Page 14 of Courting Envy
Thequeenpacedjustto my left, her stride longer than I’d have guessed, considering she wasn’t that tall. At least, not for this place. Soon, her magic would come in and she would present to us however she wanted.
That thought gave me a moment of trepidation. So far Lucien had tried and failed to find a queen within this circle of Hell, tried and failed with the humans he’d dragged down. Rava was clearly different. For one, she was still here. For another, even in the short time I’d been with her, her demonic features had already become more prominent. Fingernails lengthening, teeth sharpening so slightly that she didn’t seem to have noticed them yet.
But was she really the one who would break the curse?
She was beautiful, graceful, and while I didn’t harbor the same desires as other men might toward her, Rava had a magnetic pull and even if Lucien hadn’t tasked me with her protection, I would want to keep her safe.
I tried to loosen the tension in my shoulders, keep my movement steady. I glanced around, always scanning for potential danger, but covered as she was, no one would suspect anything. Not yet. Word would spread soon, and that was when the real danger would kick in. Ragnar, Lucien’s biggest opposition, would no doubt rear his ugly head and try to steal Rava away, because it was unclear whether the curse meant she could only unlock Envy for him, or whether she was fair game for anyone who could claim her.
I knew my place here, or I might have tried for myself. Lucien had a collar around my neck though, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. He was a good Prince, for the most part, at least to those who had proven themselves to him.
“Why is everyone so skinny?” Rava asked, her question cutting into my thoughts.
“This is Envy, we’re all starving for something. We hoard what we have, we yearn for what we don’t. This is just how it is.” It wasn’t entirely true, because even the demons of hell were suffering right now, not just those sent here for tormenting.
I could see her brow furrow through her veil. “But…”
I wished she’d tell me her thoughts, but it was clear she wasn’t ready to just yet. I tried to view this place as a human might: the buildings that used to be glorious, the faded gold threaded through the paving, protected by the magic of Envy so that no one could claim it as their own. Once, this place had been more – so much more – but since Satan abandoned Hell to his sons, things had gone downhill.
And Lucien hadn’t managed to stop the slide.
A sharp pain cut into my neck and I winced, casually lifting a hand to press against the collar, and forcing myself to change my thoughts. He knew, and he’d punish me for it later. Some days, it was just too hard not to think the forbidden things.
My lord was fierce in his rages, and even I, his most devoted guard, wasn’t immune to his anger. Perhaps, Rava’s presence here might change things.
“Is it like this everywhere?” she asked, moving ahead of me. We were nearing the end of the city proper, and at the cliff edge she’d be able to look down and see more. Things that Lucien might not want her to see. Not yet.
“So much more, but nothing we can get to without the use of transport. Please. Come back this way.”
But of course, she didn’t listen. She broke into a run and I rushed after her, cursing my form for not being faster. Short fast movements were where I ruled, not these longer distances.
“Rava,” I snapped out at her, hoping that it wouldn’t be so harsh that my lord would punish me for that too.
She did stop then, but not because of me.
Chapter eight
Rava
Thegroundended,droppingaway so quickly that I had to reach out and grab a large stone to stop myself from plummeting over the edge. My breath rushed from my lungs as shock hit me.
Everything fell away from here. It almost seemed like the castle and city were on an island floating above the rest of the circle. I knew there had to be a way down, but I couldn’t see it from here.
I’d not been able to see this drop off from up on the balcony, and I could only imagine what those below saw on a daily basis. The seething mass of humanity who were destined to toil and starve in this place.
If I was the queen, could I do something about that? Would Lucien let me?
“Rava.”
It was like my thought had summoned him.
I spun around to find him mere inches away. He looked human again, like he had in the penthouse, and part of me wanted to move towards him, to shelter in his embrace and pretend like the things around me weren’t real.
But they were, and he was not.
The gem in my chest vibrated, and I looked down to see a bright emerald glow emanating from it. Warmth flowed from it to the rest of my body, but I didn’t want to feel warmth towards him, only anger.
I had to hold onto that emotion.
