Page 1 of Deranged Demons

Chapter

One

~ Princess Blake ~

Ifold my arms across my chest and stare at the male prisoner slumped on a metal chair. Trey, his name is, according to my intel. He’s positioned in the middle of the dank cell, his fine black suit torn with blood smeared on his sleeve cuffs. A distinct tattoo of a blade is visible on his collarbone, the black ink half obscured by his shirt, but still easily identifying him as a member of the Fallon Blade clan. Since when are the demons of the Fallon Blade clan traitors? I know they have a knack for causing trouble in the city, but I didn’t expect them to side with the witches.Then again, I didn’t think any demon would be dumb enough to ally with those genocidal maniacs, and yet,Trey isn’t the first traitor we’ve caught in recent months.Something seriously fucked up is going on here.

“Again,” I instruct the burly demon guard hovering before Trey. Without hesitation, Hansen smashes his fist into Trey’s jaw. Blood sprays, and Trey’s head whips to the side at the impact. One of the traitor’s golden teeth flies from his mouth, falling to the floor and almost disappearing down the small grate situated beneath his black cap toe boots.

There’s a moment of silence as Trey stares at his tooth like he can’t believe what he’s looking at, and then he meets my gaze with hate-filled eyes.Huh. Who knew his teeth would be his weakness?He glares at me like I’ve just killed his lover rather than dislodged a tooth, but then he schools his expression, and his mouth stretches into a crazed smile.Ah, there it is.All demons show their inner psycho eventually. Even the ones who like to pretend otherwise. It’s in our nature.

Even mine. Though, unlike Trey, I make it a point to own my craziness. Being the daughter of the most feared demon king in history comes with expectations.Highexpectations. I wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t learned to claw my way up and prove to the demons that I’m more than the half-angel trash they’d believed I was when my mother had dumped me on the palace doorstep. They hadn’t accepted my mother either, which is why I suspect she’d never taken her place as queen. Well, that and the fact that she’d disappeared soon after the king had proposed to her.

In any case, I’m pretty sure Trey is actually a half-decent guy, and the thought of torturing him is leaving a sour taste in my mouth. It doesn’t help that I was called from my bed in the middle of the day for this. Dad usually handles these situations, but on this occasion, I’d had to step up. In fact, I’ve had to step up a lot lately, taking over increasingly more of the king’s duties, and it’s starting to make me worry.

“Is this all you’ve got, princess?” Trey goads, spitting blood onto the floor. “I’ve been in street brawls worse than this.”

“Now that’s probably the only truthful thing he’s said so far,”Shade’s sarcastic comment sounds in my mind. Perched on my shoulder, the crow’s clawed feet grip the leather shoulder pad I had designed just for her. “What’s your angle here, Blake?”she continues. Her beady black eyes lock onto Trey as she speaks in my head, the pair of us having a silent conversation. No one knows Shade and I can speak to each other like this. Sure, they’re aware I can control the crows and use them to spy in the city or attack when needed, but not that I can have full conversations with the birds in my mind. Although, half the time I forget to think my response and end up saying the words out loud instead. Which is probably why the demons think I’m crazy.

“You’ve been at this for a while, and this cell smellslike something died in a giant’s asshole,”Shade complains.“I’m pretty sure our new friend couldn’t tell you anything useful even if he wanted to. He’s too oblivious to be the head of this operation.”

I’m tempted to ask whether she actually knows what a giant’s ass smells like, but I only nod my head at Hansen. The guard hits Trey in the face again, and this time, I hear a crack. For a moment, I think Hansen has broken Trey’s neck, but then the demon lifts his head and starts to laugh hysterically.

“What’s the bet he’s about to say something stupid?”Shade chimes in again.

I ignore her, but only because I’m too busy thinking about the king’s most decorated general who’s shifting impatiently behind me. If I don’t get something out of Trey soon, General Josek will take matters into his own hands, and that would not be pretty. General Josek isn’t just crazy, he’s downright unhinged, which is probably why he’s my father’s favorite. No doubt, the traitorous demon in the chair before me doesn’t realize I’m the only one standing between him and unimaginable torture. General Josek had wanted to start this interrogation with much more creative methods, and I’m the one who talked him down. Partly because I enjoy irritating the fuck out of the general, and partly because despite his strange attachment to his teeth and the damning evidence against him, Trey seems reasonably harmless. He’s also young, only eighteen, which is practically a baby in demon years, and he likely just got caught up in the plans of his clan. Hisgift,the unique power that all demons get as they mature, is also one of the least useful ones I’ve heard of. The male has the power to change his hair color at will, andwhile that might be handy when it’s time to hit the nightclubs, it’s not going to help him now.

Besides, usually when faced with the idea of excruciating pain, demons will just blab anything to save themselves. You probably wouldn’t know the truth from the lies. At that thought, my mind wanders to the she-demon I encountered not too long ago.Scarlett.She’d obviously been through a lot by the time I’d found her using her power to extract the truth from her disloyal brother. The ability to use magic to determine the truth is a rare gift that I could use in this very situation, and I’m likely going to have to get her help sometime soon.

“You have to know this is going to end badly for you unless you tell us what the witches are planning,” I say to Trey. “And why we found you with a crate of illegal explosives that are clearly of witch origin. Give us something useful, and you might just survive this.”

Trey sneers, though I see a flicker of fear in his coal-black eyes. “Even if I knew their plans, I wouldn’t tell you, you half-angel bitch. For all we know, you’re not even a true heir to the throne. Your mother probably dumped you here knowin’ you’d get a free ride. No, the demons deserve whatever the witches bring down on them.” He laughs again like he thinks he’s accomplished some great feat by saying that to me, but all it’s done is ensure his death.Oh, Trey.I sigh inwardly.

I sense General Josek starting to move behind me, probably readying himself to cut out Trey’s tongue forhis blatant disrespect. It’s one thing to curse me, but another thing entirely to question my legitimacy to the throne. The seasoned general might hate me, but he swore an oath to protect me and my father, and he won’t let this slide. I unsheathe my blades, knowing I should get to Trey first. If I hesitate, General Josek and Hansen will see it as weakness.

Neither of us make it to Trey before the demon shouts another slur at me, and he grinds his jaw with force, detaching another one of his golden teeth. There’s a wild look in his eyes as he chews, and his vibrant yellow hair seems to drain of color, changing to a pure white. Within a matter of seconds, green froth starts bubbling from his mouth.Well, shit.

“Huh. I guess they weren’t just teeth after all,”I send to Shade.

“It’s some kind of pill!” Hansen shouts, gripping Trey’s jaw like he intends to remove the tooth, but before he can shove his fingers into the demon’s throat, Trey’s body turns to ash and the only sound is the clatter of his horns hitting the stone floor. The long-curved horns are the only part of Trey that’s left. Well, that and his clothes which crumple to the ground.

“Now that I did not expect,”Shade comments.

I frown at the empty chair.“You and me both.”

Clearing my throat, I wipe the look of shock from my face. “That wasn’t just a suicide pill,” I say aloud, feeling the gravity of what we’ve just witnessed. “That was another weapon.”

General Josek steps up beside me, and his voice is a harsh rasp in my ear. “We need to alert the king.”

I don’t acknowledge him as I move to collect Trey’s horns. They’re still warm and the feel of the knobbly ridges against my fingers makes my stomach churn. It’s weird to think that Trey’s gone, but his power, the power that’s stored in his horns, is now in my hands.

As I go to stride from the room, General Josek calls out, “Princess Blake.” It’s the first time he’s said my name in a long while, and it sends a prickle of unease down my spine.

“The prisoner didn’t know anything,” I say bluntly as my only explanation of what happened. Twisting my head, I peer back, taking in the severe expression on his face. “Make sure this gets cleaned up, then take Hansen and as many as you need to the Fallon Blade clan house. See if you can get anyone else to talk. He wasn’t working alone.” I know I should consult with the king before giving the order, but this is too important, and if Dad is intent on letting me handle this, I’m going to show that I have my shit together.

“Yes, your highness,” General Josek replies, his thin lips curving upwards at the sides, and his dark eyes flashing with satisfaction.

“Great. I’ve just let him loose on the Fallon Blade clan,”I mutter internally to Shade.

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