Page 91 of Married to the Devil

REMY

“And what doI owe the pleasure of such an esteemed visitor?” I ask, taking a seat behind the meeting table in the library. Councilor Moon strolls to a shelf of books, looking over the spines. His tied-back long white hair and beard try to age him, but his tall strong body exudes his immortality.

He definitely should get rid of the beard.

“This shelf construction is beautiful. Was it done by the gargoyles I passed on my way in?” Moon asks.

“It was. The Bramblewicks do good work.” I make small talk. As a rule, I never interact with gargoyle society, but the Bramblewick clan doesn’t count. They are far from the hierarchical xenophobic collection of clans who somehow still manage to breedpure.

The Bramblewicks are a bunch of misfits who give humans as much status as gargoyles and are the best at quality construction projects. Being gargoyles means that they understand the importance of a gift, especially when one makes yet another misstep with one’s mate.

I didn’t enjoy the way I left her this morning. There’s a miasma clinging to the memory that attempts to taint thepleasure we shared. It’s the same darkness that lingering in my heart and caused me discomfort for days after our wedding night. Guilt that wars with craving need.

How can I stay in control of myself while fucking my wife?

I don’t know how to interact with her without wanting to capitulate to everything she wants. Perhaps with time, she won’t look to me for softness, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to give it to her now.

It doesn’t stop the ache when I withhold it.

The energy of the room changes, and I roll my shoulders as curious shadow wisps turn into Ben and Stella. Does she always squeeze her eyes shut when he teleports her?

“Ah, Lady Stella.” Moon rises, his tone light. “I was hoping you’d be able to be present for my visit.”

“Councilor Moon.” Her cheeks were flushed, but they lose color as soon as she sees him. I wish I could assure her that everything is fine, but his presence is an omen.

Moon rarely leaves his massive estate.

“And Mr. Barnes, I didn’t expect you,” Moon says.

Ben swallows, his face expressionless. “Kalos has an interest the stabilization of this territory. We’re offering a helping hand.”

I barely keep my lips from twitching in amusement.A helping hand indeed. I narrow my eyes at the time before casting a glance at the demon. It’s ten minutes to five.

The Bramblewicks are gone, but if Ben and Stella had gotten here any sooner, the work they did in bedroom wouldn’t have been finished.

The demon arches his brow in challenge.

I focus on our visitor. I’ll deal with the insolent masochist later.

“You were just going to tell me what made you want to leave your castle to visit us,” I say to Moon.

The councilor’s brows rise, perhaps in surprise that I’m not ordering Ben away, but I don’t owe him an explanation. I have plans for these two.

“I suppose we should just get down to it,” Moon says. “The Council has noticed the unrest in your territory.”

My lips purse, and I readjust in my seat. Stella somehow gets paler.

“Unrest is expected when a new territory leader takes over,” I say. “What is this really about?”

Moon takes a chair with a sigh. “It’s multilayered. First, rumors of the Sova family have spread.”

“They’ve been retrieved. I hardly think that’s a bad thing,” I say with a shrug. Stella looks surprised, and I nod to her. “The mothers of the children are home where they belong. We were able to get them from the fae plane this morning.”

Relief is stark on her face, but Moon continues.

“And they were taken in the first place.”

I narrow my eyes before rolling them. We both know that the incident occurred before I took over, but we also both know that it doesn’t matter. “Of course, when missing people were whispered about instead of acknowledged, that wasn’t a problem. So what is the plan of the Council? It sounds like they’ve already made up their minds.”

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