Page 36 of The Demon Crown

Immaculate.

A kingdom’s worth of treasure laid out in front of her and down a set of stairs into a second room. Piles of gold coins. Countless gemstones and necklaces and bracelets and rings and crowns, and was that even armor? Not to mention the heaps of magical artifacts that hummed with power just a few feet from where she was standing.

And there it was. The Eternity Goblet. It was already brimming with fresh water and she knew that even an entire city couldn’t drink it dry.

They’d prepared for this. Altan had sent her with a slice of worn lamb skin and a rubbery thread that would wrap all around it. It should stay waterproof in her bag and not douse her in water for the rest of her trip. And hopefully that wouldn’t empty it. No one had ever left the Eternity Goblet on its side, so she could only hope that... that...

The massive demon who followed her slid through and then chuckled when he saw what she was looking at. “That’s what you risked your life for? That old thing?”

A flash of anger burned her cheeks and chest. She stomped over to it and started sealing the water inside. “This old thing can provide water for an entire village for the rest of their lives. It should be used.”

“By whom?”

“By anyone who needs fresh water to drink.” She turned in a flash, anger churning in her stomach as her palm itched to slap him. “No one should have to go to bed thirsty. No one should fear where they are going to get their next sip of water that wasn’t gathered from a rainstorm or collected in a pit of mud. But you wouldn’t know a thing about that, would you Greed?”

She hadn’t meant to say so much. She’d just been so insulted that he would think it was all right to say that the goblet wasn’t worth risking her life over. Like she was more valuable than something that would water an entire village, provide clean drinking water to children who were dying because there wasn’t anything for them to drink.

It was just... Horrible to think about. Him saying something like that made it hard for her to even breathe.

“Hey,” he whispered, approaching her like she was a wounded animal before he gently cupped her jaw. “I didn’t say any of that. I didn’t know.”

“You are our king. Youshouldknow.”

His jaw tightened, his eyes darkened, and she saw something pass between them like a shadow. But then he was back to his joking self. That flash of a grin suggested he’d already thought of something wicked to fill their time.

Greed reached over her shoulder and dangled a necklace in front of her face. “Did you see this?”

It was a beautiful necklace. A bright emerald at the center with a ring of gold and diamonds around it. It hung on a gold chain, swaying slightly in his grip. “It’s a necklace.”

“It’s more than a necklace. It’s an amulet.” He winked. “Want to guess what it does?”

“Not really.”

He slipped it over his head and disappeared.

Varya gasped, then got angry at herself for making the noise. Of course, he disappeared. The asshole knew every magical item in this room and would use them to his advantage.

His touch disappeared from her face and she felt a small shiver of fear travel down her spine. “Where are you going?”

“Find me.”

“I will leave you in here.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from the goblet. “I’m not playing this game with you, Greed.”

A warm breath fanned over her ear and she felt it deep in her core. “Oh, come on, now. Play with me.”

Her fingers itched to do that. She wanted to slap him, or maybe she wanted to kiss him. She didn’t know, and that drove her insane. Her body didn’t react to him the way it was supposed to. Instead, she was lost in this feeling. This need. This desire to indulge in her senses.

He made her lose her mind. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Stepping further into the treasure, her eyes narrowed at the coins that skittered under his feet. “I see you, demon.”

“Do you?” His fingers slipped over her belly, tugging her back against a warm, hot chest that felt suspiciously bare of his shirt. His fingers tickled up her ribs, ghosting underneath her soft breasts. “What do you think you see?”

Her breath caught. She shuddered, heat flooding through her entire body. She froze in his arms, suspended as though waiting for whatever he might do. Touch. Claim.

Damn it, she was better than this. Wrenching herself out of his arms, she backed down the stairs, watching the coins that should shift underneath his weight. They didn’t.

Was he not following her? He must be. He wouldn’t let her get away that easily.

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