Page 151 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
Zarathos visibly started. “Sabious?”
“Who is Sabious?” Aryana whispered.
“My… potions dealer.” Tense, he clenched his hands into fists.
“I joined the rebellion to help my kind, supplying them with the very potion that also hid you all these years, Your Majesty,” Sabious said, emotion in their eyes. “But I never thought I’d see the day when a demon arch king would offer what you have offered to my people. I had planned to leverage my favor that you owe me to destroy you, or to bargain for my kind to save them from your wrath if things went awry. But now I put it to better use.”
They turned to the shapeshifters. “Today the demon arch king grants us a new beginning and while we agree to his terms, we ask this favor of him in return. Arch King Zarathos Rumpelstiltskin, we ask that you extend your protection to our fledgling kingdom for the first five hundred years of the shapeshifters’ reign, guarding us against any external threats.”
Zarathos didn’t hesitate for a second. “I grant my protection.” He motioned for Aryana to join them. She rose, bringing the scepter and holding it out to him, but he shook his head. “This day,” he said, addressing the demons gathered around him, “when a bargain is struck, it is not only with me, but with my queen.” He placed his hand over hers, and a smile tugged at his lips as the scepter began to glow with undeniable power.
One by one, the demons stepped forward to accept the agreement.
Chapter 51
Aryana
Aryana drew the weft through the tapestry, nearing completion. She sat back and admired her work. It was an image of her and Zarathos standing in the night, surrounded by flames. She smiled at the golds and reds surrounding them.
She felt the moment he appeared through the shadows. His arms came around her and she leaned into him.
“You finished,” he said.
“Almost finished. I have a few more rows left to do.”
“I’ve never seen its equal.”
“You would say that about a tapestry with you in it.”
He released a darkchuckle. “Does it have a name?”
At first she’d thought it would simply be a tapestry of the demon arch king, but then she’d seen more. She’d seen her and Zarathos. “Love From Flames.”
“It’s perfect. Come, I have something to show you.”
He took her hand, and she turned to face him. Her lips parted. Zarathos had already dressed for the evening in ebony pants and a tailored suit jacket; his hair was combed back, cascading to his shoulders. Gods,helooked perfect.
He tugged at her fingers, urging her down the steps.
“I have a question,” she said. “When you were in the arena and you transferred my bargain to Pohan. How was that possible? I mean, can a kalator really have a kalator?”
Zarathos shrugged. “I assume the council never even considered such a scenario, so the contracts we signed said nothing about it. If the contract doesn’t forbid it, I don’t see why it isn’t possible.”
She expelled a slow breath. “I’m glad everything worked out in the end.”
He squeezed her hand, glancing back at her. “Me too, Vampress.”
They came out into their shared bedchamber, and she released a small gasp. On the bed lay the most lovely gown she’d ever seen.
Zarathos observed her reaction carefully. “I had it specially made.”
She walked over and studied the gown. It was a crimson satin masterpiece adorned with stars and silvery stardust sewn into the fabric. Golden threads wove along the hemline, twining elegantly between the celestial details.
“Golden threads?” She looked at him in question.
“They’re yours. I may have taken a couple when we spun, feeling they were my due. But now I give them back to you.” He reached and touched her hair, staring into her eyes. “Trauma marks us, but also makes us beautiful. You are beautiful,” he murmured. “My vampress, queen of the night.”
“I love it.”
