Page 3

TRINITY

I 've learned to move through these demon gatherings like I belong. Head high, shoulders back, small smile playing on my lips—just enough to suggest I'm pleased to be here without inviting unwanted attention. It's all part of the performance.

But that demon has been distracting me all night.

I accept drinks from the captain, the purple liquid burning pleasantly down my throat as I survey the room. Every event like this is an opportunity—to gather information, to make connections, to secure a better position. For myself and the other women.

My gaze drifts across the ballroom, mentally cataloging the demons present. The usual court parasites, several military officers, a few I don't recognize?—

And my eyes snag on him again.

Tall, even for a demon. Ash-gray skin that somehow looks smoother than the others', less like stone and more like polished metal.

His midnight-black hair is pulled back, emphasizing the elegant sweep of horns that curl upward from his temples.

But it's his eyes that catch me—red-gold, intense, and fixed directly on me.

We've danced, we've drank, and no matter what, his eyes follow me. It's started to grate under my skin.

“Excuse me for just one moment, captain. It seems there’s something I need to take care of,” I say apologetically with a curtsy. The captain nods, disappointment flashing across his features, but thankfully he lets me go.

Without a backward glance, I stride toward the table the male has been sitting at, that flare of frustration beginning to burn hotter and brighter behind my ribs. Just who does this male think he is, to ogle me in such a public setting?

The demon watches my approach, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly. The sight only makes me angrier, and I ache to wipe that smug expression off of his face.

"Well? Is this what you wanted?" I demand as I come to a stop in front of him, placing my hands on my hips. The male says nothing, though I could've sworn the smirk on his face grew just a touch.

"You've been staring at me all night," I snap. "What is it that you want? Did you just want my attention?"

The slight smirk on the demon's face turns into a fully-fledged grin at my question, but he still doesn't respond. His eyes sweep down me slowly, assessing me in a way that makes liquid heat pool in my belly, before his eyes return to mine.

I stare at him expectantly, waiting for his response, but the damned male doesn't say a thing. Instead, he stands, drawing himself up to his full height, and it's only then that I realize just how truly massive he is compared to me.

The demon glares down at me, an infuriating smirk still twisting his full lips, before he turns on his heel and begins to walk away.

A sudden burst of rage fills me as he turns his back on me. How dare he? I deserve to at least receive a reason for why he's gone out of his way to ruin a perfectly good night!

"Hey!" I shout. Before I realize what I'm doing, I've grabbed the demon's admittedly muscled arm, stopping him where he stands. The demon turns his head dangerously slowly, giving me a glimpse of his strong profile.

"I'm talking to you! What in the world is your problem?"

His eyes flicker to where my fingers curl around his bicep, then back to my face. The muscle beneath my hand tenses, but he makes no move to break my grip.

"My problem?" His voice is deep, richer than I expected, with a rough edge that feels like velvet over gravel. "You're the one who stormed across the room to confront a stranger."

I release his arm like it's burned me. "After you spent half the night staring holes through me."

"Maybe I like what I see." His gaze doesn't waver, and neither does that infuriating half-smile.

"I'm not available for acquisition." I cross my arms over my chest. "So you can find someone else to mentally undress."

He laughs then—a genuine sound that transforms his face from merely handsome to breathtaking. "Is that what you think I was doing?"

"Isn't it what all of you do?"

"All of us?" Something dangerous flashes in his eyes. "You've met every demon in existence, have you?"

I lift my chin. "I've met enough."

"Clearly not the right ones." He takes a step closer, invading my space without touching me. "I wasn't mentally undressing you, Trinity."

The sound of my name on his lips sends an unexpected shiver down my spine. "How do you know my name?"

"It's my job to know things." His eyes lock with mine. "Just like it's your job to charm demons into giving you what you want."

The words sting more than they should. "You don't know the first thing about me."

"I know you're scared." He leans in slightly, his voice dropping lower. "I know you're smart enough to be scared. I know you're playing a dangerous game with dangerous people, and I know you're better at it than you should be."

My heart hammers against my ribs. There's no threat in his tone, just a certainty that unnerves me. "Is that supposed to impress me? Your mysterious insight?"

"Nothing about me is designed to impress you." He says the words like a promise.

"Then why keep staring?"

"Isn't that what you want? You are putting on a performance, after all." His answer catches me off guard, and I search his face for the angle, for whatever game he's playing.

Something in my chest constricts painfully. "Don't pretend you care about that."

"I don't." He shrugs, broad shoulders rising and falling. "But I respect it."

We stand in charged silence for a moment, the sounds of the party swirling around us. I should walk away. Return to Drez'kor before he notices my absence. Play it safe.

Instead, I hear myself ask, "What's your name?"

"You want to know my name?"

I roll my eyes. "Is everything so difficult with you?"

His lips twist. "Vael."

"Vael," I repeat, testing the name. It feels dangerous in my mouth.

"You should go back to your captain now, Trinity." His eyes scan the room behind me. "He's looking for you, and I'm not in the mood to kill anyone tonight."

"Careful," I say, unable to stop myself. "I might think you're actually concerned about me."

"Don't mistake self-preservation for concern." Vael's eyes narrow slightly. "I came here for business, not to spill blood over a human woman—even one as..." His gaze travels over me again, slower this time. "Intriguing as you."

Heat rises to my cheeks. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Just an observation." He shrugs again, the movement rippling across his broad shoulders. "You're different from the others."

"Different how?" The question slips out before I can stop it.

"You don't flinch." His voice drops lower. "Most humans can't even look us in the eye. But you—you walked right up to me, grabbed my arm, and demanded answers." A dangerous smile plays at his lips. "Either very brave or very foolish."

"Maybe I'm just tired of being afraid."

"Fear keeps you alive."

I tilt my head. "Is that what keeps you alive, Vael? Fear?"

Something flashes in his eyes—surprise, perhaps, that I've turned the question back on him. "No. I stay alive because I'm very good at ending threats before they become problems."

"That sounds exhausting."

A bark of laughter escapes him. "Says the woman performing for a room full of predators."

"At least I admit I'm performing." The words come out sharper than intended, revealing more than I meant to.

Vael steps closer, so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "And what would Trinity look like, I wonder, if she wasn't performing?"

The question lands like a physical blow. No one asks what I want. No one sees past the mask. I've spent so long crafting this persona that sometimes I forget there was ever anything else.

"You'll never know," I manage to say, proud that my voice doesn't waver.

"Probably for the best." His eyes hold mine, searching. "I suspect the real Trinity would be far more dangerous than this carefully crafted illusion."

"You think you have me figured out, don't you?" I cross my arms.

"Not even close." He smirks. "But I'd like to."

"Too bad that's not on offer."

"What is on offer then?" His voice carries a challenge.

I raise my eyebrows. "For you? A goodbye and a pleasant evening."

Instead of being offended, he laughs again—a genuine sound that draws glances from nearby demons. "You really aren't like the others."

"You keep saying that like it's meaningful." I try to sound dismissive, but curiosity creeps into my tone.

"It is to me." The simple statement hangs between us, weighted with something I can't quite name.

Before I can respond, his eyes flick over my shoulder. "Your captain's patience is wearing thin. You should go."

"Are you dismissing me?" I feel oddly indignant.

Vael's lips curve into that infuriating half-smile. "Consider it a strategic retreat. For both our sakes."

"I don't need you to manage my interactions."

"No," he agrees easily. "You seem perfectly capable of managing them yourself." Something changes in his expression then, a seriousness replacing the amusement. "Be careful with that one. He has a reputation."

The warning catches me off guard. "And you don't?"

"Oh, mine is much worse." He steps back, creating distance between us. "But at least I'm honest about what I am."

With that, he melts into the crowd, leaving me standing alone with my heart hammering in my chest. I blink, disoriented by his sudden departure and the strange encounter.

I force myself to turn and make my way back to Drez'kor, arranging my features into the pleasant mask he expects. But my thoughts remain with the strange demon and our bizarre conversation.

"There you are," the captain says, his eyes narrow with suspicion. "I was beginning to think you'd abandoned me."

"Never," I lie smoothly, accepting the fresh glass of Amerinth he offers. "Just needed a moment of fresh air."

As I sip my drink and laugh at his jokes, my eyes scan the crowd for that tall figure, those red-gold eyes. But Vael is nowhere to be seen.

What did he mean about the captain's reputation? And why warn me at all? Demons aren't known for their concern for humans, particularly ones they've just met.

I've spent years learning to read demons, to anticipate their moods and desires. But Vael... Vael is a puzzle I can't solve. He'd challenged me, seen through me in ways that both terrify and exhilarate. For once, I'd responded with my true thoughts instead of calculated placation.

It was reckless. Dangerous.

And I can't stop wondering when I might see him again.