Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)(22)

I gave my betrothed a secret smile. Having Wrath there, watching, made it feel as if he were the only one in the room with me. It was his attention I desired above all, his greedy hunger I wanted to ignite. His fury. I longed for him so desperately, so deeply, I ached. What we’d shared in the gondola wasn’t nearly enough, and the greedy desire I’d felt for him came rushing back, mixing dangerously with Lust’s gift.

“I knew Vesta a little,” Devon said, answering a question I nearly forgotten I’d asked. If I had any hopes of keeping my wits, I needed to stop looking at Wrath while Lust’s sin worked me. “She seemed distracted as of late.”

“How so?”

Lust’s soft chuckle sounded to my left, followed by a stronger wave of his magic. The demon bastard was going to kill me with pleasure or help to incite the riot he’d warned me against. A soft, breathy moan escaped my lips. Goddess above, everything felt so good. The pearls of my skirt hit interesting places as I rolled my hips again, searching for more of that glorious feeling. The duke swore roundly when he noticed what I was doing, but he kept his hands on the card table where Wrath could see them.

My attention locked onto the demon prince again as euphoria swept through me. I wanted to be on his lap, riding him until we were both sated. Wrath gripped the arms of his chair as if he were holding himself back. I wasn’t sure if it was anger or desire that had his attention riveted to my show. I didn’t care. This game we were playing just turned more interesting.

“Your grace?” I managed to ask between invisible strokes. “You mentioned Vesta seeming distracted. Do you recall how?”

“She’d—” The duke shifted in his seat beneath me. “She lost several games. It was unusual enough for the court to start talking. Vesta never lost focus. I even heard she’d been asking odd questions lately, about scenting blood and the intricacies of it.”

“I was under the impression all demons could detect information in blood.”

“That’s precisely why some were growing curious about her. She’d assign a guard to test any blood disputes during skirmishes. An odd amount of werewolf blood kept tainting the scenes.”

Which would certainly enrage any werewolves whose blood had been taken, giving possible credence to Greed’s suspicion of them being responsible for the attack. “Did anyone ever mention this to Greed?”

“His highness punished anyone who brought up Vesta in any negative light. Everything I’ve heard has all been the result of court gossip.”

I inadvertently slid down the Duke of Devon’s lap as he adjusted himself again, immediately feeling what he’d been hiding. His arousal. I quickly moved away from it, but not before a low growl sounded from across the table. Wrath looked close to launching himself at the duke, every muscle in his body appeared strained, and his stubborn will was probably the only thing keeping him in check. Goddess above he was incredible. Thanks to the heady combination of greed and lust mixing with Wrath’s sinful allure, I wanted him to lay me down on the gaming table, spread my legs, and own me right here and now.

My king swallowed hard, his gaze darkening, and I realized he sensed my arousal. At first, I wasn’t certain if he could tell the difference between who had turned me on—it certainly wasn’t the duke. I only desired my favorite sin, but with the amount of anger radiating off him, I realized he’d misjudged. It seemed our performance was very close to finally causing a scene. It was time to gather any other information I could before Wrath lost control.

“Was anything else unusual about Vesta before her death?” I asked. “How are her family members taking it?”

“No… no family.” The Duke of Devon’s breathing turned erratic when my hands skimmed along the front of my top. “Vesta wasn’t originally from this circle. Prince Greed kept that a secret that only he and Vesta were supposed to know, but word travels in court. For the right price. Vesta wasn’t her given name, according to gossips.”

Interesting. “Do you know what her name was?”

“No. She never spoke of it.”

“And she was alone at court?”

The duke flicked his tongue over his lips. “Vesta had dalliances over the years, nothing that took her away from her duty. Some believed Greed wanted to make her his consort, but he’s always denied that and so has she.”

“Did they ever”—I ran my fingertips along my outer thighs—“have relations?”

Wrath’s hands flexed. And the sudden thought of him pleasuring himself while watching me do the same made me forget this was supposed to be a scheme. All I wanted was him. And greed took over. The Duke of Devon began stroking my outer arms, and I wondered if Lust had sent him a little encouragement or if it was simply greed driving him to participate in my show.

“Vesta typically preferred the company of females. Though she was known to sleep with the occasional male if she desired him.”

“Have you heard anything else that would be interesting?”

“I’d rather not think of anything else at the moment, Lady Emilia.” The duke leaned over my shoulder, his attention locked on my fingers as they traveled under my skirt and I—

The temperature plummeted. Startled cries sounded from the stage. I glanced over in time to see what had happened. Ice shot across the stage, and gyrating couples slipped but didn’t fall. We were getting very close to creating a scene now, but it still wasn’t enough to make an impression on this court. Wrath needed to lose control. Embrace the devil he was.