Fashionably Dead Down Under(20)

“Bad?” Dixie laughed.
“Very,” I choked out.
“And that makes you happy why?”
“Because I haven’t totally lost myself.”
“I don’t get it, but I’m glad you’re happy. Come on, let’s get this evening over with.”
“Lead on, dear cousin.”

Chapter 7
The Grand Ballroom was even more ornate than the Foyer. The marble floors were encrusted with precious gemstones; rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds and ten of the most gorgeous crystal chandeliers I’d ever seen spilled down from the ceilings. It was waaay over the top in my book, but Demons clearly enjoy the sparkly.
I was guessing by the looks of things that everyone who was anyone in Hell was here and I had a bad feeling that I was going to be part of the festivities. The covert pointing and whispering didn’t help. They made me feel like a freak. Speaking of, I spotted Carl and . . . Sweet Baby Cousin Jesus, was that Janet? Carl had his arm around the most delicately pretty woman I’d seen in Hell yet. She wasn’t a knockout like Dixie and her sisters, but she was a timeless beauty.
She was small with a Cupid’s bow mouth, glittering gold eyes, rounded pink cheeks and a gorgeous mane of chestnut hair. The only giveaway were her stubby little fingers. I recognized those from the therapy session earlier. She wore a simple black dress and flats and looked extremely uncomfortable and insecure. Carl kept his arm tightly around her and growled at any male Demon that even glanced Janet’s way.
“Dixie, look. There’s Carl and Janet,” I said, pulling her to a stop so she could see.
“Oh my Hell,” she gasped. “She’s beautiful without the beard and stache.”
They were too far away for us to call out and I quickly lost sight of them as more Demons filed into the Grand Ballroom.
“Follow me, we’ll find them later,” Dixie instructed as we moved to an area near a gothic three story stained glass window that was reserved for Lucifer’s family. I spotted Greed, Envy, Lust and four others who had to be the rest of the Sins. They were stupidly gorgeous and waving us over. My gait slowed.
“Don’t worry, Astrid. They have to behave here,” Dixie said, pulling my reluctant body toward the Seven Deadly Sins.
“Did you know when a male octopus finds his mate he rips his own penis off and throws it at her? She then inseminates herself and he grows another one,” Envy told her sisters, much to their disgust. “Oh Astrid, you look to die for,” she gushed.
“Already dead,” I replied, hoping she was done with her sea creature sex stories. My response elicited laughter from my gaggle of dangerous cousins.
“Isn’t she lovely, girls?” Envy asked, looking directly at Lust who turned away in anger. What was that about?#p#分页标题#e#
A breathtaking blonde eyed me with interest. She had the same eyes and build as her sisters, but her coloring was vastly different. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said in a voice that was even more hypnotic than her father’s. “I’m Wrath.”
I stood and stared mutely at her. She was one powerful Demon. Wrath stood and approached. Every instinct I had was to step back, but I held my ground. Being tested repeatedly in Hell was wearing me out.
“Nice to meet you, Wrath.” I held out my hand, but she took me in her arms and laid a big wet one dangerously close to my mouth. Alrighty then. Her arms around my body were drenched in magic—strong magic. “You are very powerful,” she whispered in my ear, sending shivers of sheer terror down my spine. “It’s good to have you here.”
“Um, thanks,” I said, extricating myself and moving away. I knew I may have lost a few points by moving out of lip range, but I had no intention of making out with my Cousin Wrath.
“Did you realize that huge penises were thought to be disgusting in Ancient Greece? That’s why all the statues are sporting itty bitty marble man junk,” Envy said, reading straight from her phone.
“Give me the phone before I zap it and shove it up your ass,” one of the sisters I hadn’t been introduced to said. It had to be Gluttony, Pride or Sloth . . . I was betting on Sloth. Although beautiful, she was a wrinkled mess and looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed.
“That’s Sloth,” Dixie said, confirming my guess. Sloth grinned and nodded. “And the other two are Pride and Gluttony.” All three girls had varying shades of dark brown hair and golden eyes. They were identical for all intents and purposes, only little things made them differ. It was difficult to tell them apart except for Sloth’s sloppiness. “They’re triplets,” Dixie added.