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“Yes, you would be correct.” I smile at him, the polite response like a knee-jerk for any woman.
He reaches out and takes one of my wrists that had been cupped over the other. I scowl at the sheer audacity but then remind myself I’m not at the tavern anymore; I am no longer queen of the castle.
I had to keep my cool, be pleasing and agreeable and not ruffle any feathers. So basically, act like what any man expects a woman to be like.
The strange demon brought his lips to my hand, kissing it like a prince in some fairy tale. Except, it isn't a fairy tale; the only lips I want on me are Systorak’s. And I want them everywhere.
“It is wonderful to make your acquaintance,” he says, still bowing, muttering into my hand. “My name is Lord Egretz, demon sorcerer.”
He stands tall, and I know what is coming before it arrives. One needn’t have empathic abilities to figure that out.
“May I have the pleasure of your accompaniment during this number?” he requests, holding out one hand, the other behind his back, once more like some prince in a storybook.
I gulped. I really don’t want to, but I fear any form of scandal arriving should I deny his request. So I nod, and he takes my hand delicately, leading me out into the middle of the floor.
So here I am, held close by a demon who could be Systorak’s rich cousin. He doesn't have the extra limbs or eyes that Systorak does, nor does he possess the genuine interest I have seen pouring from the trolvor demon’s sweet expressions. Lord Egretz clearly has intentions up his sleeve, ones that directly relate to my reluctant inheritance.
“You are a bewitching specimen, I must say,” he says, leering at me as he pulls my body roughly against his own.
My breasts smash into his chest, and he tries to swiftly slide his hands down my waist, settling at the top curve of my ass. I take his hands from behind me, and we return to a politely distanced waltz.
“I appreciate the compliments, Lord Egretz,” I reply as we sway under the shine of the ballroom lights. “But you’re going to have to get to know me before you get handsy, all right?”
I try to play off my statement as flirty, the hard-to-get motif that human men seem to cling onto easily. But this demon isn’t catching on. He furrows his eyebrows, a brief scowl flashing through his expression before returning to the expectant smug grin. The movement between expressions is stunning, like a robot switching moods.
“My, my, you are a rambunctious one, aren’t you?” he whispers, bringing both of my hands to his chest, our feet moving in neat, squared shapes. “I have heard of such things, but I do enjoy a challenge every now and then.”
“Hmm,” I groan, narrowing my eyes at him directly. “I am not a beast that wants to be tamed, my good Lord. You might as well stop this charade now before you get hurt.”
Lord Egretz guffaws as he once again tries to clasp his grip around my hips. We sway back and forth slightly, the mood of the movements growing more forceful and staccato.
“I believe you should open your mind to changing your tune, beautiful beast,” he whispers, licking his lips and moving his eyes around my cleavage with savagery. “Or you might be the one who ends up hurt.”
The threats are becoming less and less veiled while his hands grow more tentacle-like. I scour my mind for an escape plan. In the past, a direct blow to the chin would suffice. But here, I’m a human intruder, heir to a much sought-after legacy. I likely wouldn’t survive it.
Lord Egretz pulls his lips over his teeth, opening his mouth to hiss another threat at me, when I feel a familiar hand clasp around my shoulder.
My eyes glass over with relief.
“Excuse me, Lord Egretz,” Systorak says. “But may I cut in here? I would like a chance to dance with this enchantment of a woman.”
I resist the urge to leap into Systorak’s arms and sweep the grotesque hands of the sorcerer lord off my waist. The smug smirk has finally disappeared on his mug, and he is staring at Systorak in shock.
I feel myself float to him, and he delicately takes me in his arms. He is warm and comforting, and I sigh as I pin my head to his chest.
“You can’t,” Lord Egretz mutters.
“Watch me,” Systorak seethes.
I lift my head from the comfort of Systorak’s chest to notice a sea of demons surrounding us, all with intense looks of rage embedded in their gazes. My heart picks up the pace when Systorak takes me by the hips and spins me around away from the staring mob.
“They want my position, don’t they?” I whisper.
He nods, and I feel a rush of confidence surge through me like electricity. It comes out of nowhere, but I feel it may have something to do with the way the music flows, and my hips feel the urge to sway.
I take one of Systorak’s hands that rests politely at my hips, and I move it, nearly whipping it down past the ample plump of my ass to rest on the back of my thigh. His eyes blaze with excitement, and he grins, knowing what is coming next.
“Then let's give them something better to stare at,” I say, a sensual voice emerging from the depths.
