XIV

"The Prince of Korea will help? A part of your blood deal?” Sauda asks. She pulls one of her legs under her and swings her chair left and right.

Andras sits back down in his chair, hands clasping together. “Not exactly,” he says.

“I find it hard to believe that it’s out of the kindness of his own heart. What’s going, Pops?”

“They’d fight to protect their Daughter-in-Law.” Raum is practically jumping up and down in his seat. His fingers drumming on the table as his grin gets wider and wider. He looks like a kid shaking from too much sugar intake.

Sauda looks at her father, ignoring the annoying Demon. He has those worried Dad's eyes, which was an unfamiliar look from him. She doesn’t like it.

“Daughter-in-law?” She asks.

Her father looks down. “I needed Korea to solidify my domain--”

“So you made a blood contract--”

“I made a blood betrothal.”

Quietly she stands up, slips on her bunny slippers, and walks to the back of the room, away from all of them. She leans against a cabinet in the conference room and looks down to the floor.

“You’ve had that blood contract—betrothal since I was three,” Sauda says, still looking at the floppy bunnies on her feet. “Because of the prophecy, they want the ruler of hell to marry into their family so they can stay powerful, right?”

“It’s the way Demon’s work,” Her father sighs.

She looks up to smile at her father. “Well. I’m not marrying Haraboji, and Korea’s prince doesn’t have any kids yet. So, no one for me to marry. And we get help with La Muerte. It’s all looking up.”

“That’s not how the contract works,” Kang Dae says, finally looking up. “The Betrothal isn’t for the Royal family. It’s for a high-ranking official.”

“I’m offended.”

“The point is,” Kang Dae says, “The Prince will help with La Muerte because he doesn’t want to deal to be voided by death. And he’s sent me to... facilitate.”

“We’re getting married!” Raum jumps out of his chair, smiling madly. He walks towards her. “We’re going to get married!”

“No.”

She watches as Raum stops dead in his tracks, that smile still on his face as they both turn to look at Andras, rubbing the back of his head.

“The Prince and I agree. It’s in the best interest of both Korea and Ethiopia, if she marries someone else. She’d be married to a prominent official and bonded to a General. That’s multiple ties to Korea. It’s a win-win.”

“I’m not ready to marry a stranger, Daddy.”

“And you don’t have to,” Andras smiles. “Baba has done at least this one thing good for you. You’ll marry someone you know and trust, and someone who loves you. Right, Kang Dae?”

Kang Dae looks towards him. “Yes, my Lord.”

“So… who is he?” Raum asks, trudging back to the table. He looks to be holding himself in tightly.

Andras’ brows come together and he scratches his short beard. “Was I not clear? It’s Kang Dae… Well, I’ve got to run and gather the forces. We’ll make a plan tomorrow.”

He’s gone. Escaping from the bomb he dropped. They’re all quiet, standing awkwardly stiff.

“Fuck!”

Sauda startles as Raum slams his hands on the table, breaking off the edges into splinters.

“You did this, didn’t you?” He stalks towards Kang Dae. “Just to spite me. You asked for her hand in marriage because you love her. But I got there first. I put the work in, for the contract, for the prophecy.”

Balaam looks at him, head high, but his bravery falls short as he gives by pushing his wheeled chair back. Sauda stands shocked at his words.

“I bonded her. This should have been mine, but you weaseled your way up the ladder and whispered your little Canaanite secrets until you got this. I wasted years!”

“Ya!”

Adorna stands in the doorway with her hood pulled low over her eyes and the Llama ears pointed high. She glares at Raum. “Earth is full. Go home.”

Raum looks up, startled. His eyes wide and his hands tight. He slowly turns, looking to Sauda with his mouth gaping like a fish. He can’t believe he said so much, just like Sauda can’t believe it. She can feel the tears running down her face but refuses to acknowledge them,

“So I was right when we broke up,” Sauda says, head held high. “You invoked love in me, just so we could bond.”

“No. yes—but it only works if you’re starting to feel that way. So you already loved me, I just pushed it along.”

Sauda stands up straight, wiping the tears from her face, though she just wants to sit cross-legged on the carpet and cry more. She straightens up and glares at him.

“I screwed up, huh?” Raum smiles and looks at Sauda, waiting for her to say something. “But it’s okay,” he finishes, “You still love me, so you can go to your father, and tell him we can get married.”

“And why would I do that?” Sauda asks.

“Because you love me.”

“And do you love me? Honestly? Truly?” She asks, lower her voice octaves until she’s almost growling.

Raum stands quietly, eyes searching her face..

“Get out.”

“No.”

“Get out!” Sauda can feel her skin harden, her talons rip through her nail beds, and her horns snap out, scraping skin off her forehead.

“You will marry me,” He whispers.

“Never.”

“You will!” He yells. Raum is filling up with red, as veins strain against the skin of his throat. Sauda’s never seen him so mad, so boiling, that it frightens her.

“I will strip away all you love until the only shelter you have is me! And then you will marry me!”

Suddenly, Raum is hanging in the air, feet dangling off the ground, trying to breathe around the claws pierced straight through his neck. Sauda looks to Adorna, succubus skin, wrapped in a now too tight Llama onesie, shaking him like a caught fish.

“If you ask me,” Adorna smiles. “I think Balaam is good for you.”

“You used to say that about Raum,” Sauda sighs, trying to push the tears away.

“My opinion may have changed, but not the fact that I’m right.”

Raum whimpers. “Sauda—”

“Say the word, Sauda, and I will kill him. Because you two are bonded, it’ll make you lose half of your power, but I’m okay with it if you are,” Adorna growls.

As much as Sauda wanted him dead at that moment, she wasn’t willing to lose power while La Meurte was out there. Maybe afterwards.

“Hurt him. Send him home.”

“Roger, Captain,” Adorna smiles as Sauda walks past them both, careful to step around the pooling blood. Her eyes burn and her chest feels heavy as she pushes the tears down. First, she’ll pretend to enjoy the sleepover, then later, she'll deal with it.

“Fiancee,” she calls Kang Dae, “Let's go watch a movie.”