9. Bree

Am I crazy? I just went off on a King of Hell! And he apologized! I know I fussed at Lust and choked Pride the night before, but Satan had given me his power. His rage had fueled mine to give me ungodly strength. This time? It was just me. And he apologized! *Internal screams* And then he kissed me… It wasn't a real kiss. I lifted my mouth for one, ready for Beelzebub to shove his tongue down my throat, but he pulled away. Did I read him wrong? He said I ‘caught him' so why didn't he kiss me?

Why did I want him to? Just this morning I wanted to belong to my Sleepyhead. Sloth made me feel cared for. He took care of Rellick. He held us. I want that. From Gluttony.

I mean, don't get me wrong… I've definitely read reverse harem and #whychoose stories before, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a part of something like this. Could I have all of them? Do I want all of them?

"Alright, my man. Your mother said after you eat your nuggets. What she says goes." His deep voice pushes me out of my mind. Good. I have too many things to think about already.

Leaving my bedroom, I sit back in my spot at the table. Gluttony and Rellick have started opening containers of different icings. I look at Rellick"s plate, finding it empty except for crumbs. "Wait." Both boys pause and turn their attention to me. "Did he help you eat?"

Rellick's round cheeks are full like a chipmunk while he chews. He shakes his head, knowing he's not supposed to talk while his mouth is full. "He only had a few left, Honey. I listened to you."

My heart wanted to melt but I wouldn't let it. All I've ever wanted was to be heard and respected. With five minutes and one sentence, he's accomplished the task. Sins are supposed to be horrible! I already partially fell for one! Why am I on my way to the same place with another?! Fuck! I'm losing my mind!

"Mommy, you want a waffle?"

"Sure, Sweet Boy. I'll take a waffle."

Rellick grabs a waffle and puts it on his own plate. "You gotta eat your chicken nuggets first." He gives a smirk and Gluttony bursts into laughter. Thick as thieves, the both of them. Like they have inside jokes between them, though they"ve only known each other for an hour.

I watch the demon King of Gluttony play with my precious boy, and I can't stop the walls around my heart from crumbling. If there was ever a way to my heart, Rellick was it. Yes, treat me right. Be respectful. Take care of me. But to include my son? There's nothing I wouldn't do for my son. I would watch the world burn if it meant Rellick would be happy. That sounds so toxic, but that's how much I love him.

With my plate empty, Beelzebub wastes no time filling it with a waffle. "What kind of icing would you like? We have vanilla buttercream, chocolate, strawberry, or regular white icing dyed whatever color you want." It's no surprise that Rellick chose blue icing. It's his favorite color. Anything that is a solid color in his room is blue. No wonder he liked Sloth. His hair was Rellick's favorite color.

"I'll take chocolate please."

Gluttony's eyebrow raises and a smirk touches his lips. "Have a preference for chocolate, do you?"

I match his smile with my own. "Maybe." No use in lying. Sloth said he could taste lies because it was a sin. Safe to say Gluttony is the same.

He takes a scoop of chocolate icing on his finger and holds it up to my mouth. "Here, Honey. Have a taste." I lean forward, opening my lips to suck it off his finger. It was meant to be a sexy moment.

Beelzebub had other plans.

Before my lips could close around his finger, he swiped the icing over my nose. I sat there frozen while the boys laughed. Did he really just do that?

Without thought, I swipe up some orange icing into my hand and throw it at Beelzebub. It slapped across his face and splattered everywhere.

Rellick took that as permission to throw icing, too. Not a moment later, an icing fight broke out at my table. I should be upset that icing is getting all over the floor, table, and us, but I'm not. We're having fun and Rellick's smile is the widest it's been in a while.

We don't have much money with me working at the daycare. Government assistance helps with groceries, but everything else? My checks barely cover the rent on this piece of shit apartment.

I try to take him to the park or just out of the house as much as I can. We may not have the money to do any activities, but he knows he's loved, and I try to give him as much attention as he wants. He's definitely spoiled.

After Rellick is full and covered in icing, I tell him it's time to get ready for bed. His little face has a blue mustache and beard. "Time for a bath, my dude." I run the water in our tub, making sure the temperature is just right for him.

I help him into the tub, scrubbing away all the icing and letting the water drain. Refilling with water, I pour in some melatonin bubbles and his bucket of bath toys. He should definitely sleep good tonight.

The table is cleared of plates and icing when I walk back towards the kitchen. "Where's everything at?"

"I cleared it. I started the war. Only fair I clean it." I know he probably used his power to do it, but I'm thankful regardless. Who knows how long it would have taken me to clear icing off the floor and table, or if I would have even gotten all of it.

All he did was clean, and I feel like I'm about to cry. They're Sins! They're supposed to be evil and dangerous and bad for me.

"While Rellick is in the tub, I wanted to talk to you." My clothes and skin are covered in icing. "If we sit on the couch, could you clean it afterwards?"

Gluttony nods his head and leads me to the couch. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Chuckling to myself, I roll my eyes. "Well, that's the thing." How do I start this conversation? "I don't know what's going on exactly. Last night was a lot for me. I thought it was a dream, but it wasn't, which meant I left Rellick alone screaming while I chose my pleasure over him.

"But that isn't exactly true either because if I had known it wasn't a dream, I would have fought to be with him. I would never leave him. He's my life and I would do anything to be with him and protect him and make sure that he's happy. I had fun with Lust even if he used his power on me against my will. And Devil was quick to correct me when he realized Rellick was alone. And Soth took care of us last night. He made sure that we were comfortable and content. And then we had sex, and it was amazing, and I wanted to be his. I wanted him to want me and only me and be mine."

I know I'm talking too fast. My anxiety over this whole situation is starting to get the best of me. I can feel the tears start in the back of my eyes. "But then you came today. You played with Rellick and acknowledged him as your friend. You didn't just focus on me."

The tears are flowing free down my cheeks. Beelzebub wipes them away with his thumb, then sucks them into his mouth. "Mmm. You even taste sweet like honey."

His ability to make me laugh in a crisis sends my emotions over the edge. I crawl into his lap, straddling him. His large arms wrap around me, holding me tight and it's the exact comfort I needed in the middle of this anxiety attack.

I laid my head on his chest. He smells like chocolate. "Do you always smell like this? Or is it because of the icing?"

"What do I smell like?" His voice is a purr against my ear.

"Sweet. Like chocolate." After a deeper inhale, I can sense more undertones. "But also, like fresh picked oranges."

"Do you want to see if I taste sweet, too?"

I pull away from his chest so I can look into his burnt orange eyes. "I do," I whisper. I stop myself from leaning into his warmth. "But… I want to talk to Belphegor first. I want to make sure it's okay."

My own personal demons would never allow me to cheat on someone. Sloth and I aren't even technically together. We had sex. But I felt something real with him and I hope he felt the same with me. I just want to verify.

Gluttony can see the torment in my eyes. I'm not trying to hide it. I'm too emotionally unstable right now. "I can tell you that my brother won't have a problem with sharing you." He brushes my hair away from my face. "But I understand you wanting to confirm that with him. I can respect it. And I'll be back to take that kiss from you. Soon."

"Why are you being so sweet to me? I've yelled at you and unloaded my hangups on you and you're not acting like I would expect a King of Hell to act. You're throwing me off."

"Who wants to be predictable?" Melodious laughter sounds around us. "And I want you to like me. If I'm an asshole, then you'll attempt to murder me like you did Lucifer."

"I didn't murder the angel."

"Honey, you crushed his neck. He's immortal. He healed but you still killed him for a few minutes." Oh my God! I didn't mean to! I killed an angel! I mean, a fallen one, but still! "It's okay Brianna. He's fine. Unfortunately." My own laughter matches Beelzebub at his words. "How about this? I will convince my brothers to give you seventy-two hours to come to terms with everything that happened and everything that will happen. No one will bother you."

Wrapping my arms around him, I squeeze him tight. He is checking off all my dream-man boxes tonight. "Thank you. You are being so sweet to me, Beelzebub." A chuckle leaves my lips without permission. "Your name is such a mouthful." It takes all of a second to decide his nickname. "I'm calling you Sweetie. Because that's what you are." The skin of his cheek is soft against my lips. "Thank you for tonight. You don't know how much I needed it."

Sweetie kisses my cheek in return, a barely there brush of lips, and yet I felt it on my body everywhere. "You're welcome, Honey. I will always be here."

That's what I was afraid of.Not that he would always be here, but that I would always want him to be. Sloth already took a piece of my heart. And Satan was stealing bricks from my heavily guarded walls, too.

I was absolutely screwed.