Page 39 of The Demon's Queen
The door clicks open but not because anyone is on the other side. The castle again. I glance around. “Thank you.”
The redhead—Briar—is sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. She straightens as I step into the room, her angry expression fading to one of confusion. “You...”
“Eve.” I press my hand to my chest. “Sorry to intrude.”
“No.” She shakes her head, tear tracks on her pretty face. “It’s probably best I’m not alone right now. I was just about to start trying to break down the door.” She eyes it with suspicion. “It was locked just a minute ago.”
“The castle has a strange sense of humor sometimes.” I ease the door shut behind me, confident that I’m not about to belocked in again. The castle and I have an understanding, one that feels independent of Azazel.
Something to consider later.
“The castle. Right.” Briar frowns. “I guess I do remember some of that from when I was here before.” She shakes her head. “Regardless, I need Azazel to stop and listen to me. He walked into a conversation that was none of his business and took things out of context. Sol wouldneverput me in danger intentionally. Yes, we didn’t exactly have a conversation about the birth control pendant before he bit it off, but if I hadn’t wanted him to do it, he wouldn’t have done it.”
The passion in her voice makes my heart ache. “You sound like you love him.”
Briar gives me a wobbly smile. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known.”
And Azazel just dropped a bomb on their relationship, so to speak.High-handeddoesn’t begin to cover it. It’s impossible to avoid comparing myself to Briar, even though the situationisdifferent. The current danger against her sounds like it was perceived instead of real. Regardless, Azazel didn’t stop to ask questions or find another way. He just took her... like he took me.
We chat for a little while. I came here to find out answers, and it quickly becomes clear that Briar truly is in love with Sol. They had a bit of a rocky start, because of the trauma from her past relationship and his awkward nobility, but it seems like things are going swimmingly now.
At least until Azazel ruined it all.
I don’t know how to feel. I truly don’t. It’s not a simple situation, and I can’t pretend that my time with himhasn’tchanged things for me, at least a little.
I’m not a coward, though. As tempting as it is to retreat to my room to clear my head, that would be a shitty way to go about navigating this. So I don’t. I go to his.
He appears in the doorway a few minutes after me. I don’t know if that’s intentional on his part or if the castle had its way with him, but he doesn’t immediately approach me. The distance can be measured in feet, but it feels like he might as well be standing on another planet. I cross my arms over my chest. “You fucked up.”
“I disagree.” His face gives me nothing. “She just needs time to understand.”
I flinch. That’s not what I expected him to say. I should have. “LikeIneeded time to understand? Because Daddy Azazel knows best?” I laugh harshly. “Right. Of course. Why would I assume you’ve learned anything at all? What’s your motivation to change? All you had to do was wait me out and I fell for you, legs spread.”
“Don’t.” He takes a step toward me. “Don’t do that, Eve. That’s not what this is. That’s not whatweare.”
“Isn’t it?” I whisper.
It’s suddenly all too much. I skirt around him to the bathroom and make quick work of getting ready for bed. He doesn’t say a word as he does the same. Or when we strip down and climb into bed. Or when he wraps a cautious arm around my waist and tugs me back into the curve of his body.
“I love you, Eve.”
My chest feels too tight.I love you too.I don’t say it aloud. Ican’tsay it aloud. I wish hearing those words from him were enough to ward off the dread churning through my stomach.
CHAPTER 18
AZAZEL
I’m not surprised when Sol arrives in my castle three days later. To be fully truthful, I’m relieved. Eve’s been spending every free moment with Briar, and with each hour that passes, I can feel the space between us growing. While I understand that fixing the problem with Briar and Sol won’t fix the one between Eve and me, it can’t hurt. Right?
I stare at the exhausted dragon standing in my office and resign myself to a stressful day. “Shut the door.” I glare before he has a chance to speak. “If you start roaring, I will kick you out of here so fast, you might not survive the portal out.”
Historically, Sol has been the most even-tempered of the other territory leaders. There’s none of that present. He has to visibly wrestle his anger and worry under control before he can speak. “Is Briar okay?”
As if I would ever hurt her. But I decide to throw him a small kindness, no matter how little he deserves it after that stunt with her birth control pendant. “That little hellcat nearly took my face off.”
He freezes. He doesn’t seem to even breathe. “What?”
“You heard me.”