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Now there was only a small piece of humanity lurking within to erase and then she could start taking the official steps to become my queen.
“I was under the impression you’d bring me something that wouldn’t break quickly,” Nico scoffed as two of his own men pulled Timothy into his home. His upper lip curled as the mortal continued to whimper, every movement no doubt agitating his wounds. “Why in the hell didn’t you send this one to Cade with the rest of them?”
My upper lip curled to expose the tips of my demonic fangs. “I’m in no mood to give him the quick death he desires.”
The demon lord responded with an irritable growl. “Don’t tell me that pet of yours has really gotten under your skin with her sketchy past.” When I didn’t respond, his red eyes narrowed into thin slits. “You’re fucking with me, right? We’re on the verge of a war with the angels, Asher. You can’t afford to have a distraction like that girl. What she endured is her past, her problem.”
Normally, I could dismiss his agitation by simply brushing it off and continuing to do what my heart desired. That wasn’t going to be the case tonight. I lifted my lip further so there was no way he could miss my fangs. “Watch your words carefully, old friend.”
Nico scowled and shifted his gaze toward his men. “There won’t be a kingdom left for you to rule here if you’re determined to burn it all for your queen, Asher.” Although he preferred to take a fresh soul down into the fiery abyss below and put them through his wide range of torture devices, he didn’t seem to have the same nauseating thrill about this poor soul. Granted, he did raise a vital point. That didn’t mean I had to acknowledge it.
“I’ve burned what I wanted to.”
For the first time in years, the demon lord rolled his eyes. “Is there a reason why you spared this one?”
Was there really one beyond that burning desire to take my rage out on Timothy’s fragile body from the part he played in my pet’s abuse? Probably not. I pressed my lips together and watched the demon lord’s men strap the poor soul up to chains that had lowered from the ceiling. It always fascinated me how the lower levels of the house would adapt to whatever needs Nico happened to have.
Right now, it was eager to please me.
I blew out a slow breath and shook my head. “I really don’t enjoy repeating myself, Nico. If Quinn is to become my queen, then I won’t hesitate to warn the human race that I will not tolerate any mistreatment toward her. I don’t give a damn if the abuse took place twenty years ago. It will be punished.”
He clicked his tongue softly. “Did she ever make her loyalty known?” There was an unspoken question lurking beneath. Will she proclaim her loyalty to you…or does she still stand by the mortals?
“Would I tear into human flesh if she hadn’t made it known where she stood?” My tone took on a dry edge. The annoyance still clung to every single word like venom, yet I was more restless than irritated. I wanted to smell blood dripping down onto the pavement. Hell, I needed to see it pouring from multiple wounds.
A soft chuckle escaped him. “I highly doubt it. The humans took care of it for you when it came to the bitch that turned your pet and her organization in. Such a shame that money will go to waste.” He crossed his arms over his chest. As his men finished hanging Timothy up, he lifted his jaw slightly. “If you can trust her not to wander where she doesn’t belong, feel free to take her upstairs to rest.”
All I gave him was a small nod that I was both grateful for his offer and I understood the terms. Nico was a private man when it came to his humble abode upstairs, but he knew I was wary about the idea of leaving Quinn to slumber in the SUV outside. I teleported outside long enough to retrieve her from the backseat and give my driver the order to return home until I called.
It only took me a minute to remember how the demon lord had laid out his floor plan. Every muscle in my body was tense that all the movement would jolt Quinn from her slumber, yet I managed to get her to the bedroom and on the bed without waking her. My movements halted when I pulled away, graced with the comforting sight of my pet lost in the dream world. This time, without the torments to haunt her.
I tugged the nightstand drawer open, taking great care to avoid looking at the collection of sex objects tucked away inside — as well as knives that really didn’t belong. My skin was crawling by the time I managed to uncover a notepad and a pen. I barely managed to catch myself before I slammed the drawer shut. Still, the wood didn’t hesitate to give away my presence and my gaze swung toward Quinn.
She simply curled up into a tighter ball.
I didn’t realize that I had trapped a lungful of air until my lungs started to burn with protest. Releasing it, I jotted down a quick note and left it where my pet would find it quickly. Only then did I finally pull myself away to return downstairs.
Nico’s men had finished with Timothy by the time I returned and the demon lord had started his typical pacing around our weeping victim. His red eyes flickered in my direction. It was all I was going to get when it came to a greeting. There was an air of restlessness about him and he was eager to tear into our victim.
Timothy pulled on the chains, causing the metal cuffs to dig into his wrists until blood started to trickle down his arm. “I-I don’t understand,” he rasped. “Why did you bring me here? Why wasn’t I sent to the prison with everyone else?”
Why didn’t you kill me when I ran?
“Would you prefer I send you to prison?” I inquired, planting myself in front of him. Although I was consumed with the same overwhelming desire to pace with my kin, I was forced to suppress it and keep myself still. It was certainly worth it when his dark eyes were fixed upon me instead of the one threat that would tear into him.
The mortal trembled. “Certainly better to be an empty husk than beef jerky for demons.”
Nico responded with a strangled noise, which was due more to his attempt to stifle a snicker. He slowed his steps to keep himself behind Timothy so that being out of sight left the mortal heavy with fear instead of confused by his sudden amusement.
Still, the fact the mortal had managed to make the demon lord laugh was rather impressive. Santino was usually the one that caved frequently. Yet that seemed to dissipate out of nowhere and the sudden change to the energy in the air attracted my attention toward him. Something had caught his attention. From the violent shift of the energy, he had gone from amused to livid.
A panicked squeak escaped Timothy when the demon lord lurched forward, grabbing a fistful of his shirt only to tear it off his torso. Enough force had been used to where he was now swinging on the chains, causing the cuffs to dig further into his wrists.
The sweet smell of iron in the air certainly appeased the inner beast within me, although now I was curious as to what had caught Nico’s attention. I drifted toward the side until he came into sight. As soon as our gazes locked, I realized the rage went much deeper than he was letting off.
Nico gestured at our sobbing guest.
Pressing my lips together, I joined him behind Timothy and followed his narrowed gaze. It wasn’t until I spotted the black ink peeking out from the shredded material that I realized why the demon lord’s mood had changed so dramatically. I cocked my head to the side and reached out to brush the dangling pieces away, exposing the tribal winged fox kissing the mortal’s skin. The burning heat tore through my veins with so much strength that I could do nothing when my muscles stiffened. I couldn’t do anything more than stare at the tattoo while I shook with rage.
