Page 13 of Demon Queen
“It doesn’t feel very clear.”
“You are safe from him and from anyone who would hurt you as long as he can protect you.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “He’s a demon. Who knows why they do anything? But those spikes? He’s going to have trouble with those.”
“Trouble with spikes? Will they be hard to sleep on or what? Probably doorway issues. He was already too tall to get through most of them.”
He laughed a dry laugh. “They’ll draw every other demon out. They’re king spikes.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Demons don’t make sense in general, but in this case, it’s a matter of ascension. Not sure what they actually ascend to, since they’re supposed to be natural cave dwellers, but very beautifulcaves, of course. He’s got his king spikes, so other demons will naturally try to kill him. He’ll defeat them or die. If he kills all those who challenge him, he’ll have a very small kingdom, but it’s practically negligible anyway.”
“Ah. So because he got spikes, he’s going to have to fight other demons who don’t want him to be the king? So he’s really the king of demons?”
“That’s right.”
“Because he has spikes? How does that make sense?”
“Well, there hasn’t been a king for a long time. When the last king got his spikes he was already the ruler, but the spikes were an additional clincher.”
“How do you know so much about demons?”
“In Originali Daemonium. It’s a book. You can borrow it if you know Latin.”
“Oh. I have an app that can translate languages. But I won’t have time for reading old books, not when I have to run my business and work at Dorian’s fight club.”
“The Den. Yeah, that’s a peculiar bit, you wanting to work there around all those monsters, particular the little demon.”
I sighed heavily. “He’s not that little.”
“No, he’s not. Your relationship will come out eventually. I wonder what Drigo’s reaction will be. As Drigo, he’ll be a logical businessman, but as the demon king, would he claim you as his mate and keep you enslaved for the rest of your life? Some demon kings were like that. Depends on the tribe, of course.”
I took another bite of egg. “I’ll just ask him what his demon tribe was when I take over the paperwork this afternoon.”
“Good idea. Try not to react to Straldi. I know the tentacles are pretty freaky, but he’s a sensitive soul and it hurts his feelings.” He pulled up in front of my Candy Kingdom and gave me a nice smile.
I stared at him. For some reason hearing that the tentacle bearded man had delicate feelings was the clincher. I was officially not in Kansas anymore. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to be more sensitive.” I grabbed my stuff out of the back, my Marie Antoinette gear, and slowly got out of the cupcake van, looking up into the abyss of sky. Why was outside so terrifying?
“If you need a hand, give Gloria a call,” he said with a wave and then pulled out.
five
. . .
I slungmy bag over my shoulder and walked past the gorgeous displays in the front window on the way to the side alley. It was an amazing display. Almost distracted me from the yawning jaws of nothingness hanging right above my head.
“This is your shop?” Straldi asked, dropping in beside me.
I jumped and cringed away from him before I remembered his feelings. “You startled me. I don’t like being outside.” I hurried down the alley while he shadowed me. When I got to the door, my hands were shaking so hard that I dropped my keys.
He scooped them up before I got a chance and then nudged me to the side before he unlocked it and went in ahead of me, scanning the kitchen like he was looking for something suspicious. “It’s clear.”
“Yes, thanks. I need to get started on the Halloween display so it’s not quite so clear.” I sighed heavily and put my stuff on the nearest counter then went to the fridge and started getting things out to make omelets. When I was finished, I turned and handed a plate to Straldi then went past him and his tentacle beard to see what the damage was from the night before. It wasn’t terrible. Roberta had picked up the slack like a trooper.
“You don’t have to cook for me,” Straldi said, following me into the main shop. He hissed and I turned to glance at him. He was staring up at my fifteen foot Marie Antoinette statue like it was a monster. He even held his fork like a weapon.
