Meaning that Maury would do something or manipulate someone to trigger an event that would kill his precious Tula. A body wasn’t needed to scare a person into a car wreck or take a distracted step in front of a moving train. Tula could die and become Maury’s prey.
Maury had Zac by the man-coconuts. Everything on the line.
Zac glared at the evil demon. “And how do you propose I take this other form?”
Maury winked. “I have my ways.”
CHAPTER THREE
Maury laughed on the inside as he watched Zac’s expression turn from rancid to downright livid. Zac might have been right about certain things—such as how Maury planned to take over the human world—but the arrogant deity was entirely wrong about everything else.
So, so wrong. Even better, Zac had fallen right into Maury’s trap. And I’m just getting started, my friend. Maury wasn’t simply going to take Zac’s woman; he planned to destroy all the gods, one at a time, by taking away everything they loved. He would chip away at them, like a cancer of the soul. This first step is going to be hilarious.
Maury snapped his fingers. “Hilbert!” After a few moments, a hideous, four-foot-tall demon appeared. One dark eye was larger than the other, and his bulbous forehead was filled with pits. “Zac, meet Hilbert. He is going to loan you his body for this challenge.”
Zac’s eyes widened with disgust. “Whoa, whoa, my friend. Now you’re playing unfair. I couldn’t seduce a shit-covered flea with that body. No offense, Hilbert.” Zac jerked his head toward Hilbert, who tried to bob his head in response.
Unfortunately, Hilbert had no neck. Just a head attached to a set of shoulders, followed by a squatty, dumpy frame that included legs like wadded-up marshmallows. Hilbert was hideous.
Ah…but his dry humor is unequaled. Maury waited patiently for Hilbert’s rebuttal. Also, he wondered if Zac realized that Maury wasn’t alone in his escape from the demon realm. Several were already here in the underworld, with more on the way.
But here was the biggest kicker of all: Maury did not require help getting into the human world. He merely wanted Zac to believe it was an obstacle to throw the gods off his tracks. The big picture was bigger than anyone could imagine. What I have planned will blow their minds.
“It is true, Zac,” said Hilbert, “you could not seduce a shit-covered flea with this body, because you lack my charisma. Without your looks, you are nothing but a shallow, feckless man whore. You couldn’t charm the condom off a flaccid dick.”
“Good one, Hilbert.” Maury high-fived his little demon soldier.
Zac glared at Hilbert with his deific turquoise eyes. “You think you’re so smart, demon-pug?”
“I’m not the one chained to a wall, so yeah.” Hilbert grinned, displaying a set of greenish-brown teeth covered in slime.
“Enough with the pleasantries, gentlemen,” Maury said. “Time to get down to business. In the interest of making this a fair fight, here are the rules. Zac, you cannot use any of your powers nor disclose your true identity to anyone. Even if they guess it is you, you must deny it until the end of the challenge. You will have two weeks in Maury’s body to woo Tula with your personality, and by woo, you must get her to kiss you. Full tongue. Romantic kiss.”
“Fine. But how does this resolve your issue? Everyone will still see you’re handicapping me. You’ll still look like a coward—afraid to compete with all this awesomeness that is Zac, God of Temptation.”
This guy and his ego puts us demons to shame. “Win or lose, I will return your body after your two weeks are over. Tula will once again be able to interact with you in your true form. However, if you have failed the challenge, you must agree to not stand in my way while I pursue her. In the end, you will have no doubts about her feelings for you when she chooses me.”
Maury could see the doubt spinning behind Zac’s abhorrent turquoise eyes.
Time for a little push. “Of course, you are free to turn down the challenge, which I fully understand. I mean, what man wants to find out the love of his life is with him only for his body and that their connection isn’t real?”
“Our connection is real,” Zac growled.
“Then you have nothing to fear. Tula will feel drawn to you no matter what you look like.”
“If I say no?”
Maury shrugged. “Like I said before, I will pursue Tula all the same. Here in the underworld.”
Zac growled again. He was likely beginning to see that this challenge was his best bet to keep Tula alive and all to himself. Doing nothing meant giving Maury full access to her.
Of course, either way, Zac would lose. Maury would make sure of that. Never trust a demon, Zac.
“Challenge accepted,” Zac said. “Two weeks. I will prove that Tula finds my soul just as irresistible as my body. But how do you plan to pull this off?”
Zac knew this was a trap. Demons could not be trusted. But whatever the king’s angle, gaining Tula’s affections wasn’t Maury’s ultimate goal. A woman like her was of no use to a creature who got all hot and bothered over destroying others’ lives. She would never be a fun companion to such a beast.
Unless… If the king got some sort of thrill out of the idea of turning Tula into a woman who enjoyed demonic pastimes. That might be a motive, though he’ll be sorely disappointed. Zac knew all about Tula’s pure heart. She was incorruptible. Even when she had given herself to him out of wedlock right before the big explosion, it was with the knowledge that his heart was hers and they would be married at the first possible opportunity.
So what possible motives could the king have for wanting to claim her? Zac could only think of one reason: to humiliate him. The king wanted to show his people that he could best the best. Basically, your standard pissing match.
“So what’s next?” Zac asked, still chained naked to the cold damp wall, while onlookers gathered behind the king.
“I am going to prepare Hilbert’s body—give his soul a fun place to play for a spell or two. When you wake, you will be in his body, free to roam in the human world.”
How the hell did he plan to manage all this? Zac had been under the impression that the king wasn’t able to physically manifest himself or anyone else in the human world.
Oh crap. I was wrong. Which meant Zac could be wrong about his other assumptions. “On second thought, I would like to rethink this deal—”
The king waved his hand, and a blanket of darkness washed over Zac. His eyelids grew heavy, and his muscles went limp.
Zac’s last thought was that he’d just screwed himself, and everything now rode on Tula. Her love was the only thing that could rescue him from this idiotic agreement he’d just made.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cimil, the glorious redheaded Goddess of the Underworld, paced in her pink tutu across the jail cell located deep in the basement of Hell. Well, it wasn’t exactly Hell. This was the section of the underworld where she sent evil souls to be tortured in creative ways for all eternity. Serenaded with kazoos, twenty-four-hour tickling, and, of course, her favorite, becoming Minky’s sex pet—the thing of nightmares. But such tortures were what the wicked deserved in the afterlife.