Page 36 of Deranged Demons

His lips part, and for a brief moment, I think he’s going to tell me. That he’s going to let me in, but then his lips curve into a forced smile. “To be reunited with my subjects in Toralyn. I imagine it must be the same for you. Surely, you’re keen to be back with the demons.”

I stare at him.Toralyn.All he can think about is going back there. Back to whatever or whomever has already captured his heart. I haven’t heard of anyone loving someone else more than their fated mate, but I guess there’s a first for everything.

“Right,” I say hastily. “Of course.” I’m not lying, because I do want to get back to Seral. I’d been forcing myself not to think about the witches infiltrating the city and the king’s fatal disease, but every night we’re away I wonder whether things are worsening in the demon realm. I don’t point out to Prince Callan that the king isn’t going to be happy when he hears the archangel prince doesn’t want to complete the matebond. That’s a problem for another time. I turn toward the door, but Prince Callan’s next question stops me.

“You controlled those fish, didn’t you?” he says as he sits up, leaning on his elbows. “When we were in the bath.”

I turn back to peer at him. “I like to think of it more as, I asked nicely and they listened.” I figure there’s no point lying, even if the guy does want to pretend we’re not fated mates.

His expression is thoughtful, but he doesn’t question me further, so I slip from the room.

Chapter

Sixteen

~ Alaric ~

Imake my way to an abandoned building down the street and slide into the darkness between the stone walls.Enchantress.That’s what I’d called the demon princess when she’d been close to me, her small form trapped beneath my body. I think about my knee pressed against her and the way her lips had parted, need flushing her face. Gods her scent had all but driven me mad as the desire to take her made me start to unravel.

I clench my hands into fists, leaning against the cool stone of the building and letting it ground me. I can’t lose control. Not now when I’m finally close to getting revenge for my brother. I’ve killedfemales before. As a member of the Drozac, when I’m given a kill order I don’t ask questions. I find my target and I end them efficiently and quietly, but this female… The moment we’d locked eyes in the ballroom, I’d known she was different. Sticking to the shadows, I’ve been observing her ever since she left the ancient theater. Even without speaking to her, it was clear she’s a temptress.Just the sight of her always made my blood pound harder. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I expected no less from the daughter of the feared demon king himself.

Look we’re going to have to figure this out. You must know I’m your mate.Her poisonous words repeat in my mind, but I purge the lie. I won’t let her get the better of me. Whatever my reaction to the female, we can’t be mates. It’s well-known that those sworn to the order of the Drozac don’t get mates. We give up that right when we chant our oaths and send our vows to Lady Fate herself. And now it’s been over a decade that I’ve waited for this moment. For this chance to make things right. Blood for blood.

I think about the shifter thief and archangel prince who have been staying close to the princess. They believe they’re her matesgoing by what I’ve picked up from their conversations, but it’s hard to know whether she’s simply enchanted them as well. Either way, an uncomfortable feeling swirls in my gut at the idea of the three of them together, and I clench my fists tighter.No, those males aren’t her mates, and neither am I. She’sjust keeping us under her spell. Maybe she isn’t even half angel but half witch.My scowl deepens at the thought. The only beings I hate more than the demons are the witches…and the leaders of the order of the Drozac.

My chest squeezes as I picture my twin brother, West’s, face. Only the elite are chosen to be members of the Drozac, the guild of assassins in Rostof, and I remember the day West was selected. The tattooed figures who’d appeared on our doorstep with the message of his selection looked like they’d walked straight from the shadow realm, but West had been ecstatic. He’d believed their propaganda and the idea that it was an honor to be among the chosen. I’d begged him not to complete the ritual. Not to sign up for the order, but he did it anyway. In the years that followed, when he’d finally seen the true heart of the order and realized his mistake, it was too late.

Despite swearing his allegiance and agreeing to disown all ties to family and friends, he defied the order in secret, meeting up with me once every year after the harvest. For one night, he’d allow himself to laugh with me like we were young again.

Until he never turned up. It took me a year to break into the highly defended assassin guild tower and find the information that detailed his demise. He’d been on a mission in Seral to kill one of the higher clan leaders. It had been a case of bad luck that King Dalton had made an unexpected appearance at the clan house right as West was about to make the killing blow. Theclan leader was saved, and my brother was murdered instead.

That night in the tower, my eyes had devoured the words on the papers, rage boiling within me as I read on, and I’d stayed longer than I knew I should. At that point I didn’t care. When they found me, I took down four assassins until one of the masters brought me to my knees.

I thought my life would end then. Iwantedit to end, but instead of executing me, they assessed the carnage in my wake and offered me something I couldn’t refuse instead.Revenge.All I had to do was take the oath to become a member of the Drozac and one day I would get my revenge on King Dalton and the demons. So for decades I trained and carried out orders without question. Because only one thing mattered, and it wasn’t the lives of the cruel nobles that I took.

When word of the demon king’s invitation spread throughout Rostof, I was the one who approached the masters with a proposal for a kill order. It wasn’t how the process was usually carried out, but I’d long-since known there were issues between the giants and demons, with the last round of negotiations going poorly. If I take out the demon princess, Seral will be thrown into chaos, and then I’ll take out King Dalton when he’s stricken with grief.

Except I hadn’t counted on the fact that the demon princess isn’t just a demon. She’s more than that, and whatever powers she wields, it’s starting to make mequestion everything I thought I knew. Even as an intense hatred makes my body sweat, I can still smell her on my skin, and her scent is like a weapon disarming me.Fuck.I shake my head as if to clear it and push off from the wall. It doesn’t matter how my body responds to her enchantments, her life is mine.

Chapter

Seventeen

~ Princess Blake ~

Nate yawns as we step into the ruined kitchen, and he adjusts the strap of the leather satchel on his shoulder. “You sure we have to leave now?” Twisting his head, he peers longingly at the stairs leading back to the furnished bunker. “Cats like their sleep, you know.”

“Well, you’re welcome to remain here,” Prince Callan suggests, looking a little too eager for Nate to take him up on the offer.

The jaguar shifter turns his attention to the prince. “And leave my queen alone with you? I might be a thief, but I’m not an idiot.”

“Now that is debatable,” Prince Callan mutters.

Shade tilts her head as she watches them.“I swearthey’ve both been extra irritable since they woke,”she comments.“You let them rest for hours, and yet, it’s like they’re children who are grumpy after waking from a nap.”

I blow out a breath, but I don’t tell her about my recent encounters with Nate and Prince Callan. Instead, I’m distracted by the large black feather I spot amidst the shards of broken pottery not far away.That’s two feathers I’ve lost.I try to tell myself it’s normal for angels, but it’s starting to feel like a bad omen.Great. Just one more thing I have to deal with.I make a point not to draw attention to it, because the last thing I need is for Shade to worry, and I start walking while Nate and Prince Callan are still arguing. They follow after me, and I’m glad when no one mentions the feather.

It’s night when we emerge from the house, and I hum as I enjoy the feel of the cool crisp air kissing my skin. It’s not quite the same as a night in Seral city, the surrounding buildings silent and abandoned, but it’s nice to have fresh air again.

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