Page 57 of The Crown of Nyx

“And why would I do that?” I asked through gritted teeth.

He brought his other arm around me, now fully caging me into his hard body. “Because you need something from the Mistress. Only something she can give you. The offer lies upon your head.”

My hand strayed to the crown. “What do you know about this?”

“I know the traitor prince is weaving sweet words in exchange for access to the Old World right now,” he whispered. “I know he intends on offering the King of the Elysian Fields something he cannot refuse.”

I only knew of the demon king. He was perhaps one of the oldest beings left. Older than the Queens, maybe as old as Nyx Herself. He didn’t play with politics, however, despite kneeling to Nyx’s Queens. He stayed in the fields for his own reasons and let the Houses of Sin do the rest.

Queen Greer had never gotten to that part of our lessons. She’d promised to detail those specifics after the ball. I was supposed to meet with the king eventually, with Greer’s demon mates at my side, because he refused to leave the Underworld. Only Queen Greer, Seer Sable, and Greer’s mates knew him.

“Why would he meet with Dante?” I asked, voice tight with emotion.

The arms around me loosened, but did not disappear. Instead, it felt more like a hug from behind, gentle. If I tried to pull away, he would likely let me. But for whatever reason, I didn’t.

“You have more than just me as an ally,” he replied finally. “But to some, you still need to prove yourself worthy as Queen.”

My eyes went to the ceiling as the burn of tears clogged my senses. Fuck. I knew he was right. It wasn’t enough for me to go around claiming to be Queen. What was I actually doing to prove that I was capable? Worthy, even? I still felt like an outsider in this world, and I wasn’t doing much to be part of it. I thought accepting my role would be enough. But it wasn’t.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I ignored the overwhelming scent of the male behind me and focused on what my magic told me. He might have made a goodpoint, but he was still a stranger. Someone I was still wary to trust, and for good reason. But if there was one thing I could rely on, the one thing that certainly always had my back, it was my magic.

I’d been too scared to draw it out before, but now, I turned inwards. The tether of magic that ran deep within me brightened as I took hold of it. The bonds that lived beside it were still quiet, but I could tell now that I was no longer in their heads. Somehow, I really had fallen out of Orion’s dream and into something real—something physical.

The only thing their bonds revealed was that they were close. Safe, even.

Is that what I need to do?I asked the magic.Do I play the game and hope it’ll be enough? Or do I fight and risk losing our only chance at reaching the Old World?

There was too much at stake. I knew it. My mates were missing, and Dante had somehow found a way to get a hold of the Elysian King. And if the demon gave Dante what he wanted, then we were all doomed.

My magic stilled in my chest, neither warm nor cold. Like it was settling with the idea that we may need to trust the male holding us. It reached for him carefully, as wary as I was, and felt for the magic signature around him. Now that he was no longer bound to the chair, with chains that hid his power, it became more clear what kind of demon he was—and how powerful.

I stiffened as my magic reared back, and my eyes opened. I released a heavy breath as the shadows of the room swam around me.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The male finally let me go. “You may refer to me as Damon.”

Damon. It didn’t quite feel right for him, but I still turned to eye him warily. His tattoos finally stopped moving, coiling primarily around his arms, leaving his tanned chest clear.

“Alright, Damon,” I sighed. “I’ll play the game.”

I expected him to smile or smirk, but instead, he straightened to his full height and offered me his hand. “I vow to see you out safely then, my Queen,” he replied.

I eyed his hand for a moment before taking it. One of the tattoos—the snake—slithered down his hand to wind around my wrist. A sound lodged in my throat as I tried to pull my fingers free of his.

“It won’t hurt you,” he whispered. “It reflects my vow to you. None would ever question you with it.”

I gritted my teeth and glared up at him. “Is that really necessary?”

“Of course.” Finally, the smirk returned, and his red eyes glinted. “Let the game begin.”

24

Ivy

Icouldn’t stop staring at the thin, oddly detailed snake wrapped around my right wrist. The dark ink actually blinked up at me with slitted, snake eyes. I shuddered. Snakes were not my ideal…anything. As a matter of fact, I didn’t like the slithering creatures. They weirded me out, and it was hard to tell which ones were venomous or not. Thea, on the other hand, for whatever reason, liked them.

Maybe she’s some sort of snake freak, I thought, as Damon wrapped his fingers around mine. With how large he was, his hand easily enveloped mine. And I was no small, dainty thing, either. Especially where my handswere involved.

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