Page 65 of Dating the Dealing Demon

At least Gilly hasn’t changed the wards to lock me out. My magic parts the gates and I fly through.

My sister had better be here.

I’ll grab Gilly, remind her a traitor is out there with a kingdom full of reasons to eliminate us, haul her back to the safety of Shadowvale, and return to Val so I can figure out a way to make this up to her. There’s not really jewelry or chocolates that saysorry I almost killed you.

Gods, why the hell would Val ever love me? Because I could easily fall for the mate who believed in me when no one else did. Fuck, I may have already fallen for her.

I find my sister in her garden, the treasure of her estate. She kneels in dirt that’s black as pitch and scorched by eternal fire. Only brimstone ash could cradle the roots of the diabolical blooms she prefers.

Instead of lush greenery or the bright white of Brimstone Bells, Gilly picks a riot of dark hues—deep purples and blood-reds. The flowers themselves are grotesque and otherworldly, their petals twisted into unnatural shapes and colors. Some resemble gnarled claws reaching up from the depths, while others bear thorns sharp as daggers, ready to ensnare anyunsuspecting soul who dares to draw near. Our family teases Gilly for her love of the weird blooms, and I’m shocked no one targeted those when they attacked her home. No, they went after the house, blasting through brick and stone.

The shattered windows, torn roof tiles, and scarred walls turn my stomach. Charred rubble nearby lays scattered where a gatekeeper’s cottage stood.

Gilly doesn’t stop digging in the dirt, seemingly oblivious to me although I know full well her wards would’ve signaled my arrival.

I have to get her out of here.

“Gilly?” I call from the edge of the garden, not bothering to shield myself. Unless she has spells readied by others for easy invocation, my sister’s only defense magic would be teleporting away. She’s too proud to leave her home now that I’ve tracked her here. Or at least that’s what I’m betting on.

She doesn’t look up. “I’ll go back to searching for the traitor tomorrow, Theo.”

I’d been so focused on the family members out to get us that I hadn’t even thought of the portals except for them being a danger to her if another gods-awful doorway to a realm like the home to the cyclops opened up. “That’s not why I’m here.”

“Thenwhyare you here?”

While our youngest sister wears her every feeling on her face, no one plays the ice queen quite like Gilly.

“It’s not safe here,” I say as patiently as possible when I want to drag her back to the shelter of Shadowvale. As if to prove my point, a massive piece of plaster clatters to the ground inside the scorched wing of her mansion.

“In case you haven’t noticed, brother, it’s not safe anywhere right now. I realize you’ve been busy with your human?—”

“My mate,” I interrupt because I hate the way she tosses outhumanlike it’s an insult. “Val’s my mate.”

“And your distraction.” Gilly stabs her gardening tool into the ground. The miniature shovel looks ridiculously small and insubstantial next to her demon claws. “All our problems escalated with you bringing her here.”

“Are you saying I should’ve ignored the Fates granting me a mate?”

“I’m saying you should have waited until the crisis with the portals was over, but you were in too much of a hurry to seize the mating magic.”

“It was for our family.”

“It was for your greed.” Her eyes go wide, and she snaps her mouth shut, seeming to reconsider or maybe even regret her words.

“Was it?” I give her a glare that might terrify any demon other than my younger sisters. “Don’t let me stop you now.”

Gilly squares her shoulders. “Dad was right. You’ve lost your focus to your obsession with her. Val was safer and better off without you plucking her from her life.”

I open my mouth to argue, but what if she’s right? Ididalmost torch Shadowvale while poisoning Val. “I wanted a chance with my destined mate.”

“Youwantedthe magic she could bring you because you thought you needed it to secure your crown. How did that work out for you? Dad used your little mating stunt as an excuse to sic our family on each other, and what do you know? It worked. Our cousins are tripping over themselves to kill us on their way to the throne.”

“Mating stunt? Having the Fates choose the one person you’re meant to be with in all the realms, all the timelines, all the dimensions—that’s not a stunt.” At least my magic isn’t rising with my rage. I guess my lack of control has a one family member limit today. “Watch yourself, little sister. I would hatefor your misunderstanding to come between us. Show my mate some respect.”

“You think I’m the one disrespecting her? You parade Val in front of the court while strung out on whatever drug you slipped her, and then you drape her over your lap before all of Shadowvale when she’s high on your venom, and I’m rude for speaking the truth? Thanks to our mother, you’ve stuck your human with a magic she won’t be able to control, if she can even survive it. Magic meant forme.”

“To think I left my mate to come find you. That I chose family over the only woman who chose me, not my crown, not our family craziness. Val only wants me.” I move away from her, not risking setting off my temper and losing control again. I make it to the edge of the manor before I’m able to offer any sliver of compassion. “If you get your horned head out of your ass and agree to respect my mate, Shadowvale is open to you.”

“Why?” Her face falls, and for a moment, my sister—my always-put-together, never-doubts-herself sister—looks lost. “Why keep trying to save me?”

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