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“Something—or someone—threatens my reign,” he said to Morgan, elevating his need to determine what was transpiring with Jade Deville. It was too damn bad his libido kept getting in the way. If he didn’t stop thinking so territorially toward the human, he might end up losing his kingdom.
After taking another sip of the drink Sheena had efficiently refreshed, Darien said to Morgan, “I’m immortal by lineage, but I don’t possess the ability to vaporize. You’re going to have to continue your watch on her.” It was more than that. He simply couldn’t be objective when it came to Jade.
Morgan said, “Of course, I’ll do whatever necessary. And I will be much more careful in the future, your Majesty.”
It was not necessary for Darien’s best friend to address him so formally in private, but he always did when it came to military matters.
Cl
asping Morgan’s shoulder with his free hand, Darien said, “I made the mistake this evening, not you.”
He gave further thought to the situation and added, “It’s been several days since Jade has visited Lisette and I suspect she’ll be dropping by soon. I need to know what they discuss. If it’s magic I’m sensing, than we have to stop the power from burgeoning. One witch in the village is risk enough. Two, who might be able to combine their forces into a single significant strength, could prove detrimental when it comes to keeping the peace. They harm even one demon and there will be hell to pay.”
With a sharp nod, the general said, “I understand.”
“There will never be harmony between us and them, but we don’t need another massacre. We did more damage than we’d intended with the wars and I am adamant about never again unleashing the demon population on mortals. But my hand might be forced if Lisette—or Jade—breaks my law and those in my alliance demand retribution—or seek it on their own.”
“Of course. I assure you, whatever they’re up to, I’ll find out about it and report immediately to you.”
Darien continued to grip Morgan’s shoulder. A shift in the tense atmosphere caused Sheena to bustle about, feigning indifference over the new subject matter as it came up.
“Is there something more, Darien?”
This from his friend, not the general of his vast army.
Myriad emotions warred within Darien. He was the Demon King. Powerful and revered. Never challenged and never doubted.
Yet he doubted himself these days and that threatened to undermine his authority. Actually, he’d felt the push and pull within him for several years now. Since that night he’d come across Jade and had gazed at her over the river separating them. He had not breached Ryleigh’s border, though he had every right to do so, given he ruled the entire continent. But he respected the human-demon boundaries, particularly on that evening, when he’d gone unnoticed by her.
She’d sat at the river’s edge, tears streaming down her cheeks. The moonlight had cast a shimmery glow around her and she’d taken on a very angelic appearance. Not at all the way she seemed in reality. No, he’d witnessed from afar the raven-haired, blue-eyed spitfire in action when she was riled and he’d been as captivated with her fiery spirit as her emotionally damaged one.
He couldn’t explain why. It was more than just the fact she was striking, with high cheekbones and full, luscious red lips. She was also tall and curvy, enticing in a way that made his cock twitch at the mere thought of her. But Jade Deville was a peril best avoided because she not only stirred his senses, she brought out a protective side of him that contradicted his entire existence.
She was human and a commoner living outside his walls. He was immortal and king of the land he’d conquered.
And yet there was something about that very sentiment that held him captive. He’d never wanted to be king. He’d never wanted the almost impossible to stop annihilation of humans. He’d been a puppet. A very effective one, because he clearly had the ability to command an innumerable force. But his hands had been tied. He’d done as was expected of him by his family.
And perhaps therein lay the crux of his problem. Maybe his punishment for being cajoled into taking on a task he’d not agreed with from an ethical or a political standpoint, but which had been thrust upon him, was to suffer through an unrequited infatuation that could not possibly, in any capacity, be fulfilled.
Or…maybe being locked in a hopeless situation was the key to his redemption. For Darien’s military undertaking had gotten completely out of hand because he’d made too good a ruler in the demonic world. And he’d suffered the moral consequences.
Was his torment meant to be the catalyst for some sort of restitution and restoration that went far beyond simply keeping the peace?
His hand dropped from Morgan’s shoulder. He moved away, turning his back on his friend. Perhaps what had been set into motion had a specific purpose in this new world.
He said, “It’s possible the die has already been cast. Leave her be for now.”
* * * * *
Jade was not followed home that night. And while it came as a relief, it also struck her as odd. She’d grown used to the shadow. It had never been a comforting one, but somehow, there’d been something alluring about not being all alone in the woods of Ryleigh, given she’d felt alone the majority of her life. A point Michael had easily made this evening.
As she entered the cottage and slid the wide metal latch into place on the door, she wondered who’d been outside the tavern, watching her. And why. While she fanned the flames of the low-burning fire in her living room, she considered the possibilities. Was she being stalked, as she’d suspected, for the inevitable purpose of being preyed upon? Or had the Demon King sent one of his wraiths to spy on her?
She would concede she had abilities that might draw speculation and concern from the king. But Jade had never used any of her natural powers in front of another and had told no one of what she was capable. Not even Lisette.
From the time Jade was a little girl, she could skillfully move objects with her mind. Her psychokinesis had alarmed her at first—what normal person could do such a thing?
But then she’d witnessed her father, Liam, moving his pipe from the mantle to his hand without ever getting out of his chair. The “gift” they both possessed had been their shared secret. Never to be revealed to anyone else. Never to be used in front of another, including Jade’s mother.
