Page 76 of The Demon Crown

“So you aren’t gods?” she asked, Varya’s voice so low he almost didn’t hear it. “You’re spirits?”

“One and the same,” he corrected. “Your gods that you worship are spirits as well. I suspect some of them took physical forms like we did. They were more likely spirits of justice or honor. Perhaps a few spirits of creativity or passion, like Morag.”

Varya stiffened in his arms. He dotted a single mark on the tip of her nose to annoy her.

“Morag is a spirit.” It wasn’t a question that Varya muttered. “So that means… Ivo?”

“Also a spirit.” He had to work hard to not grit the words through his teeth. Why was she asking about her guard when his finger was mere inches from her stiffened nipple? “But never in all my years have I felt such greed with a person. I want to devour you, but I also want no one else to ever lay a finger on your pristine skin. I want to take you on adventures and be the only person to feed that ridiculous need of yours to put yourself in danger. I want to destroy everyone who puts a mark on your skin and yet...” He paused, trailing his finger down her long, lean arm. “I want to mark you so everyone knows you are mine.”

Her throat bobbed. “All I ask is that you allow me to do the same to you. I will be no one’s toy, Greed. If you want to own me, then I will also own you.”

He turned his gaze to hers, wondering what she saw in his yellow eyes. “You already own me, Varya. I raced out of my castle after you, taking a precious beast that I left alone in the desert, to wander into what could very easily be another trap. And yet, I do all that because I cannot stay away from you. I cannot get you out of my head.”

And then he saw it. He saw the moment she gave in. Greed felt her hips tilting until she’d pressed her core against him, the heat of her searing through his entire body. Rocking against him, she let her arms dangle over his shoulders and slid ever so close to him. Her lips ghosted over his own.

“I own you?” she whispered.

“You do.”

“That’s fucked up.”

He grinned. “I never said I wanted a healthy relationship, treasure. I want you and all our strange desires. Wear my marks, give me yours in return, and let’s be fucked up together.”

Again, she shuddered in his arms. And he had no idea what she would say to him. He didn’t know if she would agree, but by the gods, he hoped she would.

He’d beg if he had to. If she wanted a demon king on his knees before her, begging for her to give him an ounce of her attention, then he would do so. He wanted her in his life and he didn’t know any other way to get her there other than this.

She didn’t deserve to be anything less than his world. She was... important to him. More than he’d ever felt before, and that was such a strange thing to realize.

“From the moment I first met you,” he whispered, brushing a paint smeared hand through her hair. “You captivated me with your indomitable spirit and your heart that beat only for this kingdom. I am less without you.”

“You don’t even know me.” Varya’s eyes were wide with shock.

“I know you well enough, treasure. And I will know more every day as I wake up with you next to me and treat every word you say as the treasure it is.” He kissed her, lingering only because he knew there were eyes on them. “Stay with me, Varya. Let me treat you like a goddess for the rest of your days.”

They both realized the implication of his words at the same time. He saw the sadness in her eyes and felt a pang of regret in his. She was only human. And he was not.

“Come with me,” she said, drawing him to standing. “Come dance with my people, and I will consider your words.”

Greed could do nothing but follow her siren’s call and those sad blue eyes.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Watching her was magic. Varya moved to the rhythm of the drums like the goddesses of old. Her body swayed, her muscles flexed, and the innate grace she used to rob tombs proved to make her an impressive dancer who captivated him with every beat.

He’d never felt like this about a woman before. Though, he couldn’t be certain if that was simply Varya or if it was because he’d seen Lust with his wife. All Greed knew was that he wanted what Lust had shown him. He wanted to know what it was like to have a woman who loved him, who saw him as the man who hung the very stars in the sky and the man who she would always lie down next to at night.

Greed wanted her. He wanted Varya in his bed and in his arms and to know that she wasn’t ever going to disappear again. That she was his, he was hers, and that was how their world would continue forward.

He’d never wanted that before. Leaning against one of the makeshift tables someone had built, he held a mug of ale in his hands and watched as she swayed and leapt with the others who danced all around her.

He didn’t dance, but Greed didn’t want to. He wanted to watch her with her people—his people—and to see how much they adored her.

This woman had claimed that she was alone. That no one would notice if she disappeared. And yes, he had heard everything she’d said to Ivo. The man was not a closed book when it came to conversations that were private.

Sipping his drink, he saw that she was very wrong.

Varya wasn’t alone. She’d never been alone. She helped these people, and they adored her for it. They danced around her, laughing and drawing her into wild, whirling circles where they twirled her until she screamed with happiness.

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