Page 36 of Demon Food

A knock on Alek’s door signaled the arrival of the king. He commanded them to enter as he gave me a quick nod, like, Demon. DON’T call him a demon.

The door opened and four armed soldiers filed into the room, hands on their swords as if always prepared for a threat. I couldn’t imagine what would be more threatening than the fucking king.

The temperature spiked first. I glanced at the fire to see if it’d grown larger, but it was just him. The king.

The hairs on my arms stood erect as he strolled into the room. The last time I saw him, he and his commander were fondling me into unconsciousness. The last time I saw him, he did not look like this. Like pure royalty.

The fabric of his long robes was more like drips of black tar that reflected the light from the candles in these unpredictable flashes as he waltzed into the room. His beautiful long hair spilled down his shoulders in a cascade of black that couldn’t help but draw one’s attention with the way it seemed to bounce a little slower than his steps, as if he was underwater.

The only color on him was a white gold crown circling his head, the spikes so sharp I couldn’t comprehend how they weren’t piercing his alabaster skin, but somehow it worked, strikingly. Like everything else about him. He was silk and oil.

“Father,” the prince said, hands pinned behind his back as he bowed.

“Hello, Alekus,” the king said, his tone the same casual-bored as his son’s. “Something wrong?”

“Yes, Father. I imagine there might be something wrong. With your head.”

My brows lifted at the cutting insult.

Alek gestured toward me. “What, pray tell, is this?”

“This is a human, son,” the king said. “It is what most of us eat.”

That earned a few murmured chuckles from the soldiers.

Alek grinned at his father. “Well, this is one way of letting everyone know you’ve gone mad.”

“Have I?”

“Let’s review, shall we? While I was gone, you took a human whore from the gods know where and chained him to my room without my approval. You don’t think that’s a tad deranged?”

“You call it deranged. I call it necessary.”

“Necessary? You’ve chained a whole person to my chambers against his will. Is this what the crown stands for now? Ignoring the very processes that make us civil?”

The king pinned him with a sharp look. The tone of this conversation was already surprisingly heated, like they’d had it before. “The crown stands for nothing without a rightful heir.”

“Oh, yes, that’s me. I nearly forgot.” Alek chuckled, something about it empty. “It’s not as if I’m reminded every day of its looming threat.”

The king stalked further into the room, increasing the temperature with his presence. “Have you even taken the time to inspect your shiny new guest?”

Something about the way he angled his shoulders toward me but didn’t look at me was unsettling.

“Have you even seen what a gift I’ve brought you?” he asked. “What a delicacy?”

“Of course,” Alek said, arms folded. “It’s difficult to miss something chained to my floor.”

The king slid his eyes to me, and I gulped. “Well, hello again, sweetness. Don’t you look delicious?”

My nostrils flared.

“Gods, I love what they’ve done with you,” he said, his tongue snaking from his mouth to wet his lower lip as he eyed my body. “It’s exactly what I had in mind.”

“I did not agree to this,” I said, teeth clenched. “I didn’t agree to die⁠—”

It was like someone drove a nail through my tongue.

Not only did pain lash through my mouth, but it’d shut so tightly, I couldn’t pry it open. My eyes widened in panic as I clawed at my lips, a muffled, muted noise the only sound I could make.