BITE ME

Chapter 6- One week later

Presently, Mathena stood by the side of Xeon, who wasn't done laughing his heart out. She knew if she were a better person, she would have warned Xeon that Britney Mayer was nothing but bad news, that she was something other than wealthy, gorgeous, and famous. Or was it the other way around? That he was powerful and dangerous, something that wasn’t even human.

Thankfully, even after twenty years of existence, Mathena was still capable of being as petty as the man beside her, who thankfully stopped laughing and was now sipping his wine as his life depended on it. A small smile touched her lips as she watched Britney step towards them with a lustful smile at Xeon, but to Mathena’s surprise, Xeon held her hand as they went in opposite directions away from the model. Xeon murmured, "Britney’s soul makes me puke... She smells awful... rancid, kind of awful."

"Really? Why am I not surprised?" Mathena smiled, knowing that everyone was watching them and wondering how on earth she managed to attract the attention of the hottest man at the party.

Xeon smirked as he took her hand and enjoyed the warmth of her skin. He'd felt her presence long before he’d entered the ballroom earlier. He’d known the moment he had landed at Wyatt’s massive state that it was her who summoned him. When he appeared in this realm earlier, he wasn't expecting a huge party on his summoner’s land, and of course, he couldn't just magically appear in front of Mathena either, so he persuaded the limo driver with his mind control and tricked everyone's mind that they already knew him and that he was famous and one of the elite. Yes, it was no easy feat. Being a smart demon but almost powerless was not a thing to be taken lightly. He even took the limo driver's soul just to feed his non-existence power, and it did a trick. Now he knew what Chase was missing the whole time.

He noted to tell him about the future, maybe it wasn't that too late for him yet. And damn, he despised being the prince of the underworld; he despised the politics and the numerous duties that were placed upon him; he just wanted to be free, free to do whatever he pleased, not bound to rule the darkness for eternity as his father had done for ten millennia.

Of course, he was lying about being bound to Mathena. If it didn't work that way, a simple kiss could not bind any demon. It takes a blood oath and sacrifice to do just that, and Mathena had not bound-summoned him with her blood, but by sheer luck, was it? What if the fates had been playing with him again, and this time, with Mathena’s soul on the line? He hoped not, or he would scour the earth, the underworld, and the beyond to take care of his future bride. He promised.

However, the awareness of her tingled and shimmered within every inch of him.

It would have been annoying as hell if it didn’t feel so damn good.

Growling low in his throat at the sensations that were directly connected to Mathena Wyatt, Xeon turned his head to glare at the approaching fake-blonde model. Surprisingly, the woman turned on her heel and headed in the opposite direction. Tonight,

his attention was focused entirely on the woman beside her. The way the light played over the satin honey of her hair, the flecks of gold in her brown eyes, the scarlet gown that displayed way too much of her slender body.

Upon reaching the not-so-lit balcony, Xeon halted and breathed in the awful demon scent in the air, someone from the underworld. Instinctively, he held Mathena’s hand even tighter as she felt his sudden change of mood, "Xeon? Something w-wrong?"

"Yes, I can smell demons in the area." There was a faint movement from behind him, and Xeon turned to find a tall, blond-haired demon who now looked more like John Cena than a demon with wings, appearing from the shadows. A neat trick considering he was a six-foot-ten underworld demon guardian who was draped in a luxurious dark tux and expensive boots courtesy of Chase. Being the leader of all portal guardians did have its benefits.

"Valerio." Xeon gave a raise of his eyebrows, not at all surprised to find that the demon had followed him. After all, Valerio was his most trusted guardian, and maybe Chase told him about the swap.

Since Xeon had arrived in London earlier, Valerio had been hovering around him like a mother hen. It was obvious the gigantic demon didn’t like one of his vampires being in the open, especially their prince. The man liked it even less than Xeon had refused to have a guardian in this realm, and by looking at the man, he knew this was Chase's idea.

"Sire, tell me again why I am not at home in the arms of my harem?" Valerio groused, completely disregarding the fact that Xeon hadn’t invited him along.

"You decided to be a pest, Valerio. Tell Chase I don't need a guardian, for f**k's sake," he reminded the demon. "And yes, tell him to relax and enjoy his time on the throne."

Valerio tsked. "...and forget the manhunt about that human who dared invade our territory, not to mention giving her an idea how to go back to the sacred library?" The gigantic demon added.

Mathena raised a brow, "Hey! He did not tell me anything about going back to your ugly library, and I am not planning to go there again anyway. It smells like old socks, and believe me, you don't like them in there either."

Xeon smiled, "See? You heard it from a human…now can you go and let me attend to my business?"

Valerio sighed and took a glass of wine from the passing waiter as he surveyed the party below them.

Mathena grumbled, "Wait, who is this Chase?"

"My brother," Xeon replied and took the wine from Valerio's hand and gulped it in one go, earning the demon a scowl.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't believe in myself either." Xeon rolled his eyes.

"Then who is the mother?"

"Mathena, we don't have a mother, we aren't born the way humans were…"

"Wow! I didn't know that?" She gasped with a fake annoying girly look, "...so you are all fallen angels?"

"Yes and no!"

"You are being an ass here, Xeon."

"I know, but that's all you get from me."

"Fine!" She sulked and pouted her lips, which made Xeon smile.

A moment passed, Xeon turned his head to Valerio, "So mate, time to go."

"Not happening, sire. If your father-"

"Stop, I don't want to hear anything from your filthy mouth…OK?"

"Sire a ruling that has been postponed indefinitely about the issues of your human pressing our realm. Chase did not realize it until he received a report from the sacred library guardians, and that they only intended to take command from your father alone and go into hibernation until he arrived from his vacation, which presumably would take centuries or more." The demon's fierce features hardened. Valerio was still brooding on what happened at the sacred library because no one was allowed inside without the prince’s permission, and during that time, Xeon was not the prince yet, so there had been talks in the council about who gave the human permission or how she even managed to go in and out without anyone detecting it.

"You know what, Valerio, tell Chase it's time for the library to have those human CCTVs. Surely he could do that."

"I'm not sure about it now, sire. Your brother appeared to be uninterested in the realm anymore and only after the wellbeing of his harem… surely you knew why. I mean, he couldn't even remember his own password. And he blames you for taking his power... I mean, knowledge."

Mathena listened with a boring look but was surprised nonetheless, "Wow, you guys have modern technology in the underworld?"

Xeon smirked, "Oh yes, we have more than that... we have Atlantis too, in the underground."

"f**k! really?"

"Not really!" Xeon answered, and it earned him a punch from Mathena.

"Well, we don't have exactly the same, but it's almost like Atlantis, we call it. Underbelly City."

"Typical."

"I know!"

Ignoring their ridiculous bunter, Valerio added, "Sire, you do realize that while you may be an ordinary demon here on earth and master to none, the guardian still answers to you, right?" Valerio muttered something under his breath. Something about Chase being stupid and the pits of hell as he ignored the human who smelt like vanilla and lilac but with a hint of darkness inside her at the same time. Odd, he thought to himself.

"Valerio, relax. You have never told me precisely how you ended up on my back? I came here alone and because I was summoned by this human."

"Sire, it’s not a story I share with anyone."

"Not even your friend who once rescued you from a nest of demon dragons?" Xeon asked as Valerio gave a short laugh. "I never requested to be rescued, my friend. Indeed, I was quite happy to remain in their evil clutches. At least as long as the mating season lasted."

"You have a dragon in the underworld?" Mathena asked in visible wonder.

Xeon looked at her and answered, "Oh, yes, but not the Hollywood portrayal of the dragon. Our dragon was, well, shall I call it, a beautiful naked woman with a dragon tail instead of feet, and their kisses were to die for. They are like honey-nectar, any creature can get lost in it and be their s*x slave for-"

"Stop! I don't want to hear it anymore. "

Xeon smirked, "You asked, I answered."

"I was expecting a dragon, a kind of serpent, not a naked harem!"

Valerio rolled his eyes. "We are straying from the point."

"And what is the point?" Xeon retorted and took another flute from the waiter.

"Tell me why we are here, sire." Valerio glanced around the glittering throng with a hint of distaste. "As far as I can determine, the guests are no more than simple humans, almost all with rancid dark souls."

"Yes, I know." Xeon considered the guests with a narrowed gaze. "A surprising number of these humans are the friends of Mathena, right mortal?" He asked and looked at Mathena as if telling her to agree. "and I'm here because I can't say no to my summoner. Right, Darling?"

She raised a brow and murmured, "You bloody owe me Xeon!"

"I know," he whispered back. "You can use me anytime, you know. Those toys of yours weren't as good as mine." He winked.

Fucking hell! He knew?