Page 22 of Rescued By the Dour Demon

“He’ll have no choice,” Leith said, planting the incense stick in the ground and pointing at the bowl. A flame flared, immolating the items within to a fine ash.

Moments later, a tall man with flowing black hair and peachy-colored skin in popped into being at the center of thecircle. Dressed in mint green silk pajamas, he held a glass of amber liquid in one hand and a cigar in the other. A wide, sharp-toothed grin split his face when he spotted Leith.

“This is my territory, after all,” Leith said.

“Well, it’s about damned time you admitted it. I’ve been poking and prodding at your territory’s boundaries for nearly a year now, baby brother,” the demon said, blowing smoke circles as he dropped his human glamour. “Took a full incursion to get your attention.”

This is Leith’s brother? Rowan cocked her head, studying the man who’d been hounding her grandmother these past months. As a human, Seymour Myles looked similar to Leith but was nowhere near as handsome. He had the same broad-shouldered swimmer’s build and patrician nose, but Myles had a much darker aura that made her skin prickle and not in a pleasant way.

As a demon, she could see the resemblance more in the way his horns twisted in his black hair, the deep red shade of his skin, and the way the shadows seemed to pool at his feet.

“Draig, you ass,” Leith said, glowering at his older brother. “Did Mother send you here?”

Draig shrugged and puffed on his cigar. “It’s possible.”

Leith gave him a dark look.

“What? She’s worried. We all are. You come up here, play at being human, barely manage the crossroads, ignore your responsibilities. What was she to do?”

“Well, I’m claiming my territory now, which means you and your scummy private equity bros need to get the hell out of it. You’re no longer welcome to conduct your business of ruining people’s lives within my borders, and especially not within my town.”

Draig held up a hand, the glow of the cigar casting eerie shadows over the sharp planes of his face. “Not a problem, littleLeithy. Plenty of fish in the sea, as the humans say. Mother will be so pleased you finally claimed the territory she gave you.”

Rowan blinked.Did Draig say their mother… but Leith said the demon queen gave him this territory. Does that mean their mother is…Her breath caught in her throat. Draig’s head whipped in her direction, his void-dark eyes narrowing.

“What are you doing over there in the shadows, little human?” he crooned, stalking towards her. “Don’t you know the crossroads are dangerous for your kind?”

In a blink, Leith was at her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hauling her up against his strong body. “She’s mine.”

His brother stopped. “Yours?” he asked, cocking his head.

“Mine,” he said, dropping a kiss on her head. “She’s my mate.”

A wide grin cracked Draig’s countenance. “So you found your mate. You lucky bastard.” He hooted and raised his glass, toasting the pair of them. “Congratulations, baby brother!” Slurping down the rest of his drink, he tossed the leaded crystal over his shoulder and bounded over to them, wrapping the pair of them in a bear hug that made Rowan’s bones creak. “Welcome to the family, little human.” He planted a smoky kiss on her cheek before releasing them from his grasp.

“Um, thanks?” she said, curling closer to Leith.He named me his mate and in front of family, no less. Her entire body flushed as she absorbed the implications.

Draig beamed at her, puffing away at his cigar. “I cannot wait to tell Mother and the rest of the family,” he said, giving her a wink. “Think of the delicious chaos this announcement will bring.”

“Wait,” Leith said, putting out a hand to stall his brother.

Draig hopped back out of reach, his grin widening. His smoke circles coalesced into a larger circle, a familiar voidswirling at its core. “Gotta be faster than that, baby bro,” he said with a husky laugh before stepping backwards through the portal and disappearing.

Leith tugged at his horn. “Shit.”

Rowan snickered. “So. That was your brother, huh?”

“Yep.” He shook his head. “Should’ve known my family would come poking around sooner or later. Not surprised it was Draig. That demon loves to rock the boat and sow chaos.”

“And your mom is the queen of your people?”

“Yep.”

“So that makes you…”

He grimaced, his entire body tense, braced for her reaction. “A demon prince.”

“Holy cats,” she whispered. “I had sex with a demon prince.”

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