by Lexi C. Foss
Her maid coughed a laugh, suggesting Valora’s summary might hold a half-truth to it, but I didn’t push it. Instead, I said, “Well, what a wonderful welcome to the guards of Nova.” I chuckled at the thought and allowed Adriatica to wrap her little fingers around my much larger one.
“Well, the guard stayed,” Valora amended. “So I’m sure it couldn’t have been too bad an injury.” She seemed to consider it for another moment, then shrugged and focused on me, only to frown. “Are you all right? You seem tired. No, that’s not it. Something’s wrong.”
I sighed heavily. “I’m just not looking forward to tonight.” Understatement. “Have you met Napia before?”
Valora shook her head. “I’ve not had the pleasure, but I’ve heard rumors.”
I contemplated how to word my thoughts. “Well, I don’t want to question Queen Lux’s judgment, but I think she might have gotten it wrong with this partnership. Grigory isn’t going to be happy.”
“Has he spoken to Lux?” Valora asked.
I handed Adriatica back to her when she started to fidget, and shrugged, not knowing the answer.
“In the short time I’ve known Grigory as my brother, I’ve learned he’s the sort of man who won’t do what he doesn’t like. Don’t worry. If it’s not meant to be, then it will end in time.”
Her words had me glancing down at my dress. She was right. He didn’t take shit from anyone, and his blood now flowed through my veins.
“You know what? Green isn’t really my color either,” I said. “Just give me a few minutes to find something more appropriate, then I’ll take you to meet the great Napia.”
Valora grinned. “Why do I suspect that this will be an entertaining introduction?”
“Because you know me well,” I replied, walking back to my dressing room.
Poor Grigory.
He was in for one hell of a night.
“Worm pie, my lord?” a passing server asked.
I gaped at him. “Do I look like I eat mud?” The enhanced menu selection for tonight’s affair was put together courtesy of my future wife. Fucking she-demon.
“N-no,” he sputtered. “I just… I’m supposed to…”
“Forget it,” I replied, dismissing him with a wave of my wrist.
Adrik glanced at me sideways, then covered his smirk with his glass.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want,” I muttered, unamused.
Napia frolicked through the room in a gown that left nothing to the imagination, her blue eyes alight with pleasure at having redecorated the entire room to her liking. Her father wasn’t far behind her, his rotund belly telling me he’d indulged in one too many worm pies throughout his many years. His willowy wife, however, could stand to eat a few more.
And wow, I sounded like a simpering teenage demon complaining about everything that moved around me.
I swallowed a healthy sip of my wine—confirming my pending alcohol addiction—and grimaced at the fountain display in the center of the ballroom. The water demons were dancing around it, worshipping the magic Napia had woven through the floating strands.
The entire palace had been transformed overnight to resemble a kingdom I had no interest in leading—her kingdom.
Several Noxia demons stood in the shadows, their distaste at the change evident.
We preferred night.
Smoke.
Blood.
And she’d brightened the room with too much fire, making the center resemble midday in the human world rather than a traditional one here in Noxia Kingdom.
Moonlight had been more than enough to illuminate this room. But no, she required more. And a fountain.
Ugh, that fucking fountain.
“I feel like I’m thirteen and going through puberty again,” I grumbled into my cup. “Everything infuriates me.”
“Even Napia’s bridesmaids eye-fucking you from across the ballroom?” Adrik asked. “The pink one is rather vibrant.”
I followed his gaze to the trio of water demons in question. They were all here to tend to Napia’s every wish, and from the looks they were giving me now, they’d see to mine, too.
Two years ago, I might have considered it. Even with their scales and sharp teeth. Experimenting was fun.
Tonight, however I found each one of them lacking.
In fact, I found every single female here lacking.
Except her, I thought as Zaya entered the ballroom in a vibrant blue gown that deliciously hugged her curves. “Fuck,” I breathed, and it had nothing to do with my rule-breaking vixen and everything to do with her neckline. Because damn, that display of cleavage had my incisors aching for a bite.
“I approve,” Adrik remarked, clearly unaware of the agony growing inside my groin. “But it does seem your betrothed does not.” His eyes narrowed as Napia stalked toward Zaya and Valora, her face twisted into a sour expression that oddly reminded me of her headdress.
“She really is a viper, isn’t she?” I mused, watching her slither across the ballroom on heels. Only, her escort popped into her path with a sinful grin that distracted her long enough for Zaya and Valora to escape her pending wrath.
Maybe that male demon would be useful to me after all.
He coaxed her onto the dance floor to whirl her around that hideous fountain, then dipped her back to allow her snakes to drink from the water.
I grunted. Their flagrant flirtation should have pissed me off. Instead, all I felt was relief at seeing her distracted and away from me.
“Sweet star,” Adrik murmured, capturing his wife by the hips as she reached him. He dragged her in for an obscenely intimate kiss, staking his claim in front of the room and letting everyone know that his Valora was off-limits.
Which left the female at her side as fair game, something several of the demons took note of as their gazes roamed over her delectable assets.
“I like the wardrobe change,” I told her.
“Green isn’t really my color,” she replied.
I ran my eyes over her in a slow caress, taking in every inch of her gown. “Blue definitely suits you,” I agreed before meeting her gaze once more.
“There you are,” Napia purred, her arm sliding around mine as if I’d left it there in open invitation.
I stood corrected. Napia’s escort wasn’t useful to me in the slightest.
“I see your pet doesn’t know how to follow simple instructionsss,” she added, a note of disdain in her tone.
“It didn’t fit,” Zaya lied. “Besides, green seems much more your color. It really compliments your… snakes.”
Valora grinned. “Yes, the emerald really brings out their eyes, Napia. And I love that emerald necklace, too.”
My betrothed looked over the Queen of Nova Kingdom with a discerning eye. “Yesss, well, I adore the fit of your gown. It really hidesss the baby weight beautifully.”
Ah, catty games between women. So not what I wanted to bother myself with right now. “I was just getting another drink,” I said, looking meaningfully at Adrik.
But Napia had other plans. “Come dance with me, future husband.”
“Weren’t you just dancing with your consort, future wife?” I asked her, not bothering to hide my incredulity. Because really? She wanted to dance? Right.
Her responding laugh grated on my nerves. “You’re hilariousss. Let’sss go.” She yanked me away from Adrik’s side with a force that would have tripped me had I not been quick on my feet.
For a petite female, she was certainly stronger than she appeared. But I could easily overpower her. Alas, we’d already drawn the attention of many of our attendees, leaving me with no choice but to obey her in this foolish little charade.
She clearly disliked me almost as much as I disliked her, yet we were both bound by this agreement. Although, I suspected she wasn’t as eager to dissolve it as I was. Her family stood to gain by the proposition. They were sorely lacking in resources, while Noxia had them in abundance, making it a worthwhile investment on her part to joi
n our kingdoms.
I still failed to see my benefit in all of this.
Other than to produce the requisite heir.
Which required me to fuck this sea creature. I’d gotten it up in several unlikely situations, yet something told me no amount of drugs would help me with her.
“You’re scowling,” she chided at some point during our third or fourth dance. Maybe it was number five? I’d lost count when I fell into my thoughts and went through the motions of trying to ignore her vile presence.
“Am I?” I didn’t bother fixing it, nor did I attempt a smile.
My mother glowered at me from the sidelines, clearly disapproving of my behavior. She would call me a petulant child later, and I’d accept the accusation because, yes, I was acting like one. This archaic practice of—
“You bitch!” a male bellowed from the shadows, causing the crowd to quiet. “What the fuck is your problem?” he shrieked and jumped into the light, displaying a series of claw marks down the side of his face. “You’re fucking crazy!”
Yakariah, I recognized. A visiting demon from Nova Kingdom.
Zaya leapt after him, her expression contorted into a mixture of fury and horror, her eyes nearly black with rage. She went for the male again, this time with a knife she pulled from beneath her skirts, and the demon jolted backward with his hands up.
“Look, all I wanted was a dance,” Yakariah said.
“You wanted more than that, just like the night you attacked me,” Zaya replied, her steps measured and lethal, exactly the way I’d taught her.
Only, she’d chosen the wrong male to target.
Because I knew Yakariah and he had nothing to do with her assault. He’d been stationed away from the palace as a guard at the border between Noxia Kingdom and the former Caluçon Kingdom—now known as Nova.
So either Zaya was doing this to piss me off or Yakariah had done something to trigger a memory. I truly hoped it was the latter, or I’d have to punish her. And that prospect didn’t sit well with me.
I pushed Napia away from me, earning me a series of hisses from her headdress, but I ignored her and her pissed-off snakes, my focus on the lethal little warrior dancing toward her perceived mark.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yakariah stuttered.
“Don’t you?” Zay asked, managing to sound innocent and deadly at the same time. “I remember your scent, the way it curled around me while you—”
“Zaya,” I interjected, a hint of demand in my voice as I stepped between her and her target. “Give me the knife.”
Her gaze flashed up to mine, a flicker of hurt and annoyance mingling for purpose in her still-black irises. “What?”
“Give me the knife,” I said again, infusing power into my tone—power meant to subdue. I never invoked compulsion on Zaya, despite it being a natural inclination as a result of our blood bond. I was very aware of the potential negative impact on her due to her traumatic experience.
Alas, I had no choice in this instance. She’d already drawn a crowd, and if she attacked, her punishment would be much more severe than a little hypnosis.
She stepped forward, then shook her head as if to clear it, the glazed quality of her eyes slicing off a piece of my heart.
I felt the stares of our audience, knew what they were all thinking—Zaya had attacked a guest. And not just any guest, but a visitor from another kingdom.
She blinked again, her own mind fighting for control.
“Now, Zaya,” I told her, twisting a little more dominance through the words, urging her with my mind to comply.
She finally did, her expression glazed as she handed me the knife.
“Good girl,” I said softly, hating that look on her but needing her to work with me for a few more minutes. Because if I let her go now, she’d lose her ever-loving shit in front of the entire party, and that wouldn’t end well for anyone involved. “Follow me.”
My mother gave me a look, one that told me I had to fix this faux pas, or she would do it for me. I gave her a subtle nod, acknowledging that I would. Just as soon as I finished escorting Zaya to my room.
I pocketed the blade and walked past a seething Napia. “Where are you going?” she demanded.
“I’ll be back” was all I told her before leading Zaya out of the room. Her heels clicked across the dark marble, confirming that she followed me the way I intended.
Good. I really didn’t want to have to compel her more than necessary.
Just a few more steps and I’d release her from my mental hold.
And likely need to block a few punches soon after.
“What were you thinking?” I asked her while we walked, shaking my head in the process. “You can’t just attack a guest in my court, and Yakariah, of all men. Fuck, Zay. You have no idea how bad this is.”
She didn’t reply, mostly because my hold over her psyche forbade her from doing anything other than obeying me. That wouldn’t stop her from hearing me, but it would sound as if I spoke through a haze.
I picked up the pace, needing to release her as soon as possible. The longer I held her in a trance, the more she would suffer.
“I hate doing this to you,” I muttered. “But you left me no choice back there. Is this the big emotional display you threatened me with the other night? All because I took your charms away?” I snorted. “Well, you’ve only further proven to me how unready you are.”
She pulled a knife on a demon at a party.
In front of a roomful of people.
“I taught you better than that,” I muttered, reaching the quarters to my rooms and nodding at the guards protecting the entrance.
They both shared a confused glance at my early return but didn’t ask questions. I’d follow up with them after I locked Zaya in my room.
I led her to the last door in the hallway, opened it, and ushered her inside with a mental command. She walked in with a dreamy expression, one I wished were real.
The horrors of her life, however, had engraved a haunting note in her irises that remained even with the falsely complacent grin tilting her full lips.
I flipped the lock behind me and leaned back against the door while studying her face for a few long seconds before releasing my hold over her.
She didn’t shift back right away, her lashes blinking a few times as she tried to regain control of her mind.
I counted, waiting for her to strike.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
I caught her fist before it could connect with my jaw and used my hold to push her back when she attempted to charge me. “Don’t.” I allowed her to feel an ounce of my strength by sending her back a few paces. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” she repeated. “Calm down?!” She leapt at me in a fury of fists and kicks, the slits of her skirt allowing her an agility she wouldn’t have been afforded in her green dress.
“Don’t make me restrain you,” I told her, blocking her hits and not fighting back.
“By controlling my mind again?” she retorted, clearly livid.
“You wouldn’t give me the knife.”
“Because he’s one of them!” she roared, both her wrists caught in one of my hands now.
I spun her around and slammed her up against the wall to restrain her. My thighs pinned hers as I pulled her arms over her head and wrapped my palm around her throat. “Yakariah wasn’t there that night, Zaya.”
“How the fuck would you know?” she demanded on a sharp exhale.
“Because he let me in at the gate between borders that night,” I informed her, my patience dangling by a thread. “He helped Adrik and me save you.”
She blinked at me. “What?”
“You recognize him because he was there that night, but not in the way you think. He assisted us in transferring you to Noxia.”
Her lips rounded into the shape of an O, but no sound followed. Instead, her shoulders dropped, her fight leaving her on a whoosh o
f air.
I released her hands and they fell to her sides, but I kept my palm around her throat. “You attacked a guest of my court,” I said slowly. “I have to punish you, Zay.”
“I thought… I thought he…” She swallowed. “I recognized his scent.”
I sighed. “Zay, that’s not a reason to attack a man in front of everyone. I’ve taught you better than that.”
Her eyes took on a faraway gleam. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t,” I agreed, my thumb circling her pulse. “Look, I’ll talk to Yakariah and see if I can work something out between all of us. But I need you to stay here, okay? If my mother catches you before I can solve this, she’s going to flog you in front of the court.”
It wasn’t an empty threat. My mother still ruled the kingdom, and she wouldn’t care about my blood bond to Zaya. A guest had been wrongfully threatened. The Queen of Noxia would punish accordingly unless I somehow convinced her I’d already handled it.
“Okay,” Zaya whispered, her spirit seeming to shatter with that single word. “I won’t go anywhere.”
“Promise?” I asked, needing to be sure.
She nodded. “Yes.”
I brushed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. “Thank you.” My lips hovered near hers for a fraction longer than they should have. I wanted to really taste her. To know her intimately. To tighten my grip around her neck and fucking devour her.
No. My spine went rigid with restraint as I forced myself to release her throat and take a step back. Save it for her dreams, I told myself, my heart skipping a beat in my chest.
Not trusting myself to utter another word to her, I left my suite.
“Don’t let her leave,” I told the guards on my way out.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
I ran my hand over my face and blew out a breath.
Don’t betray me, Zay, I thought over my shoulder.
She couldn’t hear me, but I hoped she felt my plea. Because if she broke her promise, there would be hell to pay. And I really didn’t want to have to punish her before the court.
My lips tingled.
Grigory had almost kissed me. Really kissed me. I felt it in his aura, saw the yearning in his eyes, and the knowledge of it caused my pulse to race.