Page 79 of Wicked Prince of Frost

“They were scratching at my window as if trying to escape the Otherworld. Each time Imugi chased them away, they kept coming back more insistent. Then I realized I had seen this one before.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

Imugi gives a derisive snort, then floats toward the door to the outside garden, muttering something about the perimeter.

Joon shakes his head, disbelieving, and…smiles? “When I asked you about possible encounters with demons, it was because this same one led me to you when you were with my uncle.”

My jaw goes slack. Was I wrong to put so much trust in his ability to keep me alive?

Joon studies the demon thoughtfully, then motions for them to come closer.

I half jump when they obey like a trained dog. The demon stops halfway and plops down in a sit.

“They won’t hurt you, Violet. In fact, I think they’ve been protecting you. I do not understand how or why, but I think they are attuned to you,”he murmurs.

Aghast, I step sideways out of his hold. “Are you insane?”

The prince continues to ignore my incredulity. “Look closely.” Joon jerks his chin, gesturing toward the demon. “Are you sure you haven’t seen this one before?”

He is so confident in his fascination that his calm rubs off on me until I doubt myself.

I close my mouth and tear my gaze from his to play along and do as he asks.

The demon shifts up on their haunches, lifting both hands and wriggling their taloned fingers as if attempting to communicate.

Maybe I’m the crazy one?

The demon falls onto their back, plucking a leaf from the bush and sticking it to the side of their head.

Then it hits me—this is the demon outside my room from earlier. I take a tentative step forward, squinting at them.

They pop up, point at my legs, gesturing again. The demon points to me, then to the ground at my feet as they back up. They repeat it twice more, pausing after each time to see if I understand what they are trying to communicate.

Joon shrugs. “I am not sure what they mean here.”

The demon huffs in annoyance.

A demon expressing emotions?

Though I suppose that’s not too far-fetched. Imugi is a demon, and I’ve never questioned their ability to feel emotions.

The demon clambers up the bush and then tumbles to the ground with their rear in the air, holding the pose a moment before righting themselves.

There’s something familiar…

Details of an incident I’d brushed aside push to the forefront of my memories. I crouch to the demon’s eye level. “Have we met before?”

They nod their head enthusiastically.

“The morning in the forest…” I flick a glance toward Joon, then back to the creature in front of me. “That was you?”

Another vigorous nod.

“You came all this way… because of me?”

The demon lifts their chin a little higher.

“The day I was in the forest,” I explain. “They… fell out of a tree and ended up in a pile of snow. They were stuck, so I pulled them out.” As I speak, the demon approaches tentatively, then slowly reaches out to rest a hand on my knee.