Her gaze narrowed. Instead of shrinking from him, she looked like she’d briefly lost her footing, but had managed to right herself. “You have no right to take away my freedom and threaten me, M?ri?r!”
“Might makes right. Now, answer me: Do you understand my commands?”
“I understand them.”
He relaxed a fraction, until she added, “And I reject them.”
SEVEN
A jot demonic, N?x?
Lila watched the rage building in the king’s expression as one might watch a roller coaster plummeting off a track.
His pronounced jaw clenched, and his wings unfolded in an ominous display. They must be fifteen feet wide! Their shape was jagged, like a bat’s.
How could this animal be Abyssian? He was supposed to be an insanely hot king. Insane was the only descriptor that applied to this demon.
Females fought over him?
He’d said nothing about Lila being his mate. If he found out for certain she was a spy, he’d kill her.
And why was he harping on about a past life? Surely N?x would have told Lila if—
Or not. Never trust a Valkyrie. Lesson learned, bitch.
“Any female with sense would show respect to her new master!” All the muscles in his long, lean body tensed. “Do not test me—I have eons of wrath at the ready.”
While she had a lifetime of entwined fear and fury toward the M?ri?r.
All the things she’d given up . . . all the nightmares . . . all the times she’d looked over her shoulder in terror . . .
Now this demon was throwing some vague, baseless accusation at her? Wrongs done in a past life? “What specific crimes are you accusing me of?”
His monstrous face was difficult to read, but he seemed confounded that she wasn’t cowering. Then his fists clenched, his arm muscles like whipcords. “Treachery against the hell demonarchy.”
“That’s all you’ll tell me?”
“If you want to know more, then remember.” His voice was deep, his Demonish accent thick. “You’ll have plenty of time to search your memory.”
Was she a reincarnate? There’d been that rumor. . . . “Why not just kill me?”
“You deserve an unending life in hell full of constant torments. But if your torture ceases to amuse me, I will behead you. You’ll never know when I might appear as your reaper.” He reached down to the ax sheathed at his side and ran his revolting black claws over the blade.
This male wasn’t exactly keen to protect and care for her.
She’d signed on to coax secrets from a hot demon heartbreaker. A get-cozy job. Instead, Lila was in a bid for survival, with an upside of damnation.
N?x had burned her. But why?
Had Saetth known?
Lila didn’t react well to being set up. She had anticipated living in Sylvan, not dying in hell.
All bets are off, Valkyrie. If N?x wanted her inside this castle, then Lila refused to remain here. I’ll escape this dump.
One of her six online degrees was in structural engineering, and she had a wicked imagination. No prison could hold her. Certainly not with a stupid brute like this demon as jailor.
She crossed her arms over her chest and surveyed her surroundings. She gave her escape a week. Tops.
For now, she told Abyssian, “This heap is your ‘castle’? Why am I not surprised?”
“You dare to provoke me?” His wings flared again.
She’d been left at the mercy of the M?ri?r. Burned. “After the day I’ve had, I do dare.”
He lunged forward, gripping her upper arm to teleport her again.
She swayed on her feet, getting her bearings as her new bout of dizziness faded. He’d taken her to some kind of darkened cavern. Channels of lava surrounded a pool of steaming water. “This hovel is exactly where I’d expect you to live.”
Those markings on his chest glowed brighter. “Clean the filth from your body.”
“There is no way in this hell I’ll bathe in front of you.”
“Then you just refused my order? You’ll learn who commands you.”
“You can take your fucking commands and shove them up your demonic—”
He lifted her and tossed her into the water.
Prick! She struggled toward the surface, but the hem of her heavy dress caught on something. She kicked, then harder a second time . . . couldn’t get free! She panicked, attacking the zipper, but it stuck.
The demon appeared beside her in the water, ripping the dress away and shoving her to the surface.
She sucked in lungfuls of air. “You asshole! You could’ve killed me.” She’d escaped one danger, but now she had a new one: she wore only a strapless bra and boy-short panties, and the demon’s huge hands circled her waist. “Let me go. Now.”
He traced them to a shallower spot, then released her.
When she stood, his avid gaze dipped to her breasts, their shape outlined in her bra. She ducked down and submerged herself to her neck.
He shook his head hard and flared his wings again, but he’d seemed to put his fury on hold. Could he feel bad about almost killing her? If she was his mate—and that was a big if right now—he should.
With a wave of his hand, he conjured a cloth from thin air. The demon possessed magics too? Not in the godsdamned dossier, N?x!
He grabbed Lila’s nape and brought the cloth to her face. “Look at me,” he grated.
She raised her chin, but only to glare. While some of his rage was fading, her temper still simmered. “Do you get off on throwing me around like a doll?”
“Shut up.” The beast brushed the cloth over one of her cheekbones, stunning her to silence.
Had she gone into shock? Maybe she was dreaming all this. She could be lying unconscious in a retention pond in the Magic Kingdom.
He lightly pinched her chin to start on the other side of her face, his brows drawn with concentration. He cleaned the tips of her ears, which made them twitch. He even scooped water over her head to rinse her hair.
She watched drops stream down his marked torso, the sight hypnotic. Yes, I’m still in shock. “Are you finished?” she demanded of the M?ri?r monster.