Page 36 of The Demon Court

“No, I want to know. You’re giving me a very strange look, Lust. You were the one prattling on about gaining my trust. You can’t then keep things secret.”

She held her breath as he looked back at her. Why was this so important? It felt like she had to know the answer, even though there wasn’t a proper reason for her to push him.

He shook his head and muttered, “You’re rather pretty when you laugh. It took me off guard.”

Now she was the one who was speechless. Who was supposed to be seducing who, here?

Selene licked her lips and then gave him a little nod. “Ah. I... Well.”

He stared at her a few seconds longer before seeming to shake himself free from his thoughts. “Come. It’s not much farther, but I did want you to see the edge.”

“Why is that?” Selene would take any distraction at this point. She didn’t want to think about why her palms had turned sweaty or why her face had reddened at the mention of how pretty she was. She wasn’t, she knew that. He’d already made it very clear that he thought her plain.

Lingering on these thoughts wasn’t good for either of them. She needed to keep herself separate from her emotions.

“I was researching how to trust people, and the book I read specifically mentioned that a good trust building exercise is doing something that both excites and frightens you.” He held his arms out wide. “There is very little that I fear, and certainly less that both of us fear together. The edge seemed like the obvious choice.”

“Ah, right. Obvious.” Selene rolled her eyes, but then slowly walked over to the edge with him.

Someone had set up a small quilt blanket with a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a little wicker picnic basket.

“Lust,” she said as they approached it. “I think we’re interrupting someone. We should go.”

“Indeed.” Ignoring her words, he sauntered over to the quilt and lifted the bottle into the air. “It is a good vintage, though. Would you like a taste?”

“Not of someone else’s wine,” she hissed. “Put that down.”

“It’s already opened.” Twisting the cork, he poured himself a glass and then lifted it up toward the sun. “And it’s a rather lovely view. Wouldn’t you agree?”

She took a split second to look at the view and realized, yes. It was. Though the edge was right there and terrifying, there was also a lovely view of the other side of his kingdom. The island wasn’t a perfect circle, and the warped perimeter meant she was looking right at a jagged wall of bright pink roses that grew haphazardly into oblivion. Even the air smelled of roses as a soft breeze toyed with the ends of her hair.

Oh, but it was lovely here. A perfect place for a secret meeting between two lovers sneaking away from their duties in the castle. The romance of it all wasn’t lost on her, and she didn’t want to ruin this moment for anyone.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. A strand of her dark hair blew in front of her face before she glanced back at him.

And there it was again. That expression was as though someone had struck him before he shook his head. “Good, I’m glad you like it. Now, would you enjoy a glass of wine, or should I pull out whatever the servants packed?”

“Are you saying...” She gestured at the picnic blanket. “Did you do all this?”

“Is it that surprising?”

“It is surprising. You hate me.” Selene also pointed at the quilt. “And that looks handmade. You’re more the type to drag out the best silks and velvet pillows, not caring how you ruin them in the dirt.”

“Yes, well. The quilt, I’ll admit, was Affection’s choice. Not mine. It looks moth-eaten and drab. But Affection assured me that you would appreciate the effort.” He looked away from her, out over the darkness toward the nearest kingdom that floated in the distance. “And I don’t hate you, Selene. I don’t think you’re here for the right reasons. But your words made me realize that while you don’t trust me, I don’t trust you either. If we are going to be stuck with each other, then we should work on that.”

“But why?” she asked again, the question burning in her chest with a need to understand. “Why does it matter to you?”

He opened his mouth, closed it, then rubbed one of his horns with his palm. “I haven’t gotten that far into it, really. It’s a gut feeling, that’s all.”

And she supposed that was good enough for her. Selene sank down on the quilt and gestured at the bottle. “Pour me a glass, then. What are you expecting from this afternoon?”

“Conversation.”

“About?” She took the offered glass and tried to guess what he wanted to know.

“What’s your favorite food?”

Why did he... She snapped her jaw shut and answered, “Cherries.”

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