Page 70 of The Demon Crown

Damn it, Greed was drawing a blank. Who did Gluttony mean?

Of course, Varya had mentioned a few problems. Surely the Horde wasn’t that big of an issue, though. They had kidnapped him, yes. They also had some kind of spell or weapon that could knock out a demon. But he’d been attacked many times before in his reign and no one had actually managed to kill him.

Maybe he should have mentioned all this to Wrath.

Eyeing his brother with suspicion, he muttered, “Are you talking about the Horde?”

“Is that what they call themselves? A real nuisance.” Gluttony pointed to his horse, his long finger slicing through the darkness. “I was riding that beast through a few towns, looking to have a little fun…” He paused and gave Greed an unimpressed look. “Stop growling. I didn’t kill anyone, if that’s what you’re thinking. Anyway, I stopped to have a little fun and your problem attacked me the moment they got wind that I was another demon king. Not that many people knew who I was, so I must have told the wrong person.”

“And?”

“They threw something at me that spewed out smoke and made me feel downright lightheaded. I happen to be smart enough to hold my breath, but when they tried to collect me, I heard them talking about yet another demon king they’d knocked out with the same weapon.” Now Gluttony was glaring at him. “Care to share, brother?”

“Stop trying to make this about me. You’re here as a punishment. I’m not the one who messed up.”

Gluttony’s eyebrows had raised in surprise. “And yet, here I am, accepting my punishment. What do you think Pride or Wrath would do if they found out you were keeping this information from the rest of our family? A weapon that could knock us out for an undetermined amount of time is something the mortals have never created before. And here you are, sitting on that information like it’s not that important.”

“They haven’t killed me yet.” He refused to feel an ounce of guilt about this. He was Greed, and he was only proud that people in his kingdom were the ones to create such a weapon.

“But they’ve clearly tried,” Gluttony murmured, watching him with those red eyes that saw far too much. His gaze trailed over Greed’s beard, likely where most of the scent still was, and then eyed his hands, his tail with the slightest of kinks still in it. “You seem to need my help more than I need yours, brother. At least if I’m here investigating your little problem, you can keep your attention on whatever has recently made you get all grabby.”

“Enough,” Greed snarled. “I’ll get you settled in your room and then I don’t want to hear from you again for at least a month.”

“I won’t be here that long.”

“That’s the point.”

He stomped through his kingdom, his tail lashing through the air as he desperately tried to get his anger under control. Maybe he wouldn’t return to Varya’s side tonight.

He wasn’t so sure what he’d do now that all this anger and fear coursed through his veins.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Varya settled into a kind of routine in the castle. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome by any means, but it was easier to be here. And for the first time in her life, she let herself indulge a bit.

One afternoon she’d wandered back to the gardens with Ivo and sat at the edge of the stream with him. She squished her feet in the water, watching as tiny fish surrounded her toes. They plucked at her, golden gems of their scales flashing in the bright sunlight.

“Is anyone worried about you?” Ivo asked, his voice a little deep with concern.

“No.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised.

She didn’t know how to tell him that she’d never made those connections before. So she leaned back on her hands and stared up at the clouds. “I’m not sure that I’ve ever spent enough time around anyone for them to miss me.”

“How is that possible?”

“I’ve traveled my whole life. Adventure is in my blood, I suppose, and I’ve always been the person to travel across the entire kingdom and take the risky jobs to make sure the rest of my town is safe.” And the town before that. The city before that, too.

His brows wrinkled even more before he asked, “Is there no one that you call friend?”

“A few.” Altan certainly. He’d been around since they were children on the streets. Maybe a couple of other people, but they’d fallen out of touch in the past few years as her jobs grew increasingly more dangerous and she realized the likelihood of her coming back was getting smaller and smaller. “Not as many as most people might have.”

Ivo huffed out a breath and then shook his head. “Well, I would be honored to be called your friend.”

“Will you really miss me when I’m gone?” She smiled at him, ready for the punchline of his joke.

But he only solemnly nodded his head. “I will, Varya. You have been a welcome addition to our home.”

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