Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(8)
I slid off him and rose to my full height, surveying the hushed crowd around us. Orion got to his feet by my side.
The crowd of onlookers stared at us silently, as if they were still waiting for more bloodshed. I almost had the sense that this trial had been a disappointment for them, that they’d craved a fresh, beating demon heart pumping on the stones, and all they’d gotten were some broken wings.
I caught Shai’s attention as she stood near the front of the crowd, her eyes wide. She beamed at me, grinning. Legion stood by her side. The leader of the Sathanas Ward wore a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to show off his tattoos. His long black hair was tied up. On the other side of her was a blond demon with piercing amber eyes and thorny tattoos coiling over his forearms, spiky swirls that wound all the way up to his neck. With a faint smile, he nodded to me—almost a bow. Shai’s new friend, I assumed.
By my side, Orion’s body faintly glowed with silver like the moon we were celebrating.
I raised a hand. “City of Thorns! You have two leaders now, a king and a shadow scion. And when the trials are completed, I hope to be your queen.”
“Do not try to win my favor by hurting her.” Orion’s voice boomed. “The ancient laws of the demon trials protect her, and I will personally tear out the heart of anyone who lays a finger on her.” He held my gaze for a moment before turning back to his subjects. “The woman you see before you is not the monster who murdered the Lilu. Don’t make the same mistake I did. This is Rowan Morgenstern, not Mortana, and the two of them could not be more different.” He cast a sidelong glance at me. “Rowan is welcome here, and as king, I will be giving her the best I have to offer until the trial has ended.” His smile was truly dazzling.
The incubus charm offensive.
And with his gracious speech concluded, darkness swept around him. He slipped into the crowd again, enveloped in the shadows.
Lucifer was the original Lightbringer. His twin, Tammuz, reigned in darkness. And here was Tammuz’s son, a creature of chaos and night.
Was there anything else I didn’t know about him? Another godlike power I hadn’t yet seen?
As ever, Orion was always keeping the truth about himself hidden in the darkness.
5
ROWAN
Orion had disappeared without explaining what I was supposed to do, so I figured I might as well enjoy myself. This was, after all, a festival. Long ago, a Lilu like me would have been to plenty of these. The music swelled in the air again, and mortal servers rushed around with trays of pastries and champagne.
Even if I was only a shadow scion, I was being treated like a queen already. A small crowd had formed around me, and someone handed me a champagne flute. Another person handed me a small crescent-shaped cake with silvery frosting. I bit into it, delighted to find that someone had decided the moon should taste like chocolate and raspberry.
Shai stood by my side, and given the way she was swaying, I guessed she was on at least her third glass of bubbly. “I swear to the gods, Rowan. My heart was in my throat the whole time. I really can’t handle this shit.”
Next to me, a woman with platinum hair and a silver dress leaned in closer. “What was he saying to you when you were fighting? Was he proposing a truce?”
Orion was predictable, even to them. He’d been fine with exiling me weeks ago, but now that I’d returned to challenge his power, he’d decided that teamwork was the way to go, and maybe I could drop the whole idea about taking his crown from him.
I shrugged. “Oh, you know. He was just being his usual charming self. Trying to distract me from winning.”
Around me, the other demons craned their necks, listening to every word I said.
“You look radiant!” said another woman from the back.
A male demon with bronze horns lifted his champagne flute. “Truly regal, Shadow Scion.”
I cast a quick look at Shai, who just shrugged. I wasn’t used to being showered in compliments, and I had no idea how to respond. Of course, they were only hedging their bets, hoping to be on good terms with the next ruler. As soon as I walked away, they’d be doing the same to Orion.
“Do you need anything, Lady Morgenstern?” someone asked from behind.
What I really needed right now after that exhausting fight was not to be the center of attention.
I lifted my empty glass, and before I could say another word, someone snatched it away to refill it. But I’d been in a dark underworld for what felt like a year, and then in a quiet apartment by myself. I wasn’t quite used to all these people yet. Even the moon seemed too bright, somehow. Why did I feel like I could hear everyone’s breathing?
I held up my hand. “Thank you, I’ve had enough champagne. I’m going to get some rest and think about the next trial.”
I forced my way out of the crowd, desperate for space. Once I reached the edges of the festival, my gaze flicked toward the river. Following the Acheron was always the easiest way around the City of Thorns, and walking west along the bank would take me back to my apartment that overlooked the pool. Towering stone buildings loomed over me on one side. On the other, the forest seemed to beckon. When I’d first arrived here, the wilderness had struck me as sinister. Now, it looked like heaven. The sight of it made my fangs lengthen and my heart beat faster. I ran my tongue over my teeth, dizzy for a moment with hunger.