City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(31)
Chapter 18
The fire pit was set in the center of the hall. Nausea climbed up my throat, and my breath started to grow shallower.
Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.
This would be a great time to have my fire-retardant clothing and blankets and gels, although even those things would only last for so long. That pit was eternal.
Panic started to dig its claws deeper into my heart. If I didn’t master this worry soon, the jig would be up for sure.
I had to manage my breathing, to keep the breath deep and slow so my body didn’t go into panic mode. I was in control of what happened—as long as I could fake it convincingly, I could get out of here with my skin still on my body. I could keep Shai alive, too.
Slowly marshaling a sense of calm, I took in the space around me.
When I’d heard Tower of Baal and demon fire pit, I hadn’t expected the place to look so sleek and modern. It shone with burnished sandy marble. Above us, circular floors reached up to an oculus, through which I could see the moon. And there was a fire pit in the center, yes, but there was also a banquet laid out to my right, with civilized canapés and hors d’oeuvres. Behind the banquet, windows overlooked a garden bathed in moonlight. To the left, a pool curved to the side, with a swim-up cocktail bar. Mortal waitresses in short dresses glided around with trays of drinks. All perfectly civilized.
Five demons stood around the fire pit drinking champagne and cocktails—Lydia of the fire tattoos, and four males. Each one of them represented a ward, and the king led the sixth.
From Shai’s description, I recognized Legion—long black hair, golden-brown skin, his sleeves rolled up to reveal vicious black tattoos. The leader of the Sathanas Ward, wrath. Shai was right. He was hot, but also terrifying.
Perhaps not quite as scary as Lydia, whose eyes burned with little flecks of fire as she glared at me. The firelight cast dancing shadows over her features, and a menacing smile curled her lips. A cat about to slaughter a mouse.
As a human woman slipped past me with a tray of bright red cocktails, I plucked one off and took a sip. The alcohol would help me calm down, and I could at least look like I was enjoying myself.
The king himself sat on a gilded throne on a dais, just on the other side of the fire pit. His long blond hair draped over broad shoulders. Silver horns jutted from his head, and his eyes were dark as night. He wore midnight blue clothes that clung to his enormous body. Firelight wavered over him, further enhancing his otherworldly appearance. His expression was unreadable, his body as still as the stone walls around us. Like Orion, he radiated pure power.
“Mortana, Lady of the House of Lilitu.” His low voice rumbled over the hall. “The last succubus. You return to us.”
Somehow, having Orion by my side was helping me. I’d been watching him so carefully throughout the day that I’d developed a good sense of how to mimic his overwhelming confidence.
I smiled, then gave one of the lazy shrugs that he would give, as if I were totally at ease. “The City of Serpents started to bore me.” I took a sip of my red cocktail, which I think was pomegranate juice with vodka. “And then I thought of the City of Thorns. I did have such fun here.” I projected my voice over the hall.
I lifted my chin like Orion had told me, and I drained half my pomegranate martini. Not a care in the world.
The king’s dark eyes landed on Orion. “Do you know why she left the City of Serpents?” His rings glinted in the warm light.
“Now, now, King Cambriel,” said Orion, his tone faintly mocking, “you know I can’t say what happened there. Our cities are shrouded in secrecy.”
He was really going to take that attitude with the demon king? I’d expected deference, but I supposed that was too much to expect from someone with his ego.
“Indeed,” said the king in a cold tone. “Which is why we still know nothing of why you left your ward in the City of Serpents, though I’m sure it involved a scandal. And I do wonder if that particular scandal involved this succubus. But I suppose you’re right. These things cannot be discussed.” The king turned his dark gaze back to me. “My father was very fond of you, Lady Mortana.”
The severed head outside was fond of me. I fluttered my eyelashes and took another long sip of my drink, trying to untangle the weirdness of all this. Somehow, this felt like a test. I sensed that if I showed loyalty to the dead king, I’d fail.
“As you saw on your way in,” the king went on, “the former king has been vanquished. Vae Victis. Do you grieve his death, Mortana?”
This definitely was a test. How did I respond in a way that would flatter King Cambriel? Orion had said King Nergal was dull and tedious.
I widened my eyes, my hand flying to my chest with mock horror. “Is King Nergal dead? Honestly, given his personality, I’m amazed anyone could tell.”
Unfortunately, King Cambriel didn’t smile a bit, so that only made my stomach muscles clench tighter. I’d already emptied my cocktail, and the alcohol was starting to go to my head. I dropped my glass on the tray of a passing waitress.
A heavy silence still filled the room, and my pulse raced. After an endless few moments, titters broke out at last, and I relaxed just a little.
Had I gone too far?
The thing was, I had a feeling Mortana would go too far. It was part of what made her interesting. She wouldn’t have made so many enemies without shocking and insulting people along the way. She knew how to get attention and keep it.