Lost Bloodlines Ch. 09

Sam chuckled knowingly at her mention of Draco. "With the way those two imps cling to him, I can't say I'm all that surprised they dragged him somewhere. Probably ready to meet the parents already."

They all shared a laugh at that, moving as a group towards the exit of the medium sized tech room. "And you, Lilith?" Aqua asked, brushing against the demon as they walked. "Going to pay a visit to the older women in your life?"

Lilith's cheeks darkened slightly and she looked away. It was hardly a secret that she and the doctor had started sleeping together. She had visited the tower several times over the past couple days to see her, and had even spent the night the previous day. While Victoria remained conflicted about the nature of this polyamorous relationship, she couldn't deny the happiness it seemed to be giving the succubus, and her own arousal at the thought of it.

As for Agent Riley, Victoria actually wasn't sure if Lilith had been with her again. She hadn't mentioned anything about it. To be fair, a sterilized hospital room under constant surveillance was hardly the most romantic of venues, but she didn't know Lilith to be the picky sort.

"I already saw Isabel," the demon replied. "As for Eliz...Agent Riley, she's actually being prepped for surgery. She should be getting her new arm pretty soon actually."

At Lilith's words, there was a crash to their side, and Victoria turned her head as she saw Vaald stagger out of her pile of cables. The little goblin patted her various pouches desperately for a moment before pulling out an old-fashioned stopwatch. "Griffin balls!" she shrieked upon seeing the time, and in a rush, she scurried to the open grate of an air duct near her pile. The last thing Victoria saw of the little monster was her ass straining to fit through the narrow opening, before she popped through and disappeared.

Lilith let out a little chuckle at the sight. "Clearly she's in good hands." Looking back at her friends as they began to walk towards the exit, she sighed. "I've gotta head back to the Villa for the reunion. Lucifer was quite insistent that I not be late. No need to poke that bear without reason." They approached the landing platform near the elevators, and Lilith split off from the group. She hooked an arm around Cyrilla's waist, the surprised werewolf letting out a yelp as she was dragged away. "Might as well give Cyri a lift back." Her wings extended from the slits in the back of her shirt.

"Wait, I don't think..." Cyri started to protest, but it was as if Lilith didn't hear her.

"Okay, have fun, bye!" The succubus launched herself off the platform, Cyri's outraged screams fading as the two fell from the tower.

The three remaining monsters stood still for a moment longer before Sam turned to Aqua. "Those two need to screw and get it over with already."

"Right?" the siren replied, hooking her arm through Sam's and dragging him towards the elevators.

Victoria watched for the crimson wings of her lover to appear again, and seeing them rise into sight in the near distance, she let out a little breath, turned, and joined her friends.

-00000-

"Stupid fucking stripper dress," I grumbled, tugging once more at the flimsy shoulder strap that kept me at least halfway decent. The motion caused my barely-contained cleavage to bounce threateningly within the low neckline, and I bit back another curse as I tried to manhandle my uncooperative tits back into place. While the visual effect was inarguably fantastic, the process of fitting into this slip of a garment was more trouble than it was worth.

And to top it all off, there was a light series of knocks on my bedroom door. Tossing back the intricate braids of hair that Cyri had been kind enough to do up for me (after an embarrassing amount of groveling after my little stunt at the tower), I stalked towards the door, my growing anger at this whole ridiculous farce getting a hold of me.

"Camilla, I swear by whatever you hold sacred down here, if that bastard has some last minute addition he needs me to wear then I'll...oh." Wrenching open the door, I was surprised to find not the ever-attentive lead maid of the Villa, but a stranger, standing roughly my same short height. My unexpected visitor was unambiguously a demon, their skin a light shade of pinkish red, and a pair of black horns that swept back from their forehead to curl like a ram's. They wore an unusual costume, however, one that appeared distinctly middle eastern. Their dark purple bisht cloak was affixed to a more muted mauve thawb robe, with intricate Arabic script inlaid around its hems in gold thread.

Most confusing about their appearance, however, was that I could not for the life of me tell if they were male or female. While the lack of a bust certainly indicated male, the delicate features, full lips, accented eyeshadow, and long, black hair indicated feminine. Said eyes were opened wide and staring at me in something approaching disbelief.

"Uh...sorry about that, I was expecting someone else. Can I help you?" I quickly tried to correct my obvious staring and confusion, offering what I hoped was a welcoming smile. From somewhere deep inside I felt a sense of pleasure and pride rising up. Recognizing my ancestor's influence for what it was, I tried to block it out.

"It...it really is true," they said, their soft-spoken voice giving no more hints as towards gender with its neutral inflection. They dipped their head forward. "Please forgive my intrusion, mother, but I have been sent to accompany you to the Peristylium."

Unprompted, a name pushed itself into the forefront of my mind. "You're...Paimon, yes?" There was a flash of pleasure in the demon's eyes at my recognition, and a little smile spread out on their, no, on his lips. King Paimon, of the Second Legion. I couldn't say I liked my instant knowledge, but it would certainly come in handy today.

"It warms my heart to hear my name from your lips once more, mother," he said, still appearing stiff and formal from his position at the door. There was a flash of emotion on his coral-toned face, however, and he lowered his eyes. "Perhaps it would be greatly inappropriate, but I would very much like to embrace you."

Maybe it was due to his unexpected arrival, or perhaps his eminently nonthreatening demeanor, but I found myself agreeing. "If you'd like." In a instant, the robed demon had wrapped his arms around me, holding tightly to my middle as his chin rested on my shoulder. Awkwardly, I placed my own arm around his back, noting offhandedly the lack of wings there. I felt a full-body shudder rise up through Paimon's body as he embraced me, and to my shock, I actually heard him muffle a little sob next to my ear. "I missed you so much." He choked out. Entirely outside my own volition, my eyes began to water and an overwhelming feeling of regret rose up in my chest. Damnit, Lilith, I don't even know this guy!

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, I separated myself from the trembling demon. With a quick motion, he whipped a small cloth out from a pocket, dabbing his cheeks carefully so as to not disrupt the makeup around his eyes. Within seconds, he returned again to his neutral stance.

"I'm sorry, Paimon, but you do know that..."

"I am aware of the circumstances of your resurrection," he finished for me. His voice was steady once more, with only the barest hint of emotion. "I don't care who is in control, you are my mother and I will treat you the same as I always have." I was so proud of my dearest son's willingness to...fucking hell! Get out of my head!

This isn't entirely voluntary, Lilith's voice sounded bitterly. I haven't seen my family in a thousand years, you're going to have to excuse a bit of emotion on my part today! Do I not have the right to that, if nothing else?

With a small sigh, I let my anger go. I wasn't entirely heartless, and I could feel just how powerful my ancestor's feelings were through our strained bond. She had a point. I could at least attempt to have some empathy. "Your mother is just as happy to see you, King Paimon. She's very proud to see how you've, ah, grown, since she's been gone."

The androgynous demon's lip quirked. "Was that a height joke? I haven't grown an inch in well over two millennia."

"No, I meant that..." I started to stammer, but the widening of his smirk tipped me off. "You knew damn well what I meant."

"Indeed," he responded lightly. He offered an arm as if he wanted me to take it. "Mother was equally easy to fluster. It's good to see that some things haven't changed." Rolling my eyes, I took the proffered arm, and he began to lead me through the expansive rooms of the rest of my suite. "I was lucky enough to be offered the privilege of being your escort today. You should know, the competition was fierce among your children."

I fell into step easily with the demon, our similar heights giving us a matching gait. "Is that so? And what makes you so special to be chosen?"

He huffed a quiet laugh, turning his shadowed eyes towards me. "Nothing impressive, I'm afraid. I have a certain reputation among my siblings of...hmm...let's call it neutrality. The factions couldn't agree on who they should pick, so they went with the option that benefited no one."

His mention of factions tickled my memory, bringing to mind something that Elena had mentioned days prior. "Factions as in...political blocs? Or are these some sort of twisted social cliques?"

"Both."

Wonderful. So, this was going to be the Thanksgiving family political feud from Hell. Literally. We exited from my suite, and he led me down a hallway I hadn't explored yet. The Villa was massive and labyrinthine, so I wasn't particularly surprised that I had missed an entire room that could house nearly a hundred guests. Speaking of which...

"So, they're really all here then? All seventy-two of the Goetic demons?"

Paimon's expression darkened at my words, and his lips twisted into a pained frown. "Not all of us, no. Many have perished since the Great War, and now we number a mere fifty-two." He paused for a moment, as if reconsidering. He side-eyed me. "Technically fifty-four, now. You weren't the only one returned to us by the Awakening."

I was struck by the desperate desire to meet these two other Turned demons. If anyone could understand the absurdity of the role I was being forced to play, it was them. I made a mental note to find them during the feast.

"I see. I admit, I am rather curious to meet the rest of my, uh, children. The few interactions I have had with them were quite different. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this."

Paimon nodded sagely, "We're an eclectic group, that's certain. And quite disparate, nowadays. A good portion of us live outside Gomorrah, either in one of the smaller cities in Hell's periphery, back on Earth, or with another Seat entirely. Having us all in one room together again...it hasn't happened since before your death."

"So, then a bunch of those legion towers in the city...they're just, what, empty?" I was thinking of the desolate floors of the Fourth Legion tower that Tartarus now occupied. Were so many of them really the same?

But the demon shook his horned head. "The bulk of our legions remain here in Gomorrah at all times, usually with an assigned legate taking over leadership in our absence. Many take favored scions with them and delegate from afar, while others have stopped caring for leadership entirely."

"And you?"

"This is the city of my birth. I have no intention of ever leaving it or my children for long. The Second is one of the largest of the Legions, and I take an active role in shaping it. Much to the scorn of some of my siblings." I found my respect for Paimon rising with his words. I had nothing but disdain for deadbeat parents, and it sounded like many of my 'children' had fallen into that role. To my surprise, I could feel a very similar emotion across the bond with my ancestor. Deep, motherly disapproval.

Before I could question the demon further, we came to a stop before a large set of oaken doors. Through the thick wood, I could hear the hum of a muted cacophony. Laughter, yelling, the clatter of dishes and even what I could only assume was a plate being smashed on the ground.

Paimon turned to me, his opposite hand coming to rest on my hand close to his body. "The rest are already inside. I beg of you, do not judge us too harshly for what will happen. Things have been...difficult, since your absence. I hope you can take some solace in seeing us all together again, as a family." I could tell that he wasn't speaking to me in that moment, but I took the warning all the same.

With a sigh, he knocked on the doors, and they were immediately pulled open, revealing a well-lit room, massive in size. As we entered, I saw that it was an open courtyard, with a sizable hole in the roof above a sparkling pool of the bio-luminescent water in the center of the hall. Thick columns ringed the pool, and the rest of the marble hall was decorated for a lavish feast. Long wooden tables, etched in gold leaf, lined the pool on three sides, covered in food from every culture in the world. And of course, seated around the table, were demons, slowly falling silent as they noticed my sudden presence.

Unlike the relative uniformity of the demons I had encountered so far, which really only came in four or five varieties, here almost every figure was unique, and many more outlandish than the last. While some were fully humanoid, with only red skin, horns, tails, or wings to differentiate them, many more were distinctly animalistic. From reptilian to avian to bovine, their variety ran the gamut of possibility. The only unifying factor was that the skin of every monster in the room was some shade of red.

At the sudden silence, as more than a hundred eyes all peered back at me with a fierce intensity, an imp I had completely failed to notice by my side startled me with a shout.

"Announcing King Paimon, Lord of the Second Legion, Patron to the Arts, and Strider of the Great Sea of Dunes." I raised an eyebrow at that last one, casting a curious glance at my companion, but his face was inscrutable as he looked out into the hall.

The imp continued. "And his most honored guest, the great and terrible Lady Lilith, Firstborn of Demonkind, Mother of All, Architect of Hell, Chosen of the Lightbringer, Terror of the Red Sea, Slayer of Solomon, Alexander, and Constantine, Doom of the Empire, and Scourge of the Gods!" Oh, is that all? And here I was expecting a longer list of accolades.

I have more. Listening to them each time I entered the war council was getting tedious, however, so I made them shorten it to the important ones

The demon's blithe comment actually made me snort a barely concealed laugh. It seemed like the demons were suitably impressed however, as they all rose as one and issued a deafening round of applause, complete with indistinct shouting, wails, and ululation. At Paimon's prompting, we stepped forward under the rain of celebration, halting directly before the glowing pool in the center of the hall. It was there that I finally noticed the smirking face of Lucifer, sitting in the center of the far table, his arms held wide.

Over even the thunderous cacophony, his voice boomed throughout the hall. "Welcome, to our lost Matriarch. Come! Sit, eat, and celebrate! Your family is complete once more!" At his words, the majority of the hubbub died down, and instead the hall was filled with excited speech again, though many of the demons' eyes refused to move from my form, almost as if to make sure I wouldn't disappear if they looked away.

Uncomfortable with the attention and adoration I most certainly had no right to, I pulled Paimon forward, figuring we were headed in the same direction as he had yet to release my arm. Passing around the side of the pool, I noticed for the first time all of the empty seats. It seemed that this was not an impromptu celebration, but one with assigned seating, and the notable absence of many of the guests was revealing. Each empty chair had a black shroud covering it, and I saw that the demons seated next to one such chair had scooted as far away from it as possible. My eyes widened in recognition as I found Barbas's short feline form seated amongst his brethren on this side of the room. He offered a little nod.

Reaching the opposite side of the hall, the head table rose ahead of us on a small dais, curving to make a slight crescent shape. Though it was considerably smaller than the two flanking tables, it clearly was meant for the guests of the greatest status. Eleven chairs reminiscent of thrones were placed behind it, each carved out of a wood of the darkest ebony, images of eagles, dragons, and serpents engraved in their visible surface. And staring down from these thrones were the Kings and Queens of Hell.

Lilith whispered their names to me as my eyes darted over their forms. Vinea, clad in a dark robe that concealed her form, save for the anthropomorphic head of a crimson lioness, and her probing, suspicious eyes. Asmodea, a succubus in my spitting image, wearing only a golden chain strung between her pierced breasts and a smile. Balam, with the head of a bull and flaming eyes, head cocked as he examined me curiously. And finally, Belial, appearing the same as when I last saw him in a bespoke suit, his stocky figure lounging back in his throne.

The deep pang of sorrow almost stole my breath as I beheld the three thrones covered in black veils. Oh, Beleth, Purson, and Zagan, my darling children. What happened to you?

I vainly tried to separate Lilith's feelings from my own, but her grief was pervasive, and I merely did my best to ignore it.

I couldn't help but sigh, however, as I saw three empty thrones without such a shroud at the head table. And of course, they were directly next to Lucifer himself. I didn't know why I assumed he would place me anywhere else. With the sullen resignation of a prisoner sent to the executioner's block, I mounted the raised dais with Paimon. In a display of unneeded chivalry, the demon swept ahead of me, pulling out the seat directly to Lucifer's right. As for the Devil, he just watched my arrival with glittering eyes. I sat myself reluctantly, letting Paimon push the oddly mobile throne back into place before taking his own seat to my right.

"So good of you to join us, my dear," Lucifer said, resting his still oddly-human head on his hand as he glanced over to me. To his credit, he had swapped out the paint-splattered tunic for a simple robe, red with black trim. "I was worried that you might try to skip out on us."

I met his heavy-lidded eyes. "I keep my deals. A family dinner is a small price to pay for shelter."

Lucifer let out a laugh, turning the eyes of several of the table's other guests towards us. "You say that now. I'll be delighted if the night ends with only one or two grievous injuries." As if on cue, on the other side of the hall, the sound of a plate shattering echoed throughout the room. A demon in the shape of minotaur stood up angrily from his table, hand wrapped around the throat of a reptilian sibling. To the maroon lizard's credit, a bright saber appeared in its struggling hand a moment later, its tip resting threateningly on the collarbone of the beast holding it aloft.

Lucifer, placid a moment earlier, slammed his hands town on the table in a sudden rage. "Morax! Botis! Take your hands off of each other before I remove them!" After a moment of hesitation, the two demons separated, sullenly ignoring each other as they returned to their seats. The Devil turned to me, all glittering charm once more. "Please, dig in. This feast is in your honor, and I'd hate to have you go hungry."