by Olivia Ash
“Now, answer my question. Why are you here? I don’t have time for guessing games. You seem the most level headed among your brothers, and I’d appreciate it if you told me the truth, Damien.”
“I would love to. But I’m not sure you’ll pick me, am I?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll tell you if, or when, we become allies. Otherwise, I could divulge secrets you may use against me.”
Sadie nodded, admitting to herself his argument was reasonable. It seemed like he was a smooth talker, and she needed to be wary of him. He did break a rule, after all. She met his gaze. “How can I choose you when you already broke one of my rules? Spending time by myself is important, you know.”
Damien grinned. “I couldn’t resist.” His smile faded. “I want you to know that I’m serious, Sadie. If you choose me to be your ally, you can always rely on me.” He looked out the window. Her eyes followed. He added, “I want to show you something. As recompense for spying on you while you were training.”
She raised an eyebrow, having no idea what he could possibly show her that would be remittance of his invasive intrusion during her training. “Go on…”
“There’s Hobson,” he said, pointing his finger at the butler’s small form down below.
She returned to the window and followed the direction in which he pointed. The courtyard appeared so small from where she stood. If she put her palm out in front of her, it would cover the entire courtyard. Sadie narrowed her eyes to focus on the faraway target.
“After three to four steps, he’s going to trip,” Damien said.
True to his word, Hobson fell face first on the ground. Objects that looked like gardening supplies clattered on the grass in front of him.
“You can’t see it from here, but there’s a pebble jutting out from the ground, and that’s why he tripped. I also saw he wasn’t looking at the ground while he was walking.”
“You can see that from here?” Sadie asked, amazed. That is some skill.
Sadie realized, in that moment, Damien revealed a piece of himself. A skill, sure, but one that could be held against him in one way or another. She appreciated that.
“Yes. And the small butterflies and bees, even the tiny caterpillars on the blades of grass. Right now, I count four caterpillars.”
She tried not to smile but failed. “Showoff.”
“I can also smell emotions,” he said.
“Of course, you can.” It came out sarcastic.
“Right now, I can sense you’re very impressed.”
She gasped, feigning shock. “Impressive.”
He drew nearer. “I also know that when I touch you like this,” he said as his fingers grazed her arm, making her skin prickle with electricity. “You’re ignited with desire. But you subdue it.” His fingertips traveled upward to her shoulder, her neck, and then he cupped her cheek. “Smart woman.”
Sadie resisted the urge to close her eyes. And God, did she want to. His touch was quickly becoming addicting.
He began to lean forward, but Damien’s hand fell when the flap of wings in the distance approached the window. Hobson hovered in front of them, his eyebrows drawing together. Sadie felt her cheeks warm.
“Your Highness,” the gargoyle said, panting. When he saw Damien, his expression turned to one of annoyance, looking for all the world like a disapproving father. “Your people want to see you, Sadie.”
Her eyebrows shot up. I have people?
Leaving Damien behind, she rushed to her bedroom to change into tight-fitting but comfortable black trousers, boots, and a soft, white linen tunic. When she reached the throne room with Hobson, she gasped as she saw three people waiting for her.
Three people made of fire.
They didn’t shriek in pain as she would have expected them to. They moved naturally, the flames crackling on their skin as harmless as rain. They wore clothes that seemed made of malleable metal, and their eyes glowed orange.
Two of the three were women, and they closely resembled one another in appearance, although one was taller than the others.
“These are ifrits,” Hobson whispered beside her. Behind the nearest column, Kaiser, Damien, and Steele emerged, no doubt to be spectators for Sadie’s latest unusual event.
Sadie nodded, as though it weren’t the oddest thing she’d seen in her life—and given how the last couple of days had gone, that was saying something. Of all the things she had seen recently, the ifrits were the most amazing sight of all.
The shorter female stepped forward. Sadie looked in the ifrit’s eyes, mesmerized, as the magical being curtsied. “Your Majesty. We have waited so long for you. The people in our village will rejoice tonight. All hail the demon queen!”
Sadie was at a loss for words.
The male ifrit accompanying them approached her and handed her an aluminum basket containing three large, red eggs. She took them from his arms with a nod and gracious smile, careful to avoid the flames that danced around his arms, but the heat didn’t faze her. It was as natural as touching a warm sidewalk, nothing more.
“My name is Kiana, Your Majesty,” the shorter female said. “This is our village’s offer to you. We are grateful for your return. All hail the demon queen.”
“All hail the demon queen!” the other two ifrits repeated.
Just as her visitors turned to leave, Sadie stopped them. “Wait!” She stood. “I want to go with you.”
The ifrits looked at each other. Kiana tilted her head. “To our village, Your Highness?”
“Yes. I might not be able to celebrate with you, but I would like to see your village.”
Kiana’s mouth slowly opened. “O-of course, Your Majesty.”
Sadie followed the ifrits outside. The three princes trailed behind her. “You don’t have to come with me,” she said as she faced them. But when she walked out, they still followed. She suppressed a groan. These princes were going to be the death of her. She had a feeling their disregard for her rules was just the beginning of the challenges she would have to overcome with them.
They walked around the fortress as the ifrits led her to a bridge with Damien, Kaiser, and Steele in tow. As they made their way closer, the noise of a large crowd grew louder. They emerged on top of a cliff, and in the valley below, an entire burning village sprawled across charred land. She knew she hadn’t seen her entire fortress yet, and that she would come across surprising discoveries, but she hadn’t expected this.
Stairs to the far right wound down the rocky cliff. They descended the steep steps and stopped on a hilltop. Little ifrit children played on the hill, but they paused and gaped at her when they saw her and her company. The children’s gazes darted from the imposing princes to the pendant on her chest and they immediately ran to her, squealing with joy.
A small ifrit girl with flaming pigtails reached out a hand that held a burning dandelion. Sadie crouched and took it from the girl’s hand. The flower remained in shape even when the child wasn’t holding it anymore. Sadie twisted the stem in her hand and blew, giggling with the girl as the fire dandelion seeds flew in the air and flickered out.
The little girl looked at Sadie with glowing, twinkling eyes. The child extended her hand and aimed to touch the pendant on Sadie’s chest, but the girl’s hand faltered when Sadie looked at her. Smiling, she took the girl’s hand, allowing her to touch the ruby. Sadie glanced up, finding Kiana and her two companions staring at her with wide eyes.
Sadie tenderly pinched the little girl’s nose once and stood. She looked at the princes, only to find the children had turned the imposing demons into playground equipment. Sadie couldn’t help herself—she laughed as three boys dangled off each of Steele’s arms while he spun them around. A little ifrit girl giggled as Damien carried her on his shoulders. Kaiser chased three ifrit children on the far side of the hill, his hands held out, bending his fingers to form imaginary claws.
It seemed as though these ifrits weren’t afraid of demons—for these children to approach her and her men so
fearlessly, it must have meant they lived a charmed life here, secluded from the other demons of the underworld she still knew so little about.
Sadie was queen, true, but she knew so little about what that meant.
Her smile faltered, and she turned to the village below. Houses were on fire, streets were on fire. Everything was on fire. Countless ifrits danced in the middle of the town square. The whole village was alit with fire and celebratory noises. Kiana stood beside her.
Sadie took note that she saw more women than men, and it made her curious to know why. She wondered if she should ask Kiana such a question, not wanting to offend or bring up a sad tale of men dying in far off wars.
But these were her people. And to rule over them sufficiently, she needed to know all there was to them.
She tilted her head gently toward the ifrit. “Why are there so many women compared to men?”
“Because we are a village of soldiers, Your Majesty. Ifrit women are the fighters. Most of the men stay inside or in other villages. Though our men can also handle weapons, we find it more suited for them to remain at home and keep our village and children safe and cared for,” Kiana said.
“What can ifrits do? What are your strengths?”
“We are made of fire. Of course, we can manipulate the element and change ourselves to suit Your Majesty’s needs,” the ifrit said.
“You can change? Will you show me?” The excitement she felt bled through her voice.
Kiana grinned mischievously. “Of course, your Majesty.”
In a heartbeat, Kiana grew wings made of fire and jumped down the hill, and waves of blazing heat engulfed her in a sudden, raging fireball. She soared like a comet and was so fast that Sadie could hardly keep track of her. Kiana landed exactly in the middle of the celebrations.
With that, the festivity stopped. Everything went silent except for the crackling of flames as the world around her burned. Every head turned in Sadie’s direction, everyone watching her with wide eyes.
And, one by one, all of the ifrits knelt.
Sadie stood still, frozen in place, heart thudding as an entire people bowed before her. She didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything. After all, what could she say?
When the ifrits finally rose to their feet, a huge burst of light engulfed the entire village, brighter than it already was. The burst flashed even brighter before fading, the remnants of its heat forming a breeze that brushed Sadie’s face. The inhabitants remained still, facing her, waiting for something Sadie had no clue about.
“All hail the demon queen!” they cried in unison.
Even as her body filled with a warming sense of joy that these people seemed to love her, Sadie couldn’t move. In a day, she had gained all these followers. And they were fighters. Warriors. Soldiers.
Killers. Loyal to her.
She had inherited an army of ifrits. That gave her a sense of pride and protection, but also a sense of duty to make sure her people were well cared for and not made to feel like slaves. After all, it was becoming clear the previous demon queen had not been kind—who knew what she had done to these poor people.
Unsure of what else to do, she waved at the crowd and returned to her fortress. Behind her, the celebration started again, the noise increasing to the level it previously was before Kiana’s demonstration.
Part of her wanted to join them, but more than anything, she wanted to let them have their fun. Sadie had a feeling that as time went on, and as the underworld became more aware of her existence, they wouldn’t get much more of it.
On the way back, she walked in a daze, her hands floppy at her sides. An army. With that and the perfect ally, she just might be able to find her sister. The gears in her head began to turn. Damien walked beside her, and she caught him smirking. She guessed he really could tell when she began to piece things together.
To find the right ally among the princes, Sadie decided she needed to get to know each one better. She needed to spend time alone with them individually and get a feel for them away from their brothers, since all they did around each other was bicker.
When they reached the fortress, Hobson opened the gate for them. Before they entered, she stopped and turned to face them. She gave each one a long glance, wondering if she was opening herself up to more resistance to what she would say next. But in the end, she was in charge. She said she would choose one ally. One it would be.
“In order for me to decide who to choose as an ally, I will be spending time with you individually, to see what you can do and whether or not you can be trusted.”
The princes looked at each other.
“Since I’m the coolest, I should go first,” Steele said.
“You met me before them,” Kaiser said, addressing Sadie. “I think the first day belongs to me.”
“Exactly,” Damien said. “You got to spend time with her before the rest of us. I should go first.”
Steele pointed a finger at Damien. “Don’t think I don’t know you were with her in the tower before the ifrits arrived. I’m the only one left who hasn’t talked to her privately, so it should be me who goes first.”
Sadie groaned. Grown men bickering like needy children. Not to mention acting like they had a voice in her decision. “You always speak as if I’m not here. I’ll pick the order and I’ll change it on a whim if I want to.”
The guys looked like they wanted to complain, but she glared at them, daring them to speak.
None of them objected.
Thought so.
Sadie thought about her handsome prisoner in the dungeons. She should probably spend time with him, too, if only for the sake of finding out how he got in. But she needed to be careful about it since she didn’t entirely know what Mordecai was capable of.
She wanted to lay some ground rules for the remaining three, make a decision on who will go first, but she thought it best to make them wait. Stew on the indecision for a moment. She wanted to drill into their thick skulls that she was the one in charge here. Meanwhile, she could figure out a way to deal with Mordecai. He was the biggest threat of all of them so far. With that, Sadie entered and passed the butler. On her way past him, she whispered, “Keep an eye on Mordecai at all times.”
The butler nodded once.
After taking a bath in her chambers, Sadie walked through the halls alone, letting the amulet guide her. She found herself in a beautiful garden surrounded by waist-high walls covered in moss and crystals. She felt the power of the amulet, of her new magic, running through her veins. She breathed all of it in as her old inhibitions faded away. Taking another deep breath, she allowed herself to absorb the amulet’s power. She felt more in charge every single day.
Down here, she was the queen, after all.
MORDECAI
Mordecai sat in the dungeons, listening to the hubbub die down from outside, not bothering to watch it all through the little window in the cell. In front of him, his enchanted staff made of smoke floated in the air, its grey edges billowing and slightly sparkling against the faint light. When he got bored of playing with the weapon, he let it disappear. He shifted in his seat, leaning his back against the bars, lifting his feet up and stretching them on the makeshift bed. He bent his elbows and rested his head on his hands, making himself comfortable.
He knew Sadie was just testing him, letting him rot a little to get back at him for the way he introduced himself. He wasn’t worried, though, because their tussle was the most fun he’d had in ages. She was human, sure, and brand new to the power she wielded, and yet, he could already tell she was immensely powerful.
More than that, the way her body pressed against his when he pinned her to the wall, the way she kept calm even when he had ambushed her. Hell, the way she stopped him and his brothers from their worthless bickering… he wanted her. Bad.
And I always get what I want.
Chapter Fifteen
Sadie
Sadie and Kaiser walked on a veranda in one of the fortress’s many courtyards. Slender
stone pillars embossed with curls and bars acted as window frames. Circular topiaries lined the outside. Sadie drew near one post and noticed the curls were serpents covered in scales. In the middle of the courtyard stood a statue of a demoness sitting on the fountain and reading a book.
The serenity of the place was freeing, and Sadie wanted to enjoy the peace a little longer, but she had a mission. Choose an ally. Spending time with the demon princes was worthless and time ill spent if she kept silent company with them.
She had a little more time to get to know Kaiser than the others. It made sense to her to pick him first. He was the most trustworthy. She just needed to figure out a way to get him to open up more. Find out his weaknesses, vulnerability, what really made him tick.
Glancing at his form from the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her lips. He had done so much for her, and she still had no reason why. Of course, she assumed it was to use her power for revenge. Maybe Kaiser and his brothers shared similar feelings? Perhaps they shared an equal desire for payback? What didn’t make sense was how they acted toward one another.
“You mentioned that your father threatened to kill you and your brothers,” Sadie said. “It’s surprising to me that you all seem to hate each other.” She stopped to face him. “Shouldn’t you be closer because of it? I mean, don’t you think you should stick together?”
Kaiser’s lips tightened to a grim line. “He didn’t just threaten to kill us, he killed one of us.”
Sadie frowned as her heart broke for Kaiser. She was overcome with the urge to wrap him in a tight hug. Instead, she asked, “What happened?”
“We used to be close.” A crease formed between his eyebrows.
She wanted to reach out to smooth it.
“When our brother died, we just… ran for our lives. I guess I felt like I couldn’t trust them. So, I hid.”
Sadie thought of Blair, wondering how she fared. Kaiser lost a brother. To his father, no less. She knew he understood how she felt. Maybe if she chose him, he could really help her. Of the four princes, she had known him the longest, and she felt inclined to trust him after all they had gone through. But she still had to be careful not to trust too much at this stage. She would be sending three of them away.