An Eternity of Dead Sun (An Eternity of Eclipse Novel Book 2) (22 page)

The room was massive.

Actually, massive was too calm of a word. It was
enormous
. The room resembled a ballroom. A circle of bay windows surrounded the lavish room while a gigantic chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling. There was a double staircase that led to another part of the establishment and an indoor water fountain in the shape of a serpent. If you should ever wonder what true wealth looked like, then this private dining room was it. I still couldn’t believe that all of this existed within the confines of a dilapidated building.

After marveling at the grandiosity of the room, my gaze finally landed on the marble table in the middle of the room. The rectangular dining table was big enough to seat at least twenty people and the surplus of food on it was enough to feed an entire third world country.

Seated at that table were Sloth and another man, both of whom were enjoying their expensive wine. Sloth was dressed in a pinstriped gray suit, looking more polished than the last time I saw him. His former unruly brown hair was perfectly combed back and tamed. He still looked young with his glasses, but he also looked wiser, more refined, and more aristocratic.

He wasn’t the only one at the table who looked like a royal.

“Rho,” the man sitting at the other end of the table addressed, never shifting his attention from his food. He looked like he couldn’t be older than someone in his late twenties. He was dressed in an all-white suit with diamonds dripping over him. His blonde faux-hawk made his face appear more defined and sharp. Decadence oozed from him. “Did I not tell you that I did not want to be disturbed?”

“My apologies, but you’ll want to be disturbed by this one,” Rho, the hostess, said confidently. She appraised me with approval. “She’s the famous six-year-old murderer!” She made me sound like a famous pop star as opposed to a disturbed psycho. Rho gave me an encouraging nod before she started to make her way out of the room. “Try not to piss him off. Good luck, and if you should ever come back, I’ll make sure to set up a dining room filled with all your favorite junk-food.” She winked. “No calories.”

I gasped.

This Demon knew my cost!

For the first time that night, I felt elation.

Junk food without calories?

Oh my, where do I sign up?

I gaped at her, the fat kid within me making a mental note to come back and take her up on her offer. Before I could even sketch out a time to revisit this place, Sloth crushed my dreams with his next comment.

“No calories, but in exchange you only want her soul, right?” Sloth asked loftily. “Nice try, Rho, but Grace’s soul has already been claimed.”

“All the good ones are always taken,” she tsked, causing me to glower when I registered that she was only after my soul. The Demon pouted like they had taken her dream doll away. With a respectful but saddened bow to the ones at the table, she walked out, her perfect body sashaying from side to side.

“Have you slept with her yet?” Sloth asked the man in the white suit. His smiling eyes watched with interest as the hostess walked out the door.

I was shocked by the crass comment. I had almost forgotten I was in the presence of Demons, not pastors.

“No,” the man answered. “Eclipse already had his fun with her. I do not plan on entertaining myself with the kid’s leftovers.”

It felt like someone had poured glacial water over me. I seethed, jealousy running rampant within me. That pretty hostess was an ex-girlfriend of Eclipse’s? I suddenly didn’t want to eat her non-fat junk food; instead, I wanted to choke her with it.

“Which, of course,” the nameless man went on, drawing his head towards me, “brings us to the one who came to see us today.”

When the man locked his eyes on us, Phix and Coco immediately got down on one knee.

“Your Dark Majesties,” they greeted, and I was left momentarily dumbfounded.

“Majesties?” I repeated before everything fell into place for me.

I appraised the man and recalled all the decadent food and the showcasing of wealth. I couldn’t believe I didn’t piece it all together sooner.

“Grace,” Sloth greeted with a smile that was too cold to reach his bronze eyes. “How nice to see you again.” He grinned, motioning at the one sitting across from him. “Meet my older brother, Tony. Elder . . . meet Grace.”

“Gluttony,” I whispered instead, finding irony in his plain nickname when his true name evoked decadence and overindulgence. His overconsumption of goods did not stop at food. If anything, his appetite for lavishness extended towards all other aspects of life.

Tony smiled coolly.

One would assume that the Demon of Gluttony would be overweight, but Tony was far from it. Despite his big appetite, he was as skinny and toned as any other athlete. His face was perfectly crafted in all the right places, giving him an air of aristocracy that was only shared by his brothers.

In this setting, I recognized the similar attributes between Eclipse, Sloth, and Gluttony. Each had their own appeal and had striking features that were only fit for the sons of the most beautiful Angel.

“It is very nice to finally meet you, Grace,” Tony said tactfully, his pearl gray eyes colder than ice. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

I forced a smile. I knew neither of them was excited to have me here. They were having a nice dinner and it wasn’t pleasant to have an unimportant creature interrupt them. “I’ve heard a lot about you too.”

“Good things, yes?” there was humor in his voice that didn’t translate onto his face.

“You have come a long way to find us,” Sloth observed shrewdly, taking a bite of his cake. He waved his hand for Phix and Coco to stand up, yet his attention on me was unwavering. “Last I heard, you were in Serenity with Eclipse.” He nodded regally at me, as if he was giving permission for a puppy to respond. “What brings you here?”

“I need your help.”

“And where is your Guardian Demon?”

“That’s why I’m here.” I stepped closer to the table. “He needs your help. He’s in big trouble.”

A sound too evil to be called laughter emitted from Tony.

“Eclipse is a Fallen Demon,” Tony drawled, eating from his plate. “He needs all the help he can get. Not to mention, the kid was idiotic enough to reveal his true form in Serenity. As far as I’m concerned, if he was stupid enough to do that, then he can be pathetic enough to suffer the consequences.”

My brows rose in shock. “You already know what he did?”

“Everyone with some fucking sense knows,” Tony answered impatiently. He cast an annoyed glance at me. “And I imagine you’re here because Eclipse is ‘sick’ from the little fireworks show he put on?”

“You guys know about that too?” I was flabbergasted. If they knew about him being sick, why didn’t they take the initiative to help him? Why were they having a leisure dinner when their little brother was in a coma?

“He is a Dimmed Demon. From the force of the power he used, I’m surprised that it’s taken him this long to start to feel the effects. He should’ve fallen to ruins that very night when he exhibited what was left of his powers.”

“Wh-why aren’t you helping him?”

Sloth smirked callously. “He made his bed; now he can lie in it.”

“But you’re his brothers!” I shouted.

Behind me, I could hear Phix and Coco make shushing sounds, whispering for me to calm down in front of the Dark Majesties. I, however, was beyond reason. The only thing I cared about was helping Eclipse.

“You two can’t just sit here,” I continued hotly. “You have to do something—
Ah!
”

Tony was suddenly in front of me, clamping a hand over my throat before I could finish my sentence. His fingernails began to extend like the claws of a lion. The razor sharp edges dug into my neck, piercing through the delicate skin and causing me to shake in horror. 

Tony glared down at me, his face swirling with rage that made his features look more feral. “How about I do something by ripping your head off, impaling it on a stick, and roasting it over the pits of Hell for fun?”

Behind us, I could see Sloth laugh cruelly at the show while Phix and Coco froze in horror. The misery deluging out of them was clear. They were worried for me and didn’t want me to die, which was a likely case now that I had upset the Demon of Gluttony.

Tony leaned in closer to me, his eyes scorching with ire. “The day I take orders from an insufferable pest such as yourself is the day when Hell freezes over. And let me tell you something . . . ” His grip on my neck tightened, the nails piercing deeper into my skin and causing me to quiver uncontrollably. I was too afraid to make a sound. “My monarchy isn’t freezing over anytime soon. So the next time you open that pretty little mouth of yours, I suggest you exercise a bit more restraint because I will not hesitate to kill you. Do we have an understanding?”

I nodded fearfully, and with an approving smile that brought poise back to his face, Tony let me go and eased away. On my neck, I could feel the fingernail marks heal at once. As quickly as the pain came, it was gone within a fraction of a second.

With all the strength I could summon, even though my most prominent instinct was to run, I buried my fears and warily restructured my question, “Can you
please
do something to help your brother?”

Tony’s perfect white teeth flashed in a predatory grin. The fear radiating from me was palpable, and it entertained him immensely.

“Well, look at you,” Tony mocked while Sloth chortled in the background. “Aren’t you a brave little human?” He laughed at me. “Here you are, scared to death of two Royal Demons, and yet you continue to stand here, feigning bravery because you want to save Eclipse.” He clicked his tongue in knowledge. “If I didn’t know better, then I would think that you’ve grown to care for our baby brother, Source.”

“He’s the only one who can help me.”

It eluded me why I added that statement in, but as if to save face and to assure myself that it wasn’t for any other reason, I felt the need to emphasize that.

“So you say.”

“He’s my friend,” I declared unthinkingly.

“Friend?” Tony laughed, sounding like he was choking on my stupidity.

He spared a glance at Coco and Phix, both of whom exchanged pitiable glances at one another.

It was clear that they thought I had said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Eclipse is your . . . friend?” Tony’s laughter grew louder and more taunting. “You fool,” he imparted between laughs. “You really do not know your place in this relationship—”

“Elder,” Sloth interjected courteously, an amused smile still carved on his face. “Let’s not ruin the fun. If she says that Eclipse is her friend, then he is her friend. Who are we to crush little Grace’s dreams and say otherwise?”

Tony’s thin lips twisted into a sneer. “I suppose if that brainless twit Eve was stupid enough to fall for our father’s temptation with the forbidden fruit, then it would make sense that this little human would be stupid enough to do the same.”

“I didn’t come here for you to laugh at me,” I stated, gathering some spine. My lips trembled, but I fought past the fear. “I know my existence is a joke to both of you, but this isn’t about me. Your brother is really sick. He needs your help.” 

“Eclipse will be fine,” Tony bristled. He was obviously tired of my human voice. “He may be weakened, but as long as he doesn’t use the last of his powers, he should be able to recuperate.”

“B-but he’s currently in hibernation.”

The clinking sounds of a spoon and fork dropping onto an expensive china plate gushed into the air.

“Eclipse is in
hibernation
?” Tony asked, finally perturbed. He turned to Sloth, who had finally shown some emotion as well. They swiveled their heads to me. Their once stoic eyes rippled with indignation. “What did he use the last of his powers on?”

“To protect someone,” I replied promptly, conveniently leaving out that he was protecting a priest. I suspected in demonic terms, this information would’ve been the equivalent of me telling the Holy Father that a priest had prayed to the Devil in church. It was offensive and downright sacrilegious. Eclipse was already in enough trouble with his brothers. I wasn’t about to give them another reason to loathe him.

“That goddamn idiot,” Sloth said tightly, raking his fingers through his brown hair in irritation.

With an annoyed growl for Eclipse and his “ever growing stupidity,” Tony angrily snapped his finger.

Within the blink of an eye, at the further end of the room, appeared Eclipse. He was in his hospital bed, still unconscious with an IV attached to him.

I heard Phix and Coco gasp at the sight of Eclipse in this condition. They were stunned that he looked so helpless and so human.

I had to control my own emotions.

I had only left him for several hours and I didn’t anticipate my heart to thump so wildly at the sight of him again. It was difficult to see him in such a helpless state, but I kept my emotions in check.

In the midst of my palpitating heart, it didn’t escape me on how peculiar I was being today. What had gotten into me? Why was I so worried about him?