Page 1 of The Princess and the Demon

PROLOGUE

Amon

Istride towards the giant gilded door at the end of the corridor. It’s dimly lit, and light barely illuminates the stone.

The smell of the area assaults my senses.

It smells of moisture, and something else.

The roses and vines that encapsulate the door come to life, receding and allowing me entry to the portal beyond the threshold.

I enter it, overwhelmed with the feeling of time tilting around me briefly.

Once on the other side, I lower myself to a knee, fisting my clawed hand against the cold stone floor. My hair falls into my face as I avert my eyes. The silence is deafening, and the only sound I hear is the hammering of my heart in my chest.

“Amon.”

The word spoken is a simple greeting, but the voice unsettles me, nonetheless.

“My Lord.” I return, dipping my head further in acknowledgement and veneration.

There’s a moment of silence as the room grows heavier.

“The convergence is upon us.” The voice is spoken, but whispers follow, echoing in the dank space and causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

“Yes, My Lord.” I respond.

“I assume you will be returning with the wares of you bargain?” More whispered echoes in the still air surround me.

“Yes, My Lord.” I respond again. I ache to dig my claws into my palm, but I dare not move.

I dare not move because he will sense the unease in me.

The air grows heavier as the immediate space around me is overwhelmed by the scent of sulfur.

“Goooood.” The voice reverberates through me, and I do tremble slightly then, cringing away from the discomfort.

The air leaves the room all at once, and I raise my head, looking ahead of me at a solid stone wall barely illuminated by sconces that weren’t there moments ago.

Rising from the floor, I dip in a shallow bow before I turn back the way I had come. Time tilts beneath me as I pass from His realm into my own. The gilded door closes with a heavy boom, but I do not look back.

1

ELORA

“If you don’t get your head out of the clouds girl, I will have to cuff you!”

I look up to see Granuail standing with her hands on her hip, shooting me a disapproving glare.

“I’m sorry, G.” I say, setting the book I’m reading on the table next to my chair.

Sighing, Granuail taps her foot against the ground impatiently. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, young lady.”

I giggle as I stand, settling a hand on her arm. “I know, I know, I’m insufferable.”

Granuail gives another exasperated sigh, but a smile pulls at the corner of her mouth.

She raised me and had been the only constant in my life since birth. My mother died bringing me into this world, and my father, King Logan, couldn’t be bothered with me.

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