Demon Reign, page 19
part #4 of Demons of Morningstar Series
“If you don’t like it, get out of the room,” Orina said. “Anyone have a problem, you can leave now.”
No one moved.
I gripped the hilt of the dagger. The blade was sharp enough to do the job, but the serrated edge meant she’d feel every bite of it.
“No. Stop,” Sorcha said. “You can’t do this.” She wriggled, trying to get free of the Order members.
Orina grabbed Sorcha’s arm and yanked it out.
I looked the faeblood bitch in the eyes and then brought the blade down on her shoulder.
It took a few minutes.
It was bloody, and her screams hurt my head.
But I took it.
I took off her fucking arm.
Thirty-Nine
Zepar lay sprawled on his front, unconscious from the pain of cauterization. It had been the only way to stop the bleeding. One of the Order medics had bandaged him up to keep the area clean, and now we were at an inn close to the station, with guards posted at the door.
Orina was concerned that Puck’s associates might come for Zepar or the wing they’d cut off him. It lay across the large dresser, wrapped and bound carefully in cloth. It was a piece of Zepar. A part of him, and they’d severed it.
If they came for it now, they’d be sorry, because I was ready for them. I might not have my daimon power on this side of the river, but I was still stronger than the average supe, fast too. They wouldn’t get the drop on me this time, and they wouldn’t get out alive.
I’d make sure of it.
I fingered the vial of resistor in my pocket. A new tincture that the Order took once a day to prevent them from being affected by the new take-down spray on the black market.
Turned out, Puck was the one responsible for its circulation, and the Order was after him. They had toady, Sorcha, and the shifter in custody, but Puck had slipped away even after I bashed his head against a post. They’d interrogate his cronies to get intel. They’d find him.
It wasn’t my problem.
My focus was on getting Zepar home. They may have closed his wound, but he had internal injuries that we needed to address. Back home, we’d heal him. There’d be a way to put his wing back on. His mother, Odette, was a powerful conji. She’d regrown his hand when he was younger. She could regrow his wing too. She had to.
It was the only thought keeping me going right now, because if I stopped focusing on the solution, then my mind took me back to the moment when it happened. When Sorcha cut off his—
No. Don’t think about it.
The crystal that powered the Shooting Star was back with Garminali. The train would be up and running soon. We’d be out of here.
There was a knock on the door, and Orina entered. “Hey…” She closed the door behind her. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine. He’s the one that…” My throat pinched. Fuck. I would not cry.
“It’s okay to be upset, Nyx. What happened today was…barbaric.”
“If you hadn’t found us…”
“I heard the station was shut. Seemed odd, so I went down to investigate, spoke to Gary.”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, Order keeps tabs on the station and the Rim border too. I asked if he’d seen you and got half the story out of him. He didn’t tell me about the crystal, but I recognized his description of the shifter.”
“And you tracked him?”
“Yeah. We got lucky. So lucky.” She pressed her lips together. “I was so scared. I know these bastards. They’re dangerous. Lethal. And Puck is the worst.”
“He wanted to peel me like a grape, but Zepar saved me by offering them his wings.” My vision blurred. “I can’t even…” I exhaled sharply and blinked back the tears. “He did that for me.”
“He’s in love with you,” Orina said simply. “But I think you know that already.”
“He said it. He told me just before they…I wasn’t sure how I felt about him before, but now…” The weight on my chest, the pain in my heart, the wrenching in my gut all screamed that I was falling for the arrogant son of a—
“Nyx…” Zepar groaned. “Nyx!” He tried to push himself up and made a strangled sound of pain.
I rushed to his side. “Easy. You’ve got to take it slow.”
He flopped back onto his front and cracked open an eye. “Where?”
“An inn close to the station. I’m taking you home as soon as the train is running.”
“The faebloods?”
“The male escaped,” Orina said. “We got the other two and the shifter, and Nyx took the woman’s arm off in recompense for the loss of your wing.”
Zepar’s eyes widened. “You cut it off?”
I clenched my jaw, unrepentant. “Yeah, I did.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Good.”
Yes, I was falling for him, hard.
Orina cleared her throat to get our attention. “We’ve contacted the Mageri. An attack like this could constitute a breach of the Accords.”
Really? “I don’t buy that considering it’s the Accords that gave them the balls to come after us in the first place. They knew we were powerless on this side of the river. The Accords made it so. The terms need to be changed. Once I’m Satan, I’ll be making sure of it.”
Zepar’s eyes lit up with pride. “You’re going to be a formidable Satan.” He covered my hand with his. “I always knew you would.”
“The underdog?” I smiled slightly, recalling the conversation when I’d asked him why he’d picked me as custodia. He’d said he wanted to champion the underdog.
He gently squeezed my hand. “You’ll never be the underdog again. You were born for great things.” His pupils dilated. “I’m so glad I found you.”
We locked gazes in a connection that was deeper than any look we’d shared so far. A connection that made my heart flutter and my throat constrict with emotion.
“I’ll let you know once the train is ready.” Orina ducked out of the room.
I dropped my gaze to Zepar’s hand covering mine. “How bad is the pain?”
“Excruciating, but it helps when you hold my hand.”
He was making light of it, but I could tell how bad it was by the tightness around his eyes and mouth and the pallor of his skin.
“I’m so sorry, Zep.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I should have picked up on the tail and—”
“What ifs serve no purpose. Everything will be all right.”
The way he said that, with such confidence. I believed him, even with the evidence of butchery in front of me. Even with the pain etched onto his face. I believed that everything would be all right.
The hair on the back of my neck quivered, and my skin pricked.
Zepar tensed. “Something—”
A loud crack was followed by a blast of bright light. Zepar hauled me onto the bed with him, wrapping me in his arms and curling his body around mine to shield me from whatever was about to attack us. The rapid pound of his heart and the soft hiss that fell from his lips were the only indication of his discomfort in moving so fast and suddenly.
Oh earth. I was in love with this male.
The light died, and Odette stood across the room from us with a portal blazing behind her.
“Mother?” Zepar’s grip on me tightened. “How are you here? The portal?”
She raised her chin, looking stiffly down her nose at us. “A concession made by the Mageri on this occasion considering the circumstances.”
The door opened, and Orina entered. “Well, that was fast. I only just got the call.”
A Minorax stepped through the portal. “Help my son,” Odette said.
I gently extricated myself from Zepar. “His wing…”
Her eyes flashed. “Where is it?”
I crossed to the dresser, but a second Minorax got there first.
Zepar got to his feet, braced by the first Minorax. His intact wing was hidden, but he looked off balance.
“Nyx…” He glanced back at me.
“No.” Odette said. “She takes the train.”
“She is your Satan,” Zepar snapped. “And just in case that means nothing to you, she’s also the woman I love.” He’d said it earlier, but we’d been in danger, in the heat of the moment, so hearing it now said so easily, so simply, as if it was nothing more than an everyday fact had my pulse skipping into a gallop. “I’m not leaving here without her.”
Odette’s delicate nostrils flared. Boy, she was pissed. “Fine.” She turned and strode into the portal. The Minorax carrying the wing followed her.
Zepar shooed off the Minorax trying to help him and held his hand out to me.
“Go,” Orina said to me. “I’ll see you soon.”
I fit neatly under his arm, as if the spot had been made just for me. He kissed the top of my head, a soft press of his lips, brief and natural, as if it was a habit. My eyes misted.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m ready.” We walked into the portal together.
Forty
SIN
I’m eager to return to Morningstar, and it would be a lie to say that isn’t related to Nyx.
But seeing her will wait.
I have business to attend to.
Levistus and Ramiel are cloistered in Merihem’s lounge. The Prince of Libidine looks much better. His skin is healing, and his hair has grown back. He’s sitting up and sipping from a goblet.
All three look over at me with interest as I enter the room.
“Well?” Ramiel asks bluntly. “Is it done?”
“Yes. We’ll be ready when the need arises.”
Ramiel nods slowly. “Good. That’s good.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Merihem says.
I couldn’t agree more. My plans are a failsafe, a backup, and I want them to remain that way. “Are all the preparations for the coronation taken care of?”
“Artimus has it under control,” Ramiel says. “But while you were away, there were a couple of incidents involving our Satan-to-be. Two attacks. One here, in Morningstar, and one in the Fringe.”
What was she doing in the Fringe? “Tell me.”
“Two chima attacked Nyx last night. They were caught, questioned, and the contractor was tried and convicted.”
“Who?”
“Erinea.”
“Bullshit.”
“We know,” Levistus says. “But we have no evidence to prove the orchestrator was someone else.”
I’ve been around Erinea enough to know that the female has an authoritarian personality. She follows rules, and now that Nyx has been chosen to be Satan, she’ll respect our wishes, like them or not.
She wasn’t the killer. “Who do you suspect?”
“Umbrane,” Merihem says sourly. “I rue the day I put him in a position of power. How could I have been so blind?”
“We always are when it comes to our offspring,” Ramiel mutters.
Umbrane is his bloodline? That explains why he’d gift him the maras. A show of faith and confidence. The fool. “Keep an eye on the Duke of Shadows. One false move is all we need to bring him in for a proper questioning.”
“I agree,” Merihem says. “If he is responsible for this, which my gut tells me he is, then I refuse to protect him.”
If his twisted offspring is found to be guilty, I’ll gut him myself. “What was the second attack?”
Ramiel answers. “Nyx went to the mainland with Zepar to deliver some invites to the coronation. They were both knocked out and captured.”
“Knocked out? A fallen and a high daimon?”
Levistus’s jaw clenches. “We are not at full power beyond the golden bridge. It’s part of the Accords.”
The fucking Accords. Of course. “We need to change those terms, and this attack gives us the ammunition to do so.”
Ramiel smiles wryly. “That’s what Nyx said. She’s adamant on a meeting with the Mageri after she’s officially crowned Satan.”
He sounds proud of her. In awe of her. I don’t like it.
“Don’t get attached, Ramiel. She’s mine. She can play with the maras and the efreet, but she belongs to me.”
“So no playing with the big boys, is that it?” Levistus sneers. “You were always awful at sharing, Lucifer.”
His feelings don’t matter to me. “Ramiel? What happened after they were captured and who captured them?”
“Faebloods. They wanted to sell Nyx’s”—his nose wrinkles in disdain—“parts on some black market. Apparently, demon parts are now a collectible.”
“She’s no demon.”
“They didn’t know that. Zepar revealed his fallen nature and offered them his wings in exchange for her freedom.”
Wings are a part of who we are and what we are. They’re connected to us in a spiritual way that can’t be described, and a celestial without wings is…He gave them up for her? For Nyx… “They took them?”
“They took one before the Order arrived,” Ramiel says. “Nyx is friends with an Order member.”
“Ironic, considering the Order wants nothing to do with us,” Levistus says.
“I heard that Nyx took the arm of the faeblood who took Zepar’s wing,” Merihem says.
“Oh yes,” Levistus confirms with a gleam in his eyes. “She demanded it in recompense.”
Pride swells my chest. “And Zepar? How is the duke faring?”
“He’ll heal,” Ramiel says. “But he’ll never fly again. Not even Odette can help him this time.”
“This time?”
“He lost a hand once, and she helped him regrow it. She thinks I don’t know, but I kept tabs on them. She healed him by giving him back his hand all those years ago, but a wing is a celestial limb. It doesn’t conform to the same rules as a flesh and bone body. Once severed, it cannot be reattached or regrown.”
To never fly again? To never take to the skies? It’s an awful thought. The duke’s actions tell me that Nyx has another champion for her heart. “Where was Duke Ignatius in all of this? I appointed him secundum. He should have been with her.”
“He was called away to the Court of Flame to deal with the breach,” Ramiel says. “The fawda are a thorn we must pluck out before they take root.”
“And we will. Once Nyx has the seat’s power, we’ll be ready.”
“And what if that doesn’t happen?” Levistus asks. “Maybe we should warn her about—”
“No!” I stare him down. “We do this my way. The less she knows, the better.”
“I agree,” Ramiel says. “We don’t want to cloud her mind before the coronation.”
“You think it might muddy the result,” Levistus says. “But what if keeping it from her doesn’t help, what if—”
“Enough.” I’m done here. “We stick to the plan.”
“That’s it? You’re leaving already?” Levistus says.
The door closes behind me. I have no need to explain why I need to leave right now. Especially because I can’t explain it myself. Nyx is a magnet for danger. Being tested over and over and coming out stronger.
She’ll survive what’s to come until…
I shut down my thoughts.
I need to see her and reset the balance between us, and the best way to do that is with sex. Me in control. Her submitting.
That’s how it needs to be for my plan to work. There can be nothing else.
Forty-One
NYX
Chase sprawled at the foot of my mattress. Veena sat beside me, her back against the headboard, and Mallini took up the dresser chair, busy smoothing her plumes.
Dhuma was with Artimus, and Gus and Keelan were at a fitting for boots or something. I’d missed the dress fitting, and Zinichi had rescheduled for first thing in the morning, but that was the last thing on my mind.
All I could think about was Zepar.
Conji had surrounded him and swept him away as soon as we got back. I’d wanted to stay, but it was obvious he was in pain, and with me there, his focus wouldn’t be on himself. It would be on me, because that’s the kind of male he was.
I’d let Odette take over, allowed her to shut me out because right now, she was the only person who could help him.
He’d been given quarters here in Morningstar while he recuperated so he was close. I’d check on him first thing in the morning. What he needed tonight was sleep, and I was sure Odette would be able to dose him up for that.
“He’ll live without his wing,” Mallini said. “But you would have died if they’d taken you apart. There’d have been no body for you to come back to, even if you’d done the high daimon thing and resurrected yourself.”
I knew this. It didn’t help, and my expression must have said so because Mallini sighed and shook out her plumes.
“Look, I’m just glad you’re alive. That might make me selfish, but I don’t care. I won’t lose another sibling.”
I’d been there too many times in the past few weeks, so I understood. “I thought she’d be able to fix him. He’ll never fly again…” A part of him was gone for good, and despite what he said, I still blamed myself.
“We need to focus on the coronation.” Veena said. “It’s the day after tomorrow.”
She was right. I needed to get my head in the game, and I would, once I knew that Zepar was healing properly, that Umbrane had kept his word about not harming or locking Sev up, and that all was well in the Court of Flame with the breach. Then there was the issue of Loke. What if the source refused to tell me where he was or if he was all right?
Focusing on a ball seemed irrelevant right now.
I just wanted it over.
The door to my room flew open, and Sin stood on the threshold, staring at me. My stupid heart fluttered with joy, and my mouth wanted to smile, but I schooled my features into one of polite inquiry.
“Can I help you?”
He closed his eyes and inhaled, and when his dark lashes swept back up to reveal his night sky eyes, they were filled with a familiar demanding heat.
He fixed that attention on me but spoke to the others in the room. “Everyone but my electus. Leave. Now.”
