Page 55 of The Demon Court

“Indeed, brother. We are the conquerors of this land, that is for certain.” Greed gestured toward all his followers. “I take it you have room for them all? I did not know how many servants you’d want in your bed, but I brought enough to satisfy us both.”

“I have no need of them in my bed.” Although he was ashamed to admit there was a time when he would have taken them all to his bed throughout the trip and asked for more.

His brother eyed him with a grin before he shrugged. “That’s fine. Whatever lies you want to tell yourself. Regardless, you can keep them all, yes?”

“Of course. There is plenty of room here.”

“Good. I even brought a few of my people who are similar to your... problem.” He pointed to three of his tallest followers. The two women who were almost as tall as Lust and Greed, and a man who towered over them all. The three of them were muscled beyond reckoning, their eyes watching everyone pass by them with a glare on their faces.

“Impressive,” Lust muttered, eyeing the women as though they might break him.

“Oh, not her.” Greed pointed behind the tallest woman. “That one.”

Another woman stood behind her, spectacles on her nose and a tablet in her hands. She was much smaller, not an ounce of muscle on her, and leaner than any woman he’d ever seen. So slight, he worried a breeze might topple her over.

“Well, Selene might be more comfortable talking with her than the giants you keep company with,” Lust muttered.

“Selene, is it now? This nameless woman has been plaguing my thoughts. She has you wrapped around her fingers already, I see.”

“She does not.”

Greed opened his mouth for another jab, but then snapped his jaw shut with a sharp hiss. Lust already knew what he saw. Still, he turned around slowly so he could savor this moment.

Selene walked down the steps toward them, graceful and measured as always. She was no great beauty, but she stood out among all the rest for the clothing that she wore. A black brocade gown covered her from neck to toe. The intricate runes sewed into every inch made her appear to glisten with magic. She’d bound her dark hair back into a bun, and his fingers already itched to pull out those damned pins. He knew without a doubt that her hair would fall so lovely, and that he’d be hit with a wave of her scent.

Damn it, just looking at her made him react. He hissed out a long breath and turned his gaze to his brother so no one would see his embarrassment.

But what he saw on his brother’s expression made every muscle in his body tighten.

Greed’s eyes were glowing, like chips of gold in his head. They only did that when he saw something he coveted so utterly that he could not help himself. He’d take what he wanted. And right now, he wanted her.

“Easy, brother,” he snarled. “You’ve only just gotten here.”

“You told me she was a sorceress, but you didn’t tell me she was powerful.” Greed’s voice changed, deepening into something rough and draconic. A man without a soul spoke back to him, and Lust knew how dangerous this circumstance was. “You made it seem as though she were just another woman, Lust. But that right there is no common wench.”

Selene stepped into the courtyard and made her way toward them. Much of the talking and whooping calls had ceased. Greed’s people parted for her like a wave, their eyes lingering on the strange woman who meandered through them without an ounce of fear.

She looked... He hated to admit it, but she looked like a queen.

She walked through the madness without fear or worry. The serenity on her face seemed to spill out to everyone surrounding her. They calmed, ceasing in their antics to watch her.

Lust hadn’t realized how she could command a room without saying a single word. But he supposed he had seen it before, even at the party. Those who were lost in the throes of passion had paused to watch the strange woman who ignored them all. No one would ever guess what she was thinking or feeling. Her face, like the rest of her, was smooth as ice.

Once she reached them, Selene dipped into a low curtsey, her eyes on his brother’s feet. “My lord Greed. Welcome to our home.”

My lord? Lust felt his anger billow up through his body at the words. She never called him that, so why would she address his brother with such respect?

Greed laughed in response, the sound far warmer than it should have been. “My, my, our home she calls it. The little witch already sank her claws into you. She claims this place as her own, Lust. Do you hear that?”

“She’s not a witch,” he growled.

“Ah, sorceress, priestess, witch, they’re all the same, aren’t they? Promising impossible deeds, claiming that they have the nature of the elements at their fingertips.” Greed shrugged. “It’s all smoke and mirrors.”

Lust was insulted on her behalf. His brother knew how powerful this little sorceress was. She could ignore Lust’s powers as though they didn’t exist! No one had ever done that before.

And, as Selene’s eyes flashed to him, he realized that she was insulted, too. She was far too polite to say anything, besides it wasn’t her place to argue with one of the kings, but he wouldn’t let it settle the way it had. None of this set right with him, and Lust had never been someone’s champion before.

He supposed there was a time for everything.

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