He moved in front of me again, his hand reaching out, not to strike, but to grip my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. They burned crimson, and for the briefest moment, I saw something behind his cruelty: confusion, annoyance.
Was it the mark that bothered him, or the scent of who made it?
“His scent clings to you like a claim,” he murmured. “Tell me his name.”
I hesitated.
Malakai,the Demon King’s son.
My love, the only one anchoring me to sanity in this endless nightmare. If I said his name, I’d doom him. If I didn’t…
“You’re protecting him,” he said softly, realization dawning. “That’sadorable.”
His thumb brushed against my jaw, mockingly tender. He leaned closer, taking a deep sniff from my hair. I warred with myself, wondering if I should strike him with my flames or feign obedience.
I felt his grip of my chin tighten, saw his teeth clenching together.
“It can’t be,” his voice was a mix of disbelief and poison.
“Kalani,” he whispered to himself, his voice almost regretful. “Half of mine, half ofhers.”
He released me abruptly, stepping back, jaw tightening as he pieced together the truth.
“So,” he said at last, voice edged with bitter amusement. “It seems I have some family to catch up with.”
The fire within me trembled. He wasn’t looking at me anymore, not really. He was staring past me, calculating, planning. The Demon King was hard to read. He had said ‘Kalani’ and I wasn’t sure if it was another language or a name, but it felt like it made him hesitant.
And in that moment, a thought struck me, as dangerous and fragile as glass.
If his son was the bridge between our worlds…
If I could make himcare,even a little bit…
Could I use that? Could I make him see that this war didn’t have to continue?
But then his gaze returned to me, sharp again, unreadable.
“You’ve given me much to consider, little flame,” he said, voice smooth once more. “You,andthe boy who thought to claim you.”
He turned away, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.
“For now, you’ll stay here. I’ve decided you’re far too interesting to kill right now.”
His magic pushed me out even though I struggled against it, red mist shoving me back, and the doors slammed shut in my face, sealing the throne room and its suffocating heat away. For a heartbeat, I just stood there, lungs inhaling air much colder than a moment ago. Zinlia appeared, silent as a shadow reborn.
Her expression hadn’t changed, still that porcelain calm, eyes as dark and empty as a moonless night.
“The King is finished with you,” she said simply. “You will return to your quarters.”
I wanted to ask, ‘for how long’or‘what for’, but something in her tone made the questions die on my tongue.
The answer wouldn’t matter.
Two more demons had joined her this time, both female, both dressed in similar black, silky dresses, but a shorter model with a bolder statement. One of them, the one who walked just a little too close to me, was smiling.
Her purple hair fell in unruly waves, her skin dusky and glowing faintly from within. Her eyes, clear violet, gleamed with the kind of hunger that had nothing to do with food.
“So,thisis the little flame who caught the King’s attention?” she purred, lips curling. “No wonder the halls are buzzing. Tell me, darling, how does it feel to be noticed by royalty?”
