Unleashing Chaos

Chapter One

Of all the demon traditions, who decided being late to dinner was an acceptable practice? The list of possibilities is short—Lucifer, Lilith, Hades, Beelzebub, or my father, Chaos. Each ruler of Infernis has been responsible for their own set of rules, or lack thereof, that keep the mayhem of our realm alive and well. After all, a demon's job is to cater to the human energies that thrive on pure havoc.

And that is what makes me a total failure.

I rest my chin in my palm and tap my pale-pink nails against the black granite tabletop. Concentrating on the vines and skulls carved into the ebony doors that lead into the dining room, I impatiently wait for my parents, six brothers, and their partners. It's possible the demands of preparing to rule their circles of the underworld held them up, but I wouldn't know. My father won't even allow me to reside in my circle until I've chosen an eternal partner. But I'd rather let reaper demons disembowel me on my clean kitchen floor than bind myself to a disorderly demon forever.

The door crashes open and I straighten in my high-back chair at the far end of the table. My older brothers enter the room, shoving, laughing, or playing with their phones as they make their way to their seats. No one questions if we are siblings. We all inherited our mother's red hair and long legs, and our father's dayglow green eyes and plump lips. The boys even share the same monochrome wardrobe full of the finest silk, leather, and tailored suits. The only thing that sets us apart is our choice in partners.

Each brother chose a demon whose unwavering support will make them a strong lord over their circle. Some bonded themselves with their best friend, and others found the love of their existence. Tall, short, fat, skinny, white, brown, black, tailed and without, their eternal partners add spice to our family dynamic.

Mandis sits next to me with his eternal partner, Grub, on his other side. I scoot my chair over to make room for his burly frame. He pulls on the lapel of his suit jacket and runs his palm over his neatly-trimmed red beard. "Let me guess, you've been waiting for an hour," my brother says, with a voice so deep it vibrates through me.

I raise my brows and shake my head. "An hour and fifteen minutes. That's when dinner was scheduled."

"And you should have known everyone would arrive late."

Grub leans past my brother and flashes me a pointed-tooth smile. He places his plump hand on mine, his warm brown skin a sharp contrast against my pale complexion. "I sometimes wish we had dinner on time too. It feels like ages from one meal to the next."

Mandis drapes his arm over his husband's shoulders. "But you find other desires to overindulge in between meals, like feeding me your cock."

"That I do." Grub tilts his head up and kisses my brother.

Avaros holds up his wine glass, and his leather jacket falls open, bearing the sculped planes of his naked chest. "That's how you do it, boys. Let your lover be greedy."

I wrinkle my nose. This is the exact kind of behavior I don't quite approve of—the constant PDA between not only all of my brothers and their partners, but every other demon in this realm, including my parents, which is a whole other kind of disgusting.

"Do you all always have to talk about your bedroom habits in front of everyone? And Lux and Bernadette!" I screech, nodding down the table at my second oldest brother and his wife. Bernadette's long spiked tail sways behind her slender hips while they make out, mouths and hands exploring places that should be left in private. The serving staff maneuvers around them, placing onyx plates piled high with Ceasar salad on the table.

"I'll never understand why you are so weird about something as natural as sex. Why not freak out about demons who wear socks with sandals? That is a crime against all living beings," Feir says, brushing his fiery long locks away from his high cheekbones.