Page 25 of Fallen Demon

Of course it was. He was sort of the leader of our whole community, the king. We didn’t deny his requests, even when they weren’t forced.

“Can you tell Zad I’ll be late for training, please?”

“Of course.” He bowed to me as if I was some kind of noble lady and dashed away down the hallway.

I changed directions. I paused in front of the study’s doors and knocked.

“Enter,” Drake said from the inside.

I opened the door and found him standing behind his desk, watching something through the big window. Today, he was wearing a light gray shirt, buttoned up to his elbows, and black slacks, but the black jacket and burgundy tie were draped behind his chair, which told me, he had started the day in a suit.

Always looking ready for a ball.

Blue sparks jumped up outside the window and the corner of Drake’s mouth tugged up.

A second later, a faint, but happy shriek followed by laughter came from the garden below the window.

“Aurora?” I asked.

He nodded and turned to me, the half-smile still on his lips. “She saw a butterfly, so she created hundreds of others and sent them flying around the garden.”

“I know you hear this a lot, but she’s already so powerful.”

He nodded again and sat down on his chair. “She is and that scares me. It scares Thea too.”

“I know. I wish I could offer you some words of wisdom, but I’ve got nothing. All I can say is that whatever happens in her future, you know we’ll all be here for her.”

“I appreciate that.” He leaned back in his chair and pinned his gaze to me, his whole stance changing from relaxed to businesslike. “Ariella, I’ll get directly to the point. This Scarlet Hex Dagger seems to be powerful and I want to make sure it’s well hidden.”

I knew this would come up at some point. I was surprised Drake hadn’t talked to me about the dagger earlier.

“I can’t say it’s super well hidden,” I confessed. “I was alone, running for my life, afraid of my own shadow … I didn’t have many choices. I hid it and left. I never went back, afraid it would lead others to it.” I sure hoped it was still there.

“I understand, but you’re not alone now. If it’s not well hidden, don’t you think it’s time to go back, take it, and hide it in a safe place this time? We have a secure vault underneath the castle, and there’s also the Grand Eternity Hall.”

I pressed my lips tight. Long ago, Thea broke into that secure vault, and the dagger had been stored at the hall before being taken by Molraz. But I knew that had been extraordinary situations, and that they would now take more precautions, cast more wards, and make the place more secure.

The Scarlet Hex dagger had once belonged in the Great Eternity Hall; maybe it was time it returned to its rightful place.

I nodded. “All right. I’ll?—”

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I usually left it silent, but it still vibrated. Frowning, I picked it up and stared at the screen.

“I don’t know this number,” I said, turning the phone to Drake.

“But I do. You’ll want to take that.”

I pressed the green button on the screen and said, “Hello?”

“Ariella, hi, this is Tanner,” the king of the Underworld said.

I sat straighter, suddenly tense. “Tanner, hi. What happened?”

“I might have a lead for you.”

8

Tanner didn’t tellme anything on the phone, only that I would want to come to the underworld at my earliest convenience. It would have been right that instant, but Drake put a leash on me.

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