Page 60 of The Demon Court

He noted the dark circles under her eyes now that he could see her face. The hollow way she stood before him, like there wasn’t even a soul inside her anymore.

He’d pushed her too far tonight. This was his fault.

“There is another way to get to our bedroom.” Lust scrubbed a hand down his own face, suddenly exhausted as well. “We don’t need to go through the crowd. Come, little moon. Let’s go to bed.”

ChapterTwenty

The closer they got to his bedroom, the more Selene noticed he changed. Lust went from exhausted and almost sad to vibrating with anger. His usually soft mouth twisted into a dark line and his eyes flashed with another emotion she could not name.

He looked different. More so than she’d ever noticed.

But the bunching of his muscles and the way he kept flexing his hands at his sides warned her not to mention anything. Maybe he needed some time to himself. The evening had been busy, she supposed, and having his brother here didn’t make him happy. But it seemed more that his anger was directed at her.

Was he going to start a fight with her over this? She didn’t want to be in a fucking orgy, nor did she want to sit there and watch one happen in front of her. It was too much to ask!

So, by the time they made it to his bedroom, they were both angry. Perhaps a little too upset to even be safely in the room together, but Lust apparently didn’t care in the slightest. He slammed the doors open and snarled at the two maids who were cleaning the room.

The women froze like rabbits before a wolf. They looked at her, then at him, their eyes widening with each frozen moment.

“Get. Out.” His snarled words slapped through the air and both the women rushed to do his bidding.

One of them stumbled as she passed Selene. The woman reached out as though to brace herself, but her hand never touched Selene’s arm. Lust had lunged forward so fast that Selene didn’t even see him move. One moment the woman was reaching and the next, Lust had her wrist in his hand and the woman was dangling from it. He yanked the maid upright and nudged her toward the door.

He wasn’t rough with her. But there was no way anyone would hesitate after that. He’d made his point.

No one was to touch Selene. Not a man already well into his cups. Not even the maid.

Even angry at her, he wouldn’t let anyone get close. And in some way, that was... sweet. Just like how he’d said she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

She hated herself for softening towards him. He was an ass, and he’d ripped her out of that room after making her endure an hour of discomfort. She shouldn’t care that he had a softer side. It didn’t matter. None of it did.

And yet, she needed him to trust her so she could find his weakness. So she could betray him. Selene watched his heaving shoulders as he glared after the maids, and she thought that maybe she’d succeeded already. He certainly was protective enough over her.

Perhaps this wasn’t the best moment to test that theory. The door slammed shut behind her and they were alone. Those molten eyes turned to her and the force of his anger pinned her in place.

Not just at her, she thought. He glared at her like she was the heart of his problems, and maybe she was, but he never once moved toward her. Instead, he just stared until her entire body felt like it was on fire.

Damn it, she wanted him. More than she’d ever wanted anyone or anything. She wanted to touch him. To be held by him. But right now, she mostly wanted to slap him and then kiss him until he stopped looking at her like that.

She had no idea how long they glared at each other with the sexual tension running so high she could almost taste it. Eventually, he ran his hand over his face and turned his back to her.

“I am in no mood for servants,” he said, his voice still a snarl. “You will have to attend to me.”

“You can sleep in that ridiculous outfit,” she replied.

“Selene.”

There was no arguing with that voice. The hissed start of her name that ended in a growl. He knew she would never do what he asked unless he ordered it, and so he ordered it with a single word.

She didn’t want to attend to him. She didn’t care if he was uncomfortable or if he spent the rest of his days bound in that damned corset. All she cared about was getting out of this dress, covering herself up, and forgetting all the embarrassing things she’d seen tonight.

If she saw another pair of breasts being groped, or another dick that gleamed with a wetness she didn’t want to name, Selene thought she might explode. And not in a good way. She’d conjure up a damned sun to keep them all away from her.

Sighing, she strode up to his back and grabbed onto the ties. “Fine. I won’t be gentle about it, though.”

He jerked back at her first hard tug, and then a low groan echoed from deep in his chest. “Oh, I’m counting on that.”

Why did that sound so... sexual? He shouldn’t want her to hurt him. He shouldn’t feel better because she tugged the ropes so hard they would leave a mark on his skin.

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