Page 92 of The Demon Court

And the woman held out a rose for her to take.

“Thank you,” Selene whispered.

“We’ve been waiting for him to take a queen for a very long time,” the woman said, her voice warbling with her age. “It’s good to see him so happy.”

“Oh, I’m not his queen.” Nor did she think he would ever make her one. Lust knew his limits, and that was one of them. Why would he make a sorceress a queen, anyway?

The old woman smiled at her and rolled her eyes. “Dearie, anyone can see the way he looks at you. That boy has fallen head over heels, even if he won’t admit it yet.”

Selene felt her stomach churn. Was he? No. He couldn’t be interested in her like that. Lust didn’t have the ability to do so if he was a spirit like Affection. She’d learned what she could about them. No spirit could change, no matter how much she’d like to believe he could.

But then he looked over his shoulder at her and a smile as bright as the sun radiated across his face. And for a moment, she let herself believe he wouldn’t always be a spirit of lust. That he could feel more than his desire for her.

It felt good to dream of a future with him. Even if it was only for a moment.

ChapterThirty-One

Oh, this was all getting confusing and Lust knew very well that he couldn’t afford for it to be confusing. He stood in his great hall, taking off the layers of clothing he’d had to throw on as the night fell. Winter would be here soon, it seemed, and he looked forward to the colder months.

After all, what was a better time to tuck underneath the covers with a certain beautiful woman?

But then he remembered how his attention must be split between his people and her. No one had ever commanded his attention like this sorceress. Selene was a strange mixture of confidence in the settings that she was familiar with, and shyness as soon as she was taken out of her comfort zone.

He could almost see what was pressed into her mind by that fool of a mother. Minerva liked to keep her girls under her thumb in more ways than one. Selene believed that she was not worth showing off. That their people shouldn’t care to see her at all. A sorceress’s place was in the shadows and by them looking at her, she was certain they would judge her for whatever he’d asked her to do. As though they didn’t live their lives in the exact same way he did.

He enjoyed pulling her out of the shadows. He enjoyed watching her face as she let go of those preconceived notions that she wasn’t good enough. Selene feared she wasn’t the person that others wanted her to be, and he proved that thought wrong. It was thrilling to help someone’s confidence grow.

And yet, he’d had to let her return to the castle without him or he wouldn’t have gotten a single thing done.

Dangerous thoughts. He’d never let a woman run through his mind this much. He’d never been distracted by a pretty face or brown eyes or the lovely way her dark hair curled over her shoulder. It was so wrong and it was so right at the same time.

Sighing, he handed his cloak off to the closest servant and started for the stairs. He wanted to see her. And he knew she’d tucked herself away in their bedroom because that had already been more than enough time with people for his little Selene. She’d have to get used to being seen that much, he thought with a grin that he couldn’t stop from spreading over his face. He wanted to show her off a lot more than that.

“My lord!” A voice called out.

He paused and looked down the railing to see Lara standing in the middle of the great hall. The long tendrils of her skirts played in the pool behind her, and the pale fabric draped off her shoulders, nearly exposing her breasts to his eyes.

When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Do you have need of company tonight?”

“No,” he replied, then flashed her a bright grin. “I’ve already got company.”

A disappointed expression marred her pretty face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel guilty. He had another partner for the evening. One who was beautiful and thoughtful and all together too curious for him not to indulge.

Ah, maybe he should feel bad about making Lara feel left out. She’d been by his side for years now, and he should acknowledge that there was fear layered into her reaction. It wasn’t that she cared for him all that much. Of course, she cared for him in some way, mostly knowing that her family was safe if he was pleased with her. But she didn’t live her life for him. She lived it for her daughter.

Maybe he needed to take some time to settle her nerves. Lara needed some extra money or perhaps an extra job to make herself feel better. And that was something he could do.

But the idea of her in his bed again? It was not one he could entertain while Selene lived under his roof. Not when there was no comparison between the two.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he rushed down the hall toward their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

He’d always enjoyed his privacy and rarely did he take a lover in that room. The bedroom was a safe haven for him to hide away from prying eyes and expectations. Now? He was so pleased to know she waited for him behind that door.

Straightening his shoulders, he ran a hand down his chest and wondered if she’d help him remove the corset again. She’d liked that the first time, and he wondered if she’d been hiding her lust at that moment as well. He’d been so angry that he couldn’t taste her, but now he wondered if she was very good at hiding it.

How long had she been attracted to him? How long had she desired for him to be between her thighs?

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