Her fears, the ones that drove her to the brink, had been quelled, but there would always be part of her that worried she wasn’t special enough for him.
But that was her issue, not his.
Magic or no magic, Kai had to show herself that she was good enough.
Tears of happiness welled as Kai snuggled deeper into his embrace and repeated her silent vow.
“I hope those are happy tears,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her ear. “I’m still not comfortable with tears. Yours in particular.”
Kai flicked her eyes open, immediately squinting against the bright sunlight. She rolled over and faced him, her leg slipping between his as she settled back into the warm cocoon of his embrace. He tugged her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead before settling his head onto the pillow, his face just inches from hers.
“We didn’t get this whole marriage thing started on the right foot, did we?”
“Well, I am a demon…”
“Uh-huh.” She rolled her eyes. “And I’m a human.
“You’re—“
“No.” Kai pressed a finger to his lips. “I know what you want to say but would you please let me finish?”
Kai’s hand dropped between them and she trailed her finger over the dark hair on his chest. Kai let out a slow breath and tried not to think about the way it made her feel when he looked at her with those big blue eyes.
“No more secrets, Asmodeus. If we’re going to do this whole married-life thing, then we need to start being honest with each other. You and me, together. Partners. I don’t need you to protect me all the time. If we’re going to have a life together, a real life, then you have to trust that I can handle myself. The world was a dangerous place before I knew about the supernatural and I did all right on my own. I was alone for a long time.”
“Agreed. I promise to trust you and you will do the same for me.”
A smile curved his lips and he trailed his fingertips up her arm, his gaze following the invisible path. She could swear she felt his eyes on her just the same as his physical touch. All the tiny hairs on her arms rose as a shiver of desire shimmied over her flesh. Asmodeus hooked his thumb beneath the thin strap of her flimsy nightgown and gently pulled it over the curve of her shoulder.
“Oh no you don’t.” Kai scrambled off the bed and put the strap back in place. She backed up and pointed at him. “You are not allowed to go all Demon of Lust on me right now.”
“Well, I am— “
“Don’t say it!”
Asmodeus, who looked plenty amused with himself, stretched out onto the bed, in all his naked glory and rolled onto his side. Leaning on his elbow, trying to act innocent, he looked absolutely adorable and she almost laughed out loud. She bit her lip instead and sat on the windowsill with a smile she couldn’t hide. Golden sunbeams washed over him, making him look as otherworldly as he was. Those piercing pale blue eyes of his stood out in the odd glittering light of the room and reminded her of the way a predator’s eyes flashed in the night.
Damn. He turned her on with one glance. It wasn’t merely carnal lust. There was a love so intense and bold and breath-stealing, she often wondered if she would survive it or if her feelings would take her over, drown her, consume her until there was nothing left.
They might. But there were worse ways to go.
“You’re the one who wants to be sure we’re doing the whole married thing right, my love. I was just trying to follow the rules.”
“What rules?” Kai folded her arms over her breasts and tried to keep a serious tone.
“When married couples fight, isn’t there supposed to be make-up sex?”
“Yes,” she said slowly. “I’d say we did that last night…twice.”
“Is there a limit?” He asked with complete seriousness.
“No,” Kai said through the laughter she couldn’t contain.
“What’s so funny?”
“Sorry.” She held up both hands as her laughter slowly subsided. “Sometimes I forget that you and I don’t have the same frame of reference.”
He frowned and opened his mouth to respond but a pounding on the bedroom door stopped all conversation. They looked at each other with the same what-the-hell-is-happening now expression as he leapt from the bed and she from the windowsill. He grabbed the board shorts he had discarded last night and dragged them on.
Kai took Asmodeus’ hand and stood beside him as the pounding on the door continued.
“Partners, right?”
The muscle in his jaw flickered and he peered at her with a concerned expression. She knew he was fighting what he considered a natural instinct to protect her. For a minute, Kai thought he was going to argue with her or, even worse, ignore her request. Instead, he squeezed her hand and reluctantly nodded his agreement. The sound of the lock being released echoed through the bed chamber and Asmodeus’ massive form stiffened beside her, bracing himself for who or what might come through the doors.
Seconds later, the double doors swung open and six soldiers marched inside. Eyes forward and expressions fierce, they promptly formed lines on either side of the open doorway. They stood at attention, spears at their sides and remained motionless as Kristine strolled in. Wearing a different color version of the same dress from yesterday, she looked every bit as beautiful and in control as she had the day before.
What a bitch.
“Good, you’re awake.” She folded her hands in front of her and looked them up and down with a disapproving expression. “But not dressed. At least, not appropriately for the arena.”
Kai swallowed hard, recalling the last time they had been in the arena. It was meant to be a stage of sorts, for Kai to use her magic to kill Asmodeus in front of the Fae. She had gotten out of it then, but this time she didn’t have the Ring of Solomon. She glanced up at her husband and his furious gaze was pinned to Kristine. Kai hated what this was doing to him, to them. Turning her attention back to Kristine, the last razor-thin thread of patience in Kai snapped.
“Oh my god! I have had it,” Kai yelled. “Can you please just cut the crap, Grandma. I’m not going to kill Asmodeus in the arena.”
“Don’t be silly, my dear. Of course you aren’t.”
Without warning, Kristine raised her right hand and a ball of pale white light flew into Asmodeus’ chest. Kai screamed as the thick wave of power rippled from his body into hers. Pain radiated through her limbs and the force of it threw her to the ground, knocking the breath from her body. Kai gasped and writhed on the cold, smooth, mirrored floors as the ribbons of energy oozed beneath her flesh. Moving slowly like streams of lava, it burned her from the inside out. Her vision blurred. Her muscles seized in spasm after spasm.
Through the haze of excruciating pain, Kai saw Asmodeus suspended in midair above her. His enormous muscular form was rigid, his arms and legs were spread wide, muscles strained against his skin and veins bulged. Pure agony was etched harshly into his features and his mouth was wide in a silent scream.
If pain could take human form…it would look like this.
Kai shook her head, trying to clear her vision and get out from under the rattling throbbing ache in her bones. She pushed herself to her hands and knees, shaking and sweating, her nightgown sticking to her damp skin. The white-hot lava ribbons running under her flesh were cooling but continued to wiggle inside her like snakes. The byproduct of Kristine’s power lingered like mildew and for a second Kai thought she was going to be sick. Forcing herself to her feet, Kai stood up on unsteady legs. She leveled a defiant glare at Kristine just in time to see Asmodeus’ unconscious body floating out the doors, surrounded by the guards.
“Wait!”
Kai tried to go after him but her noodle-like legs wouldn’t cooperate. She stumbled, grabbing the bedpost so she wouldn’t fall into a heap on the floor. Her cheeks heated as fury and embarrassment fired through her. She puffed the hair from her face and gripped the bedpost until her fingers turned white.
“Get a hold of you
rself, Kai.”
Her grandmother went to the wardrobe closet, opened it up and pulled out a gold and blue dress. She held it up, as if rethinking her choice. Finally, satisfied with her decision, she hung the dress on the outside of the wardrobe door.
“That one will do nicely.” She clapped both hands and looked around as if she was making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. “All right, then. I’ll leave you to bathe and dress. When you’re done, we’ll get some breakfast and then perhaps you and I can have a conversation uninterrupted.”
“Is that what all this is about?” Kai wanted to grab Kristine and shake the life out of her but her body wasn’t cooperating. She hung onto the bedpost and forced herself to remain upright. “You hijacked my honeymoon so you could talk to me over coffee?”
“I would call that an oversimplification of the current situation. Now, please get dressed so we can get on our way. The event at the arena starts in a few hours—“
“I don’t care what you do to me. I won’t hurt him.”
“Of course not.” Bitterness and exasperation edged her voice as she turned on her heels and went to the doorway. Without looking back, and as the doors swung shut behind her, she shouted, “But you can’t help him either.”
Chapter Eleven
Kai did her best not to fidget as the guards escorted her through the castle’s endless maze of hallways. She suspected they were somewhere near the top of the main tower because it felt like they had been walking forever. Kai had no idea what time it was or how long she and Asmodeus had been apart. Time in the Fae dimension passed at a far slower rate of speed than it did on earth, which is why her grandmother looked like she could be Kai’s sister. The woman had barely aged at all since abandoning Kai’s mother when she was only a few months old.
Flanked by four armed soldiers on either side of her, Kai tried to keep track of what turns they had made and how many staircases they had traversed. She failed miserably. All of the hallways looked exactly the same and the exteriors of the doors did too. She had begun to believe they were walking her in circles just to fuck with her.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at their destination.
The two drone-like guards in front opened the doors and another behind her nudged her forward.
“Don’t touch me, thank you very much.” Kai brushed him off and proceeded inside, fully expecting to see Kristine waiting for her but the room was empty. “Where’s Kristine?”
She turned around just as the doors closed and without getting any answers.
“That’s great. Thanks, guys,” she shouted after them. “Really appreciate all the help.”
None of the guards responded. Not that she expected them to. It wouldn’t surprise her at all to find out they were robots or had been put under some kind of spell or trance to do Kristine’s bidding. The Fae realm was getting creepier and weirder by the second. The last time she was here it wasn’t exactly fun but she didn’t remember feeling so isolated. The only people she had seen since arriving were the ones who lined the street when she and Asmodeus were paraded back to the castle. But ever since stepping foot inside the castle, the only other people she had seen were Kristine and the guards. Even as they made the trek through the maze of hallways, Kai hadn’t spotted one single other soul.
By all accounts, the castle was basically deserted.
It was starting to creep her out.
Kai shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms briskly as she looked around the cavernous space. It was decked out like a living room or sitting room and was very similar to the bed chamber. Like most of the castle, the floors were mirrored and walls were gem-like. This room had a ruby red and silver theme. The lush curtains and gaudy over-the-top furniture made it look like a brothel that had been designed by Marie Antoinette.
It was so garish and loud that it was starting to give her a headache.
She rubbed at her temples and let out a slow breath, doing her best to shove aside the growing sense of panic. Even though the space was big enough to hold fifty people, Kai instantly felt claustrophobic, as if the red walls were closing in around her. Asmodeus was nowhere to be found. Her magic was gone. Kristine had made herself scare. She was truly alone here.
While part of her was glad to be rid of her “escorts,” she couldn’t escape the growing sense of dread. She had to get out of this room. The sun glinted off the floor and a shadow of something big whisked across, momentarily blotting out the light. The sudden movement made Kai jump. She spun around and went to the glass balcony doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that had just flown by but the skies were empty.
She curled her fingers around the thick silver door handles and threw a silent prayer to the universe. To her great relief, the wide double doors were not locked. Letting out a grateful breath, Kai tugged the glass doors open, stepped outside and sucked in a lungful of clean crisp air. The freshness of the air here reminded her of being near the ocean but there was no water anywhere in sight.
Kai went to the railing. From this vantage point, she could see the entire Fae kingdom. This room was in the tallest turret on the castle and the balcony curved around, giving Kai a bird’s-eye view of just about everything. With one hand trailing along the railing, Kai walked all the way around and sure enough, she had a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the realm. There were mountains in the distance on one side and on the other was a small hill. The mound was dark and didn’t seem to have trees on it or anything. It was isolated, at the end of a single road, and from here, it looked like a dormant volcano. That had to be where the portal was and where she and Asmodeus had arrived.
Kai shielded her eyes from the dual suns and realized that beyond the city limits there was nothing. At least nothing she could see.
“That’s weird,” Kai murmured. “This can’t be the entire Fae realm, can it? Just one city?”
Everything was kind of blurry beyond the city. Even the mountain range looked odd. Separate somehow. Almost like it had just been plopped into the landscape. Kai gripped the railing and peered over to the city below. There was no movement. Nothing. No vehicles or people walking around. The road, the one she and Asmodeus had been paraded along like a couple of prize pigs, was now void of people.
“Okay, this is too bizarre,” Kai whispered to literally nobody but herself. “I’m in the freaking Twilight Zone.”
She squinted, trying to get a better look but of course, that was basically useless. It just made everything blurrier. Squinting wouldn’t do anything. She needed a telescope or binoculars or something. Kai looked around the balcony but there was nothing, not even a chair or a table. With nothing else to do but await Kristine’s arrival, Kai went inside in search of a pair of binoculars.
After poking around the room, she discovered that every drawer and cabinet in the space was empty. The room reminded her of one of those model homes in big property developments full of new construction. There would be one house that had been staged to look lived-in but everything was fake. There would even be fake food on the kitchen counters and a phony dinner, complete with plastic glasses of wine on a grand dining room table.
Kai stood in the middle of the room and turned slowly, looking at it from every angle. The more she looked at it, the weirder and more bizarre it became. She closed her eyes and stood completely still, listening for any sound. Footsteps down the hallway. People talking. A bird call. Anything.
There was nothing.
Not a single sound other than her own breathing and heartbeat.
She opened her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart but the sound of the door unlocking made her jump and let out an undignified yelp. She spun around to see Kristine wheeling in a cart full of food. A guard quickly shut and locked the door behind her without even glancing at Kai.
“Would you like to eat on the balcony?” Kristine pushed the large silver cart into the center of the room while casting a glance of disapproval at Kai. “I see you chose to put your human
clothes back on. Seems a shame to wear something dirty when you could have selected one of our lovely gowns.”
“Are you for real?” Kai scoffed. She folded her arms over her breasts and followed Kristine out onto the balcony. “You’re pissed off because I didn’t put on one of the Fae Stepford Wives gowns? Lady, you have some serious nerve. Where is Asmodeus?”
“We’ll get to that. Let’s eat some breakfast first, shall we?” She removed the silver domes from the plates and Kai was immediately inundated by the stomach-rumbling aroma of bacon and maple syrup. “Based on the noises erupting from your belly, I’d say I arrived just in time.”
The last thing Kai wanted to do was cooperate with this woman or share a meal with her but at the moment, she had little choice. And she was hungry—really damn hungry. She hadn’t even realized it until Kristine unveiled the mounds of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The bitch was playing dirty.
“Fine.”
“Wonderful.” Kristine smiled and looked so pleased with herself that Kai almost laughed out loud. “I have coffee as well.”
As Kristine filled the mugs, and the comforting aroma of freshly-brewed coffee filled the air, Kai couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this was the best way to deal with Kristine. Placate her. Make her think that Kai was on her side. If she did that, then maybe she could find a way out of here for her and Asmodeus.
“Should I get chairs from inside?”
“No, dear.” Kristine didn’t look up. “There is a little bistro table just over there with two chairs.”
“No there’s not. I was just out here and there’s no place to sit. Other than the floor.”
“Really?” Kristine handed Kai a cup of coffee and smiled. “There is now.”
Kai looked behind her and sure enough there was a silver bistro set with a round table and two chairs with red cushions.
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