Page 119 of The Demon's Discovery
“Good, you’re not dead.” The green-eyed man sat on a nearby sofa, slouched forward with his elbows on his knees, watching me.
“Where am I?” I asked, more reflex than anything.
“Your palace, my queen.” That eerie smile spread across his mouth, but the endearment felt like a curse. “That ring I gave you, how does it feel? Are you ready for it to become permanent? I’m sure it’s burrowed nice and deep by now. It doesn’t like other magic, does it?” His laugh echoed through me as I cringed at the thought, turning the opal around so the stone was on the inside of my finger. I couldn’t bear it if he tried to take it from me.
“And you’re to be my king?” I asked, the words leaving a slimy taste in my mouth.
“Quite.” He looked me up and down, and I felt like scrubbing myself with steel wool.
“What is your name?”
He chuckled, shifting his features to that of the willowy man I’d met at the Belette manor. “Otto Feiser, at your service.”
I wanted to know how such a transformation was done. It was similar to how we took stone form, but not the same. I shook my head. “Feiser doesn’t exist.”
“No,” he said, getting to his feet and shedding the false features. “I suppose he doesn’t.”
“So, who are you, really? If we’re to be wed, I think I should know.”
“Has nobody ever told you names are important? That they hold the essence of who we are, that they have meaning? That they shouldn’t be given away so casually?”
I shook my head, and he tutted his tongue at me, pulling Lilith’s grimoire out of a bag and slamming it on the nearby table. My head pounded in response.
“I suppose I can’t hold it against you, since your parents were absent and neglectful in every way. Thanks only in part to me.” He laughed, the sound chilling my blood. “My mother also had limited usefulness, so I understand.” He opened the book, turning to where all the fae recipes were written. “Everything in here has a purpose, a function. Serves a need.” He flipped pages, stopping at a recipe near the back of the book. “You’re going to make me this one. Then we will be wed, and I will finally be able to claim the throne that is rightfully mine.”
I said nothing, just watched as he gathered supplies. There were several recipes at the back that had been too complex or required too many ingredients I didn’t know how to source for me to attempt. Even some of the names had been so off-putting I hadn’t dared try them without some guidance from Ophelia. Itfelt like a safe bet it was going to be one of those he wanted me to work.
“Broc was a loyal man,” he glared over at me, eyes holding mine. “Those are increasingly rare to find.”
I didn’t know if he was seeking an apology for the guard’s death or simply trying to tell me he was displeased with what had happened. I shivered, feeling unnaturally warm when he finally looked away. I hated the feeling of being tied down. It spiked my heart rate in the worst way. I shifted my leg, finding the sheath was still securely in place. Had hestillnot searched me?
“Could I please have some water?” I asked.
“Is that how you got him to open your cell? That sweet little voice?” He frowned as he walked over to a table near the door and poured water into a small horn cup from a metal pitcher. “Tell me, how is it that my cousin, who has been on death’s doorstep for decades now, suddenly seems so revived?” I shook my head, worry setting in for Ris. “He got away from me,” he hissed, face so close to mine I could smell the onions on his breath. “A man I’ve had under my thumb for a century, and he got. Away. From. Me. That’syourfault.”
He grabbed the hair on the back of my head and yanked. The contents of the cup were dumped into my open mouth, causing me to sputter and choke. By the time I managed to swallow, my throat burned worse than it had when I asked, and the cold, paralyzing fear I had for this unhinged man had increased exponentially.
He laughed again, the sound so unnatural it felt like nails scratching into my brain. “Sorry for the dramatics, but it’s necessary you see. I need you to make that elixir.” He started to untie my hands, my confusion reaching an all-time peak. “It would be so much easier if this kind of thing worked on your father. Seems there’s at least one benefit to you only being halffae.” He grinned again, making me shiver. “For me, anyway. Stand.” My body did what he commanded of it, without my input or control.
I gasped, trying to understand how he was controlling my movements. “What’s happening?”
“Go to the table.” I walked stiffly toward the table, my brain unable to comprehend why I was doing something I hadn’t decided to do. “Make the Elixir of Naming. Don’t stop until it is done.Correctly.” He punctuated the last with a pointed finger. “Marrying you isn’t enough for a full transfer of power. I need that for the ancient magic to recognize me as king.”
“Please, this is unnatural, I can’t guarantee what will happen if I don’t have control over my hands.” It was horrible, as though I were watching from somewhere beyond myself as my body did what he’d ordered it to. “I’ll do what you ask but let me do it of my own free will.”
He sat in his chair again, watching as I worked, toying with the necklace he’d taken from Bea. I hadn’t noticed until now, but he was wearing it around his own neck. I wondered what exactly he needed it for. It was a stone kin heirloom, not a fae one.
“Do you think me a fool? Absolutely not.”
“Aren’t you already the ruler of this place?” I asked softly, glancing over at him.
“Of course I am.”
“Then why do you need me? Need this?”
He huffed. “Because the rules of succession are unavoidable and mixed with ancient magic. It’s to my great fortune that you are The Alchemist and the heir all in one tidy package. Your inheritance was a boon I never expected to get. And your foolish parents”—he shook his head—“they tried to send it away.”
“They were trying to protect me.”
