Page 25 of Dating the Dealing Demon

CHAPTER TWELVE

Val

Theo stares at me as though I’ve forced another foul-tasting potion down his throat. The revulsion would be insulting if I didn’t enjoy messing with him so much. “You saved me so you could bargain your way onto a throne?”

I manage not to laugh in his face. Barely. “Don’t kid yourself. I’m not the power-hungry megalomaniac in this bed.”

I still can’t believe I let him talk me into abandoning all sense of self-preservation and crawling into his big, four-postered bed with him. If the living castle hadn’t given away the fact I’d been kidnapped by a literal prince, then his over-the-top style should have.

His scowl isn’t even ugly, and his good looks piss me off right now. How dare he be hot when I’m determined to hate him?

“I’m also not the one who’s liar, liar, wings on fire,” I add. “Because yes, keeping colossal secrets can count the same as lying. At least that’s a belief held by normal people. You know, those of us who aren’t out to conquer hell.”

He makes this maddeningly sexy little irritated noise. “Nic told you I’m the crown prince,” he guesses.

“Nope, your mom did. Right before she offered to pay me a few million dollars and sever the contract with future generations of my family if I would refuse to consummate whatever this mating thing is between us.”

“The fuck she did.”

I grin because making him mad is my new favorite game. “Told you she made an awesome offer.” I don’t add that there’s no way in this or any other hell that I would take her up on it. Or how she assured me her son deserved more than a superficial, flighty, and powerless human for a mate. She saidhumanin the same tone I might use to say phlegm or roach.

That was right before she told me I would be the death of the hell dimensions if I tried to trap Theo into completing the mating bond.

Ouch. Talk about a hellacious nightmare of a mother-in-law if Theo read his matchmaking crystal ball right.

By saying I was flighty and superficial, I felt like she’d gained telepathic direct access to my worst fears and insecurities and spoke them aloud, and I didn’t have the guts to correct her. Becauseof courseI wouldn’t be worthy of a prince who fights for his kingdom, and according to her, he only wants me for some magical power bump.

Theo’s mom terrifies me worse than any horror flick villain ever could. Never mind how she has lived for centuries looking like the inspiration for the evil queen who had no problem eliminating the pretty competition or bathing in their blood. She makes her kidnapper demon prince son seem trustworthy. I’d actually been grateful for Theo’s interruption, and even with him there shielding me, I couldn’t wait for her to beam out of the room.

His frown turns thoughtful. “But you didn’t take her offer.”

“Not yet,” I lie.

“Did she add other terms?” he asks.

“None that I’m sharing with you. Especially not now that I’m sure the whole swapping blood doesn’t make us mates. By the way, does sleeping together seal the mating thing? Because if so, I’m out.”

“No.” He sounds distracted. “Only sex does.”

Well, shit. NowI’mdistracted, and it’s all his fault. Why doesn’t he blink back to his demon form where I could at least pretend not to be attracted to him? “Okay then.” My voice comes out raspy, and I stop long enough to swallow past my suddenly dry throat. “There’s no danger of that happening. You’ll have to figure out another way to get the magical boost you want so badly. Preferably, one that doesn’t involve lying, kidnapping, or losing my friends.”

“You’re my mate.” His words come out on a near growl.

“Nope. According to your own earlier explanation of monster mating, I would have to consent to fun times, and that’s never going to happen.”

“I have a kingdom to keep together.” The self-righteous prick dares to make it sound likeI’mthe unreasonable one.

“So I should put out for your kingdom? Yeah, no. I’m not forgetting you forced my friends and me into what’s essentially ayouproblem.”

He closes his eyes and goes quiet, and I almost think he’s fallen asleep when he says, “I admit I might’ve been high-handed in how I’ve handled this. Decades of enforcing my father’s law may have made me seem insensitive to someone who has grown up with the soft ways of humans.”

“Is that your version of an apology? Because it sucks.” At my feet, Monty purrs. Good little soul guardian. “See,heagrees with me.”

“Of course he does. You two have more similarities than you know, my vicious mate.”

“Vicious? I like it.” I won’t tell him the nicknames my family has given me. Not when jinx, misfit, and all the others trace back to his mother’s curse. Of course, whatever ancestor had been greedy and short-sighted enough to sign a deal with a demon might share a bit of the blame. Atinybit.

“You’re still demanding I counter my mother’s offer even after you signed a deal with me?”

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