Page 3 of Demon Bound

“Don’t do what?” he asked innocently.

“Feed me to it.”

He played dumb. “What makes you think I’d feed my own wife to a demon? What a horrible death that would be. I wouldn’t do something like that unless I had a particularly inadequate wife.” He paused. “But perhaps you would prefer him to me, Raiya? I know you’re displeased with your life here, despite how hard I’ve worked to keep you happy. Despite all the wealth I’ve shared with you, all the gifts I’ve given you, and the leisurely lifestyle you now enjoy—you still resent me.”

“I don’t resent you,” she said unconvincingly.

“Do you know what he’d do to you?” Nirlan said, still touching her neck in a caress that was verging on an attack. His lips brushed her ear as he murmured to her. “He’d tear you limb from limb. He’d peel your skin away in strips and set fire to your pretty hair. He’d cut off pieces of you until there was nothing left, and he’d lick up all of your blood and pain and terror like honey.”

Nirlan had spent a lot of time imagining ways to torture her, it seemed.

“I bet he’d like a taste of this, as well.” His hand moved down, cupping between her legs, pressing her skirt down to outline the shape of her body.

The demon’s gaze seemed to follow the movement of Nirlan’s hand. Raiya held still as his fingers moved slow and hard against her. Twinges of uncomfortable pleasure mixed with humiliation radiated from the places his fingers touched, and she bit her tongue to keep herself from visibly reacting. The demon watched her, its eyes glowing brighter.

Nirlan abruptly let her go, scoffing disapprovingly. Raiya felt heat flooding her face: both shame and hatred. She saw now that he hadn’t brought her down here to kill her. He’d just wanted to gloat. He wanted to watch her cower in fear from what he’d done. He was smirking, even now.

Many of Nirlan’s motivations in life came down to gloating.

The demon’s eyes narrowed slightly—the only sign of intelligence or emotion she’d yet seen from him. Until then, he had looked more like a beast than a man. For some reason, this hint of an intelligent mind behind the horrific visage only made the demon more terrifying.

“What are you going to do with it?” she asked.

Nirlan sighed, as if it was a stupid question. “Make it work for me, obviously. What else are demons good for?”

“You mean you’ll make it kill for you.”

“Strength is not evil, Raiya. A strong leader benefits everyone. I’ll have it patrol the roads. It could protect Frosthaven.”

Raiya imagined the demon prowling around the city, unsupervised. She imagined it mercilessly tearing apart anyone who resembled a criminal, anyone who got in its way, or simply anyone Nirlan disliked. Few mortals were equipped to fight a demon.

It could spy for him, fight for him, cast all kinds of spells for who-knew-what kinds of purposes. Nirlan could use it to intimidate or outright remove political rivals. He could loan it out to his friends for their purposes, whatever they may be.

In the Uulantaava of days past, power and wealth had been won in battles fought over months or years in some of the harshest climates in Heilune. Nirlan was not a fighter, and had no army—so he was making one.

A monster. An immortal. A slave.

A demon.

“Once it’s bound to me, it will be completely obedient. It will be nice to have some obedience, for a change.”

Chapter 2

Raiya now knew that “You’re not like other girls, are you?” was not really a compliment, but when Nirlan had said it to her when they’d first met, she’d been flattered.

It was almost two years ago, now. She had looked up at him, her attention drawn away from the book in her lap. The man before her was tall and striking, his dark eyes alight with interest. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table of her booth. His eyes roved over her, taking in her long, dark hair, dark eyes, and tawny skin.

The market buzzed around them, loud and bright while night fell. The Lightbringer festival was well underway. People had strung up lanterns and lit candles, and sparklers and smoke bombs were going off nearby. The air was tinged with the scent of burning wood and grilled food, which somehow made the cold weather feel less harsh.

The man wore fine clothes of silk, white leather, and arctic fox fur—the sort of clothes that few in Frosthaven could afford. Perhaps he was a tourist. Frosthaven was the northernmost city in Uulantaava, the northernmost country in Heilune. Travelers were uncommon enough to be of interest.

Raiya sat up straight, closing her book. No one in town ever wanted to buy from her little booth, but a rich tourist might. “Pardon?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen anyone else here reading.” He cast an unimpressed glance toward a group of laughing young women on the street. “Most girls would rather be shopping for jewelry or clothes at a time like this. But you’re reading a book.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, and she felt a little self-conscious. “I see. Are you, ah, enjoying the festival?” she asked, putting on a smile.

“Of course,” he said, but he looked a little bored. “I was in Valtos for last year’s festival. But this is nice, in its way. More, ah…” He glanced behind him as a group of shouting children ran past, waving sparklers at each other, and he stepped sideways to avoid being struck by one. “…rustic.”

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