Page 23 of Demon Queen
“Oh, I think under the circumstances that was exactly the right way to deal with that tense situation. Like right now, the right thing to do would be to eat your fill, put up your feet, and enjoy a nap.”
“While he’s dealing with the Nasatch? What does that look like?”
He blinked at me slowly. “That depends if they attack him together or schedule official fights in the cage.”
I headed for the stairs.
“Wait, aren’t you going to finish your snacks?”
Seriously, I was in my thirties, not a toddler who needed snacks and nap time. “I’m going to go wash dishes. That’s the job he mentioned. Surely there are filthy glasses behind the bar. If not, I’ll dirty them.” Getting drunk in a demon club sounded like the stupidest thing in the world, but anything in a demon club was beyond idiotic.
He sighed heavily and followed me up the stairs. “I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you performing your duty with so much determination.”
I shot him a look and tripped on the stairs. Right. I needed to focus on where I was going. I wasn’t naturally clumsy. I could prove that I was competent, although having to prove that was ridiculous. This was my opportunity to see him in his natural element, with other demons, so I could understand him and this whole messy situation I’d managed to step into. If Dorian or any other demon thought that he could lock me up, he was delusional. I locked myself up, thank you very much.
eight
. . .
Nasatch were blue,dark or light, but all very blue. They were also long and thin, like strands of spaghetti with big eyes and noses. Over the blue skin were complicated purple markings. The three turned to look at me like they could hear me thinking about them. Nostrils sniffed in those narrow faces and then they were blocked by Dorian. He could block all three of them easily with his broad shoulders.
“Candy, what are you doing?” he growled, eyes flickering a warning.
The three Nasatch writhed and poked heads around him while they grinned and sniffed in a very inhuman way. “It’s the Drigo-mate,” they hissed like delighted puppies. I stared at them while Straldi sighed behind me.
“Well, boss,” the tentacle bearded guy said, stepping to my side and slightly in front of me almost like he was another line of defense in the unlikely case the Nasatch got past Dorian. “Shouldn’t you move to the cage? Keep things confined?”
“No, no!” the brightest Nasatch said in a voice like crackling cellophane. “We’re here to swear our lives to the new demon king. Hail the new demon king!” “Hail the demon King!” “HailDrigo-King!” After that their cries were unintelligible as they blended into variations on a theme.
Dorian grabbed two necks with one hand and slammed them down on a table. Dang. That table was really sturdy. Also, so much sudden violence made me flinch. “You do not challenge me?” His voice, his fangs, all of it screamed demon king who only an idiot would challenge. These guys were apparently not idiots.
The palest Nasatch who hadn’t gotten slammed laughed, low and scratchy. “Why would we challenge Drigo-king? You save all the baby demons from the green mold. The Queen keep our kind as pets, but you freed them all. Clever Drigo, always the cunning one, but now you are strong. You will defeat the green mold and return us to our home.”
“All the baby demons?” I whispered, not really to them, but they all looked at me like I’d shouted, particularly Dorian.
The pale Nasatch nodded eagerly. “Drigo is strong protector of demon-kind. He will protect you well until you die.”
Mm hm. Dorian definitely protected my heart when he shattered it intentionally to get rid of me.
Dorian rolled his neck and then dropped the Nasatch and came towards me, frowning while he clenched his jaw. “Did you need something?”
I crossed my arms and raised my chin, trying to not look like a tiny human he could throw around even easier than he’d handled the Nasatch. He was so scary. And those cheekbones could literally cut. “I’m looking for dishes to do.”
His eyes narrowed, voice a low murmur. “That’s very…domestic of you.”
Back in the day, he’d always done the dishes before I got the chance, probably because I tended to break them. I narrowed my eyes at him. “That was a long time ago. I’m working off my debt whether you want me to or not.”
“If that’s what you want to call it, I have no objections.” He moved closer until I was forced to give up my ground or touch him.
The baby demon casually flicked his tail in my periphery, and Dorian’s hand came out, catching the whip without taking his eyes off my face. “What did you want, Mixl?”
“I just happened to hear that Regis is on his way.”
Dorian turned to look at the smaller demon. “You know Regis?”
“No, I don’t know, but the other Nasatch were talking about it before you came up.” Mixl bared his teeth in a smile and tugged on his tail. “He’s supposed to be a crazy old demon, right? Maybe should take your pretty little human somewhere she won’t get eaten.” Mixl wiggled his brows like that sounded fun.
Dorian wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards the entrance.
