Page 19 of The Demon Crown

She was braver than this, she reminded herself. And so she stepped through the stones.

Out onto the sand beyond.

The sun warmed her chilled skin, and she pulled on her jacket and drew up the hood. Her mask was attached to the interior of it, so that was easy to pull up and cover her mouth. The wind had already kicked up, sending sand swirling around their feet and soon enough into their faces.

“You see?” Greed said, holding his hands at his sides. “Innocent and easy. No magic.”

“Good enough.” The mask muffled her voice. “Are you ready, or do I have to carry you?”

“You couldn’t...” He paused, then looked her over. “Actually, maybe you could. And I’m almost ready. There’s just one last thing.”

She rolled her eyes. What else could this ridiculously frustrating man have to do?

He stepped closer and gently took hold of the edges of her mask. Carefully, ever so carefully, he moved the mask around and tucked the loose strands of her hair more comfortably behind it. He took his time, making sure there wasn’t a single thread of gold revealed before he ghosted his fingers over the peaks of her cheekbones.

“You’re blushing,” he murmured.

“No, I’m not.”

Greed frowned, his brows drawing down in that expression she’d come to recognize so well. “No, you aren’t. That is rather strange, don’t you think?”

“Not really,” she muttered as she tucked the map into her waistband again. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

But as she stalked off into the sands, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d fled his touch. It made her a little too warm, a little too comfortable, and... a little too close to blushing.

ChapterSeven

He barely made it to the castle on his own two feet, and Greed felt rage simmering the harder it got. He was a god, damn it, a demon king! He should be able to walk across the sands for a few hours.

Instead, he was the slow one. He made the mortal stop more times than he could count, so he could catch his breath. She was quiet about it at least, but her pinched expression and unimpressed gaze rankled.

He wanted to keep moving. It wasn’t like he was trying to stall getting back to his home, where he could gather up all the energy he needed from the countless greedy subjects who lived there. All that energy would transfer into power and he would be back to himself in no time.

Back to the man who could sweep her over his shoulder and then show her what she’d been missing by ending that kiss. The memory still burned through him, giving him all the fight that he needed so he could keep trudging through the never-ending dunes.

“We should stop again,” she said, her eyes skating over his body before looking up at the moon. “And maybe try to make a fire.”

“With that?” He gestured around them. “There’s nothing here but sand and dust, treasure.”

She rolled her eyes at his antics. “Why are you calling me that now? I almost prefer thief.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“I said a lot of things last night that I shouldn’t have.” Her eyes were cutting and barbed like a cactus as she glared at him over the mouth of her mask.

He’d thought it was a silly addition to her outfit. What need did she have to wear a mask? They were out in the desert without another person around them for miles. Who was going to see her face?

But then sand blasted him in the face as the wind picked up. And again. And again. So many times that even his cheeks had reddened as his natural healing abilities failed him. Like the magic inside him was tired of healing the same damned abrasions over and over again.

It was a rare moment for him to hate the kingdom that he’d taken. Greed enjoyed this place, and he’d spent most of his days watching as the greenery had faded into the desert, as the relentless sun killed anything that tried to live. He admired the people who were still here for their hardiness and stalwart desire to stay alive no matter the costs.

But right now? Right now, he hated this kingdom with every fiber of his being.

“We’re not stopping,” he grumbled. “We’ll reach the castle soon enough.”

And not quickly enough for his liking. But he knew it was just over two more ridges. That’s all it would take.

Greed staggered, falling to one knee in the sands before hauling himself back upright. He could keep going. He would. Nothing would stop him from getting home and having a warm cup of mead in one hand, and the tiny waist of his woman in the other. They’d fall back on the furs together, bellies finally full and alcohol warming their blood. She’d trail her hand down his chest, her palm soon meeting—

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