Page 29 of Fallen Demon

My demon.

I wish.

I looked at my friends. They all stared straight at me, unmoving, unbreakable, as if nothing I said would change their minds.

“Remember,” Rage said. “This seems to be a prison, and we have no idea what we’ll meet at the bottom.”

“You’re coming with us?” I asked, a little surprised. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that.

He stood even taller, his chest puffed. “Sure am. I’m the first of King Tanner’s warriors and the current explorer. It’s my duty to go into the mist and map it out.”

“I’m okay with that,” I said.

“I’ll go too,” Tanner said.

“What? No!” Jasmin almost shrieked. “We’ve had this conversation. You’re the new king of this place. Many of those demons want to kill you. Do you want to make it easy for them?”

“They want to kill the previous king of the?—”

“Do you think that matters to them?”

“Perhaps it doesn’t, but?—”

“You’re not going!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“I’m your sister and second in command and?—”

“I agree with the princess, King Tanner,” Rage said, interrupting the two. I had heard about their bickering, but this was the first time I had witnessed it. I had to admit it was quite entertaining.

“Me too,” Drake said.

Tanner almost glared at him. “You’re like a king to your coven and you’re going down there!”

“I’ve been the lord of DuMoir Castle for a while now,” Drake said, “and I’ve trained Thea and the princes to take over and remain in power, in case I’m gone. Your rule, though, is still new and unstable. You need to make sure it only grows stronger, and you can’t do that if you put yourself at risk.”

Tanner’s glare intensified. “Fine. I won’t go. But when you’re back, Lord Drake, we need to discuss an idea I have for these rampant demons.”

Drake nodded. “So we shall.”

“He’s not going, but I am,” Jasmin announced.

“What?” Tanner almost shouted.

She glared at him. “Do not start arguing with me again.”

Tanner huffed but kept his mouth shut.

I let out a sharp breath. “Is that settled? Can we go now?”

Rage looked at Tanner. When his king nodded, the warrior nodded too. “If you’re ready, we can leave now.”

9

Tanner and Jasmininsisted we stop by the castle’s dining room and have an early lunch, even if for ten minutes.

“You don’t know how long you’ll be down there, or what you’ll find,” Tanner said.

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