Page 115 of The Demon Prince

ChapterForty-Two

Gluttony awoke many mornings later with a pit in his stomach and a sense that something terrible was going to happen. It wasn’t a sensation he got often, and one he had learned long ago to pay attention to.

Such an unfortunate feeling when he woke with Katherine in his arms. Yet again. His beauty had never once disappointed him in the morning, because she knew how much he enjoyed waking with her cuddled in his arms. Sometimes, he even woke with her reading a book on her side while he’d wrapped himself around her in his sleep.

He’d counted his blessings for too many days. Round and round the world went, bringing them closer and closer to the next moment that would test their happiness. And he was no fool. He knew there would be another moment.

Lying there with a naked goddess draped across his chest, he knew today was that day.

Gluttony carefully slipped out from underneath her, arranging her body so she would be comfortable in his absence. This was something he had to pursue on his own. A feeling he had to chase, even if it felt like the world was ending while he did it. But it was not something she could help with him, and he knew better than to involve the innocent.

Getting dressed felt like he was preparing to meet his end. And maybe he was. Maybe he was the sad soul who walked toward the end of his life after only just been given a blessing of a woman.

He followed the feeling through the halls as if he were stuck in a dream. But it wasn’t a dream when a portal appeared at the end of the hall and his brother stepped through it.

Envy.

Though usually put together well enough, this time his green-eyed brother was disheveled. His hair stuck up in all directions, his shirt was on backward, and he was breathing hard. As though he’d cast a spell too quickly and drained more of his energy than he should have.

“Gluttony,” Envy wheezed. “You’re still here. Good, that’s... good.”

“What happened?”

His brother stared at him, hesitating as though what he was about to say was too terrible for him to even voice. “I heard... A rumor.”

“About?”

“Your kingdom. There are people here who wish to start an uprising and they have... Well, it sounds like they’ve gotten a pretty good foothold. The spies I’d sent out said it sounded like they were going to attack the castle very soon and I wanted to make sure that it didn’t happen today. I wanted to...” Envy blew out a long breath and ran his hands through his spiky hair again. “You know why I’m here.”

Of course he did.

The brothers didn’t get involved in other kingdom’s affairs. Envy wasn’t here to cause trouble for Gluttony or to help him fight. The only reason that Gluttony himself had helped Greed was because he had been forced to be there through it, and he’d wanted to feed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have helped. It was against the code they had created long ago.

Unfortunately, there were other people involved in his life now. There were more people who needed to be looked after.

Namely, one.

“You’re here for her,” he breathed. “Of course. Thank you, brother. Keep her safe until all this unfolds. If something should happen permanently to me...”

“I will keep her safe.”

“Thank you.”

Gluttony would make sure that she was set up well. She could have everything that he owned and more. He’d give her the kingdom if he thought she might want it, but after everything that was going to happen soon... Well, she might not want to be here for a few lifetimes, at least. But then she could come back.

That’s what he would do. He would pledge his kingdom to her, but only after all of this had boiled over. Envy would be sure to see it happen. If anything happened to Gluttony, he thought Katherine might fight tooth and nail to free him. Eventually, at least.

For now, there might be centuries of pain waiting for him.

He couldn’t fight his people. He knew that. There were people here who had instigated the attack, and those people he would kill for what they had done to his home. But the people who fought with them?

They were right.

That’s what stung the worst. They’d been his people for centuries now, and they knew that he deserved to be punished.

Perhaps he was no longer a monster, but he had been one for a very long time. He had been the creature who plagued and tormented them for years upon years. He was the one who had haunted their nightmares and the creature who had devoured his people whole. And before that, he had drained them dry. He had eaten and consumed until there was nothing left.

Perhaps he deserved this. But Katherine did not.

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