Page 13 of House of Demons and Bones (Shades of Ruin and Magic #5)

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Killian

N ot holding back but giving her all, as if her life depended on it, Grace unleashed the most potent, seductive power she channeled from Lilith. Seduction sank into me, setting my blood on fire and clouding my mind with unbridled lust. I staggered.

Any other man, even the heirs, would succumb to this overwhelming compulsion that promised to sate all their carnal needs and deliver wild pleasure beyond imagination. But I wasn’t just any man. I was of the death god’s bloodline, and I had bonded an extremely powerful dragon from the only royal line. My beast snarled at the invasion, thrashing, fury burning hotter than his flame.

The Queen of the Underworld had bet that her ward, combining Barbie’s form and her star power, could bend my knees and entice me to her bed. They underestimated the bond between Barbie and me and my unwavering loyalty to my true mate.

A grave insult.

Grace’s eyes widened at her failure. Despite my rejection, she moved to throw herself at me, a last attempt.

I flicked a hand, caging her with my starlight and darkness. I didn’t even need to cover her nudity, as it meant nothing to me.

“Why?” she whimpered.

“You aren’t my type,” I said.

“I can be your type. Please, Prince Killian,” she begged. “I’m at your mercy. I can’t fail!”

A dark realization struck, and it confirmed that my betrothed had sent her ward to do her dirty work. Grace had glamoured her eyes to match Barbie’s, attempting to pass as my mate.

“My queen will share,” Grace babbled. “I’m meant to be your gift. You can have me, anywhere and anytime.”

My nostrils flared at her changed scent. Lilith was wearing her ward’s skin now. Impossible—yet the fallen star defied all rules. My betrothed had possessed her ward’s body to seduce me.

Everything clicked. She’d brought Grace in after noticing the connection between Barbie and me, assuming a lookalike could get me into her bed. If I succumbed to Lilith and Grace’s spells, sleeping with either of them and betraying my mate, the bond between Barbie and me would shatter beyond repair. My eternal misery would begin.

I swallowed as I grasped the trap’s insidious implications. This was Lilith’s final attempt to claim me.

The queen was clever and powerful, but she didn’t know me. Even as a child, I had never let anyone in, not even the other heirs. I showed my true self to no one—except my mate. My cock hardened only for my vicious little scorpion. My cold heart beat only for her, my black soul craved only hers.

This creature before me, now possessed by her master, was a pale imitation of Barbie. Lilith could never replicate my mate’s scent and essence, no matter how much effort she exerted.

I drew in a cold breath, containing my rage, holding myself back from slaughtering the copy

in front of me.

What a bad actress, my dragon sneered. If you won’t kill her, send her away right now. We need to go find our mate.

“I look just like her, but better,” Grace persisted. “I won’t disappoint you, Prince Killian.”

“You’ll never be her,” I said with cold disdain. “You’re a pathetic copy. Crawl back to whatever hole you came out of. Return without permission and you die.”

I tossed her out.