Page 69 of The Demon King's Destiny

“I assume you don’t want me to write that last part?” Flynn jibed.

“Just send the damn message.”

Flynn laughed again and Evelyn tiptoed away.

* * *

“How many this month?” Marrok asked, pen and paper in hand to add to the tallies.

“Five, Sire.”

He set down his pen. “Only five?”

“Yes.”

“Any new saatus discoveries?”

“Yes.”

Marrok stared at Favin, waiting for him to elaborate. “Well, then? How many?” he prodded, only slightly exasperated.

“Fifty-seven.”

“Come again?”

“He said, ‘fifty-seven!’” Danil shouted from the corner where he was currently helping himself to Marrok’s favorite whiskey. “Surely you’re not so old as to already be losing your hearing?”

Favin snorted.

“You,” Marrok pointed at hisstocky,white-haired friend, mildly annoyed the male was pilfering his best spirits, “knock it off. You know demons don’t lose their hearing. Not from age, anyway.”

Danil lifted his glass. Favin laughed outright this time. Marrok couldn’t help but give in to a smile. Things were going well. Better than well. Great. So great, it was difficult to trust it.

Marrok knew the number of new rogues had been in steady decline these past months, heading to ever smaller sums. He hadn’t known there’d been a dramatic increase in newfound mates.

Fifty-seven was more than all the previous months combined. It meant one hundred fourteen demons had been paired with their destined mates. It hardly made a dent in the rogue population, but it was nothing to scoff at.

Marrok quickly entered the new tallies and closed the ledger. “It seems our plan is working, gentlemen.”

“Indeed, Sire.”

“Favin, it’s just us. You can stop with the formalities.”

“Sorry. Habit.”

“Anything else before I turn in for the night?”

Tonight was his night with Evelyn. He hadn’t seen her in a week. Though they could meet more often now, he still refused to dreamwalk every night. He visited a different station each week to check in, and he never risked a deep sleep while on the road. Once a week was manageable.

“This arrived just before your return this evening.”

Favin handed Marrok the missive. The dark green wax seal marked it as King Edward’s. It took Marrok a second to reach for it.

He’d approached the elemental three times now. The first time, Marrok was very direct, offering an alliance in exchanged for Evelyn’s hand. “Regretfully, I am not entertaining any marriage offers at this time for any of my children” was his short reply. Marrok had thrown it in the fireplace.

The second reply was plainly insulting to Evelyn. Marrok suspected Edward’s negative view of his daughter’s maturity was just a ruse to get Marrok to back off.

With the third letter, the last one he told himself he’d send before riding to Gwydion, he’d been honest—mostly. He’d confessed to Edward that he’d had dreams of Evelyn and suspected she could potentially be his saatus.

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