Page 73 of Their Demon

I had a better view of our surroundings as we got further up the path. We were on a mountain—a giant fucking mountain. I couldn’t tell exactly how high up we were, but it was incredibly high, too high, and the air was thin. Up here, there was no variation of colors, but down below, I saw a spread of green vegetation everywhere.

“He burned everything up here,” Keir answered me. “The dragon, I mean. That’s why there’s nothing living. He’s destructive, impossible to train or control. His name is Aridam: Destroyer of Enemies.”

Of course, that was his name.

“Whoa…” I breathed out, the pounding in my chest becoming painful, my sides burning like they were being stabbed.

Keir stopped us and held my face in his hands. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” His words were starting to sound muffled. “Lillian? Talk to me.” The ringing was getting louder, and it was hard to focus on his face. “Shit…” He looked me over, clearly worried.

I could’ve never prepared myself for the way Keir’s lips would feel on mine. He pulled my face forward and leaned in, crashing our lips together. His were soft but demanding as he kissed me gently at first, but when I didn’t react, it turned intoa kiss of desperation. He thrusted his tongue into my mouth, immediately claiming every corner of mine.

My knees buckled, but one of his arms looped behind my back, holding my body to his. I moved against him, kissing him back, our tongues dancing. He groaned so loudly, it vibrated in my chest. My poor panties had no chance of survival against a kiss like this.

I felt like I was going to go up in flames, burn for him right here, consume us both.

He moved his hand from my face to my hair, running his fingers against my scalp and then tugging, pulling my head back, separating us. We panted, staring at one another.

“You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, princess. You’ve been to Hell and back before ever arriving here, and somehow, you still smile, laugh, love. Your world tried to squeeze the life from your bones, and you wrenched yourself from its fucking grasp and gave it the biggest ‘fuck you’ this universe has ever seen. You are going to march into that cave, get the treasure, and walk out like a fucking queen. Understood?” He sounded angry, but his eyes burned with passion.

Fuck, he gave good pep talks.

I couldn’t do anything but nod, my brain still trying to reform after being obliterated by his kiss.

He kissed my forehead then helped me steady on my feet. “Let’s get this over with and get you home.”

After weaving his hand back in mine, we walked to the twins, who were staring at us like they’d just witnessed Jupiter and Saturn align.

“You okay?” Nicholas asked me, fighting a smile.

I nodded, my cheeks hot. “I’m good. I’m better than good.”

My princes surrounded me, Nicholas and Keir flanking my sides and Aiden leading the way. We walked up the path until we reached a small crowd.

“And there she is!” I heard someone announce loudly.

After a quick glance around, I realized the voice belonged to their father, the reason for this whole fucking fiasco. He was standing on a platform hovering a few feet off the ground, facing the small crowd. I recognized most of the faces as the council members and possibly their partners, as most of them had someone holding onto their arms or standing nearby. There were a handful of others surrounding the small stage.

Much to my surprise, while most of the attendees looked excited, some looked at me with pity.

“Of course, he’d make this a fucking event,” Keir muttered under his breath.

“Don’t let it get to you, little one,” Aiden told me. “He has always been a prick about this sort of thing. He’s just an evil, power-hungry bastard. Pay no mind. In and out, okay? That’s all you have to focus on. He’s such a coward; he’s not even standing near the cave.”

I looked around and saw he was right. There was no cave around here.

“Up there, baby.” Nicholas pointed, and my eyes followed.

Above us was more mountain, a steep, rocky path leading even higher. I saw a small glint shine from the top of the mountain.

“We’ll follow you up, okay? We’ll wait at the mouth of the cave for you,” he assured me with a smile.

His promise made me feel a lot better. I didn’t feel so alone knowing they’d be just outside waiting for me, there in case I needed help. Would they come in if they heard I was in trouble? Would they be able to save me in time?

Before I could say anything more to them, their father’s voice broke through. “Let’s get this going, human. Don’t keep us waiting.”

The guys stayed around me as the crowd parted, everyone’s eyes on us. Some of them, mostly men, were bouncing excitedly, trading money around like they were placing bets.

What the actual fuck?I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of my predicament.

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