City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(44)

But there was her demon mark—a byzantine golden symbol that beamed from her forehead.

Several females gaped at me, seething, their marks blazing. One had the mark of a serpent, the other a triangular shape. It seemed that Nama wasn’t the only one who had designs on Orion.

But Lydia and the king? The ones I actually hoped to see? No demon marks on display.

I was still catching my breath when I caught the king’s eye. That had gone a little far, hadn’t it? But I’d gotten what I’d wanted—his attention.

He crossed over to me swiftly, his eyes dark as night, pale hair draped over his velvet suit. His jaw was set tight, and he boxed me in until my back was against a column. He pressed his hands on either side of my head, his crown gleaming in the lights of the bar.

My heart skipped a beat. I’d definitely gotten his attention.

His stance was possessive, dominating. And since I was supposed to be an ancient and powerful demon, I couldn’t shrink from it. “I hope you will find your new accommodations in the Asmodean Ward to your liking. I had my mortal servants working day and night to get it in good condition. I had my best magicians working on it, too. I can give you anything you desire.”

I smiled serenely. “I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I was at Orion’s apartment earlier.”

His muscles visibly tensed. “Why be with a duke when you could be with a king?” He sounded almost pleading. This was driving him mad. “I don’t understand.”

I looked into his chiseled features. “I could be with a king?”

“Don’t you remember, in those days when you were with my father,” he said through gritted teeth, “don’t you remember how much I wanted you?”

Of course. Motivated by jealousy, the little prince wanted what his father had. The succubus mistress.

“Did you?” I asked with a smile. “It seems so long ago. It’s just that I notice Orion more. He pays so much attention to me. He tells me things, all about himself. You haven’t really told me about yourself. It’s hard for me to desire someone unless I know what makes him vulnerable.”

Over his shoulder, I could see Lydia fuming. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see her mark.

“Tomorrow,” he replied. “I’m having a party in my penthouse suite in the Tower of Baal. You must be there. I will not take no for an answer. Come by yourself. There’s no reason to bring the duke.”

But the duke, paradoxically, was the key to his affections. All my power over the king depended on his jealousy.

“I’d love to come, but Orion will be joining me. Once you tell me more about yourself, we can get to know each other better.”

He nodded curtly, then dropped his hands. With the look he was giving me, I had the sense that he didn’t hear “no” often. “Fine. Bring the duke,” he muttered. “He isn’t a threat to me.”

Good news for Orion’s spy mission: the king wasn’t a very good liar.





Chapter 25





It was nearly dawn by the time we reached my new home in the Asmodean Ward. Orion and I jumped in a cab, not saying a single word about our very public kiss. I only told him we had party plans for the next night, and he seemed pleased at my progress.

When we arrived at my house, a man in a black suit and hat opened the cab door for me. A second doorman opened the building’s front doors into a hall with pale blue and gold tiled floors. High above, arches of a pale buttery stone swept over us. Sweeping staircases led up to a mezzanine floor.

In the center of the lobby, the ceiling was painted with an image of a nude woman, a snake wrapped around her legs and body. Lilith, I thought. While most of the hall was gleaming, restored through magic, the ceiling had faded and chipped over time.

To my surprise, Orion stared at the fresco for a long time, his body completely still. He normally seemed so bored with things, but either the naked woman or the snake had caught his attention. In fact, I sensed him shifting a little, the shadows bleeding into the air around him.

While he studied Lilith, I crossed to the far side of the hall, where arches opened onto a courtyard with an enormous pool. Beyond the pool, I could see the river through a set of columns, the dark water glinting with just a hint of morning light. And just on the other side of the river was the forbidding Elysian Wilderness. I shivered, not wanting to remember the hour I’d spent there, fighting for my life.

Orion said the Puritans thought the natural world was dangerous. Right now, I felt their fear. I understood why the devil scared the shit out of them. The primal power of these demons, their bestial side—it was terrifying.

“You need sleep.” Orion’s deep voice pulled me from my worries.

“No arguments here.” My body was exhausted at this point, and I desperately wanted rest. I followed Orion up a flight of stairs, and we stopped at a door that had once been painted a deep maroon, the color now faded with time. He slid a skeleton key into the lock, then opened the door, handed me the key, and flicked on a light. I found myself staring at the key in my palm, then tracing its shape.

I owned a key like this. It was one of the few things that I’d always kept close to me until the night Orion had abducted me. My heart raced as I stared at it, and then I slid it into my pocket and followed him into the apartment.

The walls within were stone, like a medieval castle, except they were smooth and gleaming. Enormous windows overlooked the pool, the water of which had started to glitter a little with peach light as the first blush of sun began to tinge the sky with gold. Stairs led to a loft floor, which must be where the bed was. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, a circle of wood that looked as if it had once held candles, but now boasted electric lights.