Page 4 of The Demon Crown

They settled here for the night. A cave with a wide open mouth where anyone could see their campfire flickering in the distance.

The Horde was crazy. They didn’t recruit anyone who had a lick of sense to them, and they’d kill a child if one stood in their way. But she hadn’t realized just how insane they really were.

Until she walked into the cave and saw who was in that cage.

Greed himself. The demon king who ruled their kingdom with idiocy and lies, sitting in the middle of a makeshift cage with his eyes seeing everything.Seeing her.

And then she’d been stuck locking eyes with the most dangerous man who ruled their kingdom, and hiding behind the most dangerous men who ruled its underbelly.

She had a death wish. Probably. Everyone knew Varya didn’t take care of herself at all. She would throw her body into the most insane situations because she didn’t care if she lived or died. Taking care of others? She was good at that. Taking care of herself?

Less so.

Still, she’d completed her mission. Somehow she had shoved that scroll deep between her thighs so it definitely wouldn’t move and then snuck to the exit of the cave. She’d tilted her head back, taken a deep breath of the chilly desert air, and then...

He screamed.

Greed roared like a lion, and her mind flickered back to those gold coin eyes staring at her. He’d definitely distracted the wall of man meat that would have torn her head off her shoulders if they saw her. And then he let her steal the scroll. He’d let her go.

Why?

That fit nothing she knew about him. And that roar? She knew the sound of pain when she heard it.

Swallowing hard, Varya told herself to keep moving. This scroll would save so many people. There were artifacts out there that could grow food, create an oasis out of nothing, draw water out of the desert until all her people could drink clean, fresh water whenever they wanted. All she had to do was run.

But her feet turned back toward the cave, and she could hear them talking. The Horde taunted the demon king.

“This is the great Greed? When we’re done with you, you’ll be little more than an animal.”

Maybe she would have left it at that if she didn’t hear Greed reply, “I still don’t know who any of you are. At least I’ll be remembered.”

And her heart twisted in her chest. Because he didn’t know who they were. He didn’t know that the Horde had been plaguing his kingdom for centuries now. They lived in the sands. They moved throughout the kingdom without fear of anyone harming them. They were the problem. And he was meant to be the solution.

She turned her gaze up to the stars and glared at them as though the gods themselves were playing a trick on her. They knew she wouldn’t leave someone in pain or torment. They knew she couldn’t take another step when someone needed her help.

Even if that meant risking her own neck. Again.

Swearing under her breath, she spun on her heel and ducked into the shadows of the stones one more time. The Horde was still invested in their torture. They traded a knife between hands, each one reaching through the bars of the cave with a sharp jab at Greed’s sides.

And he didn’t look like himself. She’d gotten a good look sitting at the fire, risking everything to stay quiet. He was a handsome man with sharp features and a close-cropped beard. His red hair billowed around his head like flames, unruly and clearly meant to be tied back so the shaved sides were visible. But his long, lean body was like a lion. The muscles bunched underneath him, as though tensing even when he was sitting.

Right now, his eyes were entirely gold. No whites, no black, just gold. His bared fangs and claws slashed at anyone who tried to touch him. That tail whipped behind him until one of the Horde grabbed it and yanked hard.

She winced at the sound of a crack and the answering scream of an enraged demon who was well and truly trapped.

Think, Varya, she told herself.Think.

Her eyes wildly scanned the cave, and there they were. The jugs that the Horde were so well known for, because their whiskey would burn through your stomach in a second.

And they always drank after they won.

Biting her lip, she looked back to the cage and knew she had very little time. They were enjoying harassing their new pet, but they would not kill him tonight. Which meant soon they would drink.

She tried to remember which bag she’d seen the dust in. She had no idea what it was, but it had no smell and she knew the Horde well enough to assume the pale lavender powder was a drug. Enough of any drug would make people sleep.

If they died, ah well. It wasn’t her fault. They didn’t have to drink.

She dove for the bag, ripped it open, and tugged the powder out. Funneling it into the jugs as quickly as possible, she gave each of them a tiny shake for good measure. At least the Horde was making so much noise that they weren’t likely to hear the swish of liquid.

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