Extraits

She stopped mid-stride at the sight of Azagoth, hip propped casually against his desk, arms folded over his chest, across from a seated female. A stunning, dark-skinned beauty in a white dress far more suited to a cocktail party at the Playboy Mansion than a meeting with the Grim Reaper.

“It’s okay.” Azagoth waved her in. “This is probably something you should hear anyway.”

“What is it?” As she walked over, the female gave her a bored smile as if Lilliana weren’t worth more energy than that.

“Lucielle was just saying that if more Memitim are needed, she’ll volunteer her services.”

Surely, Lilliana hadn’t heard that right. “I’m sorry…what?”

Lucielle stood, her gold heels adding an extra three inches to her already model-tall height.  She could look Azagoth in the eye. And now Lilliana was imagining their eye-level sex.

“I meant no offense,” she said, all stately and queen-like as if Lilliana weren’t the damned queen in this room. “It’s just that Azagoth and I have a history of producing some of the most beautiful and extraordinary Memitim. You’ve met

Jasmine, I’m sure.”

Jasmine…Jasmine… Right, Azagoth’s newly arrived, drop-dead gorgeous daughter, who seemed to hate Lilliana.

Lilliana stood there like a goosed cow, her thoughts so fractured she couldn’t get them to make sense. “Y-yes. Yes, of course.”

What was even happening here? It was like a bizarre dream. Did this chick not know that she and Azagoth were mated?

“I was about to give her my answer when you walked in,” Azagoth said. “Perhaps you’d like to do the honors?”

Why, yes. Yes, she would. But all she could focus on was the fact that they had children together. This female and Azagoth had slept together. More than once.

So, instead of hauling the skank out by her thick, shiny braids, she asked, “How many?”

“How many what, dear?” Lucielle asked sweetly. “Children? Two hundred and twelve.” She looked back at Azagoth and smiled, all lipstick and blowjobs. “The Grim

Reaper and I go way back. Thousands of years before you were born.” She raked

Lilliana with her gaze and gave a meh shrug. “You could join us. I’m very open to new things.”

Okay, that was enough. Lilliana was done.

DONE.

“Get out,” she snarled, pointing at the door. “Get out now. And tell all your broodmare friends that Azagoth is no longer available for stud.”

Azagoth laughed. He thought this was funny? He should be tossing Lucielle on her ass. He should be telling her that he was mated now and that he loved Lilliana and only wanted her. And that her offer was an insult to their vows.

“Broodmare?” Lucielle went erect with indignation, her chin coming up so she could look down her narrow, perfect nose at Lilliana. “Being chosen to create, within our bodies, a unique class of angels from the seed of—”

“Out!” With a thought and a fling of the arm, Lucielle was yanked off her feet and tossed into the hall.

A slam of the door kept Lilliana from having to look at her stupid, dumbfounded face. Then, because doing that had done nothing to ease the hurt Azagoth had caused by not being outraged, she palmed one of the jade figurines on his desk and hurled it to the floor, where it shattered into a dozen pieces.

“Was that really necessary?”

She wheeled back around to Azagoth, who was still sitting there like a statue, one dark eyebrow cocked.

“Was it—what? Are you kidding me right now?” she demanded. “You should have kicked her out. That…that skank…propositioned you right in front of me. That female you fucked in our bedroom over two hundred times!” At least Lilliana had gotten rid of the bed.

“Calm down,” he said. “We didn’t use the bedroom much.”

Her mouth fell open. Closed.

She left it that way, because if her mouth opened again, well…he’d regret it more than she would.

Spinning on her heel, she marched out.

But not before giving him the universally understood glare for, “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”