Page 56 of The Crown of Nyx

I released a shuddering breath as I took a step away from him. At least there was something I could be thankful for, even if it was still ridiculous that I was even here.

The male grimaced, looking down at his bound hands. They formed fists, and within the blink of an eye, the chains that’d trapped him fell away. He stood, towering over me, reminding me just how large he really was. I might have been wrong in my earlier estimation.He could have been closer to seven feet with the way he had to hang his head to meet my eye.

“You could have escaped this entire time?” I asked quietly, frozen in place.

He lifted a large hand to my face. I should have moved away. Slapped his hand. Shoved him with a wave of magic.

But I was stuck. And when his fingers brushed my heated cheek, a different kind of shiver rolled down my spine, and a tingle raced through me. My stomach tightened with an all too familiar pressure.

“I needed you to undo the first bind,” he said, voice so low I almost didn’t catch it. “We are allies, after all, my Queen.”

His other hand captured mine, wrapping around my fingers. He brought it between us and lightly kissed my knuckle.

I wasn’t sure if it was panic or something else rising within me. He knew who—what—I was. But as I searched his eyes for any sign of betrayal, any possibility that he might be one of Dante’s people, I felt only a strange connection. Not a mate bond—at least, I didn’t think it could be that. But something else. I definitely wasn’t sure if he was on Dante’s side. I knew better than to trust easily.

At least, I did now.

When my hand left his lips, I tore it free and took a step back. His other hand fell to his side, but amusement shone in his red eyes, the smile twisting his lips growing.

“I’m not a threat to you,” he purred, straightening. “But I understand if you make me work for it.”

My eyes narrowed, and my hands curled into fists. “Get me out of this stupid game. Or help me find the Mistress.”

The male bowed his head, the tattoos on his upper body shifting to do the same. “Of course, my Queen.”

Shaking my head, I said nothing to him as I strode to the same rack of clothing the demons had pulled my dress from. Surely, there was a shirt that would fit over his ridiculously wide shoulders. I mean, they found me a dress that wrapped itself around my body in the true definition of ‘one size fits all’.

There had to be a shirt equivalent, right?

When I made it to the rack, I lifted my hand to swipe through the different garments. But my hand went through it, the image before me disappearing completely.

“Fucking illusions,” I muttered.

Behind me, the male chuckled. “And what were you looking for, my Queen?”

I huffed and turned back to him. The tattoos moved again, this time to gather around his arms. “A shirt.”

“And why would you need that when you look so ethereal?” he asked.

My cheeks warmed, and my heart stuttered a beat as I met his eye. “It wasn’t for me,” I snapped.

He quirked a dark brow and crossed his arms. Somehow, it accentuated the width of his upper body. I wasn’t even sure how. Maybe that was just an illusion, too. He could be a small goat looking thing like the Danny Devito character fromHercules. Demons could definitely do that.

With a shake of my head, I started for the curtains again, this time with a bit more resolve. I probably didn’t need him. I was Ivy fucking Wilson, new Queen of Nyx and her creatures. Surely, I could find the succubus in charge of this place. And I could handle a couple of bad porno remakes. I didn’t even really need to look.

Before I could make it to the crack in the curtains, the male’s arm shot out and stopped me. It curledaround my waist, hand on my hip. I made no sound as he crushed me to his chest.

I sucked in a sharp breath, which made me take in his scent. There was something warm about the way he smelled that made heat fill my chest.

“And where do you think you are going?” he murmured, lips brushing the shell of my ear.

I bucked, but his arm tightened around me. “I’m going to find the Mistress, and I’m getting the fuck out of here.”

He chuckled, the sound going straight to my core. “You truly are feisty,” he murmured. “They’d warned me you would be weak, but I doubted that the moment the words left their pathetic lips. You are not weak, are you, my Queen?”

A lump formed in my throat, and I stilled in his embrace. “What would be weak,” I said, voice quiet, “is if I play this silly game when you and I both know I don’t have time for it. The Mistress has my mates, and I am not playing anyone’s games.” I tried to pull away from him again, but there was no give. His arm remained a vice around me. “Let. Go.”

The male hummed under his breath, the sound vibrating from his chest into my back. “Stop thinking about it as if they are against you, my Queen,” he whispered. “Consider that maybe, Mistress is your ally. And by playing her game, you accept her terms of alliance.”

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