Courts and Cabals 2 G.S. D'Moore (the little red hen read aloud .txt) 📖

and were bloodshot. If the man didn’t get a good night’s sleep, I was afraid he was going to snap and go postal on everyone; but so far so good over the last few days. He’d only been a First for a few months. Technically, I outranked him if you counted my time at St. Vincent’s. Lilith’s sister had just picked him up to replace a First that retired on her. Neither Alan or Butch was one hundred percent certain what Charlie was, but he was something. All of the other Firsts made an unspoken agreement to keep an eye on him.

My bare feet on the carpet and the ding of the elevator were the only sound on this calm Christmas morning. I rode it up to PH1. The tech and magical security measures acknowledge my presence and didn’t curse me with warts, boils, and syphilis. The door slid open on PH1 to a winter wonder land. A number of fake evergreens had been erected overnight and sprinkled with fake snow. Tinsel, garland, and lights hung from every conceivable surface in a very classy way. Because this place was ruled by a succubus goddess, there was mistletoe hanging just about everywhere.

I shouldered open the security door, which was decorated with what looked like a Santa that had flown into it and been smashed flat. I would have chuckled if not for my sour mood. I passed through the security antechamber and acknowledged the guards. They scanned me thoroughly, technologically and magically, until they hit the button that would unlock the door to the inner sanctum. I was still the new guy, and they were still wary of me. I didn’t blame them.

The tiled art gallery didn’t hold any Christmas decorations like the rest of PH1, but I didn’t stop to check it out. I nervously spun a blue tiffany’s box in my palm before slipping it into my pocket. I knocked on Lilith’s door, but there was no answer. I knocked again . . . nothing.

“She’s already up,” Venus’s voice cut through the morning calm like an exploding artillery shell. I froze like a deer in the headlights, and didn’t turn to face her. My cock already strained against my sweatpants; the cold shower totally forgotten. “Try the dining area. I’ll see you later.” I could feel her smirk on the back of my neck, but it quickly vanished with the click of a door being closed.

I chanced a glance and saw she was gone. “Fuckin’ A,” I fought back a shiver.

Venus had never been anything but her uber-powerful, normal self around me; but she still made me nervous. Via’s warnings had been tumbling around my head, and I was trying to figure out Venus’s angle. She had to have one. Everyone always did; even if they were a god.

“Relax, it’s Christmas. Just find Lilith,” a part of my brain told me, and I went to the dining room.

I stopped in the entryway when I saw her. She was curled up on a chair with her feet tucked under her. She pulled a strand of black hair behind her ear as she took a sip from a steaming mug. She was wearing a baggy sweater with a big imprint of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the front. Around her belly button, Rudolph’s bright red nose was a ball of fabric that swayed when she moved. It was fucking adorable. Almost as adorable as the loose sweats covering her legs with, “Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal,” written down the side.

My heart warmed at the image as my brain took a mental picture. This was the way things should be; candid, beautiful, and peaceful. I was smiling when she noticed me.

“Hey,” her greeting was standoffish.

It had been that way since she introduced me to her mother. We’d been caught in a cycle the last few days. I couldn’t help how I reacted to her mother. I don’t think anyone was immune to her charms. The way I drooled made Lilith self-conscious and angry. That she was angry about something I couldn’t control made me frustrated, and we both shut down emotionally. We’d spend time apart, and then start right back up where we left off.

“Hey,” I sighed and approached her. “We need to talk.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line,” she laughed dryly, and I got a good whiff of what was in the cup.

“I see Christmas morning is an Irish coffee morning,” I couldn’t hide the sarcasm in my tone.

Lilith glared at me. “I don’t get drunk as easily as humans, Cam,” her voice was cold and hurt.

“That’s not what I meant,” I plopped into the chair, utterly exhausted from lack of sleep and the bickering of the last few days. “I was gonna ask if you could pour me a cup.”

She raised an eyebrow, but got up and poured a cup from the pot she’d made. Then she pulled a flask from her interdimensional pocket and gave me a healthy helping.

“Thanks,” I lifted the mug to her, “cheers,” I took a sip and had to fight back a coughing spree. She’d made it strong.

We sat there for a minute, with nothing to say to each other, and nursing our spiked coffee. We were already well on our way around the cycle of pain and frustration we were inflicting on each other, and I was sick of it.

“We need to cut the crap,” I stated as I set down my mug.

“I agree,” she mirrored my motions and turned to fully face me. I noticed her eyes were puffy. “In your contract there is a clause for me to give you an out. If you want, I’ll do that.”

Her words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. “What the hell?” I tried to respond, but didn’t get a chance.

“My mother will scoop you up in a nanosecond