Page 116 of Heir

“Unless Gemma told them,” Drak followed up.

Maxar nodded. “Here’s hoping she didn’t.”

Zandren rumbled next to me, and I turned to him. He licked my hand, then my face. “I’ll be safe,” I said, kissing his snout. “I promise.”

I glanced at Drak and Maxar. “I’m going to go rescue my friend.”

They both nodded, then watched as I took the long metal stairs down to the main level. I never looked back because I knew they had my six. I couldn’t take my eyes off my twelve though. Demons, at least the only other one I’d met, were as slippery as they came. So I needed to expect the unexpected and keep my wits about me.

I reached the main level, taking in the old, wooden pallets strewn about, along with some thick, blue packing plastic. I glanced over at the metal scraps, old brown blood smears on the concrete floor, and the hooks and chains hanging from a long metal rod that ran nearly half the length of the space, supported by thick iron posts secured to the floor. I’d never seen the place in the daylight, let alone without a DJ booth, flashing lights, and people dressed in crazy clothes and glow sticks dancing to the beat of the music with a plethora of psychedelics in their system.

I had to assume that they just tarped over some of this stuff, or moved it out of the way when they hosted a rave in here. But maybe they just set up the DJ booth and stage to block the permanent structures?

“Hello?” I called out, my voice echoing up to the rafters. “Gemma?”

Silence.

“It’s Omaera Playfair, Queen of the Realm. Illegitimate daughter of King Donovar and Elena Playfair. I’m assuming I’m the person you’re looking for, and you either took my best friend by mistake or as bait. A mistake either way, but you’ve gotten what you wanted. I’m here.”

I swallowed and tuned into my surroundings, listening for even the faintest sound of breathing.

Gemma was here. I could feel her. I could feel her fear. I sniffed the air and relaxed just a little. Lavender and cinnamon.

“I highly suggest you bring out my friend—unharmed. You don’t want to see me when I’m angry.”

A deep, raspy chuckle made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand straight up. A cold drop of fear played leapfrog down my vertebrae, and I spun around. Where was the sound was coming from.

“Stupid girl,” said the same voice. “Stupid little girl. Stupid little human.”

“Half human.” I corrected. “At least I’m not a coward, hiding in the shadows. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m here to get my friend and take her home.”

Slowly, from behind a corner that led to a hallway, he appeared, sauntering with his ego leading the way. I’m not sure what, or who, I was expecting, but this man wasn’t it. He was . . . ordinary. Handsome-ish, in fact. Tall, muscular with blue-hazel eyes and thick, dark brown hair. His features were chiseled, with a strong chin and high cheekbones, and his swagger was practiced and confident. Too confident. A four-inch, pink, puffy scar ran up the right side of his jaw, and he would have looked even better if he’d hidden his thin lips with some facial hair.

His chuckle grated on my few remaining nerves, and when he looked me up and down, sneering like I was no more than dog shit on his shoe, I knew then and there that only one of us was going to walk away from this encounter alive.

“Where is Gemma?” I asked, determined not to let my voice crack.

“You mean the human?” he asked, curling his thin top lip up in disgust. “Why do you even care?”

“Because she’s my best friend and I love her. And not all humans are bad. Just like not all demons are bad, present company excluded.”

He chuckled some more, and I gnashed my molars together at the irritating sound. “I knew my brother took a human whore. We all slum it at some point in our lives. I just never expected it to result in a . . . child.”

Even though they’d all speculated that the culprit was my uncle, I was still flabbergasted that it was true. He caught me off guard and my mouth opened, but no sound came out.

I gathered my wits quickly though. This was just like a poker game.

I needed to keep my face neutral. Kill my tells. Play the player. There was only one sucker here and it sure as hell wasn’t me.

“Yes, well, their union did result in a child. The rightful heir to the throne of the Realm. Let me ask. Uncle, dear, how did my father die?”

His smile was serpentine, and I resisted the urge to squirm. I didn’t have a lot of fears in life, but snakes and cars were at the very top. God, I hoped there weren’t any snake shifters.

“Sir. Sir,” came a petulant voice from the same direction Lerris had come from. Then a slimy demon with beady eyes, ears too big for his head and greasy, dark hair appeared, reminding me of a ferret that fell into a vat of oil. He took one look at me and sneered.

“What?” Lerris barked.

“She’s not alone, sir.”

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