“By the other demiurge.” A coil of my hair is twisted between her fingers. “They bound him to the earth and his domain. They sealed him in so the only way to free him is if a stupid mortal lets him in.”
“Let me in, Rina.”My dream demon’s whisper echoes through me.
“I’ve been dreaming about him,” I whisper. “He tells me to let him in.”
Mom huffs. “But you’re a smart girl. You know you can’t go back to him.”
I stiffen. “Back?”
Something shifts in Mom’s face, a grimace like she’d said too much.
“Don’t worry about that. It was a different lifetime.” She touches my cheeks with her fingertips. The texture is wet. Slimy. “You never have to see him again. Once we get home—”
“What did you mean, can’t go back to him?” I push.
The softness shifts to annoyance. The corners of her mouth extend too far at the corners. Stretching nearly to her ears.
“Let it go, Rina. It’s not important. We need to get home to your father. You know he can’t be alone.”
But I’m not stupid. I’m not blind either. Even if there wasn’t a faint sheen of scales beneath the translucent skin, I know she’s lying.
“You’re not my mom,” I tell her firmly.
The smile slips. Her eyes blink and open to dark, reptilian slits.
I scream and a hand grabs my arm. I’m wrenched out of the thing’s hold and hit the floor when my numb legs fold beneath me.
Standing where my mom had been a second before is a gorgeous woman with the lower torso of a giant, black snake and a face made of nightmares. Her legs coil together, scales shimmering like an oil slick in the light. It twitches and tightens as she straightens to nearly brush the ceiling.
“Stupid girl,” she hisses through a lipless mouth. The maw opens wide enough to flash twin fangs and a long, forked tongue. “You just couldn’t do what you were told. I would have taken such good care of you.”
“Eaten her,” Roan snaps.
I didn’t think snakes could roll their eyes, but she does something close and sweeps back a chunk of oily, black hair off her shoulder.
It was the only thing covering her. Without it, her chest is bare. Breasts plump and peaked with hard, black nipples. The scales, I note, trying to drag my torso back, extend only to her armpits. Her arms and shoulders are moderately human with only a faint glint of glimmer. It almost appears as though she’s wearing a snake skin dress.
“I haven’t had a human soul in so long,” she grumbles. “We’re not all so lucky to have one drop into our lap.”
“This one is taken,” Kellen barks. “You knew that.”
The snake shrugs. “You can’t blame a girl for trying. Besides, maybe she changed her mind since last time.” Slitted eyes drop to where I’m still sprawled across the carpet with Lukan standing over me. “She’s pretty. I could be convinced not to eat her right away.” Her tail slithers and drifts towards my ankle. “Ever been fucked by aShahmaran?”
Lukan stomps in the approaching appendage.
The creature shrieks and recoils, snapping her tail back behind her. She bares her fangs in a hiss.
“Get the fuck away from her,” he snarls.
Still scowling, the creature faces Kellen. “By the treaty, you can’t hurt me.”
“The treaty ceased to apply the moment you touched our queen. Your king will understand as he would do the same if his queen was threatened.”
Behind her, her tail flicks. The only show of agitation on an otherwise calm exterior.
“You know the rules. First come, first eat.”
Kellen closes the distance between them and stands eye to eye with the creature glowering at him with matching hatred.
