Page 15 of Taken to the Demon Court (Stolen Demon Brides #3)

EVE

I ’m going to die here.

I knew what awaited me wasn’t good as soon as I was taken from my room by a couple of still-faced guards in absolute silence. I supposed they didn’t want to alert the twins, but I wished they could listen to my speeding heartbeat and realize something was wrong.

And when they took me to the highest room in the palace where a pink-haired demon was waiting for me, I realized I was in more trouble than I first thought.

The king.

I’d seen him almost every day during the court’s proceedings, but never this close or one-on-one with him.

Was he going to punish me? What for ? About what the twins and I had done in the garden?

No. A king, someone of his stature, would not call on a random human for anything as inconsequential as that.

He was waiting for me in what looked like an office, though he was leaning on his desk instead of sitting behind it. The rest of the room was dark, save for his bright red eyes. He wasn’t the type to fill his office with books, but he did have shelves from what I could make out in the darkness.

There were various knickknacks on them, shimmering in the dim light.

Things that showed off his power, his accomplishments, or, even better, the weakness of his enemies.

For the man in front of me, being a king was just like being a glorified version of a serial killer, and what surrounded us were trophies.

“Good work, boys; leave us now.”

And with that, I was pushed into the room and the door was closed behind me.

He stared me down for a long time. I could feel the judgment behind his gaze. Just a reminder of how puny and human I was compared to his kingly demon status.

He didn’t look all that scary up close, but it was never really about the look. It was all about the actions and what he could do with the power bestowed upon him.

If you took away the horns, the red eyes, and the blackened claws, he might just be human. But there was an aura about him that told me the rest of the court was right to fear him.

The twins didn’t want to admit it, but I saw how they maneuvered around him. How they tried to flee whenever they were just a bit too close to him.

“It seems like you’ve turned the whole court into chaos,” he said, his head tilting to the side.

Maybe one of the other demons complained about my presence in the daily court proceedings.

“I don’t think they like seeing their food out in the open like that,” I said with a smile. “Is that what finally got me my audience with the all-powerful king?”

His lips twitched.

“Humans and your sarcasm,” he grumbled and clicked his tongue. “I never much liked it.”

“I’m surprised you even interacted with my kind,” I replied as I rocked back on my heels. “Besides to eat us, of course. Though I doubt there was really any time for pleasantries.”

This got a small huff of a laugh from him.

“I guess you’re right. I see why my children are so drawn to you. Keeping them on their toes, are you?”

I didn’t like his tone when he talked about the twins. Something told me that he was trying to catch me in something, but I didn’t know what.

I settled on saying, “They have their fun with me.”

“A plaything,” he summarized.

“Exactly,” I said, meeting him with another smile.

“A plaything that has begun to distract them from their duties. One that has received the ire of the court and honestly makes me look weak .”

Shit. I tried to clamp down on the fear that raced through me, but it was no use.

His nostrils flared and his eyebrows raised.

“Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?” he asked.

“No,” I lied. Fuck yes, I’m terrified that you’ll decide to eat me as some sort of lesson to your kids.

He took a step forward, then another, then another, until he was right in front of me.

I had to tilt my head to look up at him.

“It smells good on you,” he murmured, his eyes burrowing into mine. “I almost want to chain you up and lock you away so I can smell it during the whole of your short lifetime.”

I should have kept my mouth shut, but the snarky girl inside me was already pushing at the seams of my control.

“Edging yourself? Kinky .”

There was a small silence before he tilted his head to the side.

The door behind us opened with a loud bang.

“Father,” Eros said from behind me. I could hear Oros’s footsteps too, but she didn’t say anything .

Their father looked at them with a smile.

“Just thought I’d have the pleasure of meeting your plaything since she’s such a popular topic as of late.”

Before Eros and Oros could say anything, I stepped away from him. “It was a nice chat. I look forward to our next one.”

The king’s eyes narrowed at my slight. As if a human could tell him what to do.

But I did, and he fucking hated it.

I was hauled out of the room by Eros’s strong grip before I could say anything else that could get us in trouble.

“What is your goal with me?” I asked, looking up at her. “Your father is unhappy, but I have a feeling it’s not just about you parading around a human plaything. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” Eros said, and bitterness instantly coated my tongue.

I dug my heels into the ground, stopping us.

“That, Eros, was a lie.”

Oros came up to my left.

“He killed our mother,” she whispered in my ear. “He’s been blaming a random assassin for years, but we want to know the truth. We think we do, but we need to be sure without a sliver of doubt before we do something we might regret.”

I looked at Eros, thinking she’d be pissed off at her twin for admitting that to me. But the look on her face was peaceful.

“Killing a king is not an insignificant event. I’ll change everything. If we are not careful, the realms will be plunged into chaos,” she added.

The air was taken from my lungs as I took in their expressions. They were twisted in pain, something I’d never seen before.

They loved their mother.

I nodded. I wanted to help.

“Then I will eagerly await my next meeting with him.”