City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(45)

“The king must have had this place wired today,” said Orion. “He’s desperately trying to impress you, I think.”

“He told me that he used to lust after Mortana when she was with his dad.” My lip curled. “He really has a lot of Oedipal stuff going on.”

“Of course he wanted his father’s lover.” Orion crossed to an open archway and peered in. “He’s made everything modern. Ridiculously so. He’s put a cappuccino machine in the kitchen, and even I don’t have one of those. I’m wondering if I need to seduce the king now.”

I crossed to the stairs, then turned to look at him. “Will you stay? I mean, you said I might be in danger.”

Amusement shone in his pale eyes, and he dropped down on one of the leather sofas. He stretched out his arms across its back, and I had a feeling that he was well aware of how hot he looked as his shirt clung to his magnificent body. “I’ll be here.”

Somehow, he’d made that one sentence sound like an indecent invitation.

“That kiss in the bar was just a job, of course.” Why did I say that? I sounded desperately defensive.

“Of course. I’m glad we’re in agreement.” A smile played over his lips. “Go to sleep, Rowan. I’ll be here.”





Even as the sun poured into the room though the arched windows, I continued to sleep on the softest bed I’d ever touched. By the time I woke, the afternoon sun was already high in the sky. I’d slept in my underwear, and the sheets felt silky against my bare skin.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, taking in the sun-drenched space around me. The loft above the suite included a large bedroom with a railing on one side and a marble bathroom and bathtub on the other. I rose from the bed and crossed to the bathroom to splash water on my face. Mentally, I tried to reorient myself. Night and day seemed mixed up here.

I pulled off my underwear and turned on the shower. Steam started to billow around the tiles, and I grabbed the soap and washed.

My pulse raced whenever I thought about Orion’s lips brushing over mine. When I thought of what he’d look like without his shirt on…

Insanely, I wanted him in there with me.

Everything about him distracted me. I turned down the temperature of the shower until a blast of cold water started to clear my head and sharpen my senses.

Tonight, I was supposed to go to a party in the king’s penthouse. I was pretty pleased with how well I’d been able to get the king’s attention. But what if I learned his weakness before I solved my mom’s murder? I hadn’t seen a single star, and I’d need to be here a while to hunt the killer down.

Could I just…lie to Orion until I got what I needed?

Shit. No. Not when he’d threatened Shai’s life.

Goosebumps covered every inch of my body in the freezing shower, and my nipples were hard as rocks. With teeth chattering, I turned the shower off.

I grabbed a towel and began to dry off, only to recall that I had no clean clothes upstairs.

Chilly, I crossed to the balcony. When I peered over the edge, I saw that someone had delivered all my new clothes from Orion’s apartment.

Gripping the towel around myself, I headed downstairs. A knocking sound echoed into the room, and I watched as Orion moved to open the door, his silver hair ruffled.

What I didn’t expect to see—what I really didn’t want to see—was Nama sauntering into the room with a basket of fresh-baked goods.

She’d come to prove herself to him with croissants.





Chapter 26





Her white hair cascaded over a thin white dress. On the one hand, it looked like an innocent sundress. On the other, I didn’t think it was an accident that when the afternoon sunlight hit the material, it became almost translucent. I could see the shape of her breasts through the fabric, the nipples standing at attention, and with the angle of the light hitting the doorway, she practically glowed.

She shot me a look of death, then smiled at Orion again. “I was bringing you some chocolate croissants at the Leviathan Hotel, but your doorman told me you were here. I must say, I found it a bit shocking. I wanted to make sure no harm had come to you, given what we know of her kind.”

With my chin held high and proud like a demon’s, I descended the stairs. “As you can see, he’s fine.”

Orion grabbed one of the croissants and dropped back into a chair. He met my gaze and gave me a wicked smile, eyes twinkling. “She didn’t leave any marks that will last forever.”

I bit my lip, watching Nama’s reaction. Her demon mark beamed from her forehead. If all the demons were so easy to provoke, I’d find the murderer in no time.

Clutching my towel with one hand, I plucked a warm croissant from the basket. “Thanks for the breakfast. You can go now.” Ahhh…my id was a fucking bitch, but definitely fun. “Feel free to pop by tomorrow morning, Nama. We might have worked up an appetite again.”

The mark blazed from her skin. She pressed her lips into a thin line, and she turned to go. But before she left, she whipped around and grabbed me hard by the back of my neck. I dropped my towel as she yanked me close to her ear, and she whispered, “There’s something not right about you. Something besides you being a whore. I saw you in the forest, dressed in that strange suit. I smelled that putrid scent. You smelled like animal piss. No one believes me because they think I’m mad, but I plan to find out what your game is.”