Page 73 of Demon Heart: The Complete Series

Filling up the large sink with warm water and some expensive bubble bath, I let Darcy wait on the edge, sniffing the water while I fetched a towel and sponge from a lavish metal shelving unit. Heated, of course, making me insanely jealous despite Darcy’s injection of wisdom against false comfort.

Once the water was at the right temperature and depth, Darcy dove in for a swim.

“Even the water is luxurious,” he declared.

I let him swim for a bit before getting to work on his fur with the sponge. I scrubbed him gently, getting the grime and demon blood out of his fur. It came out easily, the soapy water and the sponge borderline magical.

Impressive.

I dried him off, drained the sink, eyeing up the pool/bath, so ready for my body to be dunked in it.

A royal guard entering the suite as I carried Darcy back to the sofa killed the plan off.

“Her Majesty apologizes for any inconvenience, but she wishes to speak with you immediately.”

“Is she okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll let her explain. Come on. I’ll take you to her.”

I looked to Xavier, his expression completely unreadable.

“Okay,” I said.

Darcy hurried up to my shoulder.

God, I hope things weren’t about to take another sharp left turn.

Piper sat at one end of the dining table, big enough for a state banquet, going through some papers. Two guards stood close by, eyeing us warily as we crossed the room.

Paintings of past monarchs gazed down on us, the lighting a soft glow from the four chandeliers above.

Piper smiled, gesturing for us to sit. I sat next to her, Xavier next to me, Darcy staying on my shoulder.

“Your Majesty,” I said.

“Your Majesty,” Xavier echoed.

“Nice to see you again, My Queen,” Darcy contributed.

She was dressed in a navy hoody and black jeans, her brown hair in a messy ponytail. She looked just like the former queen, her skin the same shade of bronze, the same strong jawline and facial features.

“Sorry about this,” she said, tidying up her papers. “It’s just I’m leaving in about twenty minutes to prepare for a meeting with some witch monarchs flying in as we speak.” She sighed. “King Basile is on his royal train.”

The French king famously loathed planes.

“They all want to scrutinize me face-to-face, make sure I’m not the apple rotting close to the tree.” She rolled her green eyes. “Not my words. Anyway, are you okay?”

“Pretty worn out,” I answered. “You?”

“Same. There is so much work for me to do now. I have to heal relations with France, and with the rest of the witch monarchs. Undo so much of my mother’s mess.

This meeting will help, new treaties can get drawn up.

I really believe that. I’ll work hard for peace.

” She sighed. “I won’t bore you with the details, but just know I’ll be striving for better.

I should’ve taken the queen down months ago. ”

“Forgive me for being nosy, but how will you deal with her?” Darcy asked. “And you really don’t have to answer that.”

“It’s fine, Darcy. There is talk of a trial, but I’m not sure how that would work.

She has diplomatic immunity, even while stripped of power.

It’s for me to decide if she should lose that immunity and be put through a trial.

Some want her prosecuted for hate crimes, even war crimes.

Some want her dead. Some want her locked away. Some want her exiled.”

More of that guilt came to screw with me. Even sympathy because Margarite was hurting. Big time. All this was her grief manifesting in the worst possible way.

But that couldn’t be an excuse.

“If I show her mercy, I will be seen as weak,” Piper carried on.

“If I condemn her to death, I’ve committed matricide.

And let’s not get into the problem of her support base.

Outrage over her removal keeps spilling into the streets, the violence getting worse.

Security is being intensified, forces deployed to shut down the riots.

I hope…” She closed her eyes briefly. “This is day one. I have hope to turn things around.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“Sorry, Roman. Your position has been terminated. I have no need for a Shadow.”

“I hadn’t actually thought of that,” I replied.

Unemployed? Free? I should be jumping for joy, but confusion lay heavy like a roast dinner.

What am I now?

“However, I want to offer you protection.”

“You do? Why?”

“Because of your service to my mother. Because I’m unsure of the awareness of your position. You could be a target for her base if they find out you have been with Xavier here. You know, that whole traitor rhetoric she spewed.”

Oh. That.

“King Basile wants to announce Phillipe as his lover.”

That slap of surprise sharpened me up a bit. “He what?”

I’d seen the witch king and the famous, peace-seeking demon on the royal train in my botched assassination attempt. Apparently, King Basile and Queen Sophie enjoyed an open marriage.

“Not wise,” Piper said. “But that’s up for debate.” She cleared her throat. “I want to keep you safe. I want you to stay here.” She slid a sheet of paper over to me. “This is a royal decree putting you under the protection of my staff here at Lawrence House.”

The royal seal at the top of the page, her signature at the bottom, fancy legal jargon basically repeating what she said with some caveats. Like having to stay here, never leaving the grounds, cutting off any contact with the outside world until stated otherwise.

Kept in a cage of luxury. No longer an assassin, freeloading off the new queen, hiding from enemies.

I’m not built for this shit.

But what choice did I have? Darcy needed safety, and I wanted some time to recalibrate in my new circumstances. Plus, I probably didn’t have a home anymore.

“This covers all three of you,” she said, “but I’m happy to have made it clearer.”

“Thanks.”

“As long as you stay within the grounds,” Piper added.

“The moment any of you leave the perimeter of these grounds, you lose the protection. But if you stay, you will be safe. You can enjoy the amenities this house has to offer. At least until you decide what you want to do next. Because this is a choice. I would rather you stayed, but I’m not keeping you prisoner.

And, Roman, you are free from my family.

Completely, regardless of this protection bit.

Whatever hold my mother had over you is broken.

Your days as the Shadow are truly over. I promise.

Just let me keep you safe for the time being. Would that be okay?”

It should be. This was safety. This was a chance to rest and get off the endless wheel of drama.

So why did I feel so damn uneasy?

“What do you think?” I asked Darcy.

“I could do with some time out.”

I swallowed, facing the demon. “What about you?”

Five seconds passed. “I want to stay by your side, wherever you are.”

Piper tried to hide her smile. She often tried to get me to date, despite the rules of being the Shadow. Clearly, she was still on this frequency. And, well, I liked to hear Xavier say things like that.

“Okay,” I said, a slight crack in my voice. “I think…I think this would be for the best.”

A hint of unease crawled over the warm tingling Xavier brought to my skin with his words.

Was this for the best? If not, then what other choices were there? As far as I could tell, the answer was none.

“Great.” The new queen beamed at me. “Right, I must prepare to leave. We can talk more when I return. It might be a week or so, but that gives you the chance to settle in and relax. I’m sure I’ll be all over the news if you want to follow my progress.”

I nodded.

“Food is coming,” she added. “I just can’t stay to enjoy it with you.”

A witch queen’s work is never done.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, Roman? Privately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Darcy looked between me and Xavier, then made his way over to the demon. “Fancy giving me a lift, spider boy?”

Xavier nodded, letting my little buddy scurry up to his shoulder. They left the dining room together, the guards giving us some space.

“How insane is this?” Piper finally said when we were properly alone.

“Extremely. How are you really holding up?”

“This immediate work is keeping me going. But it hurts having screwed my mother over like that, you know? Had to be done, though.” Her hands, holding the paperwork, trembled slightly.

“That took a lot of guts.”

“She’s hurting, Roman. In an unbelievable amount of pain over my father and brother.

I’m not making excuses. She’s created serious problems with her rhetoric, but at the same time I can’t…

” She paused, taking a long breath. “I can’t condemn her to death.

I have to make sure she’s punished, muted forever, but not dead. ”

“I would hate to be in your position.”

“It’s about finding the balance between mercy and punishment.”

“I wish I knew what to say, Your Majesty.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” She stepped closer, putting a hand on my arm. “Bet it feels weird calling me Majesty.”

“It does. And you don’t have to protect me like this. I don’t?—”

“Enough. I want to. I’m not my mother. You’ve served the crown well. So what if you’re banging a demon? Times have changed, eyes are opening. If the King of France can do it, so can you.” She grinned.

A kernel of pain hit my chest. I rubbed at it, the sharpness quickly subsiding.

Man, did I need to get into that pool/bath.

“Thanks so much,” I responded. What else could I say?

She dropped her hand, smirking.

“What’s wrong?” I questioned.

“I’m glad you’ve started dating.”

“I’m not dating him. We’re?—”

“You’ll get the chance to really go for it now. About time, Roman. About time.”

My dating life was so unimportant in the grander scheme of things. A total grain of sand. Yet here we were.

“Take your time,” she added. “Enjoy whatever it is between you two. I can feel something, and I see it in the way he looks at you, in your body language.”

“My body language?”

“Yep. There is something easier about you. As if the spring is looser.”

“I don’t feel like that. At least, I don’t think so.” My brows pinched together. “I look loose?”

She laughed. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m saying you’re not as dark as you used to be. There’s a hint of lightness to you. Don’t worry, I think you’ll always have a dark edge to your aura, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried.”

“I think you are but forget it. Roll with it. After years of being the Shadow, now is the time to be Roman.”

Being Roman is being the Shadow… As much as I craved something new, how did I actually begin to untangle myself from my identity?

“You don’t have to be so understanding,” I said.

“I know I don’t.”

“This is?—”

“I’m tired, Roman. I want this to stop. I just want things to settle down.”

A guard appeared in the doorway. “Apologies, Your Majesty. We must leave now.”

“Absolutely. I’m coming.”

She bowed to her queen.

“Sorry, Roman. Time’s up. But please enjoy this peace. And remember the rules.”

More unease flowed. “Thank you.”

“You are very welcome. I’ll see you soon.”

“Your Majesty.” I bowed to her.

She smiled and left the room, leaving me staring after her for a good three minutes.

I hadn’t told her anything about the device, who Butterfly really was, any of it.

When she returned we’d have a proper discussion. For now, I returned to the suite, thinking on everything she’d said.

I looked lighter?

I turned that over for a few minutes.

Lighter. I mean, yeah. I’d been called an angel, had a man care about me in the special way.

Lighter.

Me?

The Shadow?

Things really were changing. Well, if you didn’t count the unease. That wasn’t going anywhere. Call it a part of my nature.

Never get too light. Never let your guard down.

Maybe one day I can…