Page 6 of Deranged Demons

Heat floods my cheeks as I go on to read that the ball will be held at the palace in a week’s time.

“Please tell me this is a joke,” I blurt, but seeing asit’s stamped with the official royal seal of King Dalton, I’m guessing it isn’t.

“Invitations will be sent around Seral tomorrow, but scrolls have already been sent to Rostof, Kanzepes, Norso, and Toralyn,” Dad replies mischievously, shattering any hope I have, and proving that he is as delusional as the invitation makes him out to be.

I think of Rostof the realm of the giants, Kanzepes the realm of the beast shifters, Norso the land of the water monsters, and Toralyn the realm of the angels, and I gape. “You’re inviting everyone, including the giants? I’m pretty sure the alphas from that realm would rather see me dead than bond with me! Not to mention, the demons won’t accept outsiders as their kings!”

“Show enough strength, and they’ll come around. A union across realms might be just what we need.”

“I always knew your father was sly, maybe this is a good thing?”Shade comments.

I shake my head, still in denial. “You can’t think this is going to work?”

“Your mates are out there, daughter, and this might just be the way to find them. Considering your power now, once you’ve bonded you’ll have the power to keep the throne of Seral, and I can die knowing I won’t be leaving you alone.”

There it is again. That aching pain in my chest. “And you’re telling everyone that you’re retiring?”

“I can’t very well tell them the truth,” he replies, “but more may come now that they know you’ll be taking the throne in a matter of months.”

Ah, right.Because he figured they needed the extra incentive. After I’d won the last tournament, the demons in Seral respected me more, and in the weeks that followed a few would visit the palace, wanting to check whether they might be my fated. That is, until one of them ended up dead. He wasn’t my bonded, but he was charismatic, and I was glad for the company. Well, I was until my vagina killed him. Or at least, I’m guessing it did. I’m not even sure what happened. One moment we were at it, and I was forgetting about life, and the next he looked like he was gasping for air until he died. Suitors stopped visiting the palace after that, and my reputation grew darker as rumor spread that I’d killed the demon for being terrible in bed. I’m pretty convinced that Lady Fate must hate me, and I’m destined to live alone.

“And your mates will need to be powerful to match you, so it’s likely that they’re alphas of their kind,” Dad goes on.

I bite my lip. ‘Alpha’ is a word from the common tongue, used to describe the most powerful in each realm. For demons, this includes clan leaders, royalty, and any demons who have a strong gift. For some of the other realms, being an alpha is more biological. They’re physically the strongest and largest.

“Not to mention three mates is the most common number of fated mates for a powerful female, so Iimagine you’ll have three or maybe even four,” he continues to explain himself.

I think about my mother. She only had the one mate,Dad, because they both evenly matched each other. It’s possible the same could happen to me, though occurrences like that are rare.

“I know you think you’re doing what’s best for me, but you need to call it off,” I say, bringing my thoughts back to the events that happened earlier on in the day. “There’s something going on in the city. The traitor I just interrogated was only a minor player in whatever is happening with the witches, and he had a weapon that turned his body to ash.” My nostrils flare at the memory, like I can still smell the charcoal scent coming from Trey’s horns. “We need to be focused on finding out what’s going on, not organizing royal balls and inviting outsiders into our realm.”

Dad doesn’t look concerned. “It’s one night, daughter, and finding your mates and unlocking your power will only help our situation. Until then, you have my blessing to do whatever you can to search out these traitors.”

Chapter

Three

~ Princess Blake ~

The next week passes quickly, and I’m no closer to finding out about the witches’ plans. When General Josek returned from the Fallon Blade clan house, he reported that it was empty, the rooms gutted and trashed, and even my crows can’t find any sign of the clan members in the city. It’s now the night before the ball, and the thought that I’ll have to attend a lavish party to find my mates while we’re still trying to figure this out has me feeling more irritable than usual.

I’m headed to the dining hall when an image pops into my head, a message from one of my crows spying in the city. While I can mentally speak to all of the crows in Seral, none of them are as conversational asShade, and most of them prefer sending me images when we communicate. I hope the crow has found one of the Fallon Blade clan members, but I’m surprised when I recognize the image of the front of the Coilan clan housewith its massive palm trees and sprawling mansion that’s built four stories high.The first picture is followed by another more graphic one, glimpsed through one of the mansion windows, and I mentally share the image with Shade who’s perched on my shoulder.

“Great. That’s just what we need,”I grumble.

“Well, I have to give it to him. He does like to stay busy,”she comments, her voice on the verge of laughter.

“It’s only been three weeks since his last victim,”I reply dryly.

“Maybe it’s not what it looks like?”

Sighing, I turn around, heading away from the scent of roasted meat and caramelized vegetables.“Something tells me it’s exactly what it looks like.”

It’s not long before I land inside the high brick walls of the Coilan clan estate, and I crack my neck as I fold my wings behind my back. Trees bursting with apricots line the stone path on either side of me, and the floral scent of jasmine mixes with the fruity scent. I breathe in the night air, my chest loosening. I’ve always loved apricots, often asking the palace chefs to include thestone fruit in their cooking. Stealing a handful from the trees when I leave is the only good part of visiting the Coilan clan house.Later,I mentally tell the apricots like I’m agreeing to a date.

Shade settles onto my shoulder, tucking her wings in tight.“Do you think she’s still here?”

I cock my head, listening.“Going by those faint moans, I’m going to say ‘yes.’”

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