Page 36 of Prince of Demons (Demon’s Mark #2)

Georgia

“ I expect you to pick a mate from among my men before the end of the week.”

There were a lot of emotions that statement should have evoked—anger and fear being chief among them. Hurt should not have made the list, and yet hurt was what she felt most keenly, in a way that had her fighting back tears of rejection.

Stupid. What had she expected—that his gentleness had meant anything? He'd needed her to lower her guard so he could train her to accept a demon lover, and he'd manipulated her, like the demon he was. He’d told her from the start what would happen—what was expected of her.

And still. She’d let herself soften. Let him lull her into a fantasy that there was a real connection between them. That he genuinely cared about her, beyond his fucked-up responsibility to turn her into a compliant womb for another demon.

Knowing the mistake was entirely on her end did nothing to soothe the ache. She’d been so desperate for comfort amidst the horrors of her new reality, she’d thought she’d found human connection. With a monster.

More fool her.

She was grateful Kesh spent most of the day out of the apartment.

Not looking at him made it easier to come to terms with her own idiocy.

To accept reality. And this morning, when he laid out a pretty blue silk dress for her and told her she would be officially introduced to the men he had selected as her suitors, she didn’t object.

She dressed in silence, ate in silence, and followed him out of his apartment and into a waiting car. In silence.

The prince, for his part, seemed unfazed by her compliance.

She supposed he would be expecting it, given how she’d been successfully trained for her new life as a demon’s prospective mate.

He exchanged a few words with the driver—instructions on which route to take—and then leaned back in the seat next to her, staring straight ahead.

“How will this be done?” she asked, finally breaking the silence. “Is there a process, or do I just… eeny-meeny-miny-moe?”

“Don’t be absurd. This is your lifemate—you will never make a more important choice. Each man will court you for the week, and you will select the one you find most compatible.” His tone was stiff.

Georgia blew out an exasperated breath. “They’re all demons. I’m guessing ‘won’t eat brain matter in front of me’ is as high a bar as I’m gonna hope for.”

If her dig about the time she saw him eat a guy went through, he pretended it didn’t.

“Out of the thousands of demons in my territory who would kill to claim you, I have handpicked five worthy of the honor. Each is a formidable warrior capable of protecting you and your offspring, should the need ever arise. They are also honorable men, who will treat you well. Beyond that, you should pick a mate whose temperament and interests best suit your preferences.”

“Interests? What interests do demons have outside sex, war, and human misery?” She looked up at him, irritation fizzing in her veins, but he didn’t so much as glance her way.

“I’m sure your five suitors will be more than happy to discuss this at length. Ellon, make sure you stop directly in front of the entrance. I don’t want the Breeder outside for a second longer than necessary.” The last part was directed at the driver.

Breeder. So she was back to that dehumanizing moniker. Splendid.

They pulled up next to the converted casino where Irral had taken her to seek the prince’s protection.

That night, there’d only been a couple of demons outside, and one guarding the inner doors.

Today, however, at least twelve big, burly men were hovering outside the double doors.

Demons, she suspected, though she couldn’t see through their human disguise anymore, courtesy of her new brand.

Kesh got out of the backseat, then walked around to her side and held the door open for her.

When she slid out, he put an arm around her.

From the way he was scanning their surroundings as he walked her to the door, it was clear it was a protective gesture, not an affectionate one.

It still made a traitorous part of her belly flutter—and then clench as she remembered how she’d been foolish enough to believe his care had been genuine.

That he’d cared beyond his so-called duties.

A shift went through the demon by her side and seemed to transfer through the waiting guards in a wave as he led her through them to the double doors.

Kesh clenched her harder to his side, fingers digging in at her waist as every single man’s eyes snapped to her.

To her surprise, concern was painted on each of their faces.

One even took a step forward, brow knotted. “Breeder?—”

“She’s fine,” Kesh snapped, cutting him off. His grip on her waist tightened. “Your duty is to her physical safety. Get back in line and keep the entrance secure.”

The guard looked like he wanted to protest, but he obeyed the prince. She felt his eyes on her back, along with the rest of them, until the doors finally closed behind them.

The moment they were alone, Kesh turned toward her. Strong fingers tipped her chin upward, and then she was staring into his black eyes for the first time since he’d rejected her. Concern warred with agitation in their depths.

“You’re sad. Why?”

“I’m not?—”

“I can smell it on you. We all can. Your brand enhances the physical manifestation of your emotions. I can’t take you into a room of five suitors while you reek of.

..” He trailed off, exhaling a long, deep breath.

Steadying himself. “My instincts are screaming to burn whatever has upset you to the ground. If rivals are within sight… it’ll be them. ”

“Rivals? How can they be rivals? You’re not a suitor—you’ve made that plenty clear.” She almost managed to keep the hurt out of her voice.

He exhaled again, brows drawing down in confusion. “That’s why you’re sad? Because I can’t court you?”

“No,” she bit out, pulling away from his grasp on her chin.

“I’m upset because you act like you care, and the reality is, you don’t.

I’m a job for you. An obligation. And that’s fine and all—but I’m human.

It’s upsetting when someone behaves like a…

a friend, then when you start to… trust him…

he reminds you, with all possible clarity, that you’re just a piece of property to be given away. ”

“You would’ve preferred if I'd treated you like a slave? A prisoner?”

Georgia glared up at his stupid, handsome, traitorous face, a refreshing wave of anger washing away any lingering hurt.

“You know what? I think I would,” she hissed.

And then, before he could stop her, she spun around on her heel, pushed open the doors to the inner hall open where five demons were waiting to court her, and marched through.