Page 14 of Reigning
Seconds pass, the demon with the scar is long gone, and still I stand there leaning into Rime, trying and failing to find Chaos or Kain. Really, I’m tired. Worn down to the bone, and yeah, I spend just a few extra minutes letting Rime hold me.
Then I take a breath. And trail down the endless spiral stairs after that demon.
I was caught by surprise, taken off guard by his appearance which—no fucking thanks to Linden—I could have had a little warning about. Now is different. I’ll be able to do more than breathe a choked sound of a scream when I see him.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to pass him a message while being under the very close watch of two demons and a slightly vacant shifter.
The demon’s footfalls become a distant sound, and I pick up the pace. It’s a thundering stride that isn’t nearly as ladylike as the formal dress I’m squeezed into. The noise of my steps fills the corridor when I turn down the hall and chase after him. An army of hurried steps follow after me, and I’m not entirely sure it’s just the three men back there or if a small herd of angry hell spawns have joined in on the chase.
The demon’s wide shoulders and pressed black uniform comes into view, and I extend my palm to him in the middle of the dimly lit dining room. My fingertips skim his velvet coat.
And then the door opens.
Ellise’s serene smile falls on me. Her attention shifts from the way my hand reaches out to the demon with the scar. The watchful look passes over me once more, but I’ve had the quick thinking to study my nails, lifting my hand bit higher in the poor lighting to admire the dungeon dirt under my fingernails.
Yes, that is a fascinating hand. Huh, how in our beloved Attika did that get there? Goddess save the Solstice Queen I have got to get a manicure.
Long may she reign.
And so on.
I finally lift my gaze to her, my pounding heartbeat tattling on me despite the innocent blue eyes I’m giving her.
“Dinner’s ready, my darling.” Her lips twitch, but she manages to press them into a kind, slightly manic smile.
“Great.” I nod and don’t dare glance at Split Face when he files out of the room with the other demons.
“Did you enjoy your time with Linden this afternoon?” She pulls her seat out at the head of the table, and from where she’s standing, I doubt she can hear the low humming growl that’s shaking out of Rime’s chest at the sound of her son’s name.
“Very much. He was sweet and…” I’m going to just brace myself in case Rime goes full dragon mode right now. “He reminded me why I love him.”
The chair in Rime’s hand cracks down the headrest from how hard he’s grasping the back of it. It’s a feat in itself, considering the chairs are made of solid stone. With a jarring move, he drags out the seat and sits with controlled calmness like he didn’t nearly break a seat in half seconds ago.
I carefully sit at his side, and it kills me that he keeps his focus vacantly on a spot on the far wall, never once peering over at me.
He’s in there, repressed and far off, it seems, but he’s very clearly in there.
“Did he mention any political plans?” Her hands are steady as she folds a white napkin across her lap.
A beat passes in mundaneness while the three of us fill our plates in compatible silence. It’s a scene of scripted lines and acted-out charades, and I can’t help but wonder if she realizes this as well.
“No. He just said he’d never allow anything to happen to us now that he has us back.” The lies are easier to say to her. So much easier than they ever were when I tried to lie to my shifters when we first met.
“Us?” Her pale eyebrow arches, her deep-green eyes a bit larger when she turns fully to me.
“Yes. He missed you, Ellise. He’s your son and he needs his mother.” My heart hurts a little when I glance at Rime out of the corner of my eyes. “All men need a good mother.”
Her attention drifts, and I can see her thoughts flit across her face for less than a second. Her chair shoves back, and she stands swiftly.
“Rime will see you to your cell tonight.”
My. Fucking. Cell.
Perfect. Great. Sounds lovely. Can’t wait.
“Ellise.” I look up at her with a tense brow before she makes it to the door.
Her posture stiffens, but she does pause for me.
