Page 22 of Prince of Demons (Demon’s Mark #2)

Georgia

T he second the demon disappeared out of view of the helicopter, the child in Georgia’s arms stopped trembling and looked up. “Is the mean man gone?”

Georgia gave her a small smile. “Yes, honey. The mean man’s gone for now. But don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’m Georgia. Can you tell me your name?”

“Suzanne.” She looked up at Georgia with big hazel eyes. “You saved me. I was so scared, but you saved me.”

“Of course I did,” Georgia said softly, brushing her long hair gently. “And once all those big, scary men are done fighting, we’re going to find your mama, okay? Can you tell me her name?”

Suzanne blinked up at her. “Mama.”

Sighing internally, Georgia smiled gently. “Okay, honey. How about your daddy? Or the street you live on?”

“There’s a swing in our front yard," Suzanne said brightly. Then she reached into the pocket of her dress and held out her clenched little fist to Georgia. “Here.”

Slightly surprised by the change in the girl’s focus, from crying for her mother to handing out pocket treasures, Georgia accepted the stone placed in her palm.

It was a semi-opaque, milky-white crystal, roughly palm-sized and polished to a smooth oval shape.

A faint glow seemed to emanate from within it.

“Oh, wow… That’s so pretty, sweetheart. Where did you get this? Don’t you want to keep it?” The stone felt warm in her hand, and she could almost make herself believe she felt a faint pulse from it against her skin.

Suzanne shook her head firmly and reached out to close Georgia’s fingers around the gem with surprising strength, her voice taking on an odd, grown-up tone. “It was meant for you, Georgia.”

“That’s so sweet of you, but I’m sure whoever gave this to you would want you to keep…” Georgia’s voice trailed off as the kid’s bottom lip began to tremble, her already large eyes growing wider and sadder.

“It’s for you. Don’t you like it?” Suzanne sniffled, tears seemingly summoned out of thin air threatening to spill down her cheeks.

“No, no, of course I do. I love it,” Georgia hurriedly said, slipping the odd stone into her pocket to placate the traumatized child.

It looked way too valuable for a child to be handing out to strangers, but hopefully she could discreetly slip it back to her mother, if they managed to find the woman alive.

When. When they found her. “Thank you so much—it’s so sweet of you to give it to me. ”

Mollified, Suzanne cuddled up closer against her.

Georgia sighed softly and held the girl against her chest, automatically rocking her gently on her lap.

The feeling of her in her arms reminded her of holding Larry like this when he was small.

She'd still been a kid herself, but the memory of that overpowering love she'd felt for her brother since the day he was born made her smile softly into Suzanne's dirty-blonde hair. All this—the fear, the demons... the prospect of birthing demon offspring? It was all worth it because, thanks to Prince Kesh, Larry got to live a full life. And she’d make sure Suzanne did, too.

As much as she could, after witnessing something as traumatizing as a demonic battle horde descending upon her sleepy town.

"I'm so sorry you had to see all this," she whispered to the girl snuggling against her, as she ran her fingers soothingly through her hair. “You must have been so scared. But don’t worry, we’ll find your mama, and everything will be alright.”

Georgia knew she shouldn’t be making promises she wasn’t sure she could keep, but the weight of the trusting child nestled against her made iron will rise along her spine.

Whatever it took, she would make things alright for this girl.

Demons had ruled her nightmares since she was younger than Suzanne—she wasn’t about to let them ruin this little girl’s life, too.

She sat in silence with her arms around Suzanne for what felt like hours. The sounds of battle quieted to eerie silence, broken only by rough shouts now and then.

The slow, even breathing from the little girl on her lap made her assume she’d fallen asleep from the trauma weighing on her young mind, but when she suddenly popped her head up, her wide, fearful eyes were alert and free from the drowsiness of sleep.

“Don’t let him hurt me.”

Georgia frowned at the pleading tone, tightening her arms with the instinct to protect the small child. “Don’t let who hurt you, baby?”

Before Suzanne could respond, the sound of heavy footfalls reached them from outside the helicopter. Georgia stiffened, twisting her head toward the window just in time to see the horned prince rip open the door and jump in.

He looked pissed.

Covered in blood and soot and chunks Georgia had no desire to study closer, he glared down at her clutching Suzanne tight.

Even with the huge sword sheathed on his back, he still looked every ounce the demon warrior, and she couldn’t fault Suzanne for whimpering with fear and pressing closer into Georgia’s embrace, despite the girl not being able to see his monstrous features.

“What. Is. That?” He pointed at Suzanne’s cowering form. “I told you not to leave the fucking helicopter! Where did that come from?!”

“She can’t find her mother,” Georgia said, twisting her body to shield the girl from the prince’s angry stare. “I couldn’t leave her out there—she would have gotten hurt.”

Kesh’s black eyes widened with outrage. “And so you thought disobeying my orders and putting yourself at risk was the smart thing to do? Don’t answer that.

Of course you did. You haven’t seen a wretch you wouldn’t martyr yourself for in a second, have you?

” He scrubbed a large, clawed hand over his face.

“I don’t have the fucking energy for this.

Get rid of her—I need to get you home before you leap in front of a train to save a rat. ”

“I can’t just leave her. She’s too young—I need to find her mother.” Despite the waver in her voice in the face of the prince’s clear agitation, she set her chin in defiance. “Is it safe out? I’ll be quick. You can wait here?—”

The metallic clang as Kesh’s meaty hand slammed against the side of the helicopter made both her and Suzanne jump, and she clamped her jaw shut.

“Are you insane? Do you not understand that I would rather fucking die than see you hurt, you insufferable human! No, you don’t get to fuck off on your own, like some idiot with a death wish! Now get rid of the girl, or I will do it for you.”

The prince’s anger was a near-tangible thing, the scent of aggression in the air thick on her tongue.

Every instinct in her screamed to cower and obey, before his fury became violent.

But she couldn’t do that. Not when a small, defenseless child needed her.

“Please. I… I can’t leave her before I’ve found her mother.

” She covered Suzanne’s ears. “Please, Kesh. I… I’ll make you another bargain. Just don’t make me leave her to die.”

The prince narrowed his eyes to slits. “You’ll make me another bargain?

” he repeated, something akin to disgust in his voice.

“And what do you have left to sell, little one? I already own you. That’s the problem with sacrificing a piece of yourself every time your heart bleeds.

Very swiftly, you run out of assets to trade. ”

Georgia swallowed thickly, the truth of his words making her gut tighten.

“I…” She paused. He was right. For Larry, she’d bargained her body first, then her compliance.

For the nameless woman in the abandoned building, she’d traded her energy.

She opened her mouth to offer him the same for Suzanne, but his angry glare made her think better of it.

She’d have to offer him something he couldn’t get elsewhere.

Something he couldn’t just demand from her, either.

Something he needed but would never think to ask for.

She looked up at him, at his battle-worn armor and streaks of dirt and blood littering his scaly skin. The idea struck like lightning—preposterous and obscene, but… if there was one thing a prince of demons wouldn’t think to ask for…

“I’ll take care of you,” she whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll take care of you,” she repeated, more conviction in her voice now that he hadn’t immediately dismissed it.

“You’ve fought. You’re injured. Tired. When we return to your home, I’ll take care of you.

I’ll bathe you, dress your wounds if they need it…

Help you relax. And if you need to consume more energy, well… ”

The prince stared silently at her, his expression unreadable, and her gut tightened with panic, certain he’d deny her request.

“If you make me leave her alone and defenseless, I’ll never forgive you.”

She wasn’t sure what part of her had the audacity to snarl a toothless threat at the monster—possibly wherever blind desperation was stored—but it made Kesh arch an eye-ridge.

“You’ll never forgive me?” he repeated slowly, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend the ridiculousness of her threat.

Despair wormed its way through Georgia’s desperate fury at his disregard for a child’s life, but pleading had gotten her nowhere. She clung to her anger, jaw set tightly as she glared back at him. “Never,” she echoed.

Kesh held her gaze for another uneasy heartbeat.

Then he huffed what could have been a laugh but entirely lacked the mirth and jumped back out of the helicopter.

“Fine. Get the girl. But, little Breeder, once she’s been deposited with her own kind, I’m gonna collect on your bargain. And I don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”