AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marvo is an oasis. Just like how the moon is red in Nuit and black in the shadows, it’s a soft blue in Marvo. The temperature reminds me of a spring day in New York. It smells of flowers instead of rotten eggs, and the orb lights flickering around the palace leave a blue tint to everything. In every way, it’s the complete opposite of our village, down to the male looming impressively in his throne.
It’s one thing to know that Duke Haures is unique of all Sombra demons. His eyes are the same bluish shade as the flickering lights in his throne room, and instead of having red skin in his demon form, it’s as white as freaking snow. Of course, the light tinges his flesh, too, reflecting off his white horns, coloring the throne nestled between them.
He’s bigger, too. With a set of fangs that grow up from the bottom, his face is more monstrous. And yet, when he calls us to stand before his throne, his voice is nowhere near the snarl I expect from him. It’s almost gentile, and something about his tone has my legs itching to drop down into a curtsy.
Loki and I were escorted to Marvo by Glaine. Once the portal brought us to the duke’s palace, he vanished into the shadows. That doesn’t mean that we face Duke Haures alone.
On the contrary. There are two other demons standing near the throne: one to the right of it, one standing just behind it. I’ve seen the male with the purple eyes before: Sammael, the mage who conjured the chains for my mate.
Doesn’t matter that Loki’s essence tells me he’s a lot more than that. He put chains on Loki. I hate him on principle.
The other male is almost as unique to me as the duke is. Tall with a lankier build, he wears his black hair shorter than most demons; it’s wild and just about hits his hard jaw. That’s not so unusual, but his vivid red eyes? A glowing beacon that made his demon skin seem like the color of rust in comparison? Thoseare.
Loki knows who he is. Nox was a fierce hunter who hunted along the shadows, providing meat to the villagers of Nuit. Even when Loki lived in the darkness, he would sometimes see Nox’s glowing red eyes and remember that he wasn’t alone.
But Nox was gone when we left the shadows for the village, and Loki assumed the hunter had simply moved on to another clan.
Yeah. Considering he’s hovering over the human woman standing directly in front of him, his hands possessively resting on her shoulders, I think I have a pretty good idea where he went.
And who the woman is.
I’d put her at a decade younger than me. Twenty-four, maybe twenty-five, though I know better than to think she’s actually that young; I can still remember the shock I felt when I plucked Loki’s age out of his head, and since she has to be Nox’s mate, she would be immortal. Her face is both round and inviting, her brown eyes kind, her lips curved in a friendly smile. She has her rich brown hair pulled over one shoulder, giving me a peek at her mate’s chest.
He has a similar marking there. The demon brand, spelling out her name. It’s the latter half, though, and the only letter I can translate from this distance is the last one:A.
Nox grumbles low in his chest. In the blink of an eye, he goes from his red-skinned demon form to a barely-there shadow and back. The only constant is a patch of black that circles both of his wrists, and his intimidating red gaze.
I don’t think he likes the way I’m scrutinizing his mate or his chest because, one thing for sure, I know a possessive Sombra demon male when I see one.
Just in case I’m way off base, I point at her with my free hand and say, “Amy or Susanna?”
She blinks back a look of surprise. “Amy. Well, Amelia, but yes. That’s me.”
That’s what I thought. As brawny as her mate is, it didn’t look like he has eight letters carved into his skin. “Kennedy. Hi.”
“Very astute,” observes Duke Haures.
Astute nothing. Flipping open the cover, I show them the inside cover with four names, including the childish scrawls that saysAmy.
“Fifty-fifty odds since I know she’s not Shannon. Besides, your guard said to bring the book. Shannon said someone would probably be asking about it. There’s only four names in here so, yeah. Now I just have to meet Susanna.”
“I wish you luck on that,” Duke Haures says carefully, “but that’s not what I called you here for.”
I take a deep breath. “If this is what happened at the village, I’d just like to point out that Loki’s eyes are purple. Okay? Demon, not demonic. We’re good.”
The duke nods his head solemnly. “I’ve been briefed on that. All witnesses agree that while your mate could have had a better handle on his rage, he is no more dangerous than Nox here.”
Okay. That went a lot better than I was expecting it to. From the relief filtering through my bond with Loki, I’d say he agrees.
The duke chuckles. It’s a surprisingly nice sound. “You are young, human. You will learn. We are Sombra demons. Honorable, proud, and protective, especially of our mates. We are also immortal. Who of us hasn’t taken a horn to the chest in a battle we should have won? Loki is a two-horns. Powerful, but also quick to act. Possessive, too. It’s in his nature as ruling Sombra ruthlessly is mine.”
See, now, I was liking how that was going until he got to the ‘ruthlessly’ part.
Any of the bravado I worked up when I saw another human here disappears as Duke Haures’s pale blue eyes shine down on me.
Loki takes one step forward, shifting his bulk so that he’s inserted himself between me and the duke.
He notices, too.
