The Demon King's Destiny

by C. A. Worley

  Evelyn’s fingers itched. Her magics wanted out, to protect those around her from the enemy. The bottles of liquor in the corner clanked together.

  “Easy,” Marrok soothed, lifting her hand and kissing her palm. “Two years have passed. The ones responsible were unsalvageable and have paid for it with their lives. There’s nothing to be done to them now.”

  “We have to stop it. All of it. The rogues. The brotherhood.”

  “Brotherhood? So it’s confirmed, then?” Danil asked.

  Marrok hadn’t caught them up on his meeting with Theron or on what Evelyn’s most recent dreams had revealed.

  “It has.”

  Danil got up from the table.

  “Where are you going?” Favin asked.

  “I have a feeling this is going to require whiskey.”

  He grabbed the bottle and four tumblers before returning to his seat. He poured each of them a glass and settled back into his chair.

  Evelyn, whose fingers were still itching to take action, downed the spirits and slammed the glass back on the table.

  “That tastes terrible!” she exclaimed in between coughs.

  “It’s supposed to be sipped, poppet.”

  Evelyn eyed Danil as though he’d just called her a trollop right to her face. Making a decision, she nodded and shoved the glass towards him. “Fine. This time I’ll sip it.”

  Danil grinned, pouring a smaller amount this time. “You know, Marrok, I think I’m going to enjoy having a Queen.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” the King replied, warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with the whiskey he’d swallowed.

  * * *

  Marrok watched his friends as they sifted through the memories he was sharing. He focused on his discussion with Theron, as well as Evelyn’s dreams.

  A minute ticked by. Then another. Their faces didn’t show much. It was their body language that gave them away, especially Danil’s.

  While Favin’s knuckles went white as he gripped the table, Danil’s fingers flexed and closed and flexed again. His head swiveled back and forth and a low rumble emanated from the back of his throat.

  Once it ended, Danil’s face had gone ruddy. “That bitch sold you out, Evelyn. Pardon my language,” he quickly added, peeking at Marrok for any reaction to his assessment of the King’s late wife.

  “I don’t see how she had any other choice,” Evelyn defended Melena, ignoring his profanity. “She was under duress. Brennen was holding those she cared about over her head. I don’t know what I would have done if in the same position and someone was threatening Nora or Eden.”

  Danil scoffed. “You wouldn’t sic a murderer on a child.”

  “Enough,” Marrok intervened. “Melena’s motivations are immaterial at this juncture. What does matter is that we know Sephtis Kenelm had access to some of her visions. They knew about Evelyn, at least in the abstract. They knew if I met her I would take the throne. They were trying to intervene. It’s how Brennen found her when she was six.”

  “I think that, too, is beside the point, Sire.”

  “What do you mean, Favin?”

  “The dreams are past memories. Decades ago. No one even knew the brotherhood was still functioning. Now we have confirmation and two of the four members are confirmed deceased. The wolves have identified the she-wolf.”

  “They also know of the vampire,” Evelyn interjected.

  “The wolves know his scent, not who he is. We know what the vampire looks like. Between him and the she-wolf, he’s the greater threat because he can teleport. The wolf you might see coming. The vampire? Doubtful. I think this is why you had this particular dream. It gives you an advantage to recognize a previously unseen foe.”

  “I wish I also knew the face of the she-wolf.”

  “Don’t need to. No she-wolves reside in the Southland. You see one, you kill her or run away.”

  “Thank you, Danil. Very insightful,” Evelyn deadpanned.

  “I live to serve.”

  “What about the other dreams, Favin?” Marrok questioned. It still didn’t sit right with him, his mate having to experience his wedding to another.

  “The same. Warnings. Clues. Explanations, perhaps. They seem to be more important for you than for Evelyn.”

  “A blessing is what they are, Marrok,” Danil decreed firmly. “You deserve the truth about your wife. Fate delivered.”

  Marrok wouldn’t concede the revelations were helping him get over the loss of Melena. It was Evelyn who was doing that. Yet Evelyn had been the one Fate had chosen to reveal the harsh truths of his past, and she’d suffered right along with him.

  While he appreciated facts coming to light, he would rather it not be at his mate’s expense.

  Evelyn took another sip of whiskey, thinking more would calm her nerves. It didn’t. “I feel like I keep asking this, but what do we do now?”

  The guards and Evelyn looked to Marrok. It was up to the King what happened next.

  “Theron insisted we come here. He didn’t say anything more on it. For now, we shore up the palace’s defenses. I’ve already made plans to send home any unnecessary staff and called for extra guards. There’s more than enough supplies and food here to last half a year. I assume this will be resolved much sooner than that. Hale will teleport back and forth daily with updates. Kellan and Viktor are searching their shared border tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll find the traitors and that will be the end of it.”

  “Cheers to that! Hunting and capturing our criminal brethren is old hat for us. Let someone else take it on for a change,” Danil crooned and saluted the table with his drink in hand.

  Marrok forced a smile at Danil’s toast. He didn’t share his friend’s sentiments. Marrok wanted to go hunting with the other kings, as was his right and duty. He wanted to lay waste to anyone involved in the plan to take Evelyn away from him.

  He stared at her profile, at her pert little nose and plump pink lips. She threw her head back at something Danil said and Marrok stiffened. He didn’t want Evelyn to give Danil her attention. He wanted it for himself.

  Marrok stood and held his hand out. “Come.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He pulled her up and led her out of the room without answering, half dragging her in his haste.

  “Seems you’re off to bed, my lady!” Danil’s shout echoed into the hall just as the door closed behind them.

  Evelyn stopped and pulled her hand from Marrok’s. “Is that true? You yanked me away from the table to take me to bed?”

  “Yes. Is that a problem?”

  Evelyn jumped up, wrapping her arms and legs around his large frame. “No. I was just double checking.”

  “Cheeky female,” he purred, nipping her lip as she giggled. “You resisted me in the halls of the temple, but will allow me to carry you around in the halls of the palace?”

  “You’ve shown me the error of my ways, demon. Maybe I’ll demand you carry me around everywhere we go from now on.”

  She tightened her legs and pressed closer, meriting a low rumble from his chest. The predatory sound heated her core.

  “Now,” she said saucily, “show me what else I have to learn.”

  Marrok turned and jogged the rest of the way to their chambers, anxious to teach her what happened to sassy little mates who teased.

  Chapter 26

  “Is all this really necessary, Marrok?”

  His grip tightened on her hand, the one he held everywhere they went. “Yes. You wanted to see the palace grounds. This is what you must endure to do so.”

  Evelyn swung her head around, seeing nothing but broad shoulders and heads of hair under helmets, all dressed in the silver and black colors of the King’s guard. Four in front, four to the rear, and four on each side of them as they strolled through the garden.

  “What palace grounds? I can’t see anything,” she complained.

  They had been here for four days now. She’d merely wanted to see something beyond thei
r quarters and Marrok’s study, which were only a few doors apart.

  Marrok had made some effort to keep her busy with choosing new furnishings for their bedchamber. He’d told her it had been the room he’d stayed in as a boy and he refused to take the King’s suite. Evelyn didn’t blame him for not wanting to lie in Brennen’s old room.

  The study, however, had been Marrok’s father’s. Marrok spent much time in it as a child and had the space duplicated, almost exactly, in the fortress.

  She wondered if she’d ever see Terenuskit. She couldn’t even see five feet in front of her.

  “Did you hear me?” she goaded. “Or have you aged so much you’ve lost your hearing?”

  The male to the right of Evelyn choked, playing it off with a fake cough.

  “I heard you, little mate. I won’t change my mind, so I decided not to argue.”

  The same male snickered and Marrok shot him a look that had the guard straightening his posture. “Apologies, my liege. I’ve not had this much fun protecting you since the time you fell in the—”

  “Stuff it, Danil.”

  “As you wish, Sire.”

  Evelyn snorted loudly and several of the guards tried to hide their amusement. Marrok’s disgruntled face made her laugh harder, which only made the guards transition to full-blown belly laughs.

  She was having such a fit, she stopped walking, bending at the waist and holding her abdomen. Evelyn laughed until her side hurt. She drew in air, wiping away the gleeful tears which had surfaced in her merriment. Something about the stolid King getting razzed by his royal guard was hysterical.

  Finally, her vision cleared and she chanced a once-over of Marrok. He was standing stoically with his arms crossed. It reminded Evelyn of how her father looked when she and her sisters got into trouble when they were younger.

  “Are you done? Now that you’ve reduced my elite guard to nothing more than playful children?”

  Evelyn bit her lip. “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “Are you going to spank them for bad behavior?”

  Danil’s horselaugh was so loud several birds flew out of the bushes ahead. Shoulders all around her shook. Evelyn knew the guards might be in trouble for their gaiety. It wasn’t something warriors were supposed to fall prey to while on duty.

  Sheepishly, she peered up at her demon lover. His eyes were bright gold and she could tell he was fighting a grin. Whenever he looked at her like this, like she was something dear to him, her world felt right and everything else fell away.

  Marrok stepped into Evelyn’s personal space, yanking her hard to his front. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “There’s only one person who needs a spanking. I look forward to delivering it.”

  “You wouldn’t,” her breathless voice managed.

  “I would.”

  “We can hear you, you know.”

  “I swear to the Goddess, Danil.” Marrok bent his head back, looking to the sky and praying for patience. “You’re fired.”

  “So you’ve told me. Many times.”

  Evelyn grabbed Marrok’s shirt, pulling him down to eye level. “I think you should keep him.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re in luck, Danil. My mate says you’re rehired.”

  “And what your mate wants, your mate gets?” Danil teased.

  “Something like that,” Marrok replied, winking at Evelyn.

  Rapid footfalls came down the stone steps behind them. The jovial atmosphere died immediately. The guards shifted, closing in tight around the royal couple. Turning, Marrok tucked Evelyn behind his body.

  “It’s only Favin,” Marrok announced, knowing Evelyn couldn’t see past the protective circle.

  The guards relaxed and spread apart so their King could speak to his Second.

  “Hale is here, Sire. There’s news you’ll want to hear immediately.”

  Marrok and Evelyn shared a look. She felt a pressing weight expand from within her ribs. Her entire family was caught up in this, having done nothing other than be marked by Fate.

  “I’m sure your family is fine, moj draga. Come on,” Marrok assured, sensing his mate’s anxiety.

  He grabbed Evelyn’s hand and escorted her up the stairs. They entered the palace through the large doors they’d exited out of only minutes before.

  Hale was waiting for them just inside the back entrance. He bowed and Marrok went on alert at the grim look on the vampire’s face. Whatever news he carried, it wasn’t good.

  “In my study, Hale.”

  “Of course,” he replied, falling in step behind the royal couple and their guards.

  When they reached the study, Marrok asked his men to remain in the hall, then quickly ushered Evelyn, Favin, and Hale inside.

  Before closing the door, he turned to Danil. “No one gets inside this room.”

  “Nothing will get past me, Sire,” Danil promised, the seriousness in his tone sounding lethal.

  Marrok nodded and shut the door. Turning, he saw the others standing behind seats at the table.

  “Please,” he gestured for them to sit. “Evelyn, I want you beside me.”

  Swiftly, she moved to the chair he held out for her. He pushed it in then took his own, preparing himself for the worst. He wanted Evelyn close in case she was about to hear something had happened to her family.

  “Hale, Favin says you have news?” Marrok held out his hand, expecting a scroll.

  Hale tapped his temple, “It’s all up here, Sire. There wasn’t time to write. I was told to come immediately.”

  “Very well. Tell us the message.”

  “The she-wolf, Agatha, has been found.”

  “Where?” Marrok asked, knowing she was likely dead. Kellan’s wolf would have demanded retribution for his mate’s poisoning. If the Wolf King got to her first, she’d have been torn to shreds.

  “At the bottom of a shallow pond in Western Prajna.”

  Marrok’s knuckles knocked on the table. “Shallow pond?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s odd. Wolves are strong and can swim. Was she dead before she went into the water?”

  “No. It is believed Dmitri killed her, possibly hypnotized her to take her own life.”

  “I’m sorry, who?” Evelyn interrupted.

  “My apologies, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Agatha is dead. Drowned in shallow water. No markings were on her body so there was no evidence of a struggle. The scent of the vampire the wolves found in Burghard, when King Edward was attacked? They found the same scent in the dwelling the she-wolf was inhabiting, deep in the woods of Prajna. Viktor confirmed it was Dmitri, an advisor he believed had died a century ago. Both Agatha and Dmitri’s scents were all over the shelter. It was obvious they were there together.”

  “Dmitri,” Marrok sounded out slowly, as if the name made him ill.

  “It makes sense, my lord,” Favin said. “In the memory, Caleb had started to say the vampire’s name. It sounded like it started with a D, and he didn’t appear keen to have his name said aloud. If he needed Viktor to think him dead, Dmitri would have to be cautious about such things.”

  “Memory? What memory?” Hale asked quizzically.

  “I’ll write a message for you with the information Theron may need. The short of it is Evelyn has dreamt of members of Sephtis Kenelm. One was a vampire we did not recognize. It might be this Dmitri.”

  Marrok rested his hand on Evelyn’s knee, squeezing it in reassurance. “Unless there are heirs to the others in the group, Dmitri is the last one alive.”

  “Which brings me to the second part of my message,” Hale told them. “Dmitri might be dead, as well.”

  “Might be?” Marrok pressed.

  “Viktor’s brother, Luka, managed to get an iron manacle on Dmitri’s wrist, which would prevent him from teleporting.”

  Marrok leaned forward. “And just how did he manage that?”

  “I don’t know. I was told Dmitri showed up at C
astra Nocte, took Viktor’s mate—”

  Evelyn gasped, covering her mouth.

  “Your sister is fine, my lady. I should have led with that. I apologize. Again. I’m usually carrying written word, not memorizing a thousand words to regurgitate.”

  “Continue with the message, Hale,” Favin instructed, noticing Marrok was distracted by Evelyn’s reaction.

  “Yes, well I was told only that Dmitri had taken Eden, Luka slapped on the iron manacle, and Dmitri couldn’t port away. It’s not clear how, but he fell from Diavol Crest. It’s the highest cliff in Prajna, overlooking a dangerous whirlpool that all vampires are warned away from. If Dmitri couldn’t port and he got caught in the whirlpool, it would eventually kill him.”

  “Without his body, no one can be sure, right?” Evelyn asked.

  “Right. Viktor has men scouring the beaches. If the ocean killed him, it will likely spit him back out on shore.”

  “And if it didn’t?” she whispered.

  Marrok clasped her hand. “Then we will be ready. We’ll continue on as we have. I’ll not leave anything to chance when it comes to your safety, little mate. Hopefully, if the traitor lived, the vampires will still find him first since he’ll have to swim to shore.”

  “Only if he still has on the iron cuff. Otherwise, he could teleport to anyplace he’s ever visited in Imperium,” Favin interpolated.

  “Then it’s a good thing he’s never been inside the palace,” Hale declared, visibly relieved.

  “Unfortunately, it seems he has,” Favin corrected the vampire. “The meeting in the vision took place in a room next to the throne room. We don’t know what other spaces here he was able to visit, if any. At the very least, he could get into that wing, quite easily.”

  Evelyn turned to Marrok. “The male is likely Dmitri, I want to assume he did not survive the fall, but ...”

  “We’ll assume nothing,” Marrok spoke adamantly. “I’ll not risk it. We’ll block off that section of the palace. It’s on the opposite side of the building and there’s no need for us to be there. We’ll remain diligent. Nothing changes until we have confirmation he is dead.”