The Demon’s Queen (A Deal With A Demon)

The next three weeks pass in a blur of . . . happiness. Azazel stops keeping me locked up in my room and starts bringing me with him as he takes up Ramanu’s duties. Not all the leaders of the villages we visit are as supportive of him as Alice is, but they clearly respect him and his policies. And his people love him.

We spend each night in his bed, fucking and cuddling and sleeping.

He even has me sit in on his meetings with Nuin and Ziven, where they give their reports on their efforts to locate and capture Brosh. I like them both quite a bit.

Nuin is shorter than me, with deep-purple skin and thin, straight horns like some antelopes. She’s clever and serious, laying out each stage of their search systematically.

Ziven is her opposite in every way. Ne is tall and lanky, with skin nearly the same shade as Azazel’s, curving horns, and a deep laugh that makes me smile no matter the situation. Ne seems to have plenty of experience with finding people who don’t want to be found.

It’s only a matter of time before they find Brosh and this all ends.

That’s what I should want. Azazel has promised to send me home once the danger has passed, which is what I was fighting for from the moment I woke up here.

Even so . . . I find myself hoping that Nuin and Ziven take their time.

The next morning, I wake up to find Azazel standing by the desk in his room, drinking his coffee and reading through an intimidating stack of papers. He’s usually up before I am, but after the disastrous moment the first morning I woke up in his room, he’s always here when I finally manage to roll out of bed.

I walk over, then wrap my arms around him from behind while pressing a kiss to his spine. “Morning.”

“Morning.” He squeezes my hand. “I have to go farther afield this morning, and unfortunately, it’s not safe for you to join me.”

I straighten. It’s on the tip of my tongue to protest, but I can’t truly argue that he’s being overprotective when he’s been working hard to ensure I don’t feel trapped. If he’s laying down this boundary now, then there’s a reason for it. Still . . . “Why?”

“I need to check in on the women with the other territory leaders. Ramanu was doing it regularly, but with them still gone, I prefer to handle this task myself.”

That makes sense. In the weeks since I’ve been here, it’s become increasingly clear how seriously bargainers take their contracts. They don’t fuck around when it comes to their humans’ safety. Since Azazel made the deals with these women, their safety is his responsibility.

I sigh dramatically. “I suppose I can find a way to entertain myself while you’re out flitting about the realm.”

He rises and gives me a quick kiss. “I promise not to be long. I have to leave now, though. I was just waiting for you to wake up.”

It’s sweet, but the warmth in my chest fades as he leaves the room. I take my time getting ready, as if that can stave off the reality of my situation.

Nothing’s really changed. I may have found peace with Azazel, but the moment I’m alone, I can’t quite forget the fact I’m trapped here. Maybe I’d feel differently if I knew exactly what I was doing when I signed that contract, if I went into this with open eyes instead of lies.

I wander about the castle, murmuring to it softly as I do. It hasn’t tried to fuck with me once since showing me what I’ve come to think of as my garden, and sometimes it brings me to new rooms and wings and what I can only describe as secrets. I’m hoping for one of those to distract me while Azazel is gone.

But it’s barely thirty minutes before tension rolls through the halls and I’m abruptly spit out into a new hallway between one step and the next. I spin around, squinting. “You’ve never done that before.” My stomach sloshes a little, but it’s clear the castle wants me to go somewhere.

The floor heaves under my feet, tilting me forward, as if I could have possibly missed its intentions. I stumble. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

I hurry through the hall to the door at the end and shoulder it open . . . to find the petite redhead from the auction facing off with Azazel. In the few minutes I interacted with her that night, she seemed like the kind of woman who would rather flee than speak a harsh word to someone. Apparently a lot has changed in the last month.

I stand in the doorway, unseen by both of them, as they yell at each other. I can’t quite divine what happened. Azazel says Briar was harmed and asks her if she wants medical care, but she seems intent on the fact that he’s overstepping and misunderstood the situation.

Ramanu appears in the midst of it, and though I’m happy to see them, they have to grab Briar to stop her from jumping at Azazel. She tried to attack him. My jaw is on the floor, and even as my mind tells me to move, to step in, Ramanu muscles the yelling woman out of the room before I can manage to break free of my shock.

The entire thing takes bare minutes.

I give myself a shake and step into the doorway. “What’s going on?”

Azazel looks up and meets my gaze. “I can explain.”

That’s exactly the wrong thing to say. I might have been able to set aside the situation I ended up in because it had only happened to me. Except . . . apparently that wasn’t true. If Briar is this furious . . . If Azazel looks like he’s already about to apologize . . . I take a step back. “What did you do?”

“Sol became . . . overzealous . . . and removed Briar’s birth control pendant without prior discussion. He’s forfeited his territory as a result.”

I blink. Removing the birth control pendant without talking about it first is kind of a big deal. Except, I can’t get Briar’s fury out of my head. I would never tell someone who’s a victim how they have to respond, but she was protesting in a way that makes me think he read the situation wrong. “From what she says, that’s not the full story.” It was hard to get the full context with how short and angry the fight was, but clearly Briar was angry at Azazel, not Sol.

He bristles visibly. “Not you too.”

It’s amazing how quickly the peace of the last three weeks melts away, leaving only anger. I stare up at him, my heart crumbling in my chest. “Because no one knows better than the great Azazel, right?”

His brows slam down. “That’s not what I said.”

“You didn’t have to say it.” I shake my head. “Your actions speak louder than whatever defense you’re currently trying to come up with.” Because there’s always a defense. He might apologize, might take responsibility later, but in the moment, he uses whatever justification necessary to do what he wants.

He scrubs a hand over his head. “Eve, please.”

Please. As if I’m the one being ridiculous right now. “I need time to think.” I turn around and walk away. He’s learned enough not to follow me, not to chase me down and battle his way forward.

The moment I turn the corner, I whisper, “Take me to her, please.”

A few more turns, a few flights of stairs—as if the castle is truly testing whether I want this—and I’m deposited before a door nearly identical to the room I haven’t bothered to visit in weeks.

I almost turn around right then and there. It’s been so nice letting myself enjoy Azazel. With a little more time, I may have even convinced myself to let down the last of my barriers, to fall for him for real.

Or to admit to myself that I already have.

That, more than anything, makes me lift my hand to knock on the door. I’m not a person who turns away from hard truths, even if they threaten the little bubble I’ve allowed myself to be wrapped up in.

The door clicks open but not because anyone is on the other side. The castle again. I glance around. “Thank you.”

The redhead—Briar—is sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. She straightens as I step into the room, her angry expression fading to one of confusion. “You . . .”

“Eve.” I press my hand to my chest. “Sorry to intrude.”

“No.” She shakes her head, tear tracks on her pretty face. “It’s probably best I’m not alone right now. I was just about to start trying to break down the door.” She eyes it with suspicion. “It was locked just a minute ago.”

“The castle has a strange sense of humor sometimes.” I ease the door shut behind me, confident that I’m not about to be locked in again. The castle and I have an understanding, one that feels independent of Azazel.

Something to consider later.

“The castle. Right.” Briar frowns. “I guess I do remember some of that from when I was here before.” She shakes her head. “Regardless, I need Azazel to stop and listen to me. He walked into a conversation that was none of his business and took things out of context. Sol would never put me in danger intentionally. Yes, we didn’t exactly have a conversation about the birth control pendant before he bit it off, but if I hadn’t wanted him to do it, he wouldn’t have done it.”

The passion in her voice makes my heart ache. “You sound like you love him.”

Briar gives me a wobbly smile. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known.”

And Azazel just dropped a bomb on their relationship, so to speak. High-handed doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s impossible to avoid comparing myself to Briar, even though the situation is different. The current danger against her sounds like it was perceived instead of real. Regardless, Azazel didn’t stop to ask questions or find another way. He just took her . . . like he took me.

We chat for a little while. I came here to find out answers, and it quickly becomes clear that Briar truly is in love with Sol. They had a bit of a rocky start, because of the trauma from her past relationship and his awkward nobility, but it seems like things are going swimmingly now.

At least until Azazel ruined it all.

I don’t know how to feel. I truly don’t. It’s not a simple situation, and I can’t pretend that my time with him hasn’t changed things for me, at least a little.

I’m not a coward, though. As tempting as it is to retreat to my room to clear my head, that would be a shitty way to go about navigating this. So I don’t. I go to his.

He appears in the doorway a few minutes after me. I don’t know if that’s intentional on his part or if the castle had its way with him, but he doesn’t immediately approach me. The distance can be measured in feet, but it feels like he might as well be standing on another planet. I cross my arms over my chest. “You fucked up.”

“I disagree.” His face gives me nothing. “She just needs time to understand.”

I flinch. That’s not what I expected him to say. I should have. “Like I needed time to understand? Because Daddy Azazel knows best?” I laugh harshly. “Right. Of course. Why would I assume you’ve learned anything at all? What’s your motivation to change? All you had to do was wait me out and I fell for you, legs spread.”

“Don’t.” He takes a step toward me. “Don’t do that, Eve. That’s not what this is. That’s not what we are.”

“Isn’t it?” I whisper.

It’s suddenly all too much. I skirt around him to the bathroom and make quick work of getting ready for bed. He doesn’t say a word as he does the same. Or when we strip down and climb into bed. Or when he wraps a cautious arm around my waist and tugs me back into the curve of his body.

“I love you, Eve.”

My chest feels too tight. I love you too. I don’t say it aloud. I can’t say it aloud. I wish hearing those words from him were enough to ward off the dread churning through my stomach.