Now he understood why His Anais would always remain different in his eyes.

She certainly hadn’t tried to seduce him the moment they met.

In fact, she hated his guts enough to threaten to have him handcuffed and jailed for the rest of his life.

He found himself smiling at the thought of her.

She was the reason he was ready to revisit his past and old wounds just so to keep her by his side forever.

Nyx noticed that smile and observed how it wasn’t for her.

What?

She found herself blinking, embarrassed to find one demon blind to her being willing and naked before him.

Who was this demon exactly?

Her frown deepened as her eyes glowed on him obsessively.

Why wasn’t he in the slightest bit aroused by her beauty?

What in the world was wrong with him? What was it about him that she missed?

Or has she just become terrible in her millennial old acts and style of seduction.

Then she spread her arms about, moving to reach him before she called out to him again, this time in a very soft voice.

’’Your Highness!’’

Ichor turned to the demon who hadn’t gotten out of his sight yet in annoyance. He watched as she moved on the beam then tripped and began to fall towards him.

A confident smirk placed on the corner of her lips as she was sure to get his attention this time.

Her eyes fluttered shut...already imagining his arms catching her. And maybe he will finally feel the forbidden chemistry that was between them.

Instead, her forehead met the stone floor with a sickening crack. It was enough to jolt her awake from her absurd fantasies.

The queen of the succubus community fell hard at his feet and Ichor was lucky enough to step away before she dragged him down with her.

He stared down at her naked form in visible annoyance. She was groaning hard on the floor in pain and he wondered just what in the hell she was trying to do.

’’Ack,’’ Nyx moaned as she tried to get up but the pain was too great to even move an inch.

Then she turned to the demon she was trying her best to seduce and gasped in disbelief when he made zero effort to catch her.

But because she was too shameless to accept defeat and her reputation for being an irresistible succubus was at stake, she swallowed the pain and shamelessly shifted until she was lying at his feet.

’’What’s her name?’’ She asked, with a teasing smile.

Falak thought it was time to drag out this lowly demon out of His Highness sight.

Her smile grew when he only gave her this cold and unwelcoming look.

’’It’s either two things Your Highness,’’ She began in that voice that was slowly beginning to irritate him.

’’I am not that attractive for you which I highly doubt.’’

’’No demon or mortal could resist me,’’ she bragged as if it was a noble deed. ’’Not even the Red Dragon could take his eyes off me whenever I scale the walls and secret places of Hell.’’

Ichor said nothing as he judged the level of her intelligence.

The Red Dragon was probably thinking of many cruel ways to devour you. You’ve just been so lucky he wasn’t ready to end you yet.

Ichor wanted to warn her about it but there was no better way to teach backwater demons a lesson than bearing the burnt of their own actions.

Nyx then trailed one long fingernail over her nipple and said, ’’So, it’s either the other reason.’’

Even Falak glared hard at the absurdity.

’’Your Highness is already captivated by a demon who isn’t me. She already has a large space in His Highness’s cold, cold, heart and warmed it up a bit, building up tall fences around it that better demons like me couldn’t crawl in.’’

The mere thought of this pest crawling into his heart.... There was really no end to her shamelessness and she was so easy to dislike.

Ichor had a strong urge to step on her until she suffocated and burned to death.

’’So, tell me her name,’’ She continued in amusement.

’’So I can get rid of her and make you mine completely.’’

Falak felt he had waited long enough to witness her end but his prince never failed him when he broke the silence by taking a step towards the creature.

’’Ichor?’’

He froze after a few steps at the sound of his name and the familiar voice that did.

Nyx disappeared but not before giving him a promising smile to return and continue right from where they stopped.

But Ichor was too stricken enough to care as that voice called out to him again. Falak was the first to move, dropping his lantern to bow in acknowledgement at the rare presence of the Queen Mother.

Grim’s eyes flared wide open at the knowledge of his mother’s presence right before him.

He had only mentally prepared to deal with his father and leave this place without anyone knowing he was ever here.

Even when he was here, suffering endlessly in that cave he was bound to for years, being bullied and taken advantage of countless times by demons and other abominations, she never cared enough to find him.

Hell, she never cared to know how he survived or even if he made it out alive the next day.

Her voice had him frozen to a spot and he did not have the right amount of courage to look at her.

Scared to remember all the terrible things she did to him from the very first day he opened his eyes until now.

He looked genuinely paranoid and shaken to have her right behind him.

’’Ichor?’’ She called again in that motherly tone he was already wise enough not to ever fall for again. He had endured just enough mental trauma to want to cling to that voice, hoping for her genuine affection when there was only wickedness and deceit in them.

Lilith stared at his back.

It was him.

How could she mistake her son for anybody else.

Yet he was still afraid to look at her even when she has apologised numerous times for all their past misunderstandings.

The queen was the first to take a step before him. Ichor flinched when she held one of his hands and slowly turned him around to face him.

Her eyes brightened a bit at the sight of her beautiful son. Her gorgeous forbidden fruit. It watered slowly with tears as she stared at those unique golden eyes that stared everywhere but her.

’’My love,’’ she called softly and Ichor’s gaze turned to the hands that held him still in horror.

How was he going to escape her this time?

His eyes flickered about as he thought of something.

’’I thought you were on earth seeking redemption from your long punishment,’’ She reminded him, coming close enough to touch his face and Grim felt his heart beat wildly in his chest as he finally stared at the one who gave him such a meaningless existence.

Those golden eyes wished they were strong enough to consume her whole.

Parents.

Evil.

He reminded himself.

’’Why have you returned?’’