Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(10)

I narrowed my eyes. “And why should I trust you two ancient demons?”

“Because I said so,” said Shai.

“Well, that’s your first lesson.” Kas’s expression had turned serious. “You shouldn’t trust us. In the City of Thorns, you shouldn’t trust anyone or anything except your own senses.”

“And sometimes,” added Legion, “don’t even trust those.”

“True,” said Kas. “You can hide things from yourself. Like, you didn’t know you were a demon, right?”

“When did you first feel your magic?” asked Legion.

I bit my lip. “I guess the night my mom died was the first time. I saw the reflection of my demon mark in a puddle. But I lost that memory for years, so yeah, you can’t always trust your senses or your memories.”

“Ah,” said Kas quietly. “Gaze no more in the bitter glass.

The demons, with their subtle guile

Lift up before us when they pass,

Or only gaze a little while;

For there a fatal image grows

That the stormy night receives.”

His words made my skin tingle, and a hush fell over us for a moment.

“No quoting Yeats,” said Legion, breaking the silence. “I’ve had enough of random poetry from you.”

Kas leaned in close, his voice low. “The thing about demons is that we keep most of our powers hidden until we really need them. It’s part of our culture. We all do it.” Kas crossed in front of me, walking backward to keep his twinkling amber eyes on me. “Everyone keeps secrets here. I’m sure you have some of your own.” The wind caught his hair as he walked, his movements graceful as a dancer. “So don’t trust anyone. Not even me.”

My gaze slid over his tattoos, the wild swirls and patterns covering his muscular forearms.

A mournful thought nagged at the back of my mind. I never did find out what Orion’s serpent tattoo was about, and at this point, I doubted I ever would.

In front of me, Kas stopped walking abruptly, and I nearly bumped into him. His gaze was on something over my head, and shadows slid through his golden eyes. I looked up, and in the next heartbeat, I knew exactly why.

Orion’s tantalizing magic sang over my skin, and I spun around.

Here was the king, draped in shadows, the wind toying with his silver hair. “Thank you for escorting our shadow scion home, but I will take it from here.” Underneath his smooth, velvety voice, I heard a distinctly sharp edge. He prowled closer and rested his hand on my waist.

To my surprise, I heard the sound of Kas and Legion growling behind me, and tension crackled the air.





6





ROWAN





I stared up at Orion, who was looking over my head at the two other demons. The entire time I’d been fighting him, his eyes had remained pale blue. Only now, when we were standing by the side of a river without a single hint of a threat, did they darken to black.

Orion’s gaze slid from Kas to Legion like he was about to murder them both. “As king,” he said quietly, “it is my job to keep the shadow scion safe.”

“From whom, exactly?” asked Kas.

Orion’s hand tightened on my waist. Maybe it was time for me to stop this macho display of possessiveness before my new friends ended up as piles of ash on the stones.

“Okay, everyone—” I began.

A flash of hot magic interrupted me, searing the air. Heat slid through my blood, and I stumbled back from the force of Orion’s magic.

For one horrible moment, I was certain that Orion had just incinerated everyone around us until I realized I’d been thrust back into Kas’s powerful chest.

When I turned to look at the others, I found them staring, dazed and open-mouthed. Shai swayed, a little smile playing on her lips.

I touched her arm. “Shai?”

Ignoring me, she stepped closer to Orion, fluttering her eyelashes. She reached out, touching his chest. “Your Majesty! Do you work out?”

With a low growl, Legion’s hand snapped out, and he grabbed Shai’s bicep, then spun her around to face him. “Why don’t you forget him and show me your room?”

She bit her lip, staring dreamily into Legion’s face.

My jaw dropped in disbelief as I realized what he’d done. Orion had slammed them with his incubus magic, and now they were all lust drunk. Somewhere deep down, I had this power, too. I’d just never learned to use it—nor would I ever use it on my friends, because what the hell?

When I caught Kas’s gaze, the look he was giving me was searing, carnal, his eyes dark as jet. His gaze shamelessly swept down to take in every inch of me. “Rowan.” His voice came out as a deep, husky rumble.

In a rush of shadows, Orion swept in front of me and gently wrapped his fingers around Kas’s throat. “I suggest you find someone else for your attention.”

Kas swayed on his feet for a moment, staring into Orion’s eyes in a stupor. He sighed deeply, then repeated, “Find someone else.”

“Orion. Stop fucking with them,” I snapped. “This is why everyone hates the Lilu.”

I could feel the effects of his lust magic, too—a warmth that coiled tight in my core, the sensitivity of my skin—but as a succubus, I had more control over myself.