"How have things been?"
Tyrannus shrugged, adjusting himself so he lay on his side. "Compared to what you've told me, uneventful. No issues with quotas, minimal infighting, and overall economic prosperity."
"Better uneventful than chaotic from war." Tetsuda ran his hand up and down Tyrannus's bare, slightly bruised side. The marks Tyrannus had given him had healed already, but the ones Tetsuda had inflicted would stay for a few days. How he'd have to restrain himself from providing more…
"I don't know. I like a good war."
"Do you, now?" he asked, crawling atop him.
"Of course," he said with a smirk. "Fighting's my passion." As Tetsuda hovered above him, he rolled onto his back and curled an arm around Tetsuda's neck. "Along with you, of course."
"I'm honored," Tetsuda murmured, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. "I never want to leave you again, my lord."
"Nor do I." He chuckled softly. "If we had a war, it'd give you an excuse to stay. Though you'd have to lead your people, you'd also have to remain close so I can give you orders."
"Let's not discuss something so dark, love."
"What's dark?" he asked, trailing his hands down Tetsuda's neck. "It's thrilling. The rush of adrenaline in your veins, the blood sizzling on your skin, the shouts of victory from your allies, the cries of agony from your enemies…" He pulled his face closer to Tetsuda's with a soft chuckle. "...it excites me just thinking about it."
"You are an Ira, after all."
"You say that with such enthusiasm."
Tetsuda rolled his eyes but smiled. "Well, I'd rather excite you myself…"
"Ah, I see. You're jealous that something else has my attention."
"I can't help it. I'm an incubus."
"No," Tyrannus said, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "You're my incubus."
With a soft groan, Tetsuda lowered himself and Tyrannus onto the bed once more and squeezed him tightly. "I love you so much…"
"I love you, too, Tetsuda. With all my unbeating heart."
They kissed again, deeply and passionately, but shortly, too, for harsh raps sounded upon the bedroom door. Sighting, Tyrannus broke the kiss and lifted his head.
"What?"
"We have issues." It was Basileus, sounding much too serious for his personality.
"It can wait," Tyrannus denied.
"No, it can't," he disagreed. "It's...it's—"
"Spit it out, Basileus."
A moment of hesitation. "It's Suiyan."
Tyrannus sat up.
"Lord Tyrannus," Tetsuda pressed. "Lord Tyrannus!"
"What do you want?" he hissed. Never before had Tetsuda witnessed Tyrannus so enraged—he'd practically strangled Basileus after opening the door, and now he stormed down the hall with fire in his feet and smoke from his ears.
"Answers," he said. "What's happening?"
"What's happening?" He looked over his shoulder, and the heart Tetsuda didn't have jolted. "There's a bull before our glass cabinet." He turned his head forward again. "I can't believe him…"
When they reached the throne room, Tyrannus threw the door open with enough force to nearly break it off the hinges. Standing on the dais was another demon.
"Quite the impressive throne you have," the demon said as he turned their way. "Ironic, though, sitting so high yet failing to see your incompetence."
Tyrannus's body stiffened, and Tetsuda's eyes widened.
His blonde hair stood up in a formation that resembled a flame, and his purple eyes twinkled darkly. He wore a red military-style coat, epaulettes with black tassels and chains on the shoulders and a double-breasted front. Two strings of red skulls hung off his waist, and on his back were two disks with triangular blades jutting out all around. His smirk was gentle, but it radiated malevolence and danger.
The demon stepped forward, his smirk growing wider as Tyrannus's discomfort grew. "It's been quite some time, hasn't it? Nearly two hundred years."
"Why have you come?" Tyrannus hissed. "And why did you give me no prior warning?"
"If I would've given you prior warning, you would've said no," he replied.
"You know the reason."
"I do. And it's as arousing as it's always been." He shifted his gaze to Tetsuda. "Ah, and the incubus prince has come, too." His boots sent echoes through the room as he walked toward Tetsuda. His sharp-nailed fingers touched Tetsuda's jawline, and he tilted his head from side to side. "You've good taste, in truth. He's exceptionally beautiful. Even by incubus standards." He lowered his voice to a murmur. "We've a common tie between us already—Souku used to fill my bed, too."
"Sou...ku…?"
He nodded. "Yes. Ah, that's right." He took a few steps back. "I'd forgotten. He goes by Tyrannus now, but when he first came here to Iyan, he was given the name Souku—by me. Just like the rest of his abilities."
"I obtained what I have now myself," Tyrannus snarled. "You contributed to driving me forward, but you did not give me anything that I wanted."
He scoffed. "Still such a belligerent child. A mere two hundred and fifty years old—comparable to my eight hundred." His gaze returned to Tetsuda once more. "Ah, apologies. I haven't introduced myself to you. My name is Tairo, and I am the rightful King of Iyan. A title your precious 'Lord Tyrannus' has taken away from me."
"Don't listen to him," Tyrannus said. "He's full of lies."
"Ooh, and this comes from you, the one who refuses to even speak of my existence. What have you told your precious prince, hmm? Or haven't you told him anything?" He looked to Tetsuda. "Well?"
"I...I don't know anything about his past. All I know is that he hates you."
"Well, that is the summary of it all, but it's by no means the whole story." He placed his hand on Tyrannus's shoulder. "Care to begin, little Souku?"
"Don't touch me!" he spat, balling his fist. Just as he punched, however, Tairo grabbed his wrist and pinned Tyrannus's back against his chest. Tyrannus let out a strangled grunt, and his face tightened into a grimace.
"Now, now, don't be ridiculous," Tairo murmured. "I used to touch you all the time, remember? Oh, you were so adorable…"
His pointed tongue ran up the rim of Tyrannus's ear, yet his eyes were directed toward Tetsuda. "He came to Iyan two hundred and fifty years ago, and he fought from the beginning. Disrespected officials, brawled with others—he even spat in Lord Jousin's face. He was the previous king, who reigned over a unified Iyan. I was his son, his successor, as he was suffering from declining health. Tired of the trouble, he presented me with the unnamed Scortum as a gift—that's when I named him Souku."
"Scortum?"
"Ah, so he hasn't mentioned that, either? How fun." He kept Tyrannus pinned with one arm, but his other hand slipped its way under his coat. "You see, little incubus, pure-blooded demons are very difficult to create—you are an example of one of those purebloods, though, which explains your beauty and quickness to develop Luxuria-specific techniques. Most demons in Iyan are of two types, yet one usually holds more influence. I, myself, am a combination of Avaritia and Ira, the former being dominant. However…" He nibbled on Tyrannus's ear, and the Ira sucked in a breath. "...there is a third breed of demons, one called Scortum—whores. Demons with too many sin types to properly develop. Little Souku here is an Ira. But he is also an Avaritia, a Superbia, an Invidia…" Tairo's hand drifted to Tyrannus's groin, and the King of Naiyan couldn't repress a moan. "...and a Luxuria. In fact, the Luxuria side of him is the second-strongest—just look at him." Skillfully, he reached into Tyrannus's pants and withdrew his member, erect. "You noticed it, too, didn't you? Why is an Ira aroused so easily, you wondered? It's just that—they're not. But Luxuria are. Whores are."
Had his heart any function, it would have beat out of his chest. Seeing Tyrannus degraded like that...he wanted, desperately wanted to do something. He wanted to rip him out of Tairo's arms, to beat the Suiyan king until the marble floor cracked in as many places as his skull. But if he was able to subdue Tyrannus so easily…
"You want to know, don't you? About him?"
He nodded, albeit slowly.
"Well, his is an interesting tale. I raped him a lot after receiving him as a gift—daily. Hourly, if I could. But no matter how hard I went, how much he wept, how much he bled, he continued to fight me. Eventually, I'd had enough of him, and I threw him into a pit of Et Cinere. Lord Jousin was with me at the time, along with some of the Ultimos—everyone wanted to revel in his death. But then—"
Tyrannus jerked his body back, and Tairo released his hold on the Naiyan king for a moment long enough to allow Tyrannus to produce his scythe and position it around his body. His gaze burned with ire, and for a brief moment, Tetsuda thought he saw his orange eyes flash blue.
"—I surpassed the Ira and became a Harbinger."
Dusting himself off, Tairo chuckled. "Falce Mortis. Scythe of death…" He looked back to Tetsuda with an amicable smile. "They consumed him, the Et Cinere, but rather than being killed, he ascended. I'll let him explain what a Harbinger is. He needs to learn some semblance of independence, after all. He slaughtered them all, and brutally, at that. The Ultimo Superbia at the time jumped down to retrieve him, to stop him, but Souku killed him, too. Ripped him apart and coated himself with his blood. And then he came. It was a disgusting display, but it was admittedly quite concerning. We'd all wanted him killed, but Lord Jousin had decided to make him a soldier. Somehow, he managed to gather supporters, defect from us, and return a few months later to lay siege to the palace. Most of his allies died, and he stupidly decided to fight Lord Jousin alone. Though sickened, he was still able to defeat Souku with relative ease. Threw him off a cliff."
"Why did you stop?" Tyrannus asked. "What happened next, Tairo?"
The Suiyan king's eyes narrowed. "I came to the king, most of Souku's supporters having been killed, yet as we were walking away—"
"—I killed him. With the same weapon I hold now, I impaled your beloved father and threw his body at your feet."
For the first time, hatred slipped into Tairo's narrowed gaze. "I should've killed you. I should've beaten you to death right there. But that would be beneath me, just as you are. Because unlike you, Tyrannus, I'm a demon of honor and custom. So I'll let you continue, lest you interrupt me again."
Tyrannus nodded, placing his scythe at his side. "Tairo was named Jousin's successor, but by unwritten demonic custom, if you kill the king, you are the king. We hated each other, but we were both smart enough to recognize that fighting further would be pointless. So we agreed to divide Iyan into two kingdoms, and while that worked at first, his belligerence toward my people has made it exceedingly difficult to maintain balance."
"My belligerence?"
"Your troops have threatened Ceniyan on ten different occasions!"
"And you had taken it upon yourself to make it a legal territory with a governor—without my permission."
Tyrannus's grip tightened on the shaft of his weapon. "Why are you here? Why now?"
"Because I am not like you, Scortum. I'm equitable unless provoked, whereas you are only the latter all of the time. Anyway, I came because I want peace between us. Quibbling with one another—especially over something as trivial as Ceniyan—is a waste of time, men, and thought. I invite you to my palace in Suiyan, to a banquet of peace. You're welcome to bring anyone you'd like, too." His eyes twinkled. "I'd especially enjoy it if your pet incubus would accompany you. I've been watching him from the palace, and he's quite the interesting character. Level-headed, too, from what I've observed in Ceniyan. Perhaps he should be holding the leash, rather than the other way around."
Tyrannus narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think I'll believe you?"
"Recent history. Or lack thereof, I suppose. If I was truly angered about your decision, why would I wait this long to make a move? I could have come during the ceremony, but instead, I watched."
"To plan," he said. "That's why. I will not come."
"Lord Tyrannus," Tetsuda said. "Don't you think that's a bit rash?"
Tyrannus widened his eyes. "What?"
"Well...if he's come to you relatively amicably, doesn't that mean he's at least considering peace? If he's truly as cruel as you say, he would've attacked Ceniyan as an invitation, not come to you."
Tyrannus continued staring at him, his eyes narrow but thoughtful.
"How fun," Tairo remarked with a soft chuckle. "The most inexperienced is the voice of reason. From a Luxuria, too. And here I was, thinking their minds were clouded solely by sex...though I've seen some fitting things over the past few years." From the inside of his jacket, Tairo withdrew a sack and tossed it across the floor. "A peace offering."
With narrowed eyes, Tyrannus kicked it over to Tetsuda, who caught it. "Open it up."
Tetsuda removed the tie from around the sack and withdrew a glass vial with red liquid inside. "It's a...container of...blood?"
Tyrannus stared at him, and Tairo chuckled as he made his way across the throne room. "Another thing to explain. Have fun, little Souku. I expect you in my palace in two weeks' time."
