Page 45 of House of Demons and Bones

“What the fuck?” Archer hissed back.

He led a team toward me, none of them expecting anyone to burst from the Queen’s Suite—a chamber reserved for the chaos heir’s true mate. Some of them believed that was Queen Lilith.

But I was his true mate. The minions just didn’t know it. They gaped at me, eyes wide. The Queen’s Suite wasn’t just forbidden—it was impenetrable. No one, not even Killian, could breach its barriers.

I faced them, releasing a shaky breath while my mind raced for excuses. Then I saw whom they escorted. My face—Grace’s face—stared back at me.

Why the hell was she here?

The shock hit like vertigo, my world tilting as I thought of her with Killian. Sy surged up, golden eyes blazing, nostrils flaring before she settled.

She doesn’t carry your man’s scent,she assured me.

And Grace looked destroyed. Tear tracks marked her cheeks, her golden curls limp. Her power of seduction felt muted. Someone had knocked her down. I eyed her revealing mini-gown, piecing together her intentions. She’d come to poach my man. Molten fury coursed through my veins.

The urgency made sense now. My bond with Killian had tipped me off—I’d felt his mood go pitch black.

The ugly copy failed,Sy said.

I bristled. Sy had come up with all those stupid names. “Ugly Barbie,” “Unwashed Bottom.”

But I didn’t have time to chide Sy right now.

“My, my, look who’s here.” I cocked my head to regard Grace. “Came begging for candies? Didn’t get any, I bet.”

Fear flickered across her face before hatred hardened her glare.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped.

“Take a guess,” I purred, deciding to play cat and mouse, the game that she was so fond of.

She jabbed a finger at the red door. “Why were you in the Queen’s Suite?”

I waggled my brows. “Why not?”

“How dare you trespass on my queen’s territory?” Her chest heaved with rage. “That suite is for my queen, and I’m part of the legacy.”

“Try getting in then.” I goaded her. “Knock and see what happens. I dare you, cupcake.”

Grace pushed forward. Archer shrugged and let her pass, curious to know what she could do. He couldn’t help it, as he was as nosy as a cat.

She raised her hand to knock, chest puffed with entitlement. A pulse blasted from the door, slamming her into the opposite wall. She slumped down, blood trickling from her mouth.

“You should go get your queen to try,” I suggested with a smirk on my lips.

Just then, Killian emerged from his penthouse, his gaze tracking me, heat and surprise sparking in his storm-blue eyes before he took in the scene. His face turned inscrutable.

“Archer, didn’t I ask you to escort Queen Lilith’s ward out?” His tone was flat, not even using her name.

“Sorry, Your Highness. Scorpion, uh, Barbie got in the way. As usual.”

I glared at Archer, then Killian.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said.

I shouldn’t have snuck into the Queen’s Suite—forbidden territory and all that—but I wasn’t about to mention it.

“You sure?” Rock asked, his bushy eyebrows climbing up his forehead.

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