Page 41 of The Demon Court

Pale, gauzy fabric clung to every suggestion of a curve, even where she didn’t have them. The material tied around her neck, leaving her back completely exposed all the way down to her hips. It wasn’t warm, and it clearly wasn’t meant for warmth.

She intended to bring this up in another argument with Lust while she tried to figure out how to manipulate him into revealing sensitive information about himself, but... Well. She didn’t mind the nightgown. It was rather comfortable and smooth against her skin.

A choked sound erupted from the doorway before she heard Lust mutter, “Under any other circumstances, I would greatly enjoy this.”

Selene tried to stand up, forgot she was underneath the bed, and hit her skull so hard against the frame that she saw stars. Gasping in a breath, she wiggled her way free and turned so her spine was pressed against the side of her massive bed. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“This is my room.”

He stood in her doorway, silhouetted by torchlight behind him. From this point of view, he looked even larger and every ounce the demon her mother claimed him to be. Those horns glinted in the dim glow, as though they were metallic and sharper than she’d thought. His broad shoulders blocked the entire entrance to her room, and she’d never noticed how thick his thighs were until this moment. He was... Terrifying. And she had to hide her emotions before her mouth watered.

Damn it, she wasn’t supposed to lust after him. She should be terrified of him or hate him. Those were the only acceptable emotions to feel when he walked into a room.

She hadn’t thought he would do this to her so quickly. A demon would try to wear her down, of course. He’d toy with her, force her to endure the constant barrages of his lustful power. But he had done none of that. He’d only taken her on a picnic and asked what her favorite food was.

No. This wouldn’t do. She could not be having these thoughts while he stood there, staring down at her with a similar expression on his face.

“It’s not your room anymore,” he said gruffly. “Get up.”

Her jaw fell open. “What do you mean, it’s not my room?”

“You’re being relocated.”

“Where?” Selene grabbed the edge of her bed and yanked herself upright. She didn’t care if he could see too much of her. This was the space he’d given her and she quite liked it. “I’m not going to a new room. This one is fine.”

Something in his expression hardened, and a man she’d never seen before took his place. Lust suddenly stalked toward her, his head lowered and his shoulders stiff. He didn’t even look at her as he pinned her against a post on her bed while a wall of servants entered her room. Not a single person looked at her as they began to pack up all her belongings.

“Lust?” she asked again, trying to sound at least a little quieter. “Why are you taking all of my things?”

Was this the moment that he threw her into the dungeon? She knew she shouldn’t have trusted him. The bastard had lulled her into a false sense of security and now she would see the real him.

Lust continued to herd her further away from the others. Her spine struck the wall, and she glared at him. He’d left her no choice but to hope she could save herself from whatever dastardly plan he was now enacting.

“I’m fine in this room,” she repeated. “I don’t need to move.”

His head tilted, like a falcon sighting its prey. He stared down at her, and she noticed that his eyes had changed. They were entirely black, no whites in them at all. A demon watched her and a thread of realization wove a new tapestry within her soul.

She wasn’t afraid of him. She didn’t have to stuff that emotion anywhere, because she’d never feel it again. Even with him hulking over her, his shoulders heaving, his horns pointed directly at her, and his eyes black as night, she wasn’t afraid. She couldn’t fear him after she knew there was a sensitive man in there who found her laugh pretty.

Maybe she was a fool. Maybe she would put herself in even more dire circumstances if she followed her gut. But she couldn’t stop herself.

Those black eyes called out for her to see him. To understand that something had happened, otherwise he wouldn’t have walked into her room like a storm and ordered her around. He’d promised he wouldn’t do exactly this.

Selene dared much to lift her hand between them. She gently placed her palm on his chest, feeling the thundering of his heart underneath her touch. It felt very much like calming a raging stallion who could stomp her out of existence with his hooves.

“Trust,” she whispered quietly, so none of the servants would overhear them. “Remember? We’re working on trust.”

Those dark eyes deepened, and the faintest swirl of violet danced inside them. “This has nothing to do with trust,” he rasped.

“It has everything to do with trust. Tell me what is happening, Lust. You cannot barge into my room, take all my things, and not tell me where I’m going or why I’m leaving. I need you to tell me what is happening.”

He shook his head, those horns moving dangerously close to her face. “He is coming, and I cannot keep you safe this far from my own rooms.”

“Who is coming?”

“It does not matter,” he snarled. “You are moving.”

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