Page 23 of Queens

It’s a fake name, one not tied to a specific demon kingdom. Nobody will second-guess it. David picked it out.

Rexton lets out a long, low sigh. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Luna.” He taps his fingers against the table. “Care to tell me what a highborn Wrath is doing in Greed?”

Chapter Ten

CASSIA

I TRAIL MY tongue across my teeth, debating how easy it would be to murder Rexton. He has no power, but neither do I at the current moment. Our fight would be by physical strength alone, which puts him at an advantage.

“That’s a strong accusation,” I say. “I’m not sure where to start.”

He has accused me of being both a highborn and a Wrath. Both are true, which is a problem.

Rexton cocks his head to the side, remaining silent. I’m regretting every decision I’ve made that’s led me here. I should’ve backed off once I learned of his connection to the Greed royal family. I chose to be greedy, though. This place must be rubbing off on me.

“Highborn…” I decide to start with.

That’s the most damning part of his accusation. A Wrath being inside Greed isn’t the worst thing to happen. I’m sure there are several. There was some mingling between the kingdoms before the borders shut down, and a handful of born Wraths decided to remain in Greed with their chosen family and friends.

There are a handful of born Greeds within Wrath, too. We have no issues with them.

“Well?” I ask, raising a brow. “What makes you think I’m highborn?”

Rexton hums. “Your posture, to start.” He gestures to my shoulders. “You sit and stand too straight, too confident. It takes only one look at you to know you’ve never had to cook yourself a meal, nor have you ever made your bed or washed your laundry.”

He’s not wrong about the cooking, but he is regarding the bed and laundry. My parents insisted that my siblings and I learn these things, and the shadows were prohibited from doing them for us once we turned fourteen. I hated it, but now I’m grudgingly grateful.

“Interesting observations,” I eventually say. “Incorrect, but interesting nonetheless.”

Rexton blinks.

I continue. “And a Wrath?”

I eye Rexton’s arms, sizing him up. I’m not eager to start a fight I can’t win, but I might not have any other options. Nobody can know who I am, and Rexton seems confident in his accusations. If he’s as connected to the royal family as I suspect, I can’t exactly whisk him away and snap his neck, though.

I take another sip of my drink. “What makes you think I’m a Wrath?”

Rexton shrugs. “Just a hunch.”

Lie. He’s lying, and I need to know exactly what about me made him suspect. Was it because I recognized the origin of his name? Are Greeds uneducated regarding the other kingdoms? I hope that’s the case. If it’s something else, something in the way I speak or carry myself, that could be an issue. It’s not as easily dismissible.

Rexton’s staring at me, openly reading my every reaction. “Are you upset?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly pleased with the accusation.”

I hate the way he’s looking at me. I let his lack of power lull me into a false sense of security.

“You should be complimented,” Rexton says. “Wraths are quite popular among Greed.”

Is he lying? I can’t tell, and it’s making me uneasy. I’m nervous, an emotion I don’t often feel, but I’d say I’m doing a relatively good job of hiding it. I need to nip this conversation in the bud. It’s heading into dangerous territory.

I shrug, hoping to look nonchalant. “I’m not most people.”

“Oh?” Rexton leans back in his chair, a smile toying at the corners of his mouth.

Is he flirting with me? I glance at my drink, eyeing the ripples on the surface as I shift my hands around the mug. Rexton is fishing for information, and he’s playing it off by pretending to flirt. I can’t let him think his questions and accusations are getting to me. It looks suspicious.

I force myself to shoot him a coy smile. The woman I’m pretending to be has no reason to be nervous. Luna belongs here, and she’s flirting with a man she finds attractive. They’re teasing one another. That’s all this is.