Page 31 of The Demon Crown

A large archway had once been the grand entrance to this underground kingdom, but it had long fallen into rubble at their feet. The thin rays of sunlight from above didn’t give them any light to move by, but she seemed to be fine, picking her way over the rocks. He watched her lithe body shift and move, the muscles underneath her clothing bunching with every flex of her legs and back.

Perhaps it was strange to think, but he preferred her in the green leather armor. She’d looked much more like herself rather than this strange ensemble.

“Why are you dressed like this?” he asked.

“Like what?”

He leapt over a fallen chunk of stone that had once been carved into a face to stand in front of her. “I prefer your armor.”

“I don’t care what you prefer,” she muttered. She gave him a wide berth as she moved around him and then continued forward. “I didn’t get up this morning, assuming I would see you and pick out my outfit accordingly.”

He flashed her a grin. “So you would have dressed better if you’d known you would see me.”

He didn’t need to be able to see in the darkness for her glare to slice through him. “No.”

“You would have.”

“I definitely would not.”

He felt his chest fill with a small sense of pride. She’d have wanted him to see her at her best. And these thin brown pants and white billowing shirt simply were not her best.

But she didn’t look back at him for even a moment. Instead, she kept moving forward, picking through the rubble to the long bridge that led to the next set of puzzles.

Was she... ignoring him? He tried to lunge in front of her again, forcing her to look at him, but she kept side stepping. Repeatedly. Every time he tried to out maneuver her, she went around in the opposite way.

That wouldn’t do. He had come all this way for her, after all, and this was a wonderful place to make a first impression.

“What are you looking for, anyway?” he asked, corralling her toward the edge of the bridge. The river continued underneath the stonework. And he’d already warned her why she shouldn’t fall into those raging waters.

“I won’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t need to know.” She tried to go left, then right, then realized her heel was already over the edge of the crumbling bridge. Letting out a long sigh, she ground her teeth together and hissed, “What do you want, Greed?”

“I want you to pay attention to me.”

“Well, unfortunately, not everything is about you and I have a job to complete. So unless you are going to help me with the next puzzle to get deeper into this kingdom, I’m afraid I need you to step aside.” She even held out her arm for him to move, pointing to where she wanted him to go. “I don’t have the time, energy, or desire to pay attention to you right now.”

“Oh, I think you have the desire.” He stepped closer to her, knowing there was nowhere for her to escape.

And ach, he was rewarded. Her pupils blew out and her mouth thinned into a firm line. Her eyes were set over his shoulder, but he could feel her wavering.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” he whispered, ducking his head to inhale deeply at her neck. He ghosted his lips over the rapid pulse fluttering there, so tempting, so sweet.

“Feel what?”

“This connection between us.” Her heart rate skipped against his lips, and he pressed a smile to her throat. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you outside my cage. You have consumed me, little thief.”

She gasped, the sound echoing up in the cavern they stood in. And he knew he had her. She would not back away from him. She would not push. And if their first time was in a cave, ready to rob a tomb of its treasures, then so be it.

He’d find the safest place to lay her out. His thief wouldn’t mind if a few rocks pressed against her spine or bit into that lovely, smooth skin. She’d slept on rocks beside him for hours on end. She didn’t care about a little creature comfort and neither did he. Besides, once he started in on her, she wouldn’t be able to think about anyone but him.

“Greed...” Her hand slid up his chest, fingers skimming his throat.

“Ask, little treasure, and I will give you the world.”

Her hand tightened around his neck and shoved. He was so startled he actually stumbled back a few steps before she marched around him, her eyes spitting fire and her words venom. “Move, you big lunk.”

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