Page 51 of The Demon Prince

Her heart broke for the man she had seen so many times, and the monster reflected in his eyes. Maybe that was why she stayed. Less because she wanted to be a martyr, and more because she’d been so tired of it all.

Katherine had really expected to stomp up here, tell him to go shove it, and then likely die for it. But what kind of life had she lived before this? What adventure had ever come into her world?

Reaching out, she cupped his jaw in her hand and felt him stiffen, freeze, and then slowly turn into her touch. “You have a bigger heart than I expected, Gluttony.”

“Ah, but you have seen the monster as well.” He ghosted his lips over her palm and then stood. “You, more than anyone else, are aware of what I am, Kat.”

And as he walked out of her room, his shoulders curved in and with the bandages clutched in his fists, she whispered, “I’m not so sure I know who you are at all, Gluttony.”

ChapterNineteen

Gluttony kept himself away from her after that. He refused to be the person who used her, nor did he have any desire to feed off her again for a while.

Which, in itself, was strange. He’d never felt the hunger ease. Not once. There was always some lingering darkness that bubbled up inside him, whispering that he needed more blood. Needed to feed.

The only time that had even remotely quieted down was after... Well, Larissa. And he didn’t think about her because it was a terrible thing in his past and Gluttony was trying very hard to not believe he was a monster. Right now, he just wanted to be a man. For Katherine.

Kat.

A soft smile crossed his face even as he peered down at the substance that had thus far bested him. Just the thought of her made him feel a little better. He could sense the blush that burned in his cheeks, and when was the last time he’d blushed? He hadn’t ever felt like he could do so, physically that was. And now, he blushed all the time.

It had nearly been a week since he’d fed from her, and he still felt more like a person than he had in years.

Lifting a beaker, he gave it a swirl while watching the smoke slowly turn white. It was a start. Not a fix, per say, but a start toward figuring out what it was.

She had given him not only a few wonderful days of freedom from his own vices, but she’d given him the space to actually work on this. And she’d cleaned his lab from top to bottom, making everything so much easier to find and access. Truly, she was a gift.

And he was the monster who had to keep her. But he would make sure she lived the best life she could.

If he got stuck thinking about her smile or the way she tilted her neck just so, then that was all right. He’d gotten somewhere already with his alchemical investigation, and that was enough, wasn’t it?

Until his door busted open so hard he heard the beakers rattle.

“What are you doing?” he scolded, spinning on his chair and whipping off his glasses in anger. “You know better than to... to...”

Ah, shit.

It wasn’t his lovely Katherine with all her wild hair and sparking green eyes. Instead, he had another monster now inside his castle, which he had most certainly not agreed to.

His brother was far more massive than the illusion let on. Envy stood a full head taller than him, broad and wide across the chest, with thick tree trunk legs. He might even be larger than Greed, now that he was taking up all the space in the laboratory. His full head of wavy dark hair was cropped short, unlike Gluttony’s very long locks, and there was the faint shadow of a beard that suggested Envy hadn’t shaved this morning. Unusual for him. He usually was more aware of his looks.

Envy stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a critical look in his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. “This looks different from how it used to.”

“Yes, it does. It’s clean.” Gluttony placed his glasses on the table so he didn’t break them when he clenched his fists. “What are you doing here?”

“The brothers and I have decided you need a babysitter. You aren’t working hard enough or fast enough, Gluttony. We’re concerned about this new weapon, and so far, you’ve been unimpressive.” He grinned, sharp toothed and a little too aggressive for Gluttony’s liking. “If I don’t find something I like, then I will take this project from you.”

As if Gluttony would ever let him. This was his chance to be something more than what he already was, and Gluttony refused to let it slip through his fingers because Envy didn’t know how to leave things alone.

“Everything is going well. It’s been fighting me a bit, but I’ve already made progress.”

“Have you?” Envy leaned in, trying to peer over Gluttony’s shoulder. “I don’t see any progress. I just see a mess of beakers.”

“Magic won’t fix this.”

“So you say.” Envy lifted his hand and a green flame burst to life around his fingers. A new trick, but Gluttony remembered parlor magic when he saw it. “Perhaps you should admit your defeat, brother. There are many others who know how to manage alchemical solutions.”

“You?” He snorted. “You know nothing beyond magic. Everything has been given to you, Envy, or you took it when you wanted it. Of all our brothers, you are the least likely to figure out this puzzle.”

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