The Demon Lord's Lover
Chapter 18

I had half a mind to let him slaughter them, but I am sure that would make things worse, so instead, I patiently wait for things to start. “I am fine, Dante; I can handle a little slander, don’t forget humans raised me, so this is nothing,” I whispered back to him.

A little while later, an assortment of food arrived; once everyone was served their food and was almost finished eating, Dante stood up and began to speak. “Attention everyone, I have you all gathered here today to introduce the new Lady of the Underworld. So if you would please give a nice warm welcome to my mate and Lady, Naila.”

I stood up and did a slight bow. “Hello everyone, as Dante already said, my name is Naila. It is a pleasure to meet you.” At that moment, the doors at the end of the dining hall opened. in came none other than Celine. “Is it a pleasure? I wouldn’t be so quick to say that.” She then walks up to the table and sits right next to Dante.

“What the hell are you doing, Celine?” Dante says to her, looking at her like she has lost her mind. She then takes a glass of wine and drinks it in three long swigs. “Challenging your so-called mate, if you think I or anyone else in this room is going to except that you would stoop low to take her as your mate and Lady, then you must have lost your mind. Why didn’t you kill her when you realized she was your mate?”

I was about to say something, but Dante placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at me apologetically. I mean, I expected this to happen, but I didn’t expect her to show up. “Celine, I don’t have to explain my decisions to you. It would be in your best interest not to question me about my choices again. I refuse to let you challenge her when she hasn’t done anything to you; you know what I am capable of; DON’T PUSH ME." He warns her.

Celine sits and begins eating quietly; Dante and I sit as well. “Does anyone else have any questions, comments, or concerns? Please speak now.” Celine clears her throat. “I would still like to challenge her.” This time I speak up. “Celine, I accept your challenge, I may be new to the underworld, but I can spot a salty bitch a mile away. I am Dante’s mate, whether you like it or not; now stop sulking. You’re spoiling the flavor of this exquisite meal.”

Celine blinked like she couldn’t believe I just said that to her; I raised an eyebrow and drank the rest of my wine. Naila-1 Celine-0. The rest of the dinner was peaceful, though I am sure it won’t be the last I hear of her complaints or anyone else’s for that matter; I have to get them to trust me.

We lounged and drank after dinner when someone approached us, a rough-looking blond with a scar on his left eye holding his hand our for me to shake. “Hey, my name’s Leo; I originated from Dante’s old crew ‘The Order Of Cane’ you handled yourself pretty well there, Lady Naila.” I stand up and shake his hand.

“Nice to meet you, and I am a lot tougher than I look.” Dante gets up. “I’ll be right back; I have to go talk business with some guys.” After Dante walks off, Leo is still standing there. “So, how do you like the underworld? Heard humans raised you; your father was a great man he was.”

It warmed my heart to hear someone speak so highly of my father, just as I was about to ask Leo more questions. Someone bumped into me with force so hard I ended running into a passing waiter with a tray of drinks, and they all spilled on me. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, my Lady; I hope that doesn’t stain your dress.”

Celine, of course, it was. I smile and shrug then held my hand out, pulling the liquids from my dress and reversing them back into the glasses as if they never were spilled. “It’s no problem, and accidents happen, plus….” I do a twirl for dramatic effect. “My dress isn’t even ruined; thanks for your concern, Celine.”

Celine huffed and walked away. Should I even keep score? She is so easy to get upset. Leo just stood there then suddenly started laughing. “I never did like her, serves her right! Hahaha, she thought she had you. But that was cool what you did; she won’t stop, though.” His face gets serious. “Dante was the closest person she had to a mate after her true mate was brutally murdered. He saved her, and ever since then, they’ve been uh well close. Sorry is that weird?”

I shake my head no. Was it weird, though? Do I even care about his past relationships? Does it bother me that he acts differently towards her even though he didn’t hesitate to kill her face? Why is that? Does he still have some lingering feelings? Am I jealous?

I am taken out of my thoughts when Leo speaks up again. “I’m going to go ‘mingle’ a bit. Don’t worry; you’re the only mate he hasn’t killed, so you’ve got to mean something more to him than she does.” He smiles kindly at me, walks off, then turns and mouths’ Team Naila’. He causes me to laugh.

I walk around for a bit and end up on a balcony staring at the sky when I feel a chill run up my spine. “Beautiful night, isn’t it, Naila Johnson?” I look over to see a hooded male standing next to me, and I don’t need to ask to know who he is. The air around him feels eerie and heavy.

“Draco…” I am rooted to the spot. He faces me and is wearing a white ski mask. “Bingo! You were such a hard prey to replace, did you know that? But when I do see you, it hurts my heart to know you’ve been frolicking with that fucking Dante. Doesn’t he know you belong to me?”

“These creatures always take what doesn’t belong to them, first your father took scarlet, and now his successor takes you.” He grabs my neck. I can’t move, I can’t breathe, why can’t I move, just how powerful is this guy? He starts to squeeze, his nails breaking the flesh on my skin. Fuck, this hurts so much.

“I will have you, and I will kill Dante Cane right in front of your eyes.” Dante, please help. He squeezes more brutally, and I begin to lose consciousness. “S-Stop Draco…” I plead; right before I pass out, Draco is beheaded, and Dante stands behind him. His silhouette I can barely make out. Since when did Dante have horns and a tail? Am I dreaming? “Naila! Wake up!” Dante grabs me as I fall out of Draco’s hands. He is holding me close, but I can’t stop the darkness that envelops me.

When I come to, I hear voices, and they sound muffled. “That bastard was right under our nose, in my castle! That wasn’t even the real him. How did he get so powerful that his clones are that strong?” Ah, Dante, he sounds pissed. ”I should have stayed with her, my Lord; I will take full responsibility.”

Leo responds, sounding just as mad. “How did he know she was here? Why didn’t he take her? Seems like he did it to provoke you?” An unfamiliar voice speaks. Celine scoffs. “It should take more than a stupid woman to provoke Dante.” Then there was a crash. “Don’t push my fucking buttons, Celine! Watch your mouth.”

I open my eyes, and I am back in the lounging area, lying on a couch. “Can you stop yelling? What happened to Draco?” My voice sounded hoarse. Dante is immediately at my side, his eyes filled with concern. “How are you feeling? That was just one of Dracos’s many clones. Are you in pain?” I moved my head from side to side then touched where Draco choked me; I wince. “My neck still hurts a bit.” He caresses my cheek. “Don’t talk too much right now, and I can see why it hasn’t healed. The bastard put a cursed mark on your neck.”