Page 47 of Demon Queen
“I don’t understand why you made me your queen. Also, do you remember your mother? Also, what do demons eat?”
He hesitated while he considered, then said, “There are various demons who consume various things.”
“Wow. That’s so helpful. Thank heavens I have a slave like you, so good at answering questions. And your mother? Do you remember her? Mixl said that he watched his angel mother die. Was your mom an angel too? What do angels eat? Why would they be with demons? Where are heaven and hell in relation to each other? Why are you so determined about this particular glamour?”
He rubbed his chin with his graceful fingers. “You keep coming back to the glamour. I thought you liked the way I looked.”
“Drigo.” A low, rumbling voice rolled over my head and into my fear receptors.
I had to go. Now.
Dorian slipped his hand in mine and kept me securely in my seat as he nodded at whoever was standing behind me. Ademon. An oni, whatever that was. A fear demon, only he didn’t feed on fear, hewasfear. One giant ball of the most terrifying thing in the world. I was probably going to throw up and have an embarrassing accident.
“Frisco,” Dorian said with a slight flicker of flames in his eyes.
The oni laughed and sat in the chair across from us, looking like a slightly-bulkier-than-average sushi cook. He had the white hat, but fear came off him in waves. His eyes flickered red as he smiled at Dorian. “Are you here for my fealty? I heard you were gathering an army.”
“I’m not here for you,” Dorian replied, sliding his hand over mine, connection and comfort that I desperately needed after the day/week/life I’d had. Also this fear demon.
Frisco bared his teeth. So many teeth. “No? You come into my restaurant for the specialty of the day?” Frisco tsked and shook his head, steepling his large fingers. “Business is good. I don’t need entanglements with an old world that never appreciated us. Why would you agree to rule that mess? It’s just putting a target on your back. The queen loves targets, and you’d make a nice, big one.”
Dorian shrugged one large shoulder. “The only queen I worry about is the one at this table.”
The man slowly turned to look at me. His eyes were bright blue, more than slightly terrifying. “You’re the Candy Queen I’ve heard so much about? What are you doing with this wretched creature?” He nodded at Dorian while his eyes pierced into me, fear throbbed, and the whole world went to pieces.
The room went dark, like black black, and I couldn’t see anything until Dorian lit up, with lines of magma on his skin visible through his shirt. His flickering eyes were bright enough that I could see the outline of the soy sauce container on the table.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dorian said in a low growl that sent goosebumps down my spine.
Do what?
Frisco’s arm came around my throat and he hauled me out of my chair until I was against him. He wasn’t hot like Drigo, not even warm. He was cold, all ice and treachery. Ah. That’s what Dorian wouldn’t do. Nice to know that someone wasn’t willing to drag me around by my head. Seriously, what was wrong with people?
“You attack me in my own restaurant?” the Oni hissed, only it was like rocks falling down a mountain and landing in a stream of magma.
A female demon, with glowing red markings flickered visible alone with the glowing blade at Dorian’s throat. Her eyes burned with hatred, bright, bright red.
“You’ll pay for what you did to my sister.” Her voice was all gravelly rage with an overlay of fingernail on chalkboard.
Was she going to kill him? My terrifying demon?
I panicked and bit down hard on Frisco’s arm. He tasted like oranges and cucumber ice cream.
He’s a fool to come here, thinking that I’ll ever bow to anyone again. And bringing war? He overreaches. Is it madness or arrogance? I’ll never swear fealty to the mad demon. He’ll lead all the fools straight to their doom, but not my men. Not me.
Dorian’s glamour melted away and there he was in the flesh, bright lines of magma beating to get out of his skin. He was so tall, and the spikes were even more terrifying than I remembered, tipped with bright red, sharp magma points.
He has king spikes. How…
I was in Frisco’s head? His confusion, outrage, and fury rose and rose. He was going to kill the mad king before he destroyed all of their kind. He had dozens of demons gathering around.The strategy planned all about how to corner the dangerous Drigo demon and then rip off his head and slice him into slivers.
I bit harder throwing my thoughts at him in desperation.Dorian is the demon king. I should swear fealty to him. He is our king. All of our king. I will swear fealty. NOW!
Frisco gasped like he’d been electrocuted, and then lines of light went over his skin, pale blue chased with pink.
It looked like lightning but tasted like mochi. Maybe that was the, ‘we are technology’ Regis was going on about. Ice cream tech. And now I was officially cracked.
Dorian slapped the female demon’s weapon away and then flipped her over his shoulder onto the table between us, pinning her there with one massive hand. He glowered at Frisco with enormous fangs.
