CHAPTER 16

Does it affect you?" I asked after getting out of the water. The attendants had dried me and were dressing me in a puffy pink gown that should've been used for curtains. They strapped the sword around it, which made the whole ensemble marginally more tolerable.

Gio glanced at me; he was still close but facing to the side, doing me the courtesy of not staring at my nudity.

His eyebrows shot up.

"The sexy magic," I elaborated. "Does it affect you?"

"No," Donal answered, standing near Jandri. Sandy was letting him grope her while the attendants rooted around in a chest for pants in his size. "Not unless their power is greater than ours. Which is very rarely the case, isn't it, Sandy? Demons of your sort are best left for menial jobs, like jerking off possum Stivens."

"It won't be pleasant for you to marry him, will it, little dragon?" Sandy asked me in a sultry voice, ignoring Donal. It seemed the various demon factions disliked one another. At least the ones forced to work together. "You won't have magic to get you in the mood. You will have to be held, I think, when he makes an heir. Unless you make friends with me, of course. I have the ear of his highness. I can push off the wedding if you'd like me to…"

My blood ran cold. Was that what they were doing? Getting us ready for a wedding?

"The ear of the highness?" Donal huffed. "You don't have access to the cock of his highness, let alone his ear."

Sandy glared but didn't comment.

A while later we were walking again, and despite Jandri's repeated questions, they wouldn't tell us where we were headed. The hallways got finer and grander the farther we went, until it was obviously a place of royalty. Daniel had paid attention to the areas that mattered to him and clearly ignored the rest.

Through a set of double doors, we found a large room with gold and cream walls, a large crystal chandelier, and a huge rug adorning the floor. Red cushioned stools lined each side of a walkway up to a raised dais hosting a grand golden throne—empty—with purple fabric on the seat and back. Two golden posts rose beside it, draped with purple and red fabric. It was pretty impressive, I had to say. I didn't even know if Neff's castle had a throne room. Probably, I supposed, but I'd never seen it.

Gio directed me toward the dais and then stopped. Jandri was guided to stand next to me, and the guards fanned out around us, Sandy dropping her smirks and smiles completely.

I felt my eyebrows creep up as I looked around, not noticing the details so much as trying to keep my raging heart from breaking loose from my chest and skittering across the floor. My stomach tied in knots as I waited for whatever would come.

The door opened and admitted a handful of guards, all wearing loose black tops and tight black pants leading down into shiny boots, like Gio and his guards. They fanned out around the throne, a few standing in front of us, before Daniel walked out with all the arrogance and self-importance in the world. His long purple velvet cape dragged across the floor behind him, lined with puffy white fur around the edges. Two other demons followed, and I could smell them from the distance. Musty and gross, they were powerful, not terribly far down the power scale from the demon king himself. Their skin had the same blue tint, and similar horns curved away from their temples.

Daniel stepped up onto the dais and sat, swishing his cloak around him. The others took their places at his sides, a step down. The hierarchy was clear, even for idiots.

Gio's hands tightened on my elbows as all the guards around us bowed, lowering their heads. His grip forced me to match the subservient posture.

Fuck this. My dragon thrashed against my hold, trying to steal control. I will not bow to that donkey fucker.

That's an insult to donkeys. I gritted my teeth but held the deep bow, looking up through my lashes with a bowed head.

Daniel watched me with an acute gaze, one elbow resting on the arm of his chair. He wanted to see me submit.

Fire raged through me. I could kill him; I knew I could. I had the power. I had the strength. More importantly, I had the anger. The history of anger, for what he'd done to my family. My village. For the people he had killed. For the injuries he had dealt my mate.

For the suffering he'd caused.

My animal pushed up, right beneath the surface. I felt Gio's fingers dig into my skin—a warning. Or maybe he was preparing himself.

Now is not the time, I barely got out, my thoughts tinged as red as Daniel's eyes. I could kill him, but I couldn't kill them all. They'd take me down.

I know, my dragon snarled. But we will kill him one day. One day, we will rip his head off his neck, hollow out his eyes, and piss on his remains.

A bit much, that. But in this case, I agree.

With incredible effort, I dropped my eyes. I bent my knees just a bit more. I feigned submission.

"Good," I heard from Gio, barely more than a whisper. His hands loosened on my elbows, his touch barely there now. The only thing that kept my anger from increasing was that he didn't sound smug or authoritative—he sounded supportive, like he knew the effort it had taken me to get through that.

Before I could wonder at it, I felt the tug of his hand, and everyone was standing once again.

"So." Daniel crossed a thin leg over the other. His gaze roamed me before he gave Jandri the same assessment. "The happy couple has stepped before me. What do you think of your new home?"

Jandri squirmed, drawing Daniel's eyes. I wondered why I hadn't pulled his animal loose yet. Then again, maybe he was still affected by Sandy's magic. I wasn't sure whether I could pull the animals free if they were under any kind of demon influence.

"My goodness, Stiven," Daniel said, tapping his thin lips. "I'd forgotten how nicely you clean up."

"He sure does," the demon to Daniel's right said, her horns thinner and a little more curved. "What is his animal?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "This one came from the villages. He wouldn't know."

"Submissive," Gio said.

"Hmm. I like the submissive ones," she replied.

"I'm not submissive," Jandri grumbled.

"And delusional," Gio added.

The demons on the dais laughed delightedly, except for Daniel, whose eyes gleamed. "A handsome and delusional 'alpha.' He'll be a great favorite. How does he respond to your magic, Sandy?"

"Like a little pussycat, your majesty," she replied, adding a little bow. "He welcomes it. I get the impression he was fond of the demons in his village."

"Yes, that was the impression I got when I first met him." Daniel tapped his lips again. "Get a suit that actually fits him. Bring him to dinner tonight. No other Stivens. Just him. I want to see how he does. Sandy, you take charge of him. You'll be more useful than Donal."

"My pleasure, sire." Her hips swung as she took Donal's place, offering him a smug smile as she did so. Apparently handling the prisoners was usually reserved for the higher tiers of demons.