AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Oh balls, I think I know where this is headed.
“After reaching what fae consider adulthood, I had to support myself. Had to eat in a society that wouldn’t allow me to practice magic and hardly had tolerance for my face.”
Dashel’s eyes are glued to his lap. “I’m not proud of it, but given the same circumstances, I’d do it again. I sold my body, secretly, in a brothel that catered to those fae with, shall we say, extravagant tastes.
“Women and men came to see me as a novelty, a commodity. I used my—to their eyes—strange beauty to feed and clothe myself. But I was always ‘othered’. Never accepted in their society. Never welcomed. Never part of their community.”
I don’t know what to say, and I make sure my cheeks are firmly between my teeth, so I don’t screw up and say something truly insensitive.
“So, you can understand when a new, beautiful demon girl comes to my school, whose only words to me are about physical appearance, or the misguided notion that I’m a succubus, how that would open up a lot of old wounds.”
He sighs and finally meets my gaze. “Or when you rejected me, disgusted by me, after what I thought was a sincere invitation.”
“I can. And I promise never towillinglyspeak about your features again.”
Dashel’s brows pinch together. “Willingly? What does that mean?”
“I’ll tell you later. Please, finish your story. How did you get here? How’d you find out you aren’t a bad fae but an exemplar demon?”
“Axe. He found me when he esc—uh, vacationed onIoglaecia.I was in the corner of the bar close to his lodgings. He saw the demon in me immediately and changed my life.”
He reaches for the glass of water and takes a long sip. “When he brought me to Cinder, the magistrates performed blood, gene, and magical affinity tests until they were certain I was the missing heir Axe suspected.”
“Missing heir?” I ask, taking the glass from him to take a sip myself.
“Ah, I think that’s enough of my bellyaching for now. I only meant to share that I misjudged you because of my past.”
I don’t press the issue, despite being ravenous for the rest of the story.
“Do you think you’ll attend classes tomorrow?”
Tomorrow. I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I think getting out of here will probably do me some good.”
Shouts coming from the front of the lair draws both our gazes toward the closed bedroom door.
“Babette, what the fuck are you doing here?!” Axe’s furious voice sends a chill down my spine.
“Where is she?” Babette ignores his question. One of Oliva’s minions. The brunette with coily hair.
“Answer my question first. What the fuck?—”
“Shove it, Axe. This is important. Where is Dove?”
I stare at Dashel, who shrugs at me. “I have no idea,” he murmurs. “Axe will take care of her if you don’t want to deal with it.”
The offer is kind. “I think I’ve done enough hiding for a while,” I say and let Dashel help me off the floor.
“In case I wasn’t explicitly clear, Dove.” He looks down at me and brushes a strand of hair from my face. “I’m sorry I misjudged you. I’m deeply sorry I watched a private moment I wasn’t invited to. And you’re welcome to call me Dash.”
I can’t help but smile at him before going off to deal with Babette.
She’s prettier than I realized. Especially when she’s telling off three of four heirs. “Look, I’m not going to hurt her. We need privacy. Is that so hard to understand?” Her gold nose piercing glints in the light as she crosses her arms.
In regular clothes, Babette is a knockout. Tall, curvy, burnished bronze skin, so luminous, she reminds me of a Celestian.
Bash rolls his eyes. “You can’t seriously think we’re going to leave her alone after—” He doesn’t finish the rest.
“No way, no how, Babs.” Axe leans against the curved wall opposite her, while I sit in the middle of the living room, neck on a swivel as the demons argue.
