Page 120 of What The Hex (The Family Spells)
Technically, boogeymen were demons. Category fives, for the most part. But they ran an operation that was entirely separate from the rest of Hael’s denizens. Boogeymen gifted their demon names to certain hosts, allowing the host to summon them in their sleep. Once summoned, they had one of two purposes assigned to them: scare the fuck out of their host and collect the energy or serve a master faithfully until their death or dismissal.
Pretty sure this one was here for the latter reason.
Didn’t priaposia mean prince in the demon tongue?
Also, did I mention that boogeymen could get through basically any wards seeing as they couldn’t physically harm any living creature in this realm? It was all part of the package deal they ran from Hael. They scared people so they could eat (they ate fear), but they were generally a well-behaved and amicable sort of race.
“Holy crap, it really is a boogeyman,” Spectre murmured, just before a knock sounded on the door. The boogeyman—whatever his name was—slithered over to open it. He didn’t really walk so much as he turned to shadow and sort of melted through the darkness, slinking like he was little more than a slip of reality.
He opened the door, and I smelled Monster before I saw him, this toxic, heady wash of pheromones that made my naked body go all to hell beneath the crumpled sheets.
Bitchin’ broomsticks, I needed a robe—stat. I reached up and yanked one of the small stud earrings from my upper earlobe, buying myself a robe so that I could climb out of bed. Technically, it was just a glamour and I was still naked, but at least nobody could see that.
“What the fucking fuck is going on?” I snapped. Clearly, I, too, had a problem with being woken up. “Who is this?” I pointed at the boogeyman as he rematerialized in front of Hex.
“My name is Schatten,” he said, offering up a deep bow as Hex backpedaled and ending up sitting at the end of our bed. I was standing up now, Argent by my side. “I’ve come to serve my prince.”
“No, no, nope.” Hex was shaking his head and putting two fingers on either of his temples. “Get out. Go home. I don’t want you here. We’ve been through this before.” He turned to me with an accusatory look in his orange eyes as Monster smirked and leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb. He was shirtless as well but sporting what appeared to be silk pajama pants. His wardrobe must be worth tens of thousands, easy. “When I was eight, this fucker showed up and scared the crap out of me for an entire year before I was strong enough to banish him.”
“And now I’m back but with an entirely different purpose in mind,” the boogeyman said, his red eyes glowing in the semi-dark. Monster studied him with a small sigh and then shook his head. “I’m here to protect you, Crewen Priaposia.”
“Stop fucking calling me that!” Hex snapped, turning back to the shadowy wisp of a man. “I am not the crown prince.”
“Actually,” Monster said, copper eyes on the ceiling as he mused the proposition over. “You are. Our father—that is, the king—is displeased with my actions. Aiding your escape from Hael, freeing you from your summons, curing Coven Apothecary’s mother. I’ve been punished by being dethroned. You are now the crown prince—congratulations, Crewen Priaposia.”
Hex crouched down and glared up at Schatten and Monster both.
“No. I refuse. I don’t want to be the crown prince to a demon king I’ve never met who used his fucking fuck powers on my goddamn mom and broke her mind!” Hex stood up again suddenly, and I thought I saw a bit of throbbing in his upper back. His wings were threatening to pop right out of his skin again. “Go home, Schatten.”
“I cannot go; I’ve been assigned to serve you until you fulfill your duties to the crown.” The boogeyman curled around a decorative sconce on the wall, more shadow than substance really, his fingers long and hooked with curved claws. “I seek only to please you, Master Hex.”
“I need my spell book,” Hex murmured, reaching up to run fingers through his orange and black hair. “I packed it when we moved my stuff. The banishment spell I used on this asshole is in there.”
“I say, accept his service for now,” Monster purred, smiling wickedly at the sight of the rest of us, barely dressed and sleep mussed. Mostly, he was smiling at me, I think. I had to wonder if he couldn’t see right through my glamour and into my fucking soul. Or maybe he was just staring at my tits, I wasn’t sure, but I’d definitely need to make some slug slime coffee in the morning. Fortunately, I’d brought a jar filled with slugs for that very purpose.
