Page 89 of The Demon Prince

Gluttony opened his arms wide, about to ask if he could hug her. But she took the choice right out of his mouth. Instead, Katherine launched herself at him and tunneled into his embrace.

He pressed his lips together, trying desperately to keep the emotions inside of him. Curving his body around hers, he held her close to his heart. Listening to the sound of her own breathing and feeling her ribs move every time, she snuggled a little closer to him.

“You are well?” he asked again.

She nodded against his chest.

And together, they stood like that for a little while longer. Just reveling in each other, and feeling that the other was alive. That they’d waited for each other, as impossible as that sounded.

“Envy’s kingdom is beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.

“It is cold,” she whispered. “It is empty and cold.”

That was not the kingdom he remembered at all. He knew the great spires and artistry made most people lose their minds. And yet, this woman saw something he did not. As was so often with Katherine.

Holding her a little tighter, Gluttony felt his heart squeeze. “I am so sorry, Kat. I did not think that what I was doing would...”

“I know who you are, Gluttony. I know what you do. I agreed to it, did I not?” She pulled back slightly, wincing at the movement. “I know what you want from me and I have never said no to it. We were both too careless. This is not entirely on you.”

But it was. If he was not the man who desired to suck out every bit of her life, then neither of them would be in this situation. And even now, he saw the throbbing in her throat and he wanted to take from her. He wanted to feed and draw every bit of her inside of him. It was a need that he could not explain.

Instead, he swallowed hard and forced all that desire down.

“Come,” he said, cupping the back of her head and tipping her back to look at him. “You must be exhausted.”

“I have been sleeping for many days while your brother tutted over me like a mother hen.” She smiled, but he could see how tired she still was. “I have rested for more than I wish to rest.”

“And yet, I have already prepared something for you.”

“What?” She looked up at him with those wide eyes and he knew he had done something right for once.

After all the time without her, he had known there were some things that he had to change. First, the castle needed to be fixed. He’d gone into town himself and chosen a few people who were returning from work. They were tired and haggard, and they were the desperate ones. Exactly what he needed, considering the town had not been all that receptive for his return.

He’d offered them a lot of money. Enough to get them across the light bridge and to another kingdom if they wished. And he offered them food and water while they cleaned his castle from top to bottom. So they had. They had spent hours upon hours slaving away while he worked in his lab, the only place he’d told them not to touch, and in the week that she’d been gone, everything was fixed.

He hardly recognized the place when he walked through it. They’d done a remarkable job, and he’d told them so himself. Then gave them more money than he’d promised and sent them on their way.

It was worth it to see the expression on Katherine’s face. They walked through well lit halls, on plush carpets that had been taken out and washed. Tapestries that he hadn’t seen for years now gleamed, so bright and lovely he’d forgotten that some of the threads had been imbued with magic to make them look like there were gemstones encrusted in each one.

It was gluttonous to have such luxuries in a castle that no one saw, but he had forgotten that he enjoyed being a glutton over more than just people.

“Is this the same castle?” she asked, laughing as she spun in a circle. “Is this really the same place?”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“Oh, I do.” She turned to him with her hands pressed against her chest. “I’m so glad you aren’t living in the past anymore, Gluttony. This place was keeping you in old memories. And look now! You can move on.”

If only.

For now, all he wanted was to show her the room he had readied for her. Holding out his hand, he drew her into a side room that was filled to the brim with candles. They flickered merrily as he wandered and lit each one so that she could see it. Her head tilted to the side as she looked over the bed in the center of the room.

“A little small, don’t you think?”

Ah, his fiery woman was back. He arched a brow in response. “Are you so eager to risk your life again? Perhaps you have forgotten what happened the last time we indulged ourselves.”

And he swore her eyes flashed with passion. “I have not forgotten a single detail about that morning,” she replied. “I know exactly what you feel like now, demon. And you will not frighten me away with a single episode where the two of us forgot that I am mortal and you are not.”

He would not forget it either, but now was not the time for that conversation. Instead, he gestured for her to get up on the bed. “Come, now. I have been researching.”

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