Page 59 of Wickedly Yours

For what?A demon.Maybe I was crazy. That was probably why Willow had shown up and demanded Zain let me go home. Maybe if I was here against my will, that would be a different story.

“Oh.” I cracked the door open to find Lilith and Asura—two of Zain’s friends, or advisors, whatever he was calling them—standing there.

“Hi.” Lilith beamed at me, her wings folded in behind her.She was gorgeous, with that inky-black hair spilling over her shoulders and lips as red as blood.

Asura gave a brief nod. “Hey.”

They both were beautiful—in an otherworldly way—and even though I’d barely spent any time with them, I was pretty sure I could trust them. Or, at the very least, my senses made me feel safe around them.

Whatever the reason, I hadn’t expected them here.

“Did you guys need something?”

Asura peeked inside. “We thought you might want to get out of here. Do something fun.”

“Fun?” I raised an eyebrow. “Here?”

Lilith crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you think we do all day, exactly?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned. “Demon general things?”

The two girls looked at each other and laughed. “You’re mistaking us for Kairos. Zain gives us much more important work than that.”

“Still, I don’t want to keep you from your tasks…”

“We want to get to know you. To help you feel more at home here.”

I found myself nodding, agreeing to go along with their plans. Mostly because I didn’t want to be alone. “Okay. What are you thinking?”

“How’s a little afternoon flight sound?”

“Stay still, my lady,” Angelique reminded me for the dozenth time, a pin poking into my skin as if I needed the physical reminder.

“Sorry,” I apologized—again. But I couldn’t stop my mindfrom wandering even as the dress that I’d be married in quickly took shape on my body.

Somehow, that was myleastpriority. Never mind the fact that our wedding was a little over a week away now. It didn’t feel real, so I was still pretending itwasn’t.

If someone had asked me a month ago if I thought I’d be living in a Demon Palace, in a completely different realm where all the residents were demons—except for me—I would have said they were crazy.

And yet, here I was.

I’d settled into some sort of routine here already, which I hadn’t expected. Even if the sun was duller—and redder than the one I was used to, I still rose with it, and without the responsibilities of the bakery, I found myself with alotof free time.

My days were spent exploring and learning about this place, and my nights staring up at the sky as if I might memorize the new constellations that stared back at me. Like the moon could answer my questions if only I knew the right ones to ask.

The library was quickly becoming my favorite spot in the entire palace as I devoured every book I could get my hands on—the ones I could read, at least. One day, I’d have Zain teach me the demon’s script, but at least I’d gained a whole slew of knowledge about demons.

Anything to distract me from the overabundance of free time I had now.

Free time that could have been used for planning my wedding, but Zain assured me he’d take care of all of it. All I had to do was be poked and prodded at by the demon who was creating my gown.

Swishing the fabric of the skirt back and forth—despite theglares I got from Zain’s chosen seamstress—I took a moment to admire the look of it.

“You look beautiful,” Novalie said, her hand pressed over her heart as she gave me a sympathetic smile. “Every bit a queen.”

White lace covered my breasts, and the puffy tulle sleeves on my arms should have been ridiculous, yet I felt…like a princess. She was right. My shoulders were bare, and the iridescent white fabric glimmered like the moon.

“He’s not going to be able to keep his hands off of you,” Angelique agreed, stilling me once again as she continued with her alterations. She had long, reddish hair that was braided down her back and wore a pair of fitted trousers. Not at all what I’d imagined when they’d told me a seamstress was coming to make me a dress.

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