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T HREE X ANDER

It takes a mere twenty-four hours for word to spread, for demons and hunters alike know what happened to the late queen of hell.

While demons feed on fear, I have half a mind to believe they could survive on gossip alone with the number of rumors surrounding my involvement and subsequent plan to take the throne.

I haven’t left the safe house since we arrived two days ago, and being cooped up is driving me mad. It’s a small bungalow with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen with a dining table, and a living room with just enough space for the black leather couch, oak coffee table, and one armchair in the corner.

I’ve been pacing for half an hour, tuning in and out of the flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of the couch, when Blake comes through the front door into the living room. He’s carrying a takeout tray in one hand and a paper bag between his teeth as he pulls the key out of the lock and kicks the door shut, disrupting the curtains across the front window. They’ve been closed since we got here, even though there aren’t many houses around us.

Blake walks to the kitchen, sets everything on the table, then turns to me, bowing at the waist with a faint smirk. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

“Fuck off with that shit,” I grumble in a low voice, claiming the to-go cup with my Americano.

“You abuse my loyalty so flippantly,” he comments, feigning disappointment as he grabs his iced matcha and stabs a straw into the cup.

I shoot him a dark look.

“Too soon?” He cocks his head to the side.

Instead of answering, I swipe the paper bag off the counter and go to the couch. Blake follows, dropping down beside me and kicking his legs up on the coffee table.

We eat in silence for a few minutes before he glances toward me and asks, “How are you feeling?”

I swallow a mouthful that tastes like nothing. “The pain I felt from Portland back to Seattle is mostly gone, besides a dull ache in my chest. Otherwise, I’m not sure I feel much of anything. Everything is…subdued.”

“Is that intentional?”

I arch a brow at him in response.

“Are you choosing not to feel?”

I consider that. “Perhaps.”

That door hiding my emotions—could I open it with force? There’s a twinge of sensation, a mild pressure in my chest that says yes, but that begs the question, Why the hell would I want to?

Blake nods. “Why do you think that is?”

“I wasn’t aware that ‘therapist’ was in your job description,” I remark dryly, taking a drink of my Americano. “I can’t let emotions distract me right now.”

“You’re concerned they’ll cloud your judgment?”

“That was made clear when I killed our queen to save a human.”

His forehead creases. “I don’t believe you would’ve done that for just any human, mate.”

“I suppose not.” I resent the way my lungs constrict at the thought of Camille. She should be at my side, and knowing she likely left the compound and went right to the hunter organization’s headquarters with her friends makes me want to go after her.

“Not to add salt to the wound, but the royal guard contacted me. They’re pissed about us going into hiding. I’m essentially flipping them the bird by refusing to disclose where you are, but I wanted to give you a day to adjust before you answer to them.”

“I appreciate your consideration.”

The royal guard has existed forever. They’re mostly ornamental, rarely getting involved in the day-to-day lives of demons, royal or otherwise. But when there’s something as significant as the death of a monarch and a transfer of power, they’re the ones who dictate the process and ensure things happen in accordance with the succession plan created a millennia ago.

“Have you given much thought to the ascension trials?” Blake asks, referring to what’s standing between me and the throne. Truth be told, I haven’t considered them as I didn’t plan to face them, but now, I can’t deny the pull, the deep-rooted desire to take my rightful place in power.

I shake my head. “I figure you haven’t stopped thinking about them since we left Portland.”

Blake nods, inhaling the rest of his breakfast sandwich. “We’ll talk about them in detail after we meet with the guard later today. You know, before they send an army to eviscerate me for helping you avoid them for days.”

My back straightens at his words. “They’re not going to touch you,” I assure him firmly, earning a cheeky grin.

“Ooh, possessive. I like it.” He shoves my shoulder. “Have you decided who you want on your council?”

“Besides you?” I offer, shaking my head. “Not really.” I take another bite of my breakfast sandwich, chewing slowly. I’m not sure if my body requires human sustenance anymore, but the pang of hunger seems to fade. Demons who didn’t once have a human side don’t have to consume food to survive, though some, like Blake, enjoy it nonetheless.

His lips twitch before his expression turns serious again. “With the explosive news of you making a move for the throne, I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground.”

I swallow a mouthful of egg and cheese. “Oh?”

He leans against the cushions, extending his arm along the back of the couch. “There have been whispers of doubt surrounding your reign, provided you complete the trials.”

I laugh humorlessly. “Do tell.”

Blake appears less than pleased when he says, “Some believe you’re too human to rule.”

After crumpling the empty parchment from my sandwich and tossing it onto the coffee table, I angle myself toward him. “Perhaps I was,” I say, “but not now. That throne is mine, and I’m going to take it.”

He crosses one leg over the other, drumming his thumb against his thigh. “Hang on to that. I think you’ll find you need to embrace your deepest demonic nature to make it through these next couple of months.”

“Right,” I offer mildly.

“Easy peasy,” Blake adds, slapping his knees before standing. “Now, let’s get you ready. This—” he gestures at my casual attire, “isn’t going to cut it.”

The royal guard is comprised of four high-level demons that have been around for millennia. If they ever had an ounce of humanity between them, it burned out centuries ago. Lucia Kane was a golden retriever compared to these demons.

Blake keeps a few paces behind me as we climb the cracked front steps to a large wooden door that has seen better days, with chipped white paint and a dull, once-gold handle. The door creaks as I push it open, announcing our entrance to the rundown foyer, and the gloomy sky outside adds to the eerie atmosphere.

“It’s a foreclosure property that was abandoned decades ago,” Blake explains as he closes the door behind us, the sound echoing through the empty space. We walk further inside, and I look around at the wallpaper peeling away and the sconces barely hanging on by thin electrical wires. Any windows are either smashed or covered in a thick layer of dust, making the air stale and warm.

I swipe at the sweat dotting my brow as we pass the grand staircase in the middle of the space leading to the upper level. An unlit antique chandelier hangs from the second floor, hinting at the opulence that this house once had.

“Are you ready?” Blake asks under his breath as we walk to the back of the house, down a dim hallway toward a set of closed mahogany doors.

“As I can be.”

A meeting with the royal guard isn’t something I had on my bingo card, but here we are. While I never expected to be in this position, to have any desire to sit on the throne, losing my soul to stop my mother from taking Camille’s life has changed things.

The only way I can describe it is like waking up after being in a deep sleep for the last twenty-five years. I’m stronger, my path is clearer. I know what I have to do.

Blake opens both doors with a flourish, and I almost chuckle before remembering why we’re here. I inhale deeply through my nose, then exhale and step into what appears to be a formal dining room. My eyes immediately land on the four demons dressed in crimson robes, sitting at the dark wood table facing us. Behind them, a dozen more stand against the wall, wearing all-black attire and blank expressions.

I focus on the ones we’re here to see, meeting their gazes one by one. Dominic, Rupert, Malachi, and the only female in the windowless room, Lorraine. The royal guard is nothing if not behind the times. They should be thrilled for the return of a king .

“Xander Kane,” Rupert says first. “I can’t say I truly expected this day to come.”

I simply nod, and Blake stays silent beside me.

Dominic clears his throat, and I shift my attention to the demon with shoulder-length black hair and olive-green eyes. His expression is mild, as if he’s bored with this meeting already. His hands are folded on the table in front of him, and he taps his thumb absently as he stares at me.

No, through me. It’s rather unsettling.

“You killed your queen,” he finally says. “Your mother.”

I swallow, my eyes narrowing slightly. “I did.”

Dominic cocks his head to the side. “Why?”

My mind goes blank. Any response I could’ve crafted vanishes, replaced by a heavy, barbed pit in my stomach. I knew as soon as it happened that killing Lucia would have consequences. It would come with questions, and Dominic just asked the most obvious.

I could lie, tell them I was sick of waiting for the throne and decided to take it by force, but my confidence in successfully selling that is abysmal. The real reason won’t go over well with my present company. I can’t stand before them and explain that I was terrified to lose the human woman I’d fallen in love with and acted on instinct to save her life.

So, I don’t say anything.

The royal guard can’t know about Camille. Who she is, that she even exists. If any demon discovers her, they’ll believe they found something to use against me.

Things would be a lot easier if I could simply stop caring about her. But even as I stand here having decided to leave her in my past, there’s a stone-cold certainty that some part of me still somehow does care. My connection to Camille is so deeply ingrained in me that the thought of losing it—

I nearly stumble back a step as realization hits me like a vicious blow and my pulse careens into dangerous territory.

No.

No, no, no.

I felt that connection shift in my chest. I felt it break . It shattered along with my soul when I killed Lucia and lost my humanity.

But that feeling was more than heartbreak.

More than fear for what came next.

I didn’t know it then, but now, there isn’t a doubt in my mind…

Camille was my soulmate.

It’s a ridiculous notion, and yet, it’s the only thing I know to the marrow of my bones to be true. I haven’t a clue how I’m certain, but I’ve never been more certain of anything. If I’m honest with myself, I think I knew the moment before Lucia was going to end Camille’s life. There was too much happening from then until now that I didn’t fully consider it. I couldn’t.

Soulmate. Soulmate. Soulmate.

“Xander,” Blake says in a near-whisper, his tone deep with worry.

I shake my head and swallow the bile in my throat, standing straighter. I have to keep it together. They can’t see me stumble.

Malachi sighs, scratching the dark stubble along his jaw. “It doesn’t matter why he did it, Dominic. What’s done is done.”

Dominic holds up a hand as if to disagree. “Had it been any other demon than the queen’s son and heir, they would be facing punishment for treason.”

“The trials will be punishment enough,” Lorraine chimes in with a subtle twist of her lips. The delight shining in her piercing blue eyes tells me the idea of my torment is of great amusement to her.

“Perhaps we should discuss the trials,” Blake offers.

“Hmm,” Rupert hums, seemingly in agreement. “The ascension trials were created to ensure the strength of the one meant to sit on the throne.” His eyes meet mine. “You will be tested physically and mentally. You must complete the trials before the next solstice or you will be deemed unfit to rule and banished to your birthplace, where you’ll exist as a lowly guard patrolling the pits of hell.”

I hold the demon’s dark gaze, and while I’ve never felt quite so out of my element, I force a level tone and say, “I understand.”

“Have you selected your council?” Lorraine asks.

My eyes flit toward the female demon. “Not yet.”

She scrutinizes me with an unwarranted level of disdain. “You have one week to put it together. The trials will commence shortly thereafter, when and where we decide. There will be no warning, so I suggest you prepare yourself now.”

“Not a problem,” Blake says, and I have to stop myself from shooting him a look. His breezy response offers the illusion it’ll be easy to gather a group of demons I can trust and who will want to stand with me. His confidence in that is much stronger than mine. There are bound to be demons who judge me for killing Lucia. She had a vast collection of devoted followers. Those who are certain to see me as a monster. Someone unfit to rule. And perhaps I am. Maybe killing Lucia is proof that I’m no better than she was.

“Very well,” Rupert says, and I don’t miss the flicker of suspicion in his eyes. “You are dismissed.”

I turn to leave with Blake at my side. My heart thumps against my ribs with each step through the empty house, and I don’t stop moving until we get to the car. Blake says nothing until we’re far away from the property.

“Care to tell me what revelation you had back there, mate? You froze the second Dominic asked you why you killed Lucia and then you got this look like you’d seen her fucking ghost.”

I shake my head, my chest constricting as my lungs struggle to fill with air. “Camille,” I force out.

“Is fine,” he says, glancing toward me. “She—”

“Camille was my soulmate.”

In seconds, Blake pulls off the road and slams the gearshift into park. “I’m going to need you to say that again because there’s no shot I heard you correctly.”

I sigh. “You did.”

He blinks, the utter shock on his face nearly laughable if the situation wasn’t what it is. “Fucking hell, Xander.”

“But you—”

“I know.”

“This can’t—”

“ I know ,” I all but growl at him.

He blows out a breath, turning his attention forward again. “Do you think she knows?”

My stomach drops at the thought. “I don’t think so. Even if she felt what I did when everything happened, she wouldn’t think that. Why would she?”

Blake presses his lips into a thin line for a moment. “Right.” He glances sideways at me. “Where do we go from here?”

I rake my fingers through my hair. “Wherever we can find a group of demons just crazy enough to agree to be on my council, I guess.”

He exhales a short, hollow laugh that lacks any real humor. “We’ll figure it out, mate.”

I nod, drumming my fingers on my thighs as I stare out the windshield.

“What’s that look?”

I cut a sideways glance at him. “What look?”

His eyes narrow. “You’re going to do something stupid, aren’t you?”

I offer a short laugh. “Probably.”

“Xander—”

“I want to see her.”

Blake blinks at me. “No good can come of that. Not to mention getting anywhere near her, especially right now, is reckless as shit.”

“You’re right.”

His brows knit, and he mutters, “Bloody hell.” Sighing deeply, he gets back on the road, shaking his head. “We need to figure out the safest way to pull this off that doesn’t end with either of us on the sharp end of a dagger.”

I nod, adjusting my seat to lean back a bit. “Still sure you want to stick by my side?”

Blake rolls his eyes, keeping his attention on the road. “Prick. You know I’m not going anywhere.”

I may not always deserve the loyalty Blake has shown me since we met, but there’s no question that I’m glad for it. And something tells me that’ll be especially true in the coming weeks.