Page 25

"The mighty Vaelrix," he spits over his shoulder. "Reduced to chasing petty thieves."
I don't respond to the bait. My reputation is built on results, not conversation.
"Heard you turned down the Obsidian contract." He lets out a pained laugh when I tighten my grip. "Strange choice. That was big nodals."
I had turned it down. The week I'd spotted Trinity at Asmodeus's gathering. I couldn't explain why, even to myself. The thought of leaving Galmoleth before securing her had been... unacceptable.
"Shut up and walk," I growl.
We reach a small cave as darkness settles. I secure the satyr to a jutting rock and build a small fire. As the flames rise, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls, my thoughts drift again to Trinity.
Is she adapting to my home? Has Domemri poisoned her food yet? The tension between them had been palpable, and I'm not sure why. Not sure how to fix that, either.
I'd left without proper explanation, without telling Trinity when I'd return. The realization bothers me more than it should. She isn't owed explanations. She's carrying my heir—that's the arrangement.
Yet I find myself wondering what she's doing right now. Is she comfortable? Is she eating enough? Is she lonely?
Am I lonely?
The question ambushes me, unwelcome and revealing. I stare into the fire, suddenly aware of a hollow feeling I've carried for longer than I care to admit. The satyr shifts, drawing my attention back to reality.
"You seem distracted, demon," he observes. "Not like the stories."
I fix him with a cold stare. "The stories don't mention how I cut out the tongues of marks who talk too much."
He falls silent, eyes wide.
I settle against the opposite wall, one dagger drawn and resting across my knee. I should rest, but my mind keeps circling back to Trinity—to the taste of her skin, the sound of her laughter, genuine and unguarded in those few moments when she'd forgotten to be afraid of me.
One taste and I'm acting like a lovesick fool. Pathetic.
Tomorrow I'll deliver this satyr, collect my nodals, and return home. To her. The thought brings a satisfaction I'm not ready to examine too closely.
I return homeas dusk settles over Ikoth, my body weary from the hunt but mind strangely alert. The bounty collection went smoothly—fifteen nodals for Markos, who'll spend the next decade in a Ti'lith cell. Fair trade.
The house is quiet as I enter, dropping my weapons belt on the hook by the door. Dried blood crusts my knuckles and forearms—not mine—and dust from the journey clings to my skin.
"Welcome back."
Domemri stands in the kitchen doorway, her pale violet eyes assessing me. She wears a simple black dress that accentuatesher slender form, her white-blonde hair braided with those little metal charms that chime when she moves.
"Is she awake?" I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
Something flickers across Domemri's face. "Yes. She ate dinner an hour ago. I left water in your bathing chamber."
I nod, already moving toward the stairs. "I won't need anything else tonight."
"Of course." Her tone is perfectly measured, but I catch the subtle tightening of her jaw. Not my problem.
My bathing chamber is dark until I mutter the incantation that lights the sconces. Steam rises from the large basin, casting ghostly shapes in the dim light. I strip quickly and sink into the hot water, letting it sluice away the grime of the hunt.
As I wash, my thoughts keep circling back to Trinity. She's here, in my home, likely waiting in her room. The knowledge stirs something primal in me, a possessiveness I'm unaccustomed to feeling.
It's purely physical, I remind myself. A natural response to a compatible breeding partner. Especially since we've become accustomed to this, to me visiting her most nights and us finding our pleasure together. But that is all it is. Nothing more.
I rise from the bath and dry myself, pulling on clean black pants but leaving my chest bare. My reflection catches my eye—ash-gray skin, the thick horns that crown my head, red-gold eyes that mark me as a predator. A demon, through and through.
And she is so very human.