Page 38 of The Demon Crown

And then he disappeared. For real this time. She felt the cold air rush into his wake, leaving her sprawled out on a massive mound of treasure. Alone.

Breathing hard, she stared up at the ceiling and wondered what the hell had just happened?

ChapterThirteen

Two weeks later and he could still taste her on his tongue.

A part of him had wanted to gather her up and drag her back to his castle. He’d lay her out on silk pillows and cushioned ground, decorate her body with the finest of jewels and stunning gold. He would drown her in wealth and comfort until she agreed to stay with him as long as he wanted her.

But he also heard her when she’d explained why she was there. Varya, his little thief, had been there because her people didn’t have enough water to drink. And that was his fault.

She had yelled at him. Told him off. Done all the things that everyone in his life should have been doing. He had an entire panel of advisors. People who were from all around the kingdom who should have told him about the dire circumstances that had befallen his kingdom.

They had not.

There were countless towns and cities in his realm and none of them had deigned to tell him that their people lacked water. None of them had even hinted that they needed help and instead, he had been forced to stand in front of his newest treasure like a moron who didn’t know how to run a kingdom.

He supposed he shouldn’t have expected anything more from a kingdom of thieves. But a part of him had. He’d elected those advisors because of their capabilities in mathematics and their shrewd minds. They were the most prepared to run a city on their own, and he had given them all the tools to do so.

They had betrayed him. They’d betrayed their kingdom and their people, and he didn’t know which was worse.

So he’d left her surrounded in priceless treasure and magical artifacts, her chest heaving while she was completely unaware of the vision she had been. Laid out on gold coins with long strands of gemstones and pearls tangled underneath her back. She’d glared at him, her legs still askew and all that pretty, pink, dripping flesh just waiting for him to return.

She’d been angry at him for leaving her like that, and he was angry at himself. He’d wanted to feel her clench around his tongue and fingers. He’d wanted to know the sound she made when she came apart just from his touch.

And yet... something in him had said “this is not the right time,” and so he’d withdrawn.

It had taken him the better part of a week to understand why he’d stopped himself. And then, of course, he had felt foolish in not realizing why sooner.

He did not deserve to taste her on his lips until he could answer her questions. He refused to stand there like a dolt while she accused him of not knowing what was happening in his own kingdom. And he didn’t know what was going on.

But he would damn well find out. Only then would he reward them both.

The sound of a fist clenching around reins drew Greed from his thoughts. Tilting his head slightly, he saw Ivo’s hands shift back into a relaxed state. His sister had done the same thing on Greed’s other side.

“What is it?” he asked, his eyes scanning the sands as they approached one of the nearest townships.

“I don’t know.” Ivo looked in the same direction. His brow wrinkled. The spirit turned flesh had a sixth sense for much of his mortal life. Greed had learned a long time ago to be nervous when Ivo was.

Frowning, he drew back on his own reins and paused on the highest dune, looking down on the town. He knew what they looked like. Three dark figures on the horizon, seated upon skeletal beasts that looked similar to horses. But their flesh was withered and wizened, leather hides creaking as they moved. And the three tall figures upon them were larger than life, bigger than most humans, and menacing, with their armor and blades strapped upon their backs.

No one in that town would look at the horizon and feel anything other than a shiver of fear down their spine. As they should.

This was the first advisor Greed discovered to have lied. The man’s name was Oryx. He was perhaps the youngest on the advisor council and had proven himself to have a quick wit. He’d even kept up with Greed while he had spoken with the young man, and Greed had been more than a little impressed. Now he understood why.

He could not, would not, under no circumstances, allow one of his advisors to lie to him. Not while their own township or city needed his help.

This was a smaller town. Not a city by any means, and it was not one that had ever prospered well. He’d given it to Oryx in the hopes that the young man would prove himself. If he could bring a city like this out of the dust, then he would get a bigger one. And so on.

Looking down at it now, he could see just how wrong he’d been. The town was filled with dust and sand. There were no crops growing in raised beds, or even an attempt at farming. No cattle, no horses, not even a chicken wandered those streets. Essentially, nothing that Oryx had reported.

Laundry hung outside a few of the houses, but even that was threadbare and thin. These people were poor and likely hungry.

Greed didn’t enjoy seeing his kingdom in this state. Not when he knew how much they paid out to his advisors, who then gave him money as well.

“Do you think he’s pocketing some of the money?” Morag asked, shifting on top of her mount. The beast shuffled to the side, hungering for battle. Its sharp teeth would tear into the flesh of any who stood in their way.

“He’s definitely pocketing a lot of it.”

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