Page 10 of The Demon Prince's Accidental Mate
“She tried again,” I snapped. “To control my mind. She must pay for this, and I intend to see that she is punished appropriately.”
“The Gray Knights will retrieve her and bring her before my court,” Dannorax countered. “As a member of the jury, it will be your duty to see to her punishment that way. As the law describes it, Belial.”
“No. She has come after me.” I grinned. “Now she’s going to get me. And she’s going to wish she didn’t. It’s personal.”
“It’s highly irregular.”
I shook my head. “I could have gone after her on my own from the start. Brought her to justice that way. I was within my rights, and you know it. But I came to you. I didn’t have to do that.”
“But you did,” Dannorax pointed out, not overly eager to be deprived of a chance to see justice done, especially to his favorite type of victim, young women. He greatly enjoyed the public spectacle of the court.Hiscourt.
“The Gray Knights haven’t left yet,” I countered. “Nothing is lost. I will go get her myself. Give her a glimpse into what is to come. I am the wronged. It is within my rights to demand this, and you know it.”
The dragon looked ready to argue some more, but I set my jaw and let him look into my eyes so that he could see that I wouldn’t budge. I’d had enough of her. Enough of one Lilith Rowe. Her time had come, and I would be the one to see that first look of doom on her face as the truth sank in.
“Very well,” Dannorax said with a dismissive flick of a wingtip, irritated but not willing to argue with me any further. “Go get her yourself. Inflict your punishment.”
“Thank you,” I said, standing up straight and tall in appreciation of his willingness to let it go without further argument.
“But be warned,” he added just as I started to turn away.
I paused, glancing back over my right shoulder at the massive dragon, eyes an angry yellow.
“If she isn’t properly punished, therewillbe hell to pay for the one who failed in his duty. Namelyyou, Belial. Thereareexpectations to be set.”
I stared at him, well aware of the double meaning behind his words and what he would do if his version of justice was not properly served.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I told him, striding for the exit, already envisioning how I would break Lilith down.
Blood surged in my veins, and my face twisted with wicked delight. It was with those visions in my head that I left the Black Tower and headed out of The Place Behind to the mortal plane. Lilith would be mine, and she wouldpay.
***
I watched through the front window as she toiled away throughout the day to serve customers. Hours passed. The spell that hid me from mortal view let me walk right up to the glass, staring at Lilith through the pane.
She was stronger than I’d thought. For a human, that was. All alone, she did it all. Hour after hour. Her round face and slightly large ears gave her a mousy look, but when she let her hair down for a moment to readjust it, I could see that the wavy brown locks suited her perfectly. Emphasizing, instead of hiding or detracting.
Her body was slim, but she didn’t carry much in the way of muscle. She was just small. I towered over her the one time she came up to the window to look out during a moment when there were no customers. Her head barely came to my chin, fitting under it perfectly, in fact.
The yellow-brown eyes were the one part of her that differed from the image I’d seen in my mind. The color and slight downturned shape were the exact same. But what I hadn’t seen in my initial glimpse was the utter lack of joy in them.
She was not a woman who was alive. She lived, certainly. She was human, and her blood ran, but she wasn’t full of life. Something had taken that from her.
As the sun began to sink and her business slowed, I found myself hesitating. It was my chance, my opportunity to enact the justice she so obviously deserved. The entire magical community had to know that such acts were not allowed. If the law weren’t followed strictly, there would be anarchy.
So, why was I still on the street, watching her from a distance?
I reminded myself of what the soft, almost lifeless exterior was hiding. A woman who thought she could bindme, a demon prince of the Underworld! The sheer arrogance she possessed inside her must be stripped bare. A lesson shown to any who thought they could get away with such a thing.
Yes. It was time.
Fresh fury burning in my blood, I went for the door.
Chapter Six
Lily
“Sorry, I only have five left,” I said, my apology sounding faint and dull to my own ears.
