City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials Book 1)

by C. N. Crawford

  With a margarita in one hand, I dipped my legs into the pool outside my room. Since I’d slept through most of the day, twilight was already spreading its coral mantle over the sky, and the shadows were growing longer. The setting sun bathed the golden stones in blood-red light, and it dazzled orange off the flowing Acheron River. On the far bank, shadows pooled in the wilderness.

  As requested, Orion had left me alone—with his number programmed into my new cell phone. If Nama or Lydia, or anyone else, cropped up looking for trouble, I was supposed to hit star seven, and my protector would appear in a whorl of shadows.

  I also had the doorman and mortal servants looking out for me, one of whom brought me a pitcher of margaritas and vegan tacos. And most importantly, Shai was on her way over for a dip in the pool with me.

  This would continue to be my pool, if I had my choice—if I didn’t have to leave here, and if Shai’s life weren’t at risk. This place was intoxicating in a way that started to make me wonder if I’d lose my mind here. I wanted to sink my claws into this city. I wanted to take it over like an invasive species. When I thought of Nama, a sense of competitiveness started to rise in me.

  I had an insane impulse to stake my claim on this city—permanently. I wanted to actually be the demon duchess, to bring the Asmodean Ward alive again. The incubi and succubi didn’t deserve their fate. Whoever Jezebel was, the woman probably hadn’t deserved to be thrown from her palace window and eaten by dogs. I wanted to plant my roots here as a succubus just to spite the rest of these judgmental fuckers.

  So clearly, the intoxicating powers of this city were making me go mad, because none of that could happen. I had very limited time here.

  And why was I starting to care about the fate of the Lilu? I sipped my tart cocktail, letting the taste of lime roll over my tongue.

  I suppose, for one thing, people thought I was a Lilu, so I was starting to feel like one. Behavioral confirmation. For another, it was just the injustice of it all. It seemed like the Lilu had been murdered because of others’ raging jealousy and insecurity.

  “Mortana!” Shai waved at me as she crossed through one of the arches. She wore a yellow sundress, and her hair in a halo of curls. “Nice place.”

  I grinned at her. “Come in the pool with me.”

  “As long as I can eat tacos in the pool.”

  “Of course.” I pointed at her margarita waiting by the side of the pool. “And you have a drink.”

  Shai pulled off her dress, revealing a bright red bathing suit, and slipped into the water.

  In the City of Thorns, it seemed like the weather was permanently tropical. Another reason it would be great to sink my roots into this place.

  I let out a long sigh.

  “What? Why do you sound like you’re not enjoying this paradise?” Shai took a bite of her tacos.

  “I’m feeling guilty that I got you dragged into all this.”

  “Dragged me into all what? Tacos and margaritas in a pool? It’s not your fault you look exactly like some succubus.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “But if I fuck anything up, Orion says he’ll kill you. Your life is in danger, Shai.”

  She snorted. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I made him swear a blood oath to keep me safe.”

  I stared at her. I’d never considered just extracting promises from him like that. “Wait, what?”

  She took a sip of her margarita. “It’s all about leverage, darling. My mom taught me that during the divorce. You figure out what they want, and you threaten to destroy it if they don’t meet your terms.”

  My jaw dropped open. So her life wasn’t at risk… “Sorry, what did you threaten to destroy?”

  She squinted in the sun. “Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I knew he needed you for whatever his plan was. So I threatened to get rid of you if he didn’t agree.” Another bite of tacos.

  “What?” Shai once got mad at me for killing an ant. “You threatened to kill me? You’re a vegan!”

  “Well, he doesn’t know that,” she whispered. “And you always go on about psychopaths. I feel like I learned a few things from you. I know you said psychopaths don’t get nervous, but I don’t think he realizes that, either. Because my palms were sweating and my heart was beating out of control. But I kept my voice totally calm, and it worked.” She smiled at me. “I sounded really scary, I think.”

  “What did you say?”

  She shrugged. “I watched a true crime show once about a psychopath who murdered his mom by cutting off her head. So I just said that if he didn’t do what I wanted, I’d cut your head off.”

  “How does he know you’re not going to murder me now?”

  She waved a hand. “It was a whole thing. He made me swear a blood oath in return—not to hurt you or tell anyone what you really are. He felt like he was actually getting a good deal out of that. Since I have no intention of actually murdering anyone, I’ve really never made an easier deal in my life. I’ve got my tuition paid, plus I got a much better apartment than the one I had before. And he has to keep me safe. And I got a really great cappuccino machine. This has all worked out nicely for me. You have literally nothing to feel bad about.”

  “Holy shit, Shai. He never told me any of that.”

  She shrugged. “Of course he didn’t. I’m his leverage. He can get you to do what he wants as long as you think my life is at risk. He should have asked me to keep quiet during the blood oath, but you came down and interrupted, and then I think he got distracted.”

  I bit my lip. “Well, this is a very interesting development. So I can…stay as long as I want here.”

  She frowned at me. “I’m not sure I like the look on your face. What are you scheming now?”

  “I don’t want to leave.”

  She shook her head. “But you can’t keep this lie up forever, can you? What would happen if the king found out you were lying?"

  I cleared my throat. “Well, that is a little hitch in my plan.”

  “No, really—what does happen if the king learns you’re lying? Demon dungeon?”

  “Fire pit.”

  Her eyes widened. “Fucking hell, Rowan. Obviously, you can’t stay.”

  I lifted my finger to my lips. She couldn’t say my real name that loudly.

  She had a point, except I think I was so scared of the fire pit, my brain refused to consider it was a possibility. I was in some kind of advanced state of denial. “But what if I can keep the deception going? Orion will keep me safe until I can find the information he wants.”

  She rested her elbows on the side of the pool. “I mean, I can see why you’d want to stay here. You’re living like a queen, and this is heaven. But is it really worth the risk of a fire pit?”

  “It’s not just the pool and the luxury. Shai—I’m almost positive a demon killed my mom. One with fire magic. And I want to find out who it was.” I left out the bit about avenging the Lilu, and the feeling that my shadow-self was growing more powerful, because she’d think I’d lost my mind.

  She frowned, her dark eyes piercing me. “I can understand the temptation. But then what? What does it get you?”

  “I want to know the truth.” And I wanted to murder the fucker, maybe.

  “Have you found anything out so far?”

  I let out a long breath. “I have a short list of suspects. Orion is one of them.”

  Her eyes widened. “Fuck. Why would he have killed your mom?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know why anyone would. I only know two things—I think it was someone with fire magic, and I think it was someone with a demon mark shaped like a star. You know, the shiny forehead things?”

  “I’ve seen one once. Not a star.”

  “I haven’t seen that particular mark yet, either, but I keep looking. That’s all I remember from that night. And Orion is one of just a handful of demons with fire magic—along with Lydia, the king, and Mortana herself. Orion says the star mark means that you’re destined to be the demon leader, b
lessed by Lucifer. So my guess is that the king is the top suspect. But no one knows what the king’s mark looks like, so I’m not sure.”

  Shai stirred her drink with her straw. “Maybe if you want to find the killer, you need to learn more about your mom instead of learning more about demons. What was her connection to this world?”

  “I searched all her things after she died, looking for clues. I couldn’t find anything.” I closed my eyes, running through my memories until something sparked in my mind—something I’d seen recently. “Except a key.” My eyes snapped open. “It was a skeleton key like the ones they use here. Like the one Orion used to unlock my apartment door. I found it hidden in a drawer, but I never knew what the key went to.”

  “Do you still have it?” she asked.

  I nodded. “She didn’t leave much behind. Just the key, some clothes, old books, and enough money for a few months’ rent. So I kept the key.” In the gathering shadows, as darkness fell, it was hard not to feel a pang of sadness. Mom had a whole life she’d never told me about.

  “I can go in and out of the city,” said Shai. “I can grab the key. If you can find what it goes to, maybe that’d be a clue.”

  I smiled at her. “Thanks, Shai.”

  She grabbed her cocktail off the side of the pool. “What do you have planned for tonight?”

  I took a deep breath. “Spying for Orion, of course. In the king’s penthouse.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “But you’ll be careful with all this, right? Because everything you’re telling me sounds dangerous as hell. Particularly the fire pit situation, considering the king is one of your suspects.”

  “Yep. And Orion, too. I don’t trust him at all.”

  “Is that right?” Orion stepped from the shadows, his pale eyes burning like stars. He wore an expensive-looking charcoal-gray suit. “And here I was imagining we might be friends.”

  My stomach flipped.

  He cocked his head. “We have a party to get ready for, don’t we?”

  Chapter 28

  In the Tower of Baal, we stepped into the elevator to ride up to the penthouse floor. I wore a dress made of a sheer material that showed off my legs, but with strategically placed blue filigrees to allow a bit of modesty.

  As soon as the elevator started, Orion turned his piercing blue eyes to me. “I’m curious what you and Shai were talking about. You said you don’t trust me, which makes sense, because I’m a dick. But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there? There’s something specific.”

  I crossed my arms. “Fine. You want revenge, and I do, too. I want to find my mom’s killer. Someone killed her with fire magic in the Osborne Woods, and I want to know who it was.”

  His eyes went wide. “Ah.” He turned and pressed the emergency button, stopping the elevator. “There we are. You think I could have killed your mother.”

  I shot an irritated glance at the door. “Do we have to have this conversation trapped in an elevator?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  I crossed my arms, looking impatiently at the door. “You have fire magic, so yes, you’re on my short list of suspects.”

  He slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m ruthless, lethal, lacking in empathy. I don’t hide my flaws or lie about what I am, so that’s no secret. I’d murder a mortal woman if it got me what I wanted.” He met my gaze. “But I didn’t burn a mortal woman to death in the Osborne Woods. I’m not morally against the concept, it’s just that it wasn’t me.”

  Either he was really good at lying, or that was the truth. As I stared at him, I felt my chest unclench. “Okay.”

  His eyebrows rose. “I take it Shai told you that I can’t kill her.”

  “It did come up. She’s not actually a psychopath, by the way. She just used that to get you to agree to the blood oath.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. Finding another person you care about that I could kill would be the easiest way to bargain…”

  “That’s not really what a bargain is. That’s a threat, Orion.”

  He shrugged, his expression cold. “Well, clearly, it would be the easiest option, but it won’t work. From what I understand, you don’t actually care about anyone else. Shai is your only friend, and your family is dead.”

  I swallowed hard. “That’s a depressing summary.”

  “How about a new bargain, then? You get me what I want, the truth about what makes the king weak, and I’ll help you find your mother’s killer. Once I get what I need, you’ll get what you need.”

  I bit my lip, staring at him. This all came down to a single question—did I actually believe him? It was hard to say. But since I didn’t have many offers of help here in the City of Thorns, I’d accept for now. “Fine. I’ll take this deal before you come up with something worse.”

  “And then you’ll need to leave the City of Thorns as soon as we are finished. Every hour that you’re here is another hour that you risk ending up in the fire pit.”

  He turned and pushed a button to make the elevator move again. We started rising, and within moments, the elevator doors opened into the penthouse apartment.

  Holy moly… It was like nothing I’d ever seen—a pool inset into a marble floor and towering glass windows that opened onto a balcony. Beyond the balcony, the sea glittered under the stars. A balmy breeze rushed into the apartment, toying with the demons’ long, silky gowns.

  The king stood on the other side of the pool, martini in hand. Subtly, people swarmed around him like moths to a flame, eyes flitting to him, fingers reaching out to touch his arm. But his attention was locked on Lydia and one of the dukes.

  When my eyes met Nama’s, my pulse started to race. She wore a long white gown that matched her wavy hair, plus earrings that looked like dripping icicles. But despite the delicate beauty of her outfit, her lip was curled, exposing her teeth like an animal about to attack. She pulled her gaze from mine, then smiled at Orion. When he didn’t seem to notice her, she stalked over to him. “Hello, my duke.” Her voice sounded shaky, angry.

  Orion seemed to be looking right past her. “You again, is it?”

  When a server crossed to us with a tray of cloudy purple cocktails, I plucked one off for myself and took a sip. This one was gin, lemon, and the faint hint of violets.

  And as I surveyed the room again, trying to catch anyone’s eye, I was starting to get the impression that people were ignoring me on purpose. This was a demonic cold shoulder.

  No one wanted a succubus duchess here. The demons had tried killing me in the woods, and when that didn’t work, they’d try a social freeze.

  I pretended I wasn’t listening as Nama started talking to Orion again, but I absolutely was.

  “Your new succubus friend reminds me of a mortal sometimes,” she said, as though I weren’t standing right there. “The way she moves. Her slowness.” Her jaw tightened. “You know the fear that mortals have, since they were our prey for so long? I sense that in her. She was wearing something strange in the woods, and she smelled like animal piss. What’s she so afraid of?”

  Nama was a twat, but she was a perceptive twat.

  Orion flashed her a taunting smile. “She’s afraid of me, I should think. And you should be, too.”

  Nama pouted at him, then lifted her chin. “But we’re going to be great friends, you and I. We are alike. Do you believe in a soul bond?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have a soul, Nama,” said Orion. “I’m divine on the outside, I know. But I’m absolutely empty inside.”

  I was starting to think this was the mask he wore—cold and uncaring, devoid of emotions. Underneath his sarcasm, under the sensual smile, was a well of buried pain.

  Nama’s smile looked twisted and strained at his comments. “I don’t believe that for a moment. We’re fated to marry. You can pretend to deny it all you want, but I’ve foreseen it.” Only now did she shoot me a withering look to acknowledge my presence. “And if you’re not going to look into the truth abo
ut this one, then I will. She looks…fidgety. Anxious. Mortal.”

  My stomach clenched. What if she started asking around about me in Osborne?

  I couldn’t worry about that now while Nama was scrutinizing me for signs of anxiety, so I tried to summon my dark side—which, as it turned out, involved finishing the cocktail fast.

  I closed my eyes as I drank it down.

  I’m not Rowan. I am Mortana, succubus, seductress, devourer of souls. I will eat the weak for breakfast.

  When I’d finished the drink, I had a nice little buzz. Despite my new anxieties, I had to keep up the seductive charade while I was here in front of the demon crowd. With a little smile on my face, I started walking toward the king, crossing alongside the pool. I imagined the trickles of water running down my body as I walked, my eyes locked on him. The warm lights of the room cast a flattering light over his masculine features and sharp jaw.

  He slid me a curious look as I approached, and I could see Lydia tensing, her eyes going dark.

  I wanted him alone. If I were going to learn his weakness, it would have to be away from the others.

  When I was standing next to him, I leaned in to whisper, “There’s only one thing you could do to turn my attention from Orion to you.”

  Then, with that catlike walk. I headed onto the balcony. Out there, the briny sea air rushed over me, and I stared out at the sparkling sea. I’d feel fairly stupid if I did all that and the king failed to join me, but I supposed I had to stand there with the confidence of my shadow-self.

  And when I turned to look back, I found that the king was stalking outside to join me, a cocktail in hand. The salty air toyed with his blond hair. “As always,” he said quietly, “you intrigue me, Mortana.”

  I leaned back with my elbows over the railing and smiled at him. I was tempted to look inside to see what Orion was doing, but that wasn’t my job here. Jealousy was a game I was playing with the king; it wasn’t for me to indulge in.

  I sipped my drink. “You know, this city is even more beautiful than I remember. They say a king is tied to his land, so I’m sure you’ve only enhanced its appeal.”