Page 17

Chapter seventeen

Brandon

T he moment Roisin left, it was like she’d taken a piece of me with her. I should be worried that I’d never leave the Winter Court and see my family again, but I was more worried I’d never see Roisin again. My training hadn’t prepared me for the depth of feelings I’d develop for a Fae Princess.

Who knew I’d fall in love so easily?

Certainly not me.

I’d had my fair share of women, but I’d loved none of them. Guilt surged for admitting that now. Should I have taken a leaf out of Roisin’s beliefs and waited for love? That’s what she was waiting for. While she said it was her fated mate she was truly waiting for, then why had she kissed me? She wanted love, and by God, she had it.

I needed her to come back so I could show her how much I loved her, how much I’d love her for the rest of my mortal life. It stung like a paper cut to realize I’d die while she’d live forever. But damn it, I’d rather love her and die happy than never love her at all .

The door flung open without a knock, which was so different from the other times while Roisin was here. Did that mean the demons respected her? And now she was gone, they’d treat me differently.

Rexan, the Demon King, walked into the room as though he owned it. I suppose he did. I folded my arms over my chest.

“What do you intend to do with me?”

The King wandered the room as though a caged panther on the prowl.

“Whatever I want.” He paused by the portrait Roisin had meticulously painted of me. “She is talented.”

“She is.”

His dark gaze snapped to mine. “She’s intriguing, is she not?”

“She is,” I said again.

“You might wait a while for her return.”

“I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

“And yet you’ll die.” He tapped a talon on his lip. “You might even be dead before she convinces her family to come here.”

“If you aim to harm her, then I’ll die killing you.”

The demon chuckled darkly, as though the thrill of someone trying to kill him excited him.

“You can try, but you’ll never succeed where many haven’t either.” He strode to the doorway. “Come, it’s time you learned your history.”

“My history?”

The demon king strode from the room, leaving me staring at his back. Leather wings exploded in a flourish, sending a gust of air over my face. I gaped at the display of supernatural power before rushing after him. Why wasn’t I powerful? We walked down a set of stairs, then another, and another. Soon a grand foyer was before us. Two guards stood at the entrance inside. They opened the door, letting in the icy chill of the winter outside. I shivered.

“I forgot.” He snapped his fingers, and a guard rushed forward with a long fur cloak. “Humans are fragile.”

I draped the cloak around my shoulders and tugged the hood over my head. We strode outside, our footfalls crunching on the snow. An immaculate ice-covered garden surrounded the castle. Plants that would have been spectacular in green and flower in any other place sat frozen as crystallized ice sculptures. A stone wall at waist height covered in soft-looking snow on either side of the pathway led us away from the castle. We exited the ice-sculptured garden grounds and strode across a field of ice toward the sound of loud voices and sword fighting echoing in the distance. Was he taking me to kill me already? Would my sacrifice for Roisin’s life be over so quickly?

“Do other humans come here?” I asked in desperation.

“On very rare occasions. Most find it too inhospitable. We like it that way.”

“Did anyone else travel through the magical bookshelf?”

“Not that I’m aware.”

“It’s your kingdom, so you should know.”

He spun so fast, his wings almost sliced my head from my body. The talons on the tips looked sharp enough that they would do so.

“You have no sense, young man. I can snap your spine like a twig, throw you to the snow wolves roaming the forest and they’d feast on your flesh forever.” The demon’s eyes blazed with hunger.

I shivered despite the warmth of the fur cloak. “Let me guess, they’re not like Earth wolves.”

“You guessed correctly.”

“My father disappeared.” I shrugged. I didn’t care for the man who’d abandoned me, but I’d had a fleeting thought: other people might have disappeared through the bookshelf like we had.

The demon’s left eye twitched. “He might be here.” His wings fluttered, sending a gust of ice-cold air over me. “He might not be here too. If he was foolish enough to come here on his merit, then there are fates worse than death and you’ll do well to remember that little human.”

“Whatever.” I puffed out an ice-laden breath. Surely, he’d understand everything happening in his kingdom, but then again, the Fae King hadn’t known about the Trappers until it was too late to stop their massacre.

“Ye, Gods, human, do you have a death wish?”

“You’ve all but told me I’ll be dead before Roisin returns, so get on with killing me.”

He laughed. “You believe I brought you outside to kill you?”

I nodded but held my ground.

He snorted. “I’d send my guards to dispose of you if that was my intention. I wouldn’t waste my time on such puny matters.”

“Except Roisin will be upset if you order me killed.”

“Will she?”

“Yes,” I said, knowing we’d shared more than a moment of giving in to our desires.

“She’s a Fae Princess. She’ll get over you when she finds her fated mate.”

I hauled in a deep breath and held it. These people and their fated mates were driving me insane.

“Do demons have fated mates?”

“Yes.”

“So where is yours?”

His fist struck my face so fast, I didn’t see it coming, but the spurt of blood exploding from my nose and dribbling on my chin told me what had happened. The claret sprayed across the ice at my feet, painting the snow in an eerie tale of violence.

“No more questions about things that don’t concern you.” He stomped across the snowy path and out of the castle garden.

I touched a tentative finger to my nose and winced. Yep, broken. The bastard had broken my bones for asking him where his fated mate was. I guess it was a touchy subject and one I wouldn’t ask again unless I was looking for another beating.

We walked silently across a field toward a group of horned demons sword fighting. My limbs itched to get in the fray with them and show them I wasn’t a completely fragile human. That I had skills, and I’d hold my own. We stopped at the edge of the circle of demons, watching a pair in battle. My gaze skittered around all the different demons. One had pointed white horns pointing straight into the air from a flock of white hair. Another’s skin was tinged red and his eyes glowed amber. The next demon appeared entirely human until his tongue flicked out of his mouth like a snake with a forked tongue.

“I made you,” the Demon King said.

“Huh?” I blundered, awe-struck with the way the demons were fighting.

“The Fellowship of the Infinite Spring. You’re my creation. My way to protect the Fae.”

“Why?” I turned from the spectacular sight in front of me because this was more important.

“Because of family.”

The swords clanged beside us, demons cheered, while others groaned as though they’d placed bets on who would win and who would lose. I couldn’t take my eyes off the Demon King’s face, though, because what he said made me believe Roisin was related to him. Which meant I was in love with a part Fae, part Siren, part Rage Demon.

“Well,” I said, “You didn’t do a very good job, did you?”

A collective sudden silence happened. A second later, they tossed me into the center of the fighting circle, thrust a sword into my hand, and a tall demon with long curled blue horns protruding from his head stood opposite me with a matching sword .

Well, shit, I had to open my big mouth again. There was nothing left for me to do than fight the demon opposite me. If I won, then I’d live to see Roisin again.