Page 98 of The Demon King's Destiny

Chapter 25

“You’re staring,” Marrok accused his friend, whose eyes scarcely left Evelyn’s head of hair. They were seated at the oval table in his study, finishing dinner.

“So I am,” Danil replied snippily. “You’ll forgive me, but it’s not everyday I get to see a being with hair that’s not black as night.”

Evelyn cocked her head at the white-haired male. “Do you not ever look in the mirror, then?”

Danil howled in delight. “Not if I can help it, my lady. I’m the only one in the King’s guard with this coloring. Everyone around is covered in the color of midnight, including the King. Biased he is towards particular colorings.”

Marrok smirked, tugging on the tail of Evelyn’s braid. “Guilty. Though, I must confess my preference is for red.”

Evelyn pressed her lips over her teeth, trying not to blush.

“Very smooth, Sire,” Favin chimed in and Evelyn snickered.

“I thought so, too,” Marrok shot back, causing the men to laugh, as well.

She was enjoying watching how Marrok interacted with Favin and Danil. She’d never expected them to rib one another so. They acted more like brothers than king and guard. She was glad Marrok had them.

He’d lost so much in his life he deserved to feel like he still had family. Everyone needed connections like these.

Marrok had told her there were two other males in their close group, Petr and Lazlo. Petr had found his saatus and was stationed in her town, a boon Marrok granted to ensure his friend had time with his female.

He’d left Lazlo at the fortress in his stead. He’d sent a messenger and hoped to hear back that all was well. He worried about the security of the peninsula and if Lazlo could handle it on his own.

A knock on the door turned her head.

“Enter,” Marrok called.

The door to the study opened and a kitchen maid with short dark hair came inside, pushing a trolley. She made quick work of clearing away the plates. The men grew somber and no one spoke.

Evelyn thanked her but the girl didn’t reply. She started to ask the girl her name and Marrok’s warm hand touched hers, patting it firmly. She looked up and he gave a subtle shake of his head.

When the girl left with her load, Evelyn turned to Marrok. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,moj draga. That wasn’t about you. That was Yana,” he said, as if it explained everything.

Evelyn waited, looking to each male for further information. It was Danil who clarified.

“We found her two years ago. Rogues had taken her and her sister from their village.”

Her eyes flitted to the closed door, picturing the girl. She couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen years old.

“Her sister?” She didn’t clarify. They all knew exactly what she was asking.

Danil shook his head. “We were too late. There was no saving her. Yana was close to death herself. We were able to kill her captors, to remove her from the cave where they’d held them for over a week. She hasn’t spoken of it. She hasn’t uttered a single word since we removed her from that hell, as far as we know.”

“Why didn’t you return her to her village? To her parents?”

“Because, little mate, there wasn’t a village to return to. It was a small farming community, no more than forty demons living there. The rogues slaughtered them all. Yana and her sister were the only younglings. We assume that’s why they took them, to feed off their terror.”

Evelyn’s fingers itched. Her magics wanted out, to protect those around her from the enemy. The bottles of liquor in the corner clanked together.

“Easy,” Marrok soothed, lifting her hand and kissing her palm. “Two years have passed. The ones responsible were unsalvageable and have paid for it with their lives. There’s nothing to be done to them now.”

“We have to stop it. All of it. The rogues. The brotherhood.”

“Brotherhood? So it’s confirmed, then?” Danil asked.

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