Page 20 of The Demon Crown

Said woman wedged her shoulder underneath his and gave him something solid to lean against. Teeth grinding, the muscles of her jaw flexing, she started them forward at a much quicker pace.

“Why didn’t you say the castle was right here?” she grumbled.

“Because you should have been able to see it.”

He could. The glittering lights of his home had been in the distance for some time now. But perhaps her mortal eyes could not see as far as his. Or maybe she just didn’t see as well in the dark.

Ah, that was it. She wrinkled her nose and looked up at him, her eyes tracking his in the moonlight. “Your pupils are so wide I cannot see any color.”

“The benefits of being a demon, I suppose.” Greed wanted to admit the whole truth. He wanted to let it spew out of his lips so she would be the only person who understood that he wasn’t really a demon at all.

He was a spirit. A wispy creature of emotion and light that fed off humans, and somehow had taken flesh with his brothers. He’d been given a chance at power and he’d taken it over and over again until he had finally been awarded this form. This kingdom. And everything that lived within it.

Greed squeezed her tighter against him. That included her. She was also in his kingdom and he had been gifted her as sure as if she’d been wrapped in a bow. And now he would keep her.

Even she was breathing hard as they crested the first hill. And he felt her sharp gasp as she caught sight of his home. The oasis he’d built it in was massive, larger than any other in the kingdom. His home stretched even higher above it, with tall spires and bulbous circles at the peaks where he fit so many of his favorite rooms. The castle looked for all intents and purposes like it had grown out of the sand itself. It glowed bright golden in the sunlight, and even at night was an impressive building.

The grounds flooded out from the castle like a jungle. The tall trees and endless water sources were all sprawled around his home as if the castle itself fed them. Usually he could hear the bright sound of many-colored birds that flew over the treetops, but they were all silent now in sleep.

Somewhere in all that green were the stables that held his most prized possessions. The nuckelavee were stolen from Gluttony’s empire, but they bred very well in his kingdom. Many feared the skeletal horses, their hide stretched over their bones like leather. But if treated right, they were the fastest mounts in all the kingdoms.

A huffed breath from his companion interrupted his thoughts. She shifted him higher, wedging herself more firmly beneath him before asking, “So what do you miss most about all that... that.”

She repeated the last word like it explained her thoughts about his home. How could she not see the beauty in it? He’d been nomadic, like many of his people, for years before casting aside his warlord mantle to live here.

“Bathing,” he muttered. “With warm water rather than icy runoff, that would flay the skin off anyone else who tried to linger there.”

She snorted. “Bathing? Of all the luxuries you have in that castle, the warm water is what you miss most? Even I have that in my home. That’s very little to be proud of.”

“Ah, you mistake me. You asked what I missed most, not what I’m most proud of.” He could almost feel the heat in his eyes flashing at the thought of his collection. “I have items in that castle that would make you gasp in awe, treasure. Soon you’ll see them all.”

And he would have her wear them. Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, all dripping from her form as she wore nothing else. He’d dress her in the finest of silks if he wanted her clothed. But he didn’t. He thought she’d be better bare for a while yet.

After all, he enjoyed looking at his collection with nothing standing in his way. For the first few weeks, she’d have to endure. And then he would let her dress as she wished. Even if that meant putting this horrible leather armor back on.

“What’s gotten you all riled up?” she muttered as they crested the last dune.

“Thoughts and dreams.” Greed paused at the peak, breathing hard and knowing that they were about to walk into a hornet’s nest. “Listen, the guards can be a little much with new people. I need you to stay close to my side while I deal with them.”

“I’m not going to do that,” she said with a snort. “I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. But this is my castle and my rules.” He turned, keeping his arm around her shoulders so she was drawn in tight against him. Greed skated his fingers down her ribs and, oh, he enjoyed the little shiver that traveled down her spine. “I think you’re going to enjoy those rules, though. There’s a heat in you that you haven’t fully explored yet, treasure, and we’ll both enjoy figuring out what it is that you desire.”

She was so distracted by his mildly unwelcome touch and the heat that flared in her body that Greed stole the map back without her noticing. She didn’t sway in his arms as he had hoped, obviously under his spell. But of course she didn’t. His little thief kept her spine straight and her hands braced against his chest. Holding him away from her, or trying, at the very least.

But he’d gotten his powers back enough to be more formidable than her. Tucking the map into the waistband of his pants, ensuring it was flat against his skin and hidden from her eyes, he turned them back toward their new home.

“Come,” he murmured. “You are going to love this place. I’m certain of it.”

What woman wouldn’t? She’d see every beautiful inch of his home, fall under its spell, and then she would never want to leave. Why would she return to whatever squalor she lived in? This place was so much better and had so much more to offer her than anywhere else.

The thief marched him all the way to the front door of his castle, her arm around his waist and her breathing ragged. He worried perhaps the amount of armed guards would frighten her as they waited on the other side of that door.

Greed turned, something twisting in his chest that felt suspiciously like he cared that she might be afraid. He cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “You are with me, and that means you are safe. Yes?”

A shadow flickered in her gaze. “Of course. I know.”

And, oh, how he relished that feeling. She trusted him. She’d put her life in his hands by saying that, knowing that he would keep her safe. That felt... good? Better than good. It felt like he was feeding off her trust in the same way that he fed off her greed.

---