trouble for something she could do on her own.

As she reached for some delicious-looking ribs, Vergil grabbed her hand and stopped her. She felt a brief change in his aura but couldn’t identify the emotion before his psyche regained his usual calmness.

“What are you doing?”

“You lost a lot of blood earlier today, what your body needs is something to help boost your blood production.” He turned his bright red eyes to the various dishes on the table. “You’re forbidden to eat any meat that isn’t brought to you.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Mina shifted her eyes to Lilith. The demon queen had a half-smirk plastered on her perfect face, making her appear more sinister than she already was. Even in her human form, her mother-in-law was one scary lady.

“No, he isn’t, but enough of that.” The redhead waved her hand as if she was waving the comment away. “Let’s discuss more important matters. Mina, you’re forbidden to leave the mansion. Consider it house arrest.”

“What?” she exclaimed, getting up from her chair and hitting the table with both hands at the same time that a maid brought her food on a silver tray. “¿De qué carajo está hablando? Would you care to explain why?”
A second later she stiffened as a cold shiver ran down her back and her voice left her. Something very evil was in the mansion.

**************
A/N: At the top of the chapter you'll find Aaron's awesome pic so you can check out our new little devil.

Short chapter, I know. But tell me: what or who do you think is the evil prescense that Mina felt? Bwajajajaja 😈😈

☆ ¿De qué carajo está hablando?= What the fuck are you talking about?