Orion draped his arms over the back of his chair. “I like the donuts. They’re the zenith of human civilization. Especially the ones with the raspberry jam in the center.”
“That’s not the bloody zenith of human civilization.” Morgan looked at me, shaking his head. “Honestly, he can be so patronizing sometimes. There’s plenty of other achievements to choose from. The Great Library of Alexandria comes to mind.”
Orion plucked a strawberry. “And do you know what happened to the Great Library of Alexandria? A mortal mob burned it down, destroyed its contents, then flayed alive the scholar Hypatia because women who knew things were apparently witches. Yes, that’s a great example of mortal civilization, I’d say.”
If I spent enough time with Orion, I was worried I’d actually start hating mortals, too. He really did have a knack for making us sound terrible.
Morgan held up his digital watch. “Okay, forget the ancient world. We’ve grown better since then. We have Apple watches now. I know exactly how many steps I walked today, and that I’ve stood up twelve times so far.”
Orion let the silence drag, just staring at Morgan. There was the Dr. Omer technique in action.
Morgan looked increasingly uncomfortable and adjusted his shirt sleeves. “Look, I’m going to have to come in prepared with a better answer after doing a bit of research. The zenith of human civilization isn’t something you can just come up with off the top of your head. There’s a lot to choose from. A lot.”
“While you’re mulling that over, I have another favor to ask of you.” Orion turned to look at me. “I’m sure our new king will want to see Lady Mortana soon, but obviously, she can’t meet him dressed like a peasant.”
I was wearing the best outfit I owned.
Morgan nodded at me with concern. “Dolce e Malvagia opens at ten. Gorgeous clothes. Do you want me to pick out some things and send them up?”
He nodded. “Select a bunch of dresses for Mortana to try on, bathrobes, pajamas, everything she might need. You can put it on my account.”
“Right.” He looked me up and down. “Lovely hourglass figure. Favorite color?”
I had no idea what Mortana’s favorite color was. But if she’d been out of the city several hundred years, what were the chances anyone else would know? “Black.” Seemed a safe answer for a demon.
Orion steepled his fingers, and he looked between the two of us. “Morgan, there’s something else important I should tell you about Mortana. She is a succubus. You may warn the others.”
I watched the color drained from Morgan’s face. “A succubus?”
By his reaction, I gathered that this was a big deal. I smiled at him and shrugged, deciding it was probably best to say as little as possible at this point—particularly since I had no idea what was going on.
“The last remaining succubus,” Orion added. “She will be taking up residence in the Asmodean Ward after she meets the king.”
Morgan’s gaze flitted nervously between the two of us. “Can she kill me?”
“She won’t kill you,” Orion said in a soothing tone. “It’s against the rules, isn’t it?”
Morgan still looked horrified. “But the whole Asmodean Ward is abandoned. I thought the Lilu were extinct. I was told they’re very dangerous.”
Orion lifted the coffee pot and poured two steaming cups. A lock of his silver hair fell before his eyes. “Nearly extinct.”
He nodded and backed away, then hurried out of the room like a ghost was on his heels. The door slammed shut behind him.
I stared after him. “A mortal servant, I take it?”
“Yes, and he is under the mistaken impression that I care about his views on nutrition. But I do value his help.” Orion sipped his coffee. “I must fill you in on a few things.”
“Agreed. What’s this about being the last succubus? What happened to the rest?”
He poured a bit of cream in the coffee. “The Lilu were hunted into extinction hundreds of years ago.”
I scooped some berries into a bowl of yogurt. “Why?”
Every time his eyes met mine, I felt an unnerving jolt, like an electric pulse in my chest. I hoped that he had no idea what effect he had on me—he was arrogant enough as it was.
“The Lilu were killed for two reasons,” he said. “You know about the war between the demons and the Puritans, yes?”
I nodded. “In the 1680s, yeah.” It was how demons had ended up locked up in this city in the first place.