The Demon King of Lust

Chapter 13

"TJ, come here!" Kieran calls.

The man turns around and I get my first glance at his face—he's gorgeous and tall with deep brown skin and a shaved head. His button-up shirt and slacks are a bit more formal than I'd expect someone to wear in a place like this.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head.

"Sir," he grumbles. He steps to me and extends his hand. "Trazajon."

"Dude, I keep telling you that's a terrible name," Kieran says, leaning against the bar. "I call him TJ."

"Yes," he says with a flat expression. "He does."

"I'm Sam," I say, shaking his hand.

"Teej," Kieran says, "I told Sam you'd go over everything you knew about our rogue demon friend."

"Sure," he says, sitting down beside me. "Care to tell me why you were getting into yet another fight with human males?"

"I wasn't getting into a fight. I was just giving him some helpful critiques of his pickup strategy and he wasn't a fan."

"Hmm," TJ says with furrowed brows. "Who wouldn't appreciate seduction tips from an Incubus? And the King, no less?"

"Him, apparently."

"That was mean," I say, shaking my head.

"Come on. You're telling me that guy had a chance of walking away with your number or taking you home tonight?"

"I... Well, no, but-... It's not like you're the master of getting a girl's number or something."

"Sammy, babe... I promise you, I am."

"Oh, you're so conceited."

"It's not conceited if it's the truth."

I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"So, anyway," TJ says, pulling out his phone and looking it over. "You wanted to know more about the traitor?"

"Traitor?" I ask.

"Your former boyfriend is a traitor to the crown, in multiple ways."

"The crown?"

TJ looks over at Kieran with clear annoyance at my question. He's definitely thinking I'm an idiot.

"The position of King is a high honor. Only 8 beings in all of time have ever held the position of Demon King, and only one has ever taken the mantle from another."

"That one being...?"

Kieran flutters his fingers in a wave and winks.

"Oh wow."

"TJ here is part of the old guard," he says. "Some of Asmodeus's men were loyal to him, but a few of them chose me."

"Some demons believe, wrongly, that their loyalty should belong to Asmodeus as the first King. I am loyal to the crown, always and forever. It has very little meaning to me who has the crown or how they acquired it. The powers of the Demon King chose Kieran Khatri. He is the indisputable rightful King." TJ says. "As they say—The king is dead; long live the king."

"So he's the King of Lust. The others are, what? Are they like opposites? Is there a king of celibacy or something?"

TJ smirks and shakes his head.

"She's funny," he says to Kieran.

It's kind of rude the way he's talking about me right in front of my face, but he's saying something nice so I guess it could be worse.