Fashionably Dead Down Under(23)

Dixie’s chin dropped to her chest and her shoulders slumped forward. I barely heard her whisper, “Yes, Father.”
Two large fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “This is not a punishment,” he said quietly, “it’s your birth rite and your duty.”
“I know, Daddy,” she replied, “and I’m honored to serve you.”
“You have no idea who you are yet,” he told her.
“Would you like to give me a hint?” Dixie gave him a lopsided smile. A wash of light laughter went through the crowd of Demons watching the exchange between Satan and his daughter.
“It’s not my way to pave a path of ease,” he said. “I fear I may have done too much for you already.”
“I would quite agree with that,” Amanda hissed under their breath.
Oops, guess Amanda didn’t get the memo about Satan’s super duper mega hearing skills. His body stiffened in rage and his power and anger bounced off the walls of the Grand Ballroom. The crowd of Demons gasped in delight, dying for a bloody showdown. I couldn’t help that I hoped he would destroy her as well. I felt a strong strand of magic and power jolt through my body as I owned my evil thoughts about Amanda. It felt good—entirely too good.
The Devil slowly turned to his consort and with a deadly calm ground out, “You will never interrupt me when I am talking to one of my children. Ever again.”
Amanda blanched and dropped to her knees. Satan stared at her for a moment as a snicker went through the crowd of Demons. She trembled with fury. Her fisted hands pressed to her sides were a sure giveaway. She was an idiot of epic proportions.
“She had better have a boy and it better be his or Amanda is toast,” Greed snickered.
Satan raised his eyes to the room, clearly dismissing his furious consort. “Who will accompany my prized daughter Dixie to Earth in six months? Who will earn my favor by risking their immortality for a Child of Lucifer?”
The crowd murmured and looked around to see who was brave enough or stupid enough to go with her.
All of what I assumed to be Satan’s generals including his second, Cole, stepped forward immediately. That was to be expected and Satan nodded his approval. What came next I didn’t expect.
“Who of my people will pose as a family for my daughter so she may continue her education and embarrass me with her appallingly high grades?” He grinned at Dixie. A giggle escaped her lips and she blushed. Methinks he might be just a little bit proud of her brains . . .
“I will protect her,” I heard a familiar male voice shout, “and tho will my Mate.”
“I too will lay down my life for the Demon Princess Dixie,” another familiar voice added.
WTF? I turned to see Carl, Janet and Myrtle standing in front of Satan. He stepped menacingly toward Dixie’s therapy group and much to my great surprise, they held their ground.
“Why,” he bellowed, “should I let my prize go with three Demons who are not evil?”
“Because we will not betray you or Dixie,” Myrtle told Satan without batting an eyelash. “And with all due respect, you know full well we are evil, we’re just a little out of practice.” Myrtle was on a roll as she straightened her tracksuit and pulled on a piece of her hair. “We are as evil as any Demon in the room, but we also feel compassion. Which quite honestly makes us far more dangerous to an enemy and more useful to you than a Demon who is only out for himself.” She rocked back and forth on her black Pumas and waited.
Satan laughed. He laughed hard. The Devil was so beautiful when he laughed I had to struggle to breathe. His allure was alarming—not sexual, but addictive. He picked up a shocked Myrtle in his huge hands and kissed her. First her left cheek and then her right. She blushed a furious red and looked down at the floor.
“Yes,” he said, his melodic voice still coated with mirth. “You are right, Myrtle, Keeper of Secrets. You, Carl the Destroyer and Janet the Atrocity Maker will go with my child. Kneel to me,” he commanded and they did. He laid his hands on each of them and they shuddered as a glittering black mist wafted over them.
“What just happened?” I asked Envy.
“He made them stronger,” she replied.
Satan glanced over and crooked his finger at me. His charm was magnetic and I drifted to him in the same way Dixie had. The crowd began to murmur with fear and displeasure as I approached my uncle. I held my head high and ignored the dissent around me.
“This is my niece, Astrid,” Satan bellowed, effectively ending the chatter. Every eye in the house was trained on me. “She is a Demon and a Vampyre. She is the Chosen One of the Vampyre lore. She is my guest and will be treated with utmost respect. She has the ability to kill and has done us a great service.”