Page 62 of The Crown of Nyx

The Queen clenched her jaw, but she did not have a quick answer for me.

I raised a brow. “What is your plan, my Queen? Other than travelling into a dangerous world and searching for a crown that has no resting place?”

Her shoulders dropped, the magic dancing along her fingers dissipating as she released a heavy breath. “AllI know is Nyx wants us to go there. To find the crown. That’s it.”

Interesting. What was that Goddess up to? And why would she send her only living Queen into a world not even she has seen in nearly fifteen hundred years?

Either there was something the young Queen wasn’t telling me, or not even she knew how her journey would end.

“Dante found a way to go there,” she continued, her voice dark with bitterness. “He wants the crown. He thinks that if he has it, he’ll be the uncontested king. No one will question him.”

“But he won’t have your power,” I replied. Her eyes followed me as I moved to a small bar across the room. What she didn’t know was that I had brought her into my private suite at the palace. Through one of the four cavern hallways, was my bedroom. I had an office through another, a library, and a meeting room. We were in the sitting room portion, which rarely saw visitors. And I had the urge to show her the rest.

I’m simply lonely,I told myself as I picked up two crystal tumblers from one of the racks above the bar. They were mostly for show, sitting on the smooth, carved shelves. The meeting room had another bar in the corner, though the serpents of House Greed were more likely to bring refreshments when I did have company.

I poured two glasses of mead, born from the bees that frequented the fields. There was something oddly delectable about drinking the nectar of a place only the dead would see. No one knew why the bees came and went as they pleased, but to drink the nectar from their venture into the fields was dangerous.

And yet, I carried the Queen a glass, watching as she eyed it with scrutiny. It had a golden colour, perhapsmore amber. As I handed it to her, the small amount I’d poured swirled like it had been dusted with the same glittering substance she had.

Hesitantly, she lifted a hand and took the glass, though she didn’t bring the tumbler to her lips immediately. “Thanks,” she muttered, before cupping it between both hands. “He might have found a way to take my power.That’swhy I need to find the crown before him. And find the rest of my mates. I don’t know why, but Nyx put me on this path to find them and the crown. So, I have to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

I brought the mead to my lips and took a slow sip. There were hints of wild flowers and death, but the sweetness of honey overpowered it. “And you think a journey into the Old World will solve your problems?”

She sighed, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. There was a clear war playing out in her eyes. Her gaze strayed to the fields, almost like she could see beyond them and into the darkness that awaited those who disappointed our Goddess.

“This is the path she’s taking me on,” she said, finally turning to me. “So, what do you want?”

I quirked a brow and took another sip. “What do I want?”

She nodded, eyes locked on mine. Goddess, she was a small thing compared to me. But she didn’t let my size sway her. Some would consider me intimidating, and I certainly was. The average demon could either be much smaller than regular creatures, or have a larger stature—depending on breeding. But those of us of the Elysian line—and there were few of us left who were truly Elysian—were bred to work with death. And sometimes, the dead liked to fight. We had to know how to keep them in check.

It’d been a long time since I’d gone down to the fields to do such a thing.

Shaking those thoughts from my head, I finished my drink and released a breath. “There is nothing you can give me, my Queen, that I do not already have.”

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. “What was Dante going to offer you?” she demanded. “What could he give you that I can’t?”

Her questions, for some reason, made me smile. I let the tumbler fall into the shadows; it would be safely taken to the kitchens to be cleaned, before being returned to its shelf, where I likely wouldn’t have need for it again until the next time I brought a sweet young Queen into my chambers.

“That pretender made a few offers,” I replied, crossing the short space between us. Once again, she did not move. Did not flinch away. This time, she lifted her chin so those narrowed, angry eyes could meet mine. “One of those included a choice in whatever female I wanted.”

Confusion filled her expression, but that was quickly replaced with rage. “He was going totrade youa person?”

Through the marking on her arm, I felt a wash of her emotions; anger, disgust, helplessness as she realised she would not do the same. That she could not.

“Yes,” I said bluntly. “Because unlike you, he sees his fellow creatures as pawns. Not as their own person. They do not have agency under him.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. For a brief moment, those dark eyes left mine to take in the glass in her hands. She considered it before bringing the crystal to her lips and swallowed a mouthful of the nectar, squeezing her eyes shut.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she let her tongue wet her lips, as she took in the flavour of the mead.Only when her eyes popped open again did I smile. “Enjoy, my Queen?”

She pressed her lips together before shaking her head. “Tastes like honey.” She lowered the glass slowly and sucked in a breath. “Is afemalesomething you want,Damon?”

I chuckled and rose to my full height. “If I wanted someone to warm my bed, then I would have that. But since taking my position, I gave up the luxury.”

That seemed to surprise her, because her brows rose, and she took a step back. “Then why would he offer that?”

“Because he believes that once he becomes king,” I said, “he will also be able to rule over my kingdom. That he can take my place.”

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