With my heat riding me, I couldn't force myself to let Mist and Anna stay in the bedroom while I took care of business in the throne room. I needed to see them, taste them, and have them close enough to touch. Despite exhausting both of them over the last couple of days and again this morning. There wasn't a single inch of either of them I hadn't licked, fucked, and otherwise covered with my scent. I knew I was a possessive bastard at the best of times, but now, my instincts demanded they not move from my side without my seed dripping from their bodies.

And even then, I couldn't stop.

If I could have taken the entire week off and left the kingdom in another's hands, I would have. But it wasn't possible. Not with what Mist had discovered.

So instead, my two beautiful females rode my cocks and kept me from losing my temper as I dealt with petitioner after petitioner—those foolish enough to request an audience during my annual heat really were taking their lives in their hands. At my limit with idiots, I signaled to my chamberlain, Fisk, to send the rest away.

With the gargoyles on duty in the throne room today, he cleared the room, then returned and bowed his bright green head. "What is your pleasure, Lord Pazuzu?"

"Give me ten minutes, then bring in the first of the betrayers," I growled. After Mist has reported what she'd learned, I'd ordered Isma, my Captain of the Pazunia City harpy security forces capture the three traitorous lion demons. They'd been left to stew in holding cells for the last few days.

Dealing with them would be a messy, but necessary business. Still, I wanted Mist and Anna well pleasured first. I kissed first one, then the other, thrusting faster with both my cocks and fingers. The symphony of moans settled the wild savageness within me and my satisfaction surged as Anna, then Mist orgasmed and I followed, holding them to me as my cum jetted into their warm, wet cunts. That I had to lift them off and set them to either side of me had me gritting my teeth in fury.

Nothing should come between a dragon and his mates during a heat... okay, a mate and a feisty kitten I'd dearly love to give my mating bite to, if she'd let me. "Sorry, my beauties, but this duty requires my dragon form," I told them, rising to my feet.

Fisk returned, leading Captain Bernat, leader of my mountain gargoyle military unit. Bernat brought the traitorous lion demon before me, then wisely stepped back out of the way. My seidhr wrapped around me and in the next blink, I curled around my throne in my dragon form. I towered over the puny lion demon, not even half the size of my head.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Nigel?" I rumbled in a bass so deep, it rattled the room.

He'd dropped to the floor, head pressed to the stone and the stink of fear permeated the space around him. "I failed you, my lord. I suspected the food might be bad, but I didn't warn Chamberlain Fisk or the cooks."

I snarled. "No, you didn't." I nudged him with my head, knocking him onto his side and he curled up into a ball. "But since you were simply an idiot, and not a betrayer, I'll make your death faster."

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you," he wept and continued to weep, then scream as I ate him in two bites.

"Bring in the next traitor, Fisk."

Fisk and Bernat bowed, then left, only to return with Melac. Like Nigel, Melac prostrated himself when he saw my form, weeping his repentance.

"You knew, you traitor. You knew the oil was bad and accepted a bribe to spread that foul mixture into my guards' meat," I roared, chomping off a leg.

He shrieked and tried to crawl away, but I bit off his other leg, letting him bleed on the unforgiving stone. With a claw, I racked him from throat to groin, spilling his innards in an ungainly pile as his cries rang through the palace. A retching sound came from behind me, but I didn't take my eyes off the traitor in front of me. When he finally died of blood loss, I ate the rest of him in a single gulp, swiping my tongue along the floor. No reason to waste meat, after all.

"Bring in the last lion demon, Fisk," I growled. I was looking forward to killing this slack-brained idiot. Not only had he dared to plot and betray me, but he'd had the audacity to put his seed in Mist, to attempt to breed her, and think he wouldn't pay for it.

When he arrived with Fisk and Bernat, Leto didn't grovel or beg. As Mist had told me, this braggart was arrogant. Instead, he lifted his chin and met my eyes.

"What do you have to say for yourself, traitor?"

He sneered. "I'm no traitor to you. I'm under contract to another Lord."

I snorted at his delusion. "Then you think this lord will save you?" With lightning precision, I snapped my jaws and took his left arm to the elbow.

As he started to scream, I chuckled. "Huh. You definitely aren't as useful now. I doubt this lord wants you now." I racked him with my claws, opening his torso and letting his guts fall out in a loud splat of thick ropey strands. "Oops. Guess you didn't have the guts for it."

Behind me, Mist snorted a laugh and I turned my maw to grin at her.

Leto continued to scream and I flicked a talon, slicing off his cock and balls. "Well, you definitely don't need that anymore." His screams turned into shrieks and I punctured his lungs, then stuffed his cock and balls into his mouth, turning the sounds into wet sucking rasps. "Yeah, that's better. I knew you were a dickless cocksucker."

It was a slow way to die, but I sat patiently over the next minutes as he expired from a combination of suffocation and blood loss. I left Leto's body there, trying to decide if I wanted to eat the traitor or not. As I continued to ponder the question, Fisk cleared his throat.

"Something I need to know, Fisk?" I asked.

"Yes, my prince. Lord Nabu is here."

I wave a claw. "Send him in."

Fisk inclined his head, left, then returned a scant minute later with Nabu.

"Doing a little cleaning in the ranks, my prince?" Nabu asked with a smirk and flick of his finger toward Leto's body.

"Getting rid of traitors in my midst. Are you hungry? I've had my fill of betrayal."

Nabu grinned and grey seidhr surrounded him with his silver dragon form appearing out of the smoke a moment later. "Don't mind if I do," he said, then gulped the body in one bite and licked the floor clean of blood.

"Now that I've fed your lazy ass, what do you have for me?" I asked as I eyed him.

He dipped his chin. "And I do appreciate the meal. I passed on your message and offer of a deal. There were no takers, but the one we spoke of, he asked me to remind you that you owe him."

I frowned. Why was Nabu being so cryptic? Mist shifted in her seat next to Anna, a whisper of satin sliding on soft skin, and the answer came to me. He was being cautious, because with my heat, my temper was uncertain and patience short, and he didn't want to tip off Mist if I hadn't told her. This kind of quick thinking was why he was my best friend and had been for thousands of years. It was why I trusted him to run our Earth-based operations.

With a swirl of black seidhr, I returned to my humanoid form and moved to my multi-hued throne. Anna was pale, trembling, and facing the back of the room. A skim of her thoughts had me realizing that perhaps I should have prepared her better for the realities of my rule. As my mate, I wanted her with me... but she still thought as a human and wasn't used to the brutal practicality of ruling demons. It had been her I'd heard earlier. I should have warned her.

Damn.

Mist had a hand on Anna's back, comforting her and once again, I wished Mist would let me bind her, bite her and have her truly join Anna and me in this mating. Yet, Nabu's message was a reminder of Mist's ties to Asgard and Anna's ancestor. While I'd allow none to come between Anna and I, at some point, I was going to have to give up Mist... unless I could change her mind. After kissing Anna on the forehead when she flinched from my mouth and caressing Mist's braids, I lifted Mist from the throne, seating myself and returning her to my lap and unlaced leather pants.

"On my cock, kitten. Let me enjoy your tight wet cunt while you continue to comfort Anna. She needs a distraction," I told Mist as I sank her down on my primary cock, enjoying the curve of her ass against my abdomen and pulling her back against my chest by cupping her lush tits. By Tiamat, I'd keep my cock inside her until I planted my seed even if she wouldn't accept my bite.

She moaned and tightened around me. "Yes, my lord." Then, she drew Anna into our grasp, facing Mist and straddling our legs.

"Mmm... perfect," I growled as they kissed and their hands stroked each other, bringing sighs and shivers. My clever kitten had brought Anna into the perfect position for me to thrust my secondary cock inside her, allowing me to enjoy both of my females as I preferred.

"Would you like me to come back later?" Nabu drawled and I looked over to see him back in his humanoid form and looking up off to the left.

I chuckled. "Not in the mood to tease me now, are you," I taunted him as my thrusts squelched in their soaked cunts and my females moaned.

"Nope. Just fucking jealous, hard, and horny, now. Thanks, you bloody bastard," he retorted, flashing me a grin. "Although it is good to see you in such a good mood, my prince. What answer should I give or do you want me to ignore those seeking your attention?"

That damn sea god was right... I did feel I owed him for not keeping Inanna safe in my care, for not being there to kill that bitch Lamashtu when she took her, killing my mate and child... or Manannan's child. That I wasn't sure had my chest tightening with heat and possessive need. I wrapped my wings around Anna, drawing her closer against Mist, thrusting harder as savage desire rose. "Climax for me," I purred to them, before raising my voice to answer Nabu. "Grant him passage here. Just him. But he'll have to fulfill a contract to leave and it's up to you as to whether you want to warn him of that."

Nabu's eyes glinted and his smile was full of teeth. "I understand perfectly, my prince." He bowed and took his leave.

And as he left, Mist, then Anna each shuddered in my arms. I roared my release, but afterward, I again wondered why Manannan was involved with the damn Asgardians. Why did he so desperately want to come to Muspelheim now?