them on Earth as a twelve-year-old boy, but in Heaven they appear as a twenty-five-year-old female. Is it the same here?”
Hades dipped his head. “Essentially. Demons in the Inner Sanctum do choose their appearances, but people don’t always recognize them. I think it’s because they’re rarely born twice as the same species.”
Huh. It hadn’t occurred to her that a Seminus demon wouldn’t be born again as a Sem. “How does that work?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really want to talk about this?”
“It’s your fault,” she said around a mouthful of bread. “You piqued my curiosity.”
“Well then,” he said with a lopsided grin and an impish glint in his eyes, “I guess I’ll have to satisfy your…curiosity.”
Oh, yes, please. Satisfy anything you want .
She swallowed about a million times to keep her mouth from opening and those exact words from falling out.
Hades didn’t seem to notice the lustful distress he’d caused, continuing his demonic reincarnation lesson as if he hadn’t just teased her with sexual undertones. “Demons here are generally reborn as a member of a species that fits within their soul’s Ufelskala, but every once in a while a level one will be reincarnated as a species that rates a five, or vice versa. It’s why you’ll sometimes encounter a Soulshredder that wants to help others, or a Slogthu that likes to kill.”
That made sense, she supposed. Anomalies happened in every species on Earth, so why not in Sheoul? “So how does all of this work? How do you keep everyone in line?”
“That’s the reason the Rings are all based on the Ufelskala. No matter your score, you can travel to any level that is higher on the scale, but never lower. So an Ufelskala Tier Two demon can travel between the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Rings, but they can’t go to the 1st Ring. And no one from any Ring can come here.”
She considered that for a moment. “But as you said, the Ufelskala scale is based on a species’ level of evil as a whole, and not every individual is representative of their breed.”
“Which is why Azagoth and my team review every person who comes through the gate.” Hades bent over and yanked off his boots. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to clean up.”
She scooped up another bite of gravy-soaked bread. “Go for it.” Oh, wait...was he going to use the open–– very open––bathroom? He strode over there, his fingers working at the ties on his pants. Oh, boy, he was going to––
He dropped his pants, and she nearly swallowed her tongue along with the bread. With every silent step, the muscles in his legs and ass flexed, making her fingers curl with the desire to dig into his hard flesh.
Hades hit a lever, and water streamed from a wide slot in the stone wall. He stepped beneath the steaming waterfall, closing his eyes and dipping his head back. He was a living, breathing work of art. Angel and demon all wrapped up in a package of physical perfection. Her mouth watered, but now it had nothing to do with the food. She wanted something much more tasty.
Wanted it desperately. And the thing was, lust had driven her wants before, but something had changed. Yes, when she looked at him, lust was a writhing, burning entity inside her, but there was also a flutter of attraction to the male inside that magnificent body.
But did he want her? He’d spent months avoiding her––or, at least, it seemed that way. And back at his crypt, he’d taken off just when things had gotten hot. But things had gotten hot. And he’d sort of flirted a couple times, the way he had a moment ago when he talked about satisfying her…curiosity. So there was something there. Right?
She needed to know for sure. Her curiosity had always driven her, even when she should have minded her own business, but a wereleopard couldn’t change its spots, could it?
Gathering all her courage, she stood, letting the blanket fall to the floor. His back was turned to her, so he
Hades dipped his head. “Essentially. Demons in the Inner Sanctum do choose their appearances, but people don’t always recognize them. I think it’s because they’re rarely born twice as the same species.”
Huh. It hadn’t occurred to her that a Seminus demon wouldn’t be born again as a Sem. “How does that work?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really want to talk about this?”
“It’s your fault,” she said around a mouthful of bread. “You piqued my curiosity.”
“Well then,” he said with a lopsided grin and an impish glint in his eyes, “I guess I’ll have to satisfy your…curiosity.”
Oh, yes, please. Satisfy anything you want .
She swallowed about a million times to keep her mouth from opening and those exact words from falling out.
Hades didn’t seem to notice the lustful distress he’d caused, continuing his demonic reincarnation lesson as if he hadn’t just teased her with sexual undertones. “Demons here are generally reborn as a member of a species that fits within their soul’s Ufelskala, but every once in a while a level one will be reincarnated as a species that rates a five, or vice versa. It’s why you’ll sometimes encounter a Soulshredder that wants to help others, or a Slogthu that likes to kill.”
That made sense, she supposed. Anomalies happened in every species on Earth, so why not in Sheoul? “So how does all of this work? How do you keep everyone in line?”
“That’s the reason the Rings are all based on the Ufelskala. No matter your score, you can travel to any level that is higher on the scale, but never lower. So an Ufelskala Tier Two demon can travel between the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Rings, but they can’t go to the 1st Ring. And no one from any Ring can come here.”
She considered that for a moment. “But as you said, the Ufelskala scale is based on a species’ level of evil as a whole, and not every individual is representative of their breed.”
“Which is why Azagoth and my team review every person who comes through the gate.” Hades bent over and yanked off his boots. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to clean up.”
She scooped up another bite of gravy-soaked bread. “Go for it.” Oh, wait...was he going to use the open–– very open––bathroom? He strode over there, his fingers working at the ties on his pants. Oh, boy, he was going to––
He dropped his pants, and she nearly swallowed her tongue along with the bread. With every silent step, the muscles in his legs and ass flexed, making her fingers curl with the desire to dig into his hard flesh.
Hades hit a lever, and water streamed from a wide slot in the stone wall. He stepped beneath the steaming waterfall, closing his eyes and dipping his head back. He was a living, breathing work of art. Angel and demon all wrapped up in a package of physical perfection. Her mouth watered, but now it had nothing to do with the food. She wanted something much more tasty.
Wanted it desperately. And the thing was, lust had driven her wants before, but something had changed. Yes, when she looked at him, lust was a writhing, burning entity inside her, but there was also a flutter of attraction to the male inside that magnificent body.
But did he want her? He’d spent months avoiding her––or, at least, it seemed that way. And back at his crypt, he’d taken off just when things had gotten hot. But things had gotten hot. And he’d sort of flirted a couple times, the way he had a moment ago when he talked about satisfying her…curiosity. So there was something there. Right?
She needed to know for sure. Her curiosity had always driven her, even when she should have minded her own business, but a wereleopard couldn’t change its spots, could it?
Gathering all her courage, she stood, letting the blanket fall to the floor. His back was turned to her, so he
Similar Books
