Page 29 of Courting Envy
I let loose a blood curdling yell and reached for a vase, smashing it against the tile floor before grabbing another and doing the same.
"Is that helping?"
I spun to find Kyveli perched on the edge of my desk. Of course, the shadow woman would slip in here at the worst possible time.
“Haven’t I ordered you to knock before entering?”
She gave a half shrug, her shadows dispersing a little to reveal the smug grin on her face. “I did, but you were busy.”
"What do you want?" I snarled, then reigned my emotions in and straightened my spine. "Do you have your report?"
"Why yes, Lord of Envy. I do."
Most days, the playful lilt of her voice didn’t set my nerves on end; today was different. Today, I wanted her gone from here so that I could go back to stewing in my own envy.
"Well?" I snapped, striding across the room to take my seat.
Kyveli slid off the desk and took the one opposite me, staring at me across the desk for a moment as though she was trying to discern what had caused my fury today.
It wasn’t that uncommon, I had to admit, but the increasing pressure from Ragnar and the Barons made it hard to keep my cool. I had to find a way to break the curse, but all I could think of now was how to convince Rava that I was enough.
"He didn't immediately call his troops together to come and slay you, so I assume that he'd biding his time and waiting to see whether he can win the fair Rava over to his side."
"Was there any talk of her?" I asked, my voice tight. I didn't want Kyveli to know how much the other demon irked me, or how convinced I was that he would try something with Rava – if he hadn't already. If she wanted to be with him…
Well, no one would be happy. I didn’t think I’d be able to control myself.
"Of course. She's beautiful, powerful, she's everything anyone has ever wanted in a queen. There was always going to be talk. But that's all it is." Kyveli leaned back in the chair, her shadows dancing around her so that her true form was always out of focus. She appeared to cross one leg over the other though, and level her gaze at me. "So, what crawled up your ass and died?"
I ground my teeth together, the sharp ones digging into the inside of my mouth. My blood was bitter like my mood. I didn't want to tell the mistress of shadows, could never really know where her loyalty lay, but I had to tell someone or I was going to go insane with jealousy.
Besides, she’d find out one way or another.
"Rava is...” I squeezed my eyes closed, pressing against my temples for a moment before I looked back at her. “I think she has eyes for someone else, as well as me."
Kyveli let out a soft peal of laughter, so unlike the sound she normally made.
"What is so funny about that?" I demanded. "It might be Ragnar, maybe one of the Barons caught her eye last night. They might lure her away, cut her off from me. Undermine my power." I dug my claws into the arms of my chair, my fists crushing the wood, making splinters cut into my skin.
"Oh, Lucien," she purred, shaking her head slowly. The shadows dropped away so that I could see her clearer. Her huge pale eyes, the fine lines of her face, that long neck. She was svelte, dangerous. "It's not a competition, my lord, and I know exactly who it is."
Her smirk drove me wild and I stood from my chair, looming over the desk. "Tell me."
She lifted one shoulder and bit her lip as she stared me down. "It's me."
Her words punched me in the gut and for a moment I wasn't sure how to process them.
"You?" I asked, confusion clouding my brain. "How?"
Kyveli rolled her eyes. "Excuse me but I'm gorgeous and so is she. The woman does have taste, because you're not so bad yourself. But I have things you can't offer her." She ran her hands slowly down her body then, over her chest. "I have breasts." Lower still until one hand went between her legs. "A soft, wet pussy for her to stroke. And I know exactly what a woman wants." The challenge in Kyveli's eyes was clear; she knew Rava wanted her, and now I knew as well.
But I wasn't sure how to process this information, or what to do with it. Kyveli didn't spread her legs for everyone, so if she was invested in Rava, then I had a feeling she'd put up one hell of a fight to stay involved. On the other hand, I had things that she couldn't offer either. A cock, for one, and I knew what Rava liked. Knew what made her body hum, what drove her over the edge.
My lip curled into a sneer. "Leave," I ordered. "I don't know whether to believe you or not, because while you might know the secrets of this circle, you don't always tell the truth. Get out of my sight. Now." I ground my teeth together, wishing that I wasn’t certain that this time she was telling me the truth.
"As you wish, my Lord." Kyveli stood from her chair and gave me a mocking curtsy. "Just remember that I am the least of our concerns right now. I only want your queen, not your throne."
Chapter seventeen
