Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Dulce had been about to walk in when he was caught by Kath’tan and pulled out, the doors slamming shut in his face.

"What are you doing?" The Fiend snarled at him, "Want to get eaten?"

Dulce scratched his hair, "No, but it is my responsibility," He admitted, sheepish, "I summoned him after all."

Kath’tan let go of his coat, staring the Vampire down. What difference was there between this and stepping in front of a blade for him? "Foolish." He gritted out under his breath. "Let the brothel maids deal with it," He kept protesting despite his thoughts. "You have no idea what you’re doing."

Dulce didn’t back down, "I’ve been alive for a while," He corrected, his words spoken gently. "I’m not that ignorant. And if I succumb to the aphrodisiac, then I can take a a brothel lady for myself."

His words were met with horror, "Take a prostitute?" Kath’tan repeated in sheer disbelief.

"We did pay for their services," He reminded, his polite tone at odds with the topic of conversation. "You can both settle in for the night and leave it all to me."

Despite the generous offer, neither Demon moved, strange expressions on their faces as they tried to conflate the Vampire’s words with the pure, clumsy image they had formed of him. It simply wasn’t right.

Dulce to them was no more than a sentient white flower, who was too kind for his own good. Baser pleasures were beneath him, those delicate pale features should remain untouched.

"You can’t do that." Asael was the first to crack.

Soft chatter interrupted the tense conversation, Dulce plunging right into action. "I’m about to open the doors, so you should both leave." He urged them, moving before either could stop him.

He had hoped to rouse Ruoxi and inform the Incubus of the arrangements he had made before the ladies arrived, and now he had run out of time. He tried anyway, hurrying to the Incubus’ side. Fortunately, Ruoxi had woken up, his gaze heavy-lidded, his movements lethargic.

"You should leave," Ruoxi said directly, his skin completely wrung of color.

"I will," Dulce agreed easily, "I made arrangements to have brothel ladies brought, would that satisfy you?" He asked simply, as if it were no more complicated than cooking a pot of mutton stew.

Ruoxi stared at the strange Vampire, at a loss for words. Cubi couldn’t help the way they survived any more than they could change it, yet shame was deeply intertwined with their very existence, even though they weren’t the ones who attacked Cubi settlements and set everything aflame.

They would rather live in seclusion, their own kind providing everything they could need.

He slowly sat up, a tasking affair that drained him of what little energy he had left. "Dulce, tell me, have you heard of Holy Demons?"

Dulce’s concerned expression fell off his face at the question, it was a brief, minute expression, one he didn’t even realize he made. "I think so, Miss Moira made mention of them, but they’re supposed to be a myth."

The ribbon in Ruoxi’s hair had loosened, causing his hair to fall around him, damp and sticking to his face. Despite being overheated to the point of sweating, he made no move to take his unbuttoned coat off. "They are..."

A knock on the door interrupted his words, sending Dulce hurrying to the doors. He opened them to a group of six beautiful women, their painted eyes and lips going wide at the sight of him.

"Good evening, milord." They curtsied in unison. Their necklines were cut low, embroidered bodices highlighting their supple figures and pushing out the mounds of enticing flesh threatening to spill past their necklines.

And behind them stood two brooding Demons, neither going to their rooms to relax like they were told to.

Dulce had no time to attend to them, inviting the ladies in. "I apologize for the miscommunication, you won’t be attending to me but to my good friend," He explained right away, gesturing to Ruoxi seated on the bed.

"I understand if you change your minds, I’ll certainly find a way around that..."

Despite Dulce’s well-meaning speech, none of the ladies could hear him anymore. In a state of hunger, Ruoxi could no longer expend the energy to prevent himself from being perceived, so the brothel ladies could fully see the enormous Demon in all his glory.

A simple glance in their direction was enough to send them swooning, cautiously approaching in delicate shoes despite the ravenous hunger in their eyes.

"Dulce," Ruoxi called to the Vampire, a wry look in his eyes. "You didn’t let me finish speaking."

Dulce walked past the ladies to his side, "Surely it can wait till you have eaten," He said seriously, glancing at the brothel ladies who were getting braver with each step they took.

Their eyes were glazed over, and the deep flush prominently inching down from their faces, down their necks, and past their collarbones might have helped somewhat with that.

"If I eat them, they’ll die." Ruoxi said without mincing words, knowing that it was the only way to get the Vampire’s attention.

Dulce’s face fell, his brows furrowing in distress. "I thought you said you would make sure they wouldn’t die," He said in a rush, the ladies were almost on them now, and they looked ready to tear Ruoxi’s clothes right off.

"My captor was a Holy Demon." Ruoxi revealed the truth, he had come to the end of his rope, there was little else to lose. "They are gods among Demons," He said, his voice getting quieter with his waning strength, "After feeding off a god for centuries, I’ve grown too strong. Anyone weaker than a Holy Demon will die. Even Demons will, much less delicate humans..." He waved a hand, and the brothel ladies slumped to the ground.

Dulce stared blankly, at a loss, this was a completely unexpected development. "What will happen if you don’t eat?" He asked in a whisper.

Ruoxi stared past him to the brothel ladies in a pile of frilly, colorful clothes on the floor. "Slowly lose my sanity until I go on a rampage from hunger." He said lightly, sinking back into the soft pillows with a sigh. "I won’t let that happen, perhaps the Shadow Demon will be generous enough to kill me for free." He chuckled absently to himself.