Page 23 of Deranged Demons

The shifters all look at each other and laugh.

“C’mon boys, let’s see what happens when the princess loses two of her precious mates. They say the bonded feel that pain for the rest of their lives,” the bear shifter growls, and his lips form a demented grin. “Maybe she’ll change her mind about us when she realizes she’s alone again.”

One of the wolf shifters lets out a howl, and then the four of them begin to shift, fur sprouting from their skin and their clothes tearing as they surrender to their beasts.

A low growl rumbles in my throat, and I lunge forward before they’ve transformed completely. In a swift move I tear the head off one of the wolf shifters before he can cry out, and his blood pools in my mouth, dribbling down my chin. The other wolf shifter finishes changing, and he snarls and slavers, his fur bristling as he stares at his fallen comrade. I let out a roar, and the wolf launches toward me. Leaping to theside, I snap my powerful jaws narrowly missing the wolf’s neck.

“We did try to warn you,” Prince Callan murmurs as he stalks casually forward, meeting the giant reptilian shifter head on. The beast has a thick body with spines running down his curved back, and an elongated snout containing rows of razor-sharp teeth. The prince grins as he confuses the shifter with his wind power and runs his sword into its side. The creature lets out a pained clicking sound and flicks his head, his teeth scraping on Prince Callan’s metal breastplate. Grunting comes from the right, and the bear shifter runs at the prince. Before the beast can barrel into him, Prince Callan lifts his hand and blows the bear back with his power.

I turn my attention to the wolf who’s watching me. His head is lowered, his yellow eyes alert and calculating. I pace, moving as he does, my tail flicking back and forth. It isn’t my first time against wolves, so when the beast lunges forward, I do the same. We clash in the air, and my paw smashes against the wolf’s face, leaving deep claw marks over his eye. He whines and twists as he tries to clamp his teeth onto my shoulder, but all he’s done is leave himself open, and my jaws lock onto his head. I bare down, crushing bone until he falls limp in my hold.

The thrill of the kill rushes through me, and I growl as I toss his body to the side. To my right, the reptilian shifter is dead on the ground, and Prince Callan battles the bear shifter, using his wind power toforce the creature toward the building at his back. I move closer, drawn by my bloodlust and the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

The bear growls, lifting his head and showing his fangs as he fights against the wind and swipes at Prince Callan. The prince side steps, avoiding the hit, and I jog to the bear’s left side, ready to attack the beast while he’s distracted.

The bear grunts and swipes at Prince Callan again, his eyes tearing from the swirling wind. Seeing my opening, I lunge forward. I’m about to close my jaws onto the creature’s neck when the bear is lifted a few feet into the air. My teeth snap at empty air, and I glare at Prince Callan who’s now flapping his wings, hovering in the air as well.

He smirks at me. “Oh, did I not mention that this one’s mine? You weren’t expecting me to let you have more kills than me now, were you?”

I snarl at him, and pace agitated as he makes quick work of the flailing bear shifter. Within a matter of moments, the bear’s head thuds to the ground near my paws, crimson blood running into the cracks between the stones. The wind swirling around the creature’s suspended body stops, and the rest of the beast falls to the street. Prince Callan grins wickedly, his sword slick with blood as he flaps his wings, landing beside the fallen alpha. “Without the medicine, they were so weak it wasn’t a fair fight,” Prince Callan comments, then he smiles. “Not that the outcome would have been any different.”

Chapter

Eleven

~ Princess Blake ~

“Iwas starting to think you weren’t going to come,” Kai says as he lifts from the dining room chair, looking exactly the same in my dream as I remember him. He’s dressed in a crisp white shirt with a black silk tie, and his dark hair has been slicked away from his face. He takes in my appearance as I approach, his gaze roving over the claw marks cut deep into my leathers as the guards close the doors behind me.

Concern enters Kai’s gaze. “Then again, maybe I should be grateful you made it at all?”

The blood on my face cracks as my lips quirk upward, and I gesture to the silver cloches on the table. “You could have eaten. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to still be here.” This is the third night Kai has visited the palace, and I’mnot sure why he keeps coming. We both know we’re not mates. His scent is so weak that when I’m close to him, I can hardly smell anything at all, and there’s no burning desire when we’re near one another. Nothing that makes me desperate to pull him to me and lose myself in his touch. At this point, I can only guess he’s as lonely as I am, and he’s still hoping that we’re both wrong about us not being fated. Either way,I decide that tonight it doesn’t matter.

It’s been nights since I won the king’s tournament, and yet, I just had to face another trial for my father. Retrieve an item he left in the shadow realm. That was the goal. I shudder, remembering the way the shadow beings hunted me as I moved swiftly through the gray landscape. Their claws reached for me, their shadowy teeth tearing through my flesh though I never felt the pain. Only the fear. It wasn’t until I’d retrieved the king’s dagger from a group of wraiths, and I was back in Seral with the blade secure in my grasp, that I had noticed the blood coating my body. The cuts on my cheeks, arms, and legs healed quickly, but the blood remains, a visual display of my weakness.

I remember my father’s approving smile as I had handed him the dagger not long after. He’d glanced at the blade, then tossed it onto his desk like it was of no consequence. I didn’t wait to hear whatever philosophical message he wanted to impart. Truthfully, I’m not sure if he had one. Instead, I had made my way straight to the dining hall, the memory of the shadow beings still haunting me, and my body ice cold, as if I’d been in the snowy mountains in Rostof.

No, tonight Kai is just what I need.

“What could be better than dining with the princess?” he says with a seductive smile, and I walk straight to him, not bothering with the food. He’s not my mate, but for all I know, I might not have any mates out there. For now, he’s the next best thing.

“Better than dining? I can think of a few things,” I say as I stop beside him and yank on his tie, bringing his lips to mine. He’s stunned for a moment, but then he leans in, his hands winding around my waist as he deepens the kiss. His tongue dips into my mouth, sweeping over mine, and I grip onto his broad shoulders. Warmth goes through me as I kiss him, my body responding, but there’s no spark. Either way, it’s enough for now.

He breaks the kiss just long enough to speak. “When you’d agreed to another dinner, I’d hoped, but I hadn’t thought this is what you had in mind,” he murmurs.

“Shut up,” I breathe, desperate to forget. For two seconds, I need control. And I need to feel. I need to chase away the ice that’s hardened my veins and dulled my fire.

He steps away from his chair and pivots me toward the table, kissing me harder. I can tell it’s the same for him. The spark he’s looking for just isn’t there, but he doesn’t pull away, almost as if he needs this as much as I do.

Reaching up, I rip off his shirt revealing an expanse of hardened muscle, and he removes my clothes, leaving them in pieces on the floor. My nipples pucker as they’re exposed to the cool air, and his eyes darken as he drinks me in.

“So beautiful,” he rasps low and deep, and the words make my stomach clench. He kisses me again and moves between my thighs, pressing against me.

I want to curse Lady Fate. Being with Kai would be easy. But my life is never easy.

His dark gaze drops to my face, and I think I see a flicker of blue in his eyes, but I blink and it’s gone. “You sure you want this, your highness?”

I bristle at the formality of his words. “If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be between my legs right now,” I answer sweetly.

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