Page 27 of The Demon King's Unruly Mate

I knew he was thinking of Rava. The way his sister had fled rather than be bound to Javed. How close she’d come to a life of misery, or worse.

“How would you balance the old agreements with new thinking?” I asked. “Some of these contracts were made generations ago, specifically to prevent more bloodshed.”

“I don’t know.” Kaz ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. “But I wanted to whisk Rava away the moment I learned what Javed was, and I couldn’t. As a people, we need to do better.”

I couldn’t disagree with him, though the political implications would be messy. Tradition and duty had their place, but so did choice. My own feelings on the matter were... complicated.

I’d spent my life preparing for a political match, knowing it was expected of me. But I’d also harbored secret fantasies of finding someone who wanted me for myself, not for my bloodline or position.

Like Kaz?

I pushed the thought away and fell back on familiar territory.

“And ifyoustray from your idealism,” I teased, arching an overly chilly eyebrow, “I suppose I could always start a coup against you to install my favorite son. I’d gather all the ladies of the court to my cause.”

“Or favorite daughter?” Kaz leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. “I don’t think you should wait for our hypothetical children. I’d love to take you over my knee and thwart your plans with one slap of your perfect ass at a time.”

I wiggled said ass, enjoying the way his eyes darkened. Better that than admit the stomach flipping feelings at his apparent openness to a female heir. “You think my ass is perfect?”

He reached down and grabbed a handful, his fingers digging into my flesh with just the right pressure. “It was made to be bitten.”

Heat spread slowly through my limbs as he turned his head, eyes dark with hunger. I arched toward him, body already anticipating the delicious pleasure of his hands, his tongue, his cock.

But before we could indulge ourselves, a sharp knock sounded at the door.

We froze, staring at each other. I placed a finger over my lips, hoping whoever it was would go away if we ignored them.

The second round of knocking was more insistent, accompanied by Griffin’s urgent voice. “Princess! I need to speak with you immediately.”

Something in his tone made my blood run cold. Griffin never sounded panicked. His calm composure was what made him such an effective bodyguard. For him to sound so out-of-sorts now...

“Emil has made his move,” Griffin called through the door.

I was out of bed in an instant, wrapping the sheet around me as I rushed to unlock the door. Griffin stood in the hallway with singed clothes and a nasty cut marring his left cheek. His eyes flicked briefly to Kaz, who had pulled on his pants and stood just behind me, but there was no judgment in his gaze.

Only urgency.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“I received your emergency code from the palace. I went immediately, but...” Griffin hesitated, and my stomach dropped. “The king is dead, Princess. Emil has seized the throne.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

KAZ

The conference room in our new Silvermist base felt too small, too hot, too real.

Malak, Zane, and Rava sat opposite us on one side of the table. Malak’s face remained blank and unreadable, Zane’s twisted with barely contained rage, and Rava’s eyes narrowed with sharp suspicion. Griffin stood behind Talia’s chair, hands clasped behind his back despite the angry burn on his cheek that still needed treatment. Talia herself sat beside me, her spine straight, hands folded neatly on the table.

Emil has seized the throne.

“Start from the beginning,” I said to Griffin.

He nodded. “I received the Princess’s emergency code from the palace approximately four hours ago. I teleported directly there, but was intercepted before even leaving the hall by Emil’s personal guard.”

“So, they were waiting for you,” Malak said, leaning forward slightly.

Griffin nodded grimly. “They captured me and took me to the cells. I overheard the guards talking about Emil taking controland King Adron being dead. They planned to use me to track Princess Talia.”

---