Page 74 of Immortal Throne

I widened my eyes.

“And I don’t even swing that way.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried really hard not to think of Ryker swinging anything.

And failed.

I shook my head and turned to survey the fourth trial. “So, this must be some sort of sex trial. You’re so going to lose.”

Ryker chuffed out a laugh and stepped forward to stand beside me on an uneven tiled path leading through a field of thick, lush grass and wildflowers. A thick pink haze floated through the air like smoke, carrying with it subtle floral scents.

“I guess we follow the path?” I asked.

“Did you want to hold hands?”

“Fuck off.”

He smirked and walked along beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.

“This path isn’t wide enough for both of us.” I leaned into him, giving a little push.

He didn’t budge. “And yet, I don’t feel comfortable with you walking behind me and I doubt you’d prefer the reverse.” He shrugged and kept walking beside me. “So here we are.”

We crested the hill. The path led into a valley, surrounded by trees. A brook babbled in the distance and the pink haze grew thicker as we descended into the valley.

“Did you mean everything you said when we first met?” I asked. “About my family?”

“I’ve said a lot about your family. You’ll have to be more specific.”

“About hating all of us. About blaming us all for the actions of one man. One demon.”

“You’re still benefiting from his actions, Sloane,” he said. “And my family is still paying for them.”

I looked away. Somehow, over the last few trials, Ryker and I had become…something else. Not friends, exactly, but no longer enemies, either. Not quite. “For what it’s worth, I would step aside and let you have the throne if I didn’t need it.”

His step faltered, but he quickly recovered before he whispered, “To save your life.”

“Yeah.” My gut twisted. I really did feel for Ryker, despite hating his guts, of course.

“And I can’t step aside for you, either,” he said, after a lengthy pause. “I can’t let go of my life’s vendetta, no matter how much you like that thing I do with my tongue.”

I snorted, but my humor quickly dissolved when a thought struck me. “Did you kill my father?”

“What?” He looked at me, expression incredulous. “No. Never. Even if I wanted to gain the throne that way, my power would have never matched your father’s. A fully realized Dazamon demon is near untouchable.” He shook his head. “Your father’s talent lay in battle, something I suspect you inherited. My plan had always been this. I’ve waited a long time for the Inferno.”

“No one has really told me much about his death. Chupey didn’t have any answers.” If he was so badass, how did someone manage to kill him? Something didn’t add up, but no one was talking.

“That’s because there’s not much to know,” Ryker said.

I frowned. “What do you mean? You said it was grisly. Surely that means there’s something to discuss. Something to know or learn from the evidence left.”

“Discuss? Yes. Gain helpful information? No. His room was bathed in his blood and there were severed body parts. We never recovered the rest of his body, nor did we get any evidence or clues to who was responsible.”

I opened my mouth to ask more when soft laughter trickled up the path and interrupted my thoughts. Warmth spread through my chest, my heart thumped heavy, and my breathing quickened in response. Thoughts of my father and his death slipped away.

Ryker cursed.

I frowned and turned to him. A pink glow had replaced the normal blaze of his green eyes. “What’s the problem?”

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