He heard a very loud, deep growl.

  "Sorry, Dad," Mihalis said in a worried voice, "but we gotta talk."

  "Can't this wait?"

  Closing his eyes he sighed. "No."

  Mihalis heard a lot of grumbling, and not from his father either, and did his best to ignore a couple of complaints.

  A moment later, the door was yanked open, and his father Sean was standing there, wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else.

  "Mihalis, this had better be good."

  Mihalis sighed nodding his head. "I only wish it was good. I don't know how to say this."

  "One word after the other tends to work."

  "Ennakoida thinks I'm a djevel prince."

  "WHAT?"

  "And he's building himself up, so when he presents himself to me, I'll take his oath."

  "Annnd we lost him," he heard Mom Peg say and only noticed at that point that all the moms were on the bed, naked, and looking like they'd been interrupted.

  His father grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall. "Let's go talk in my office."

  Once inside, his father pulled out a large bottle of vodka and downed half of it, then passed it to him.

  "Explain."

  "Cinnamon found out last night. The demons the dark elves come from, the 'cubi of old, apparently came from the Onderwereld. Anyway…" Mihalis quickly explained the rest of it to his father.

  "Well, shit," Sean said after his son had finished.

  "I'm wondering if I should experiment to see if I can even take a djevel's oath. But assuming I can, should I?"

  "You'd get a lot of power from it, if you could. Estrella's told me how it all works. Lords can do magic because of the power they get from their sworn biskops and other mid-level underlings. It's a power pyramid. Get other lords to swear to you, or get enough, and you become a prince, which is a much more powerful and deadly djevel. Kings have numerous princes sworn to them, and they're the really nasty sons-of-bitches. I saw one get killed, and it was not an easy fight."

  Mihalis sighed, shaking his head. "And I thought I had problems with the cambion."

  "What cambion is this?"

  "Cynthia, she's on the council. Her father was Asmodeus, and she wants me, badly."

  "Huh, with her father being a lust devil, I'm not surprised. You going to?"

  "Maybe. Cinn took her to bed last night. She's been trying to—'join the team', I guess you could say, now that she's seen how powerful I am, and I've shown her some of the plans I have for Bartertown."

  Standing up, his father did something, and Mihalis felt it as a grayish portal opened up.

  "Come on."

  "Where are we going?"

  "To talk to the First. This has possibilities, but not all of them are good."

  He followed his father through. The moment they were on the mountain, he dropped that portal and opened another one, and Mihalis followed him through that one as well.

  "Where are we?" Mihalis asked, looking around. He could smell the salt water, and it was warm out, but it was also quite dark.

  "Tahiti."

  "Tahiti? Why Tahiti?"

  "It's a magical place," Sean said with a snort.

  He followed his father up a path. They were in a forest of some sort. When they came to a nice looking home, his father went up, beat on the door a couple of times, and then opened it.

  "What's wrong?" he heard the First say as his father walked inside.

  "Lord Ennakoida, and apparently a good many other djevels, believe my son—your grandson—is a djevel prince."

  The last thing in the world Mihalis expected at that point was the laughter. The First laughed so hard, Sean went up to him and pushed him over.

  "It's not funny, Dad."

  "Oh! But it is!" the First said between laughs as he gasped for breath.

  "Did I hear you right?" Keairra asked from the couch she was sitting on. Mihalis noticed all of First's wives were there. "They think he's a prince ?"

  "I can explain," Mihalis said with a sigh.

  "Oh, please do, because your grandfather is right. This is extremely funny!"

  ... If I follow you

  "... and that's why they think I'm a djevel prince," Mihalis finished.

  "I can't really fault their logic," the First said with a shrug of his massive shoulders.

  "What?" Mihalis said, looking shocked.

  "By djevel standards, you're definitely a prince, or you could be one."

  "How can you say that?"

  "Dad, you're not helping here," Sean said, frowning at the First.

  The First snorted. "No, I guess I'm not. Mihalis, sit down." He motioned with a paw towards the couch Keairra and Peym were sitting on. "Calm yourself. While this situation appears shocking to you, it's really no surprise."

  "How can—"

  " SIT! "

  Mihalis sat. Pissing off the First or his father was never a good thing.

  "Now, a few things that may have escaped your notice. The djevels are a power pyramid, right?"

  Mihalis nodded.

  "Well, we lions are a power pyramid as well."

  "But we don't swear ourselves or any of that!"

  "No, we don't. However, you could make the argument that all the lycans in the world are sworn to us, as they're what generates the power pool we use. And depending on your place in the hierarchy, you can draw more or less than others."

  "Then of course, there's how we come back from the dead, like the djevels used to, but can't anymore," Keairra said. "Or how we can consume djevel souls, and not only take their power and memories, we can use them."

  "Now, in your case, you have a lot more of the djevel abilities than the typical lion because you inherited the incubus abilities from your dark elf heritage. Powers you can use on other dark elves, humans, and probably not many others. I'm sure you'll find the Influence and Dominance powers don't work on lions at all, and the Empathy ones most likely work on them solely because you're a lion, too."

  Mihalis gave a small shake of his head. "I haven't really tried that."

  "That's refreshing to hear. But you have to realize, many of the incubus and succubus powers are powers all lions have."

  "What?"

  "But we only have them with our children, the lycans."

  "Except, of course, for the Convert skill," Peym added. "That works only on the djevels and when we pull on the power pool. Oh, and when we heal our lycan children."

  Mihalis thought about that a moment.

  "So you think, what, that I'll be able to do it? That still doesn't tell me if I should or not!"

  The First nodded. "True, and until you actually try it, we won't know if you can or not. If you can't, all of this becomes moot."

  "But what if I can?" Mihalis asked, looking around at all of them.

  "As I see it," Sean spoke up, "there are several possibilities. The first one is, you just get a big influx of power, like those of us who are F1s always have, because we're always attached to the power pool, no matter what.

  "The second is, because you're attached to the power pool, the power pool siphons off all their energy through you, until they've got nothing left."

  "What would that do?" Mihalis asked, looking worried.

  "Kill all of them. How long it would take, I don't know. I don't think that's likely, though, because you're not an F1; you're an F2. Though you might want to be careful the first time you touch the power pool, just in case."

  "Why? Killing them all would be good," Peym said.

  "Because then the others probably wouldn't swear to him," Sean pointed out. "If this turns out to be possible, Mihalis can go around, play the role of prince, swear them all, then when the time comes, we have him pull the plug, and we clean up in record time."

  The First snorted. "That would be nice, but what about the converse?"

  "The converse?" Mihalis asked.

  "That when you connect to the power pool, it drains out into them ," Sean said. "While that's a possibility, I don't think it'll happen, for the same reason we can drain djevels, but they can't drain us."

  "Point," the First said with a nod of his head.

  "There's also the possibility that taking Ennakoida's oath could transform Mihalis, or at the very least, affect his personality."

  "I don't think he'd evolve or transform," Keairra said, looking thoughtful. "However, causing his personality to change…"

  "Why would it change?" Mihalis asked, looking at her.

  "When we kill a djevel, we absorb them, their power, their energy, their memories; everything they are, we take. Thankfully, it fades over time, so we're not plagued with their thoughts. But we don't know if taking their oath would expose your mind to their thoughts, their memories." She tapped him on the nose with a finger. "Your lion might very well find itself overwhelmed."

  Mihalis blinked at that.

  "If, and I mean if we decide to go through with this, it would probably be best for you to do it in hybrid form, if not full lion form."

  "But I can't use all my incubus abilities in anything but my incubus aspect."

  "I was told you created an item that allows you to manifest your wings when you're in your hybrid form. What about then?"

  "They do seem to help a little," he admitted.

  "Of course, this is only if you find yourself being influenced by their minds when you take their oath. If you aren't, it wouldn't really matter."

  "I'm more worried about how being in charge of and running all the djevels will affect him over the next hundred or so years if this does work," Sean grumbled.

  "Our daughter put up with it for over a thousand," the First pointed out. "It didn't affect her."

  "Oh, it affected her alright," Sean said, looking back at the First. "Just not enough to cause any issues—well, any issues we really care about. However, she wasn't doing this swearing thing, either."

  "Before anybody gets ahead of themselves," Nibisa said, speaking up for the first time from the chair she was sitting in, "we need to find out if it's even possible for Mihalis to take their oath."

  "True."

  "So we use the biskop that Dr. Ruxton fellow has in captivity. If things go wrong, Reagjin, Rowan, or Ing will be there, as they're the ones partnered with Cinnamon, Harmony, and Noje. They can kill the biskop and stop things right there."

  "What do you say, Mike? Are you up for an experiment?" Sean asked his son.

  Mihalis nodded slowly. "I need to know if I can do this. Because if I can, any of us who've taken on the incubus or succubus aspect can."

  "Good, we've got that settled. You'll do it tomorrow, first thing in the morning," the First told Mihalis.

  "And then what?"

  "I guess you get to decide whether you want to be a djevel prince or not. Assuming, of course, we're certain it won't be harmful to you."

  Sean gave a soft growl, and the First looked over at him.

  "In the long term, that is," the First added.

  "Something to keep in mind, Mihalis," Keairra said.

  "What?"

  "We suspect Lord Bratsch evolved after he killed Prince Talt and is now a prince as well. We think he swore Pauke to him a few weeks ago, so while he's not yet anywhere near what Prince Talt was, at this point, he's stronger than any of the other lords out there. If you become Ennakoida's prince, you can probably pick up Talt's surviving lords, Forrude and Hjul, who won't want to ally to Bratsch.

  "That would make you the stronger prince. Combined with the stories Ennakoida is apparently already telling the others about you, that would make you a much more attractive option for Lords Kova, Basun, and Kontrabas."

  "So what? I get to run the DEZ?" Mihalis asked with a frown.

  "Having two princes that don't get along is tactically a lot better for all of us than if Prince Bratsch grows his power to the level Prince Talt was at, or even beyond that."

  "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Sean said, frowning at Keairra. " My son hasn't yet decided if he's going to do this, provided, of course, he even can ."

  Mihalis noticed Keairra backed off immediately. Something that up until a moment ago he wouldn't have thought possible. Then again, even the First had been considerate of his father's mood.

  That made him feel a whole lot better about what was going on, and about what he'd be doing in the morning.

  Sean stood up. "I think that's enough for now. If Mike feels up to it, he can do the experiment in the morning. Then, afterwards , we can discuss the possibilities, and Mike can decide what he is okay with doing next."

  The First and all his wives nodded.

  "Come, Mike, we need to get you home."

  Getting up, Mihalis followed his father out the door, where he immediately cast a portal, and they went back to his office via the Mountain.

  "I'll have the alert crew fly you back home," Sean said, picking up the phone and making a brief call, while Mihalis stood there, not really sure what to say. He hadn't felt this out of his depth in years. It was bad enough that he didn't know what was going to happen— nobody knew what was going to happen! After he'd hung up, Sean came around the table and surprised the hell out of him by putting his arms around and hugging him.

  "Mihalis, you do what's right for you. Got that? If you don't want to do this, don't. The First won't argue with me, and even Keairra knows I'll kick her ass if she pushes you on this. If you decide you want to, make sure to tell me, and we'll talk about it. All of us will. Nobody wants you to get hurt. Understand?"

  Mihalis nodded slowly. For a moment, he felt like a kid again—his father in his hybrid form was a lot bigger than he was. But then again, it felt good to know there was someone he could count on, who would watch out for him and help him if he needed it.

  "Thanks, Dad."

  "So, want to talk about it now?" Talin asked as he walked into the bedroom. It was almost two in the morning.

  "Lord Ennakoida believes I'm a djevel prince from a race that came here from his home long ago, and one of these days he's going to present himself to be sworn to me."

  There was a very long pause until Taeria spoke up.

  "Well, they always said we were descended from demons."

  "And you're trying to decide how to turn him down when he does?" Talin said, looking at him.

  "No, I'm trying to decide if I should take his oath or not, after finding out whether I can take his oath or not."

  "Why do you think you can take his oath?"

  "Because between unlocking the 'cubi aspect, and my being a lion, well," he shrugged, tossing his hands up, "I might be able to?"

  "Um, is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Kerrie asked.

  "I just got back from talking with my dad, the First, and his wives. We're not sure. But tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can swear the biskop that's in the lab. He's powerful enough that I should be able to take his oath. Then I'll know whether or not it's possible.

  "After that?" He shook his head. "I guess we'll talk about whether or not I should."

  "Wow, can you imagine what the djevels would do if they found out their new prince is a lion?" Jade said, snickering.

  "I'm more worried about what it might do to me," he admitted.

  "You think taking their oaths will change you?"

  "When a prince swears a lord to him, he gets power from them. Constantly. I don't know what else comes with that. Also…" Mihalis frowned. "I've heard far too many stories from Mom Estrella about how djevels comport themselves. Every time I have to deal with them, I'll have to put up with that. For that matter, some of you may have to put up with it as well," he said with a wince.

  "So change them?" Rika suggested.

  Mihalis shook his head. "You can't. Mom Estrella lived there a very long time. They're from a negative plane, and in their case, they're just made that way. I'm going to have to rule them cruelly and with an iron fist. I can't flinch if they commit atrocities, or I'll be right back to all of them wanting to kill me again. Only they'd be a lot more motivated to do it."

  "So what did your father and the First say?" Talin asked.

  "To find out tomorrow if I actually can take their oaths, and after that, we'll talk about what to do, regardless of the outcome."

  "That's it?"

  "Well, they pointed out that it would be useful for me to become a prince, because the djevel that killed Talt is now a prince, and it would be better if there were two weak princes instead of one strong one. Of course, Dad then gave someone a bit of a lecture over trying to pressure me."

  "It is a good point, though."

  "Yeah, I know, and that's the worst part. I know if I say no, Dad and probably even the First will back me on it."

  "But you don't want to let them down; you want to help."

  "That's about the size of it."

  "Well, until you find out tomorrow whether it'll work or not, there's no reason to worry about it now. Come to bed."

  "I just don't want to tell them 'no' if the answer is 'yes'." He sighed.

  "Mihalis?"

  Mihalis' head snapped around, and he looked at her.

  "If your wives don't think it's a good idea, I'll be more than happy to tell them for you. We are, after all, a family now, and we all have to live with whatever comes from this."

  Mihalis smiled. "Thanks, Hon."

  "Great, now come to bed ! It's late, we're all tired, and we have an even longer day ahead of us than we did before."

  Still smiling, he quickly shucked his clothes and got into bed. It had been a long day, and she was right, tomorrow would be an even longer one.

  Noje, Harmony, and Cinnamon were all there when he walked into the kitchen with the girls.

  "All three of you?" Mihalis asked, a little surprised.

  "Yeah, the grandmoms talked to their daughters and laid down the law. We all got the prod when we woke up this morning," Noje said with a sigh. "You tell them?" she asked while motioning to his wives.

  "Yup. So let's eat, then head on over to the lab."

  "What'll we tell Dr. Ruxton?"

  "That I'm doing some research of my own. If he wants details, I'll talk to him about it. After all, if I become a djevel prince, it's not like I'm going to be able to hide it from anybody in Bartertown, now is it?"