Page 41 of Fated to the Demon Lord

He was quiet for a long moment, but then said, “Maybe you trust me more than him.”

I did. Although that wasn’t much of a compliment. “A rat could clear that hurdle.” Raxus was a monster who yearned for my death in the most violent and torturous of ways. Vaelor was… what was he? Indifferent. No, that didn’t feel right.

With Vaelor, there was a part of me that wanted to give in to him—to grant him complete surrender. Too many times, his words had been a dark caress on my soul, and even though the rational side of me resisted, an instinctual part sought to grant him everything he desired.

And that terrified me.

I was only here helping him because I had no other choice. Whatever this connection between us meant, I wouldn’t let it get to me. I wouldn’t let him play with my emotions and make me vulnerable.

And still, if I hoped for any chance of surviving until I could escape and find Gerand, I needed to do this. I needed to trust the untrustworthy. I needed to surrender my will to my enemy.

“What did you do to become an outcast?” I asked.

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me. “What did you say?”

“Everybody calls you The Waiting Ruin, and I was wondering what you did to create such a formidable reputation?”

“Reputations grant protection. A carefully crafted one can dispel much grief.”

“Except, is there honor in being an outcast?”

He stalked away from me, his shoulders tense. “Death and destruction follow those who seek to maintain their honor above everything else. The inheritance magic bound to my estate was the only reason I kept my title after becoming an outcast of the government. They knew I would defend it until my last breath because honor demanded nothing less. A curse and a noose, it never gives back what it promises, never gives you the proper answers. It's a false altar at which even demons worship.”

“And yet you keep the land for Aeria all the same.”

“My land is a gateway into Aeria. My people should not suffer, even if some are prone to inflicting suffering. But it no longer matters. Once my brother steps onto the property, the inheritance magic will recognize him. Lanzin will take over now that I am dead.”

“Is that who you had Erlinen write a letter to?”

His brow pulled into a scowl. “You overheard me in the library.”

“Yes.” Right before I’d run out of the manor and almost gotten killed. I hesitated, but then plunged ahead. “I saw that portrait of you and your siblings back at the manor.”

His expression tightened. “What of it?”

“Where is your sister?”

He glared at me, his jaw clenching. It was clear he was about to lash out. But instead, he said, “She’s dead.”

“And your parents?”

“Also dead.”

“And your wife is dead,” I whispered.

He gripped the hearth of the fireplace as if he wanted to snap it in half. “Is there a point to this?”

“You let your servants go.”

He released the fireplace. “Excuse me?”

“Erlinen mentioned you allowed the other servants to depart and that she and Feron insisted on staying on.”

Vaelor gazed at me, clearly uncertain where I was going. “Why are you bringing this up?”

I stepped up to him. “You want me to trust you? To surrender myself to you? Then I need to understand what sort of male you are.”

His eyes narrowed. “So this is a test?”