Page 30 of Demon Queen
I shuddered at the thought of more demons in my life. Roberta… Nope. Not thinking about that. “It was for an afternoon. And you said that you threw them away.”
“You lived with me for seventeen months and twelve days after we swore vows. Seems longer than an afternoon to me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “No one witnessed it. If there are no witnesses, it didn’t happen. Also, and most importantly,you threw me away, even if you kept the rings.”
“Ah,” he said, nodding while his eyes burned into me. “My greatest regret, my biggest mistake. I will suffer for an eternity in your hands with whatever punishment you decree.” His gaze dropped to my lips and I remembered the last time I’d made him suffer my vomit breath. He was apparently willing to relive the suffering indefinitely. What were the odds demons minded disgusting things when they smashed heads like…
I shuddered and turned away. Nope. Not reliving that moment. “Nothing was ever legally binding. Were we going somewhere?”
“I suppose we’d better get back to the cave. I thought it was a den, but if Tom says that demons live in caves, that’s what it must be.”
“Of course, because you’re so agreeable. Were we going? I’m hungry.”
The ride to the club was quiet, and I looked out the window so I wouldn’t have to look at him. What was I doing with my life? What life? I had my shop, my employees, maybe some of whom were not demons, but why hadn’t I dated again? Did Roberta have to do with that, or was it just me needing therapy. Who could I talk to about the demons in my life? A vision of Robert’s head had me flinching and struggling to breathe.
The Halloween display would be so great. The theme would be…Not demons. Definitely not zombies. Absolutely not vampires. Maybe I should skip Halloween. Or witches. Witches could be cute, and maybe have a gingerbread house people could go inside and eat? We could do a gingerbread house competition in the shop. It would be good to push the trending age of my customers down a bit. Roberta had been talking about doing a wine tasting at my next opening. Kids were better.
I’d wanted so much for my baby to have a sweet, happy childhood like I’d missed. My childhood had been pretty traumatic, even if I hadn’t been kidnapped by a zombie queen. I didn’t remember a lot of it, but what I did remember was fear and pain. I’d been too quiet and sad for my first foster parents, so they sent me away. It didn’t help that I didn’t know the language. My birth parents were mostly shadows broken up by bright lights and a sense of fear that clung to everything.
Dorian covered my hand with his. It felt so good for someone to touch me, to not be entirely alone. I pressed my lips together and pulled my hand away from his, folding it in my lap instead. I wasn’t his object to keep or throw away according to his whim.I needed to learn to trust again, but not with someone who had broken my trust so absolutely.
He sighed but didn’t touch me again.
When we got to the club, I got out of the car quickly, walking like I knew where I was going. I did. I was going to the kitchen that wasn’t a kitchen, and eating and drinking on the couch until I fell asleep. When I woke up, I’d go back to my shop and work as usual for a Tuesday morning after a launch.
The plan worked pretty well, because as soon as Dorian got there, he was surrounded by demons saying, ‘Hail the demon king,’ so I got to slip off without more than a look from Dorian while Straldi took his place beside me.
“You look pale,” he said as we walked down the stairs.
“You look paler. Your skin must burn terribly, it has so little pigmentation.”
“You also smell of vampires.”
“You smell of misery and desolation, but do I mention it?”
He laughed. “You smell of demon more than vampires. You didn’t enjoy spending time so close to your mate?”
I stopped walking. Could I stab him in the face? Chop off his tentacle beard? What could I do to shut him up? I smiled slowly. “I’m afraid not. Ever since I saw you and your mystical rainbow eyes, I’ve wanted nothing more than to take you into my shower.”
He blinked those rainbow eyes at me while his expression shifted. Mischief. That’s what he was. “Drigo would tear me limb from limb, but it would be worth it.” He wiggled his tentacles at me.
I rolled my eyes and kept walking down the stairs. “You’re impossible.”
“That’s the idea. You should flirt with me, though. You need practice so that when you’re serious about Drigo, you know how to get him where you want him.”
I shivered at the thought of Dorian being where I wanted him. I’d had him this morning, wrapped around me, making a wing cave that shut out the rest of the world. “He’s the cunning demon king. I’ll never get the upper hand with him.”
“Probably not, but why should that stop you from trying?”
“I’m tired and hungry, okay? Can you please stop talking?”
“Drigo kept you busy all day? Maybe you already have him eating from your…”
I stabbed him with my pocket knife. In the shoulder. For a second his eyes widened in surprise and then he leapt away from me, frowning down at his shoulder and my small blade with the red handle sticking out of it.
I stared at it, even more shocked than he was. I’d wanted to stab him, and I had my pocket knife, but it had just happened so easily, almost like I was getting stab happy after the Roberta and the vampire thing.
“I said please,” I said, my stomach roiling at the smell of his blood. Not maple syrup. “That means that you should listen and use your manners. Your mother didn’t teach you any manners? What a surprise.”
