Page 25 of The Demon Crown

Though he hesitated for another brief moment, he leaned forward and grabbed a free mug of ale, then lifted it up to her. Though his eyes were still filled with shadows and worry. "To treasure hunting."

She clinked her mug to his and then turned to the rest of them. "To treasure hunting!"

ChapterNine

“What do you mean, you couldn’t find her?” Greed snarled.

He’d taken the advice of his two most trusted advisors, Ivo and Morag, and stayed in the castle. They had claimed it was far too dangerous for him to ride in his current state, and he hated to admit that they were correct. His skin hurt. His muscles ached. His tail was in a sorry state that he genuinely hoped could be fixed.

Riding his mount would have been a painful and arduous process toward what he knew would be a disappointing endeavor. And he knew the beast would fly over the sands.

In his mind, he’d already ridden toward the thief. He’d scooped her up underneath her arms and tossed her over his saddle. She’d scream, of course. The woman was a fighter and she wouldn’t give up without drawing blood. But he’d have her at that point. Slung over his saddle and the back of his mount like a war prize he’d hunted down himself.

Ivo blinked at him. The tall guard at least had the understanding that he’d angered Greed. Of course, he had no idea what the reasoning behind the emotion was.

His sister, on the other hand, had a bit more sense to her. She frowned at Greed with a curious expression, trying to puzzle together why he was so upset over a little human.

Greed pinched the bridge of his nose and reclined back on the silk pillows strewn about his room. Bandages covered his entire body. Too many to count. The healers had seen to him well, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t ready to leap to his feet and hunt that woman down.

They’d popped him back into his private rooms, the luxurious silks covering the floor meant to make it easier on him to heal. He’d thrown countless pillows across the floor to lie upon, and a sunken bed in the corner was where he was meant to rest. Everything was painted in shades of green. The pillows, emerald. The sheets, olive. The walls were even a pale grassy color, although they were hard to see. Everywhere he looked were jungle plants, blooming in bright pinks and violets while covering the walls with their massive green leaves. Monstera plants grew tall over his head and moved in the slight wind from the floor to ceiling windows that were currently standing open.

Ivo shuffled his feet. “She disappeared across the sands. By the time we’d gotten enough of our warriors together—”

“Did I not train you myself?” Greed asked. He lowered his hand to glare into his guard’s eyes. “Did I not give you all the abilities that you required? Hid you? Kept you safe? I have given you far more than any other of my brothers would have, and still you deny me this?”

“We deny you nothing,” Morag replied. “We merely wish for you to understand that the thief is not as easy to find as you might think. Greed, we will find her. We have never failed you before.”

“No, you haven’t,” he grumbled. And there was a good reason for it.

Gesturing to the pillows in front of him, he watched as his two most trusted guards sank onto the cushions. Ivo didn’t move quite like a mortal should. His body had an inherent grace that would give him away to anyone with a pair of working eyes. His movements were so fluid, so smooth, so unnatural.

“I thought I told you to work on that,” Greed said, pointing at Ivo. “You look like a spirit.”

“You move like this.”

“I do. But people expect me to move like that. My brothers included. You are not supposed to exist.” Greed leaned forward, the heat of his power rolling through his body as he said Ivo’s true name. “Loyalty.”

Immediately, Ivo bristled. He sat down hard on the pillows, almost tripping into them. “Is that better?”

“It is.”

Morag hissed out a breath and settled on the pillow just the way a human would. Perfectly awkward and natural in her awareness of her body. “Leave him alone, Greed. You know it’s not as easy for him as it is for you and I.”

“I do, Passion.” He eyed his two guards with a critical gaze before he let out another sigh. “I apologize for snapping. I find myself in a strange situation with this woman. I have never... Desired something so much.”

“Desired?” Morag asked, her eyes seeing everything. “Or wanted?”

“Want, desire, need.” He waved a hand in the air and sank back onto the pillows. Staring up at his emerald painted ceiling, he shook his head. “She would be the most impressive addition to my collection in years. You should have seen her, Passion. All fire and ice and hatred wrapped up in one lovely package.”

“I saw her.”

He sat back up at that, his hair flopping in front of his eyes before he shoved it all back. He stared at her, waiting for Morag to continue with her nonsense before angrily grumbling, “And?”

Morag shrugged. “She looked like any other little human. Her nose was crooked, so I assume she’s broken it before. There was a scar above her right eyebrow and that’s all I could see past the mask she was wearing. Pretty eyes, I suppose.”

He hadn’t noticed the broken nose. He’d thought her nose was rather charming when he’d looked at it.

Frowning, he flicked his gaze to Ivo. “And you?

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