Page 117 of The Demon's Pet

“An angel isn’t all you are,” Zarris said with a sneer.

Sam’s wings extended again, and Zarris made a run for it, almost tripping on his purple robes as he moved down the main roadway.

“Don’t disappoint me!” he screamed back at us, clearly terrified of Sam but still intent on making his point.

I put my hands on my hips as Sam retracted his wings and faced us. “Well, he’s definitely different than the first day I met him.”

Sam scowled. “The fae are always polite when they’re trying to get what they want. It’s when they don’t get what they want that you have to worry about them. Otherwise, they’re all, ‘Look at my jewels! Drink my tea! Participate in our communal mating rituals!’”

“Communal mating rituals?” I choked out.

Sam flushed lightly as he realized what he’d said. “Ah. Zadis didn’t mention those?”

“No!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “He only spoke about fae mates.”

Sam’s eyes glittered with triumph. “Well, I did warn you about them, after all. What’s wrong, Cleo? You don’t feel like bonding?” He looked at Griffin. “Hey, you should try getting an invite to one. You might be able to hook up with Os there.”

Griffin’s knuckles popped as his hands clenched into fists. “What are you saying? He goes to them?”

Sam just shrugged, turning back to the cage. “You two are too innocent for words. It’s interesting and troublesome all at the same time.” He put his hands on the bars, and the creature inside slinked back slightly, still a black swarm of particles that almost made the shape of a man. He pointed to me. “So what did you want with her? I brought her, as you asked.”

“Morningstar,” the creature rasped in a tone that was too unearthly to sound like a voice. A voice so quiet I knew no one but Sam or I could make out what he was saying. “Queen.”

Sam stepped in front of the cage, pushing me back. “This is Cleo. A celestial shifter from the havens.”

“Does she know that you search for the Morningstar? For the queen?” the creature rasped again, so quietly.

“She does,” Sam said. “All of us are searching.”

The creature in the cage vibrated hard and somehow solidified enough to be a man. He had thick black hair, black eyes, and pale olive skin.

And he was beautiful. He had a square face with a V-shape jaw, a straight nose, and a tall, well-built body. At least, what I could see of him appeared that way.

His hands clutched the bars as he surged forward, trying to get closer to me. I realized the bottom of his body was still a swarm of particles, making him look half human, half aberration.

“Cleo…” His eyes met mine, so much darker than Sam’s. The darkness in Sam’s was warmer because of the gold burning at the center. The dark at the center of this man’s eyes was a void. So dark it was like staring into black holes. “Free me, Cleo. Let me be with you.”

Sam’s brows lowered.

“I was meant to serve you,” the creature rasped. “Morningstar.”

I thought back to Sam’s conversation with Os about the “Morningstar” they were searching for. Clearly, this creature thought that just because Sam was dragging me around, I was somehow involved.

“I’m not… I’m just a wolf shifter,” I murmured.

“Not true,” the creature hissed.

“Damn,” Griffin said. “It really does talk.”

The creature sent him a glare. “Celestial.” It hissed in distaste, then turned its attention to me. “Free me, queen.”

“It’s confused,” I said to Sam. “I’m not a queen.”

Sam just narrowed his eyes, thinking. Then he folded his arms and got as close to the cage as possible, stepping between the thing and me. “Why did you kill those fae? I’m not going to ask again. Zarris isn’t going to let me wait any longer.”

The creature was quiet but dispersed back into a mist, no longer holding any form that looked at all human.

“Void walker,” Sam hissed. “I won’t ask again. I have delayed this because I believe your story about being kidnapped and brought here against your will. But unless you explain your killing—”

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