Page 54 of The Demon Mark

“I thought the tea was supposed to make this better,” Envy snarled, catching her by the elbows and holding her up. “What is happening, Lilith?”

She didn’t know what was happening. This had never happened before. Or at least, not that she could remember. But the power that was erupting from her skin didn’t feel like it was taking from her, either. It was almost as though that tea hadn’t dulled her magic or given her a chance to breathe.

It was like the tea had made her even more powerful.

Wide eyed, she shook her head and looked up at him. “I don’t know. I don’t?—”

The mist struck something, or someone, she supposed. A future barreled toward her and there was nothing she could do to stop herself from peering into it. What she saw there terrified her.

“They released a chimera in the castle,” she wheezed, the mist barreling back toward her with so much intent it knocked her back into the wall. “There’s a chimera here, Envy.”

21

Afucking chimera?

Envy’s mind whirled. A chimera was a formidable foe, even for him. The creature was wily and far more intelligent than other magical creatures. They were sometimes more intelligent than many people he knew and therein created a significant challenge.

His hands clenched a little too hard on her elbows, and at her wince, he released her. “A chimera? Are you sure?”

“I saw it.” She shook her head as though trying to clear the mist from her white eyes. “I can barely see, but that future is set in stone. Almost as though it has already happened. If the chimera isn’t in this castle right now, then it soon will be. In mere moments.”

So her power had given her a warning. It was more valuable than he had thought.

“You can’t see your own future,” he murmured. “So how do you know this is happening?”

“I saw his.” Her voice turned into an angry, guttural growl. “The man who called himself my master was the one who released the creature into your castle. He did not escape my mist fast enough. I saw it all.”

That didn’t give them long to prepare. He had to get her out of this room and back to hers. There was no entrance into her bedroom other than from the portal in his office, and he could close the portal easily enough. Then it would just be his problem to deal with.

A chimera. Even he didn’t want to fight such a creature.

Blowing out a breath, he nodded. “I will summon Orphe. You will return to your room and stay there until I come and get you.”

She grabbed his arm in a surprisingly strong grip. “You can’t leave me in my room alone.”

“I can, and I will. It’s the only place you are safe.”

“What if you die?”

He scoffed. “I’m not going to die.”

Her hand tightened on his wrist, and for a moment, he feared she could see his future. He didn’t like the paleness of her features, or the way she stared up at him with determination in those marble eyes. “If you die, then I will be stuck in that room. There is no exit. No entrance. You will condemn me to starvation and death. It is a tomb if you are not alive, Envy.”

He wanted to argue. No creature was going to kill him. Sure, chimeras were more difficult than others to fight, but he was a demon king. He’d survived far worse than whatever the circus master would release into his home.

And yet, there was always the chance that he was existing on hubris. Now, all he could think about was her being alone in there and him never returning. She would rot slowly, and no one would ever find her skeleton. He was one of the few who could sing stones to move the way he did. Which meant it would take perhaps tens of years for a miner to find her shrunken body.

The damn woman was going to be the end of him. “I will keep the portal open, then. But you have to know that it can get into the room.”

“I am not without my own protection.”

He could feel something bubbling up in his chest. Something that suspiciously felt like anxiety and he did not enjoy the feeling. “Stay safe, little one. Do you hear me?”

She nodded and then strode toward the portal. But she paused in front of it, ringed with the blue shimmering light of his magic before looking at him over her shoulder. “You stay safe too, Envy.”

He had never had another person worry about his safety. It felt strange to know that he was responsible for someone else’s feelings. Or even that she would be upset if he was harmed.

So all he could do was nod as well. She stepped through the portal and he reached for his tattoos. First, he pulled out the serpent who had always served him well. Then the panther, with spines along its back that could destroy any and all. The black mist that consumed anything it came upon. Countless dangerous creatures filled his office.

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