Demon Reign, page 1
part #4 of Demons of Morningstar Series
Contents
A Brief Glossary
Previously on Demons of Morningstar
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Other Books by Debbie Cassidy
About the Author
Stay in touch with Debbie Cassidy
Copyright © 2023, Debbie Cassidy
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A Brief Glossary
The demon realm is a big place, so I thought I’d give you a little breakdown of the setup, a little reminder to refer back to if you get confused. I hope it helps.
There were nine demon realms accessible via nine monoports, but only three remain active.
Libidine: ruled by Prince Merihem and linked to the Shadow Court, which is ruled by Duke Umbrane.
Iram: ruled by Prince Levistus and linked to the Court of Flame. The Court of Flame is ruled by Duke Ignatius.
Superbia: ruled by Prince Ramiel and linked to the Ivory Court. Duke Zepar rules the Ivory Court.
Morningstar : a neutral ground ruled by Satan.
Satan: a title which Beelzebub held and now is to be passed down to one of his heirs.
Now on to the creature classifications.
Pure Daimon: belong to the abyss. There is a lot more around these beings, but I don’t want to put spoilers here.
Pure Demon: live in the demon realm or the courts. Some are elevated to Devil because they trade using contracts rather than trading in favors and goods (e.g. zuni, imps, and Erinyes).
Fallen: celestials who were exiled from heaven and now reside in the demon realm. They rule it. There are several generations of them, including the princes who are original fallen from the first generation.
Abyssbloods: born of demon and daimon unions (e.g., incubi and succubi).
Nephalem: creatures born of fallen and demon or fallen and abyssblood unions. Satan spawn are Nephalem as Beelzebub was a fallen.
Nephilim: creatures born of fallen and human union—they were wiped out a long time ago.
Demon Blood: demon and human union.
We also have djinn and conji (mage-like beings) who entered the demon realm from another world. They do not fall into any of the above categories.
Previously on Demons of Morningstar
Our heroine Nyx is stabbed by Dhuma, a daimon who was being held prisoner by Prince Merihem. Dhuma was one of the daimon queen’s mates. The injury sends Nyx to an in-between place for high daimon. Yep. Nyx finds out she’s part high daimon. And with the help of three guardians, she makes it out of the in-between and to a doorway that allows her to go back to her body.
But the princes aren’t happy about her existence because high daimon and fallen can’t procreate, and she’s an anomaly. So they put cuffs on her to mute her power and say there’ll be a trial to determine what to do with her.
Dhuma explains that he knew what she was and that was why he stabbed her—to activate her power. He’d hoped she was the daimon queen reborn. But she isn’t. Still, he pledges his allegiance to her as he knows she is of the same bloodline—a royal bloodline—and goes back to Morningstar with her.
Orina is worried about Nyx and tries to find out what’s happened to her. She finds out that Nyx is Satan spawn and has been roped into the ascension trials and reaches out to the Order to try to get her access to Morningstar’s keep. She also contacts Quinn, their best friend, to let her know that Nyx might be in trouble.
The news of Nyx’s heritage means that there is a target on her back, so Ignatius and Zepar agree to take turns keeping her safe with invites to the Ivory Court and the Court of Flame.
Sev finds out that Erinea is working with Umbrane and that she’s managed to secure votes from the nobles to have Nyx executed.
Artimus, Sev, Ignatius, and Loke plot and plan on how to save Nyx by getting her out of the demon realm and tell her that an exit will be available for her once she returns from the Court of Ivory.
A strange breach linked to the fawda is detected in the Court of Flame while she’s there with Ignatius, and while at the Court of Ivory, there’s an attack on her life, which Zepar saves her from.
Umbrane thwarts Nyx’s escape plan, and the trial goes ahead. Despite her efforts and the testimony of her siblings, the princes decide to execute Nyx. They have a special weapon—a celestial sword, modified to kill high daimon. But before Levistus can kill her, Sin shows up, and it’s revealed that he’s Lucifer and that he has already claimed Nyx as his electus (mate).
The final trial takes place where the siblings are tasked with retrieving a key from one of the barred demon realms. Although they succeed, they end up trapped by lava. But before it can take them, they all vanish into thin air.
All caught up? Goodie.
Now let’s see what happens next…
One
ARTIMUS
I learned restraint as a youth. Being locked away to detox after my blood and sex spree was an exercise in control. The agony of those long days and even longer nights was sufficient to teach my mind and body the value of moderation. But now hunger is a constant simmer in my veins, and the beast waits beneath my skin, looking for a lapse, for one moment of weakness, to spring free from its prison and devour.
Nyx has been missing for almost forty-eight hours, and I’m beginning to lose my grip on my emotions.
My skin itches, and my throat aches, desperate for the hot, coppery flood of blood. I assuage it with the fiery sear of whiskey. It burns, momentarily blocking out the voice in the back of my mind that urges me to smash the Atrium to smithereens and tear out Erinea’s throat.
How can she look so fucking calm?
My gaze flits to Zepar, standing in a corner of the room with his mother, Odette, her head bowed as she whispers to him.
His hands are clenched into fists, and his wings are visible, signs the fallen is just as distressed as me. Even Umbrane looks anxious, sitting there with his long, pale fingers curled around a half-empty glass of whiskey, dark brows low over his eyes.
I wish Ignatius and Sev were here. I’m sure The Duke of Flame would be here if he knew the spawn were missing. He probably hasn’t received my message yet. And Sev…I’ve sent him and Dhuma out to search the nearby villages for the spawn.
It’s a long shot, and I doubt they’ll find the spawn in a tavern drinking ale, but it gives them something to do, and I, of all people, can attest to how important it is to be doing something, anything right now. The task also serves to keep the nightmare away from Umbrane and the princes. With Nyx and the spawn missing, I wouldn’t put it past Umbrane to demand the princes give Sev back to him.
Every moment is another moment that Nyx is in danger, and I’m stuck here. Impotent. Waiting for news, for someone else to do something.
I want to be in the demon realm, scouring the Scarlett Canyon for Nyx and her siblings, but instead I’m here, cloistered in this fucking room on Ramiel’s orders.
“They’ll find her,” Zepar says. “They have to.”
I look up to find him watching me. Am I that easy to read right now? I relax the grip on my glass a little—any tighter and it’ll shatter.
“This makes no sense,” Erinea says. “How could they just…vanish? None of them have conji power.”
“But the high daimon, Nyx, might have some ability,” Odette says. “We have no idea what she’s truly capable of yet.”
“You’ve bound her powers with muting cuffs, Mother,” Zepar snaps. “Or have you forgotten that?”
“Maybe the cuffs failed,” Umbrane says. “If Nyx did this…she would have brought her siblings back to Mornin gstar.”
“Providing she even did it,” Erinea says. Her eyes fly wide, and her mouth makes an ‘o.’ “Maybe she didn’t do it on purpose. Maybe it just…happened in the heat of the moment.”
“Maybe she didn’t do it at all,” Zepar growls. “Maybe we need to be contemplating the possibility that there are other forces at play here. Have you forgotten the assassination attempts on the siblings? How many spawn have we already lost?”
He’s right. “Not to mention Satan’s murder. There’s a killer out there, a movement that wants power.”
The fawda are out there—a movement hellbent on taking over the demon realms. They don’t belong in this world but somehow followed the djinn into the demon realm and are, only now, making a play for power. They used Nyx’s sibling Veena to murder several of the spawn, tried to kill Nyx twice, and possessed an original fallen, but we have no idea who’s in charge or where their base is.
The only clue we have is the breach in the Court of Flame that Ignatius and his djinn are monitoring.
We need to consider the possibility that the fawda might be involved in the spawns’ disappearance. The original fallen know about the fawda. They know because we saved Prince Merihem from a fawda plot, freeing him from the marid possessing his body. Odette and Zepar know everything too. They were there when Ignatius tricked the marid into vacating Merihem’s body, and Umbrane…For all we know, he’s working with the fawda. He was responsible for our carriage being diverted into the Old Forest. Sev overheard him speaking to someone about it.
Part of me wants to tell Ramiel and the other originals about his duplicity, but with Sev as our only witness, it’s unlikely they’ll believe me. There’s no love lost between Umbrane and Sev, and the princes know it. It would be Umbrane’s word against Sev’s.
I study Umbrane over the rim of my glass, looking for a sign that he’s complicit in the disappearance of the spawn, but either he’s a fabulous actor or he’s genuinely as flummoxed as we are. His custodia and betrothed, Veena, is also missing.
No, I don’t think he’s involved. This time.
I top up my glass and drain the contents, cursing my metabolism for not allowing me to get intoxicated.
Zepar makes a sound of exasperation, then stalks over to the drinks tray and pours himself one too.
“Zepar, my boy, you must keep a clear head,” Odette croons. “Your father might need to call on you to assist in the search.”
He has his back to his mother, so she doesn’t see the look that crosses his face, but I do. The corners of his mouth tighten, and his eyes flash with annoyance. He’s holding on to his temper by a thread, but when he speaks, his tone is cool and unaffected.
“When has Prince Ramiel ever asked for anyone’s help? He demands. He orders. He does not ask.”
Odette looks like she’s about to argue but then presses her lips together, sighing through her nose.
There are family politics here, but I can’t bring myself to care. “I need to get out of here.”
“You can’t,” Erinea says. “Prince Ramiel was clear that we have to stay here.”
“And why do you think that is?” Umbrane says bitterly. “They suspect that one of us may be responsible.”
Erinea pales. “No…”
I’ve come to the same conclusion, and I’m surprised Erinea hasn’t. Odette and Zepar don’t seem surprised either.
“Ramiel knows I’m loyal to him,” Odette says with a smirk.
In other words, she’s the guard dog in our midst.
I pull out a chair and am about to park my ass when the air ripples.
Prince Ramiel and Prince Levistus stride into the Atrium through the southern exit, bringing the scent of winter and the chill of frost with them.
Ramiel nods at Odette, who hurries to the drinks tray and pours two glasses of whiskey, which she hands to Ramiel. He passes one to Levistus and downs the other.
Levistus pulls out a seat and drops into it before taking a leisurely gulp of his drink. He runs his hands through his golden locks, and they slick back, wet from the melting frost clinging to them.
“Any news from Merihem or Sin?” Ramiel asks Odette.
“They’re not back yet,” she says.
Ramiel sucks on his bottom lip and shakes his head. “We scoured the frozen lands beyond the Scarlett Canyon as far as the Solum Flumen. There’s no sign of the spawn. Our conji aren’t able to pick up any signatures either.”
The Solum Flumen is one of the demon realm’s five main rivers, and it’s several miles away from the monoport to Fertilis. There was no doubt that they’d searched thoroughly.
“Are you certain the lava didn’t take them?” Odette asks tentatively.
Ramiel shoots a sneer her way. “Are you suggesting I should doubt the evidence of my own eyes?”
“I would never—”
“Then why ask such an inane question?”
“Don’t speak to her that way,” Zepar says.
Ramiel’s eyes narrow and fix on his son. Tension saturates the air, thrumming against my skin. “Excuse me?”
Zepar’s jaw flexes.
Back down, you fool.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, he takes a step forward. “You heard me.”
Odette crosses the room and slaps Zepar hard across the face. “Don’t.” She glares at him, but I catch the edge of desperation in her eyes and recognize the slap for what it truly is.
Protective instinct for her son.
Zepar swallows and slowly, stiffly, inclines his head. “My apologies.”
Ramiel exhales through his nose. “Accepted. It is a trying time, and—”
The stench of burning flesh and feathers fills the room.
Heat blasts my back, and perspiration breaks out across my brow.
Erinea gags, then slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror and fixed on the entrance behind me.
Sin stands in the doorway, skin smoldering and bubbling in places as it heals from several burns. Ash falls to the ground behind him where his feathers have been eaten away by fire, and his hands are charred to the bone in places, but he doesn’t let go of the figure cradled in his arms.
Nyx?
My heart lifts then plummets, because the figure is burned to a crisp and gasping its last breath.
Two
The figure in Sin’s arms isn’t Nyx.
The relief is a hot flood of adrenaline that leaves my limbs trembling.
“Merihem!” Ramiel rushes forward.
Levistus’s chair clatters to the ground as he joins his brothers.
Yes, the burned, gasping creature in Sin’s arms isn’t Nyx, but that means she’s still out there somewhere.
Still out there, or even…No, I can’t think it. I won’t.
Sin crosses the room with his cargo, and Ramiel and Levistus step back to give him space as he lays Merihem on the huge conference table. The original fallen opens his eyes, startling white against the blackened, burned skin of his face.
“Well, that wasn’t fun.” His voice is a painful wheeze.
