“I thought this lesson was on stance.”
“It is.” He winked. “Looking down doesn’t do you any favors with balance. If you have to glance down, use your eyes, not your entire upper body. Self-awareness is key.”
We repeated the routine with varying degrees of my being knocked on my bottom. Even with the padded mat on the floor, I’d be sore in the morning. With each strike, I grew a little more secure in my stance, wobbled less. Sweat beaded my brow as we sparred again and again.
It felt good, working my body, emptying my mind.
Sometime later, Anir called for a break and blotted at the perspiration on his neck and face with a length of linen. I was still ready to go but stepped back, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I felt alive, my muscles shaking but hungry for more use.
He bent at the waist. “Take five.”
I followed him to a side table set up with a pitcher of water and glasses.
“Where is Wrath?” I don’t know why I blurted it out, but it seemed odd that the demon of war was nowhere to be found while we were in his glorious weapons chamber.
Anir glanced sideways at me as he poured himself a glass and downed it by half. “I didn’t think you’d mind his absence.”
“I don’t. I’m just curious.” When he didn’t respond, I found my ridiculous mouth filling the silence. “He seemed uneasy about my choosing to visit House Envy. I would have thought he’d wish to see me when I returned.”
“Do you ask after me when I’m away?”
“No.”
“Ouch.”
Blood and bones. I immediately kicked myself as Anir’s grin widened. I poured myself some water and took a sip. “I just meant…”
“No offense taken.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “Lie to yourself all you want, but you’ll have to do better around me.”
“Fine. The truth is the emissary got under my skin.”
“Lady Sundra?” Anir snorted. “I imagine so. Her father’s a duke, and she’s never let anyone forget that elevated rank. She always believed she’d make an advantageous marriage match with a prince.”
“Ah. That’s why she became emissary. It put her in close proximity to all of the royals.”
“Look at you, Lady Em. You’re thinking like a cunning noble now. Most of the princes have no designs of being caught in a marriage snare, though. No matter how many schemes noble families like hers attempt, the princes are content as they are. Her natural state runs angry; it’s nothing personal against you.”
“So, the higher the rank, the more the demons exhibit the sin they’ve aligned with.”
“From what I’ve gathered in my time here, yeah. Though no one can ever gain enough power to overthrow a prince. They are something else entirely. It’s like the difference between a lion and tiger. Both are large, predatory cats, but they are not the same.”
“And the lesser demons? They’re different from the nobles.”
“Indeed. And it’s why they often choose to live on the outskirts of their circles.”
“If Lady Sundra is best aligned with House Wrath, how would she marry a prince who represented a different sin?”
“It would be rare, but not unheard of for her to shift sin alignment.”
I propped myself against the table’s edge and set my glass down. “You knew Wrath had initiated his acceptance of the marriage bond the night the Viperidae attacked me.”
“All hail the queen of changing topics.” He offered a dramatic bow. “Is there a question in there, or are you looking for confirmation?”
“I know I’m not his first choice in a wife,” I hedged, still thinking of the duke’s daughter, “but I’d like to know if there was someone he was interested in before… everything.”
The teasing light left Anir’s face. “It’s not my business or my place to share his story.”
“I’m not asking you to. I only want to know if there was someone else.”
“Would it change anything if there was?”
I thought about it. My curiosity was at play, for certain, but it would change matters. I would refuse the bond and have our fate decided by the council of three Wrath had mentioned.
If he loved someone, well, that would both make me uncomfortable and also clear my way to pursuing Pride. Which was still the surest path to achieving my goal of vengeance.
Unless, of course, I beat Envy to finding the Temptation Key and Triple Moon Mirror. And if a demon prince couldn’t sense the spelled wine or food, I might be able to garner truth that way. But I’d need to practice on a prince of Hell, and one was still notably absent, curse him.
I returned to the matter at hand. I would not want to be tied together in a loveless marriage with Wrath if he would always be pining for someone else.
“Yes. It would. It would change a lot.”
“Careful.” A low voice drawled from behind me. “Or I might think you’d actually like to marry me.”
SEVENTEEN
I closed my eyes and silently swore before glowering at Anir. “You are truly the worst.”
“I bet seven devil coins you feel different after your next lesson.” The traitor shot me a devious grin. “Don’t forget your purse tomorrow, Lady Em.”
“Lock the door on your way out.”
Wrath’s voice was much too close. I felt his breath near the base of my neck, and I briefly considered rushing to the door or inventing a spell to have the floor swallow me whole. Instead, I squared my shoulders and slowly turned around. His focus was entirely on the human. Anir lost a bit of his playful swagger, replacing it with a seriousness I hadn’t seen in him since the night Lord Makaden lost his tongue.
“No one is to enter this room until I give the signal that our training is over. Is that understood?”
“Yes, your majesty.”