City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(51)

He put his drink down on the railing, then moved closer and planted his hands on either side of me. The wind whipped at his pale hair. “In what way do you want to know me?”

I reached out to stroke his jawline. “The thing is, Your Majesty, everyone has a weakness. Even a king like you.”

“I’m not sure that’s actually the case, Mortana.”

“Everyone,” I repeated. “If we’re going to be equals, then I need to know what makes you vulnerable. If you only know someone’s strong side, you don’t really know them at all.”

“And what makes you vulnerable, Duchess? Is there anything that you fear?”

Dammit. A deflection. It’s like he’d been studying with Dr. Omer.

Maybe I could answer. What made my shadow-self feel vulnerable? I closed my eyes, trying to tune in to what Mortana would feel. If I were answering the question for myself, there’d be a wide array of fears to choose from, spanning the gamut of likely to nearly impossible: fire, dying alone, childbirth, imprisonment in North Korea, choking on a stray zipper that got into my cereal, bug infestations, making selfish choices, getting trampled by a moose…the list was pretty much endless. But Mortana? She was different. She was a survivor. She didn’t agonize about being selfish or flawed—she just survived.

“Being hunted and trapped.” I opened my eyes. “For obvious reasons. I’m the only one left. And you?”

“I fear nothing, because I have been blessed by Lucifer as his true leader.” His tone was silky, deep.

Alarm bells rang in my mind. Did he have the five-pointed star, then?

He stepped back from me and pulled a knife from his pocket. The blade glinted in the moonlight, and he drew it across his palm. For just a moment, his skin flashed with bright red—but then the cut was gone again in an instant. Demons healed quickly, but this was different, almost immediate. Like an arrow bouncing off a dragon’s hide.

He held up his palm. “I’m afraid to disappoint you, Mortana, but nothing about me is vulnerable. That is what it means to be blessed by Lucifer.”

Shit. Was that actually true? If so, why was Orion so convinced otherwise?

“Well, that’s disappointing,” I said. “I like to leave my mark on a man. Drag my claws down his back.” I bared my teeth. “Or mark him as mine with my fangs. I like to deliver pain with pleasure. If you can’t be hurt, I’m not sure we’d be well suited.”

He moved in again, pressing his hands on either side of my hips. “Maybe we could find a way to work past that.”

I arched an eyebrow. “But how?”

The sea wind whipped over us, and my red hair tangled with his. Over his shoulder, I saw Orion standing in the doorway. His eyes looked dark, and darkness seemed to stain the air around him. That was how he looked when he was pissed off.

Why was he annoyed now? I was doing exactly what he wanted. In fact, I think the king was actually about to tell me something.

I turned my attention back to the king and licked my lips. “How could we arrange that? If Lucifer protects you all the time, how can I leave my claw marks on you like I did on the duke?”

The king’s eyes raked down my body. “No. You won’t see him anymore.” His voice had a desperate edge. “I’ve watched you for too long to let you go to another man again. When you were with my father, the jealousy ate at me, like it did at my mother. You were the goddess of envy, inspiring it like no one else before. I vowed to have you as my own.” He dragged his eyes up to mine again. “But I don’t trust you.”

Damn. I’d have to play on his desperation to override the sensible side. I shrugged. “Well, perhaps we’re not suited to each other. I’m sure there’s another demon female who would make a wonderful queen for you. And as for me? Orion can satisfy me like no other male ever has. You can see how all the females look at him, can’t you? Everyone wants him.”

He reached up and grabbed me by the neck. “No.” Ice-cold rage laced his tone, and his fury tightened his jaw. “I will have what he has. I’m the king, and I deserve what I want.”

Fear was starting to climb up my throat now. Panic clanged in the hollows of my mind, sharpened by my species’ thousands of years as prey. My amygdala was telling me to get the fuck out right now—that was a very, very powerful demon was about to rip my throat out or take what he wanted from me. But I could also tell I was close to getting the information I needed. He seemed out of control, ready to do anything to have me.

“You know what I want,” I whispered. “I want to know all of you. Not just the powerful side.”

“I want you now.” His eyes gleamed, midnight dark, and he gripped my waist like he was about to rip the fabric. “There is one way—”

“King Cambriel.” Orion’s voice cut through the tension like a knife. “Do not touch what’s mine.”

To my surprise, the king simply dropped his grip on me. His eyes glinted with darkness as he slowly stepped away.

I looked beyond the king to see Lydia stepping outside next to Orion. The king pivoted to find the two of them standing behind him.

Lydia was seething, and fury burned in her eyes. Was the king attracted to the jealousy of others, too? If so, he had a feast right here.

I exhaled, trying to hide my frustration. I’d been so close to learning what Orion wanted. But the king had been out of control. And maybe—just maybe—Orion actually cared for me.