Azagoth: A Demonica Novella (1001 Dark Nights) Read Online Free PDF Page B

she’d always been adventurous and eager to try new things. With the right male, she’d give this stuff a go.
    But Azagoth wasn’t the right male. So far, he’d proved to be an arrogant prick, and in any case, as soon as she found his chronoglass , she was out of here.
    She moved over to the huge oak wardrobe and held her breath as she opened it. To her relief, there was nothing too weird hanging on the rack or sitting neatly on the shelves. But black wasn’t her color, and leather wasn’t her material. She was definitely a slacks and blouse kind of gal, so the midnight satin corset and metal-studded leather miniskirt got shoved to the back of the stack.
    She finally chose a pair of plain black leggings, a maroon long-sleeved, fitted crop top with a turtleneck collar, and knee-high boots with four sets of buckles down the shaft. She checked herself out in the mirror, was surprised that the outfit wasn’t completely horrible and actually flattered her athletic figure.
    She’d always compensated for her lack of feminine features and curves by wearing her hair loose and long, and her clothes were always on the conservative, lacier side. But somehow, these form-fitting garments enhanced her femininity even more than the flowing, delicate gown she’d been forced to wear. Huh.
    Sinking down on the massive bed, she opened the package Azagoth had given her. Inside was a simple but elegant Tiffany key pendant on a delicate silver chain. It was beautiful, but why would he want her to wear it?
    She wasn’t going to. Already she realized she had very little power down here, and one thing Azagoth wasn’t going to take away was her ability to choose. Very carefully, she put away the chain and left the box on the mattress.
    The mattress she was going to have to share with Azagoth.
    Unbidden, an image of him naked and lying next to her as that deep voice whispered raw, naughty things, made her skin flush and her breasts tingle. Was that what the angels sent here for him to service felt like when they were standing in this room?
    The thought was enough to knock her halo back on straight. There would be no sex, because she was leaving.
    Taking a deep, bracing breath, she opened the door to Azagoth’s office. The wall directly across from her had opened up, revealing a green-glowing cross-sectioned tunnel. A parade of demons shuffled through from left to right, each one escorted by a three-foot tall griminion shrouded completely in black. As she entered the room, the parade stopped, and Azagoth swung around. His expression remained neutral, but she swore his eyes darkened as he raked her with his gaze.
    “Better,” he rumbled.
    “Flattery isn’t your strong suit, is it?”
    “And taking direction isn’t yours.”
    So he’d noticed the missing necklace. Tough shit. She ignored him and glanced over at the tunnel. “What’s going on?”
    “These are souls of dead demons and evil humans. My griminions are escorting them into the lower Sheoul-gra levels known as the Inner Sanctum.”
    “Where Hades lives?”
    He inclined his head. “Hades keeps them contained and suitably miserable until they’re reincarnated.”
    She eyed the demon souls, which appeared to be as solid as they had been when they were alive. “I’m assuming demon souls are like those of humans? Non-corporeal while on Earth and in Sheoul, but solid in Sheoul-gra and Heaven?”
    “It’s exactly the same. Human and demon souls appear as ghosts on the Earthly plane, but are fully realized in Heaven and Sheoul-gra.”
    If only humans understood that their bodies on Earth were shadowy versions of what they would become after they died and returned to the Heavenly plane where they’d been created. They’d be much happier, not worrying so much about defiling themselves or even injuring their bodies. Their short human lives were but a thin thread in the fabric of their true existences, a drop in the ocean of their lifespans.
    Azagoth made a sweeping motion with