Page 19 of Courting Envy
I shot to my feet, reached for Kyveli, but she was already gone. Vanishing like she did. I had to wonder if I would ever get satisfaction where she was concerned, or whether her words were as insubstantial as her form.
The door thudded open and I could hear Lucien enter.
"My Lord," Reon said, his voice firmer than I'd have thought, considering he was speaking to the Prince of Envy. "She didn't say you could enter."
I reached the door to the main room to see Lucien turn on Reon. His form seemed to swell in size and I could literally see the wings begin to force their way from his back.
"Lucien," I said.
He snapped towards me, morphing into his human form in an instant, the anger on his face smoothing into a look of serenity. It was surreal how quickly it happened, made it difficult to trust my eyes. But then, why would I trust anything here.
I was in Hell.
"There you are," he said, exhaling hard, doing his best to look like he hadn’t stormed here ready to yell.
"Here I am." I leaned against the doorframe, but hit my horns against the wood. This was going to take some getting used to. How did anyone get by with horns all the damned time? The demons made it look so easy, but it was going to take me time to adjust. "What do you want?"
"Rava," Reon said, stepping forward so that he was between us. "Do you want me to stay?"
The wrath that flickered across Lucien's face as he looked at Reon made me smile, but I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. He can't touch me."
My devoted guard dipped his head and slithered out the main door, closing it behind him. I moved into the main living area and sat down on one of the large sofas, tucking my legs underneath me. I wanted to wipe my lips and tidy my hair, but Lucien couldn't know what I'd been doing with Kyveli only moments ago.
She was my little secret. For now.
Lucien paced towards me and then flung himself down onto the couch opposite.
“Why do you look like that?” I asked.
He frowned. “Like what.”
“Human.” He was attractive, yes, but I’d seen the other side of him now, knew that this wasn’t the real deal.
“I thought this would make it easier for you,” he said, gesturing to his form.
“What would be easier is not having fucking horns, or having to wonder when the darkness will stop swallowing my flesh.” I held my hands up in front of me, showing how the black edged at my wrists now. My nails were long, and if I wanted to, I could probably cut flesh with them.
Lucky for him, that wasn’t on my list of things to do today. Though if I didn’t get laid soon, that might change. I squeezed my legs together, friction adding to the desire in my core.
He slid forward so that he was sitting on the edge of the couch. “You could stop that, if you wanted.” He gave a half shrug, as if it didn’t matter to him. “Or, you could wait and see just how far it will go. You are the queen.”
I let out a long breath. “I don’t feel like much of one, Lucien. I’m still wearing the same dress I woke up in, I’ve got no toothbrush, no crown, and I’ve been stripped of everything I once was.”
“You still have your voice,” he said quietly. He considered me for a long moment, his gaze softer now. “You are still you.”
I stood and paced around the rug, gnawing at a fingernail until it tore free and fell to the ground. I’d get rid of them all, even if they would grow back. “I’m changing though, and I don’t like it.”
He stood up too, capturing me in his arms. I let him touch me this time, wanting the comfort that he could offer. He was the only person here who knew anything from my former life, and that meant something. Our time together had been so brief, but I’d been convinced he was the one.
Maybe he still was. If we could get past all of this.
I tucked my head under his chin, inhaled the scent of him. It wasn’t so different to how he’d smelled in the human world, though there was more ash to it here, more depth in some way. Layers of himself that I hadn’t caught before.
“You know, I really liked you,” I said, my words muffled against his chest.
“I liked you too. I wouldn’t have bought you here otherwise,” he said. His voice was softer than it had been. Was it tinged with regret, or was that just my stupid heart hoping?
“If you really did, you’d have said something first. Given me some warning.” I tried to push away from him, but he held me tight. I could feel the gem in my chest warm up, knew that he was trying to stop me from using my magic to force him away. But I needed the comfort more than I needed the distance right now.
