Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem) by Pippa Moon novel Chapter 261

Liam POV

"Guess we are not getting to bed any time soon." V groaned as he watched the shitshow around us through my eyes. We had only met Astroth twice before, but unlike my brothers, who were too hot-ended when it came to Lottie, I didn't mind the prick. Yes, he was a demon, yes, he was up to something, but he seemed to be upfront about all the shit he wanted, which was more than could be said for our family.

"You shouldn't be here," someone yelled at Astaroth, their voice cutting through the tense air, instantly identifying the malevolence that clung to his form. Turning to face the accuser, Astaroth's smile twisted evilly, his eyes scanning the crowd before shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Here we go. Show of power and all that crap." V muttered as a smile twisted on my lips.

"Pathetic, all of you," he scoffed with a laugh that echoed ominously around the room. As the crowd bristled with anger,

"Go back to the pits from where you came!" Someone yelled, and others joined; screams for him to return to hell grew louder, some labelling him a trickster and unwelcome entity. Seeing Astaroth's jaw clenched, his frustration palpable, I had a feeling V was right. Shit was about to go down.

"Like we need more." V added moodily. "We had a plan. If we had just stuck to it, none of this would be happening."

"It was your idea to come." I reminded him with a smirk because although tonight had been dangerous, fucking crazy stupid and had almost cost me two siblings, it had, in fact, been V's idea to divert from the plan. Zoning back in, I sighed, seeing Astaroth going off on a tangent.

"You call me names, but frankly, I am the most honest person in this bar. I do not lie, I do not cheat. I tell you things as they are; you may not like it, but it is the truth." His gaze flicked to the bartender.

"Take him, for example. He's been skimming off the top, stealing money to feed his fairy dust addiction." I watched, mesmerised by the darkness he wielded, as murmurs and shocked expressions rippled through the crowd, some turning to glare at the bartender, who suddenly seemed small and guilty under their scrutiny.

"And him," Astaroth continued, pointing to a male with his arm casually draped around a female vampire, "He likes to spike women's drinks, so he can feed and fuck without them knowing." Gasps and disgusted murmurs filled the bar as all eyes turned to the accused, whose face drained of colour, the vampire beside him recoiling in horror and disgust.

"Her? Well, she likes to sleep with her mate's father." Astaroth added, driving his point home. He pointed to a werewolf sitting and watching from the outskirts of the bar. "She doesn't do it for love; no, she does it for fun and because she is excited to see the drama unfold." he laughed, pointing at another patron who immediately faced a barrage of judgemental stares and whispered accusations.

"This was crazy! And totally unnecessary." V uttered loudly as the bar erupted into chaos. Patrons shouted and argued while Astaroth laughed, his gaze locking on me.

"And they call me a trickster because I say shit no one else will. I do the things people want to do in private. People will always want to kill, abuse, and steal... I just don't hide my love for chaos." He scoffed, his red eyes shining with amusement if nothing else.