Page 76 of To Hunt a Demon King

“Probably off hunting,” Carnon said without concern. “Or to find Artemis. He’ll be fine.” He took my hand and pulled me after him, setting a swift pace for the little stone door, in front of which we now stood.

“I don’t think anyone is coming,” I said quietly, crossing my arms in annoyance.

“Just be patient, Red,” Carnon said, as a sound on the other side of the door told me that he had been correct. “See?” he added smugly.

“Hello?” asked a deep voice on the other side of the door. It was opened by what appeared to be a demon male, similar in build and appearance to Herne. He had short horns that curled up from his temples and eyes with snake-like slits that gleamed yellow in the light of a single lamp he held. I noticed the gleam of scales on his neck and shivered a little. He frowned when he saw Carnon, and then frowned even more when he saw me. “Oh, it’s you.”

“There’s been a change of plans, Lucifer,” Carnon said, by way of greeting. “Can we come in?”

“Of course, my Lord,” he said stiffly, offering a little bow. “This is the lady then, I presume?”

“I’m no lady,” I said, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks. “Just Elara.”

“Well, Lady Elara,” the demon named Lucifer said, ignoring me completely, “welcome. I did not expect to receive you this late.”

“Elara, this is Lucifer, head of the staff here in the palace,” Carnon said, gesturing to the male who stood stiffly as if at attention. “And the right hand man of His Majesty.”

“Doer of His Majesty’s dirty work, you mean,” Lucifer grumbled, crossing his broad arms over his chest so that muscles bunched beneath his shirt. I was surprised the head of staff was dressed so casually without royal livery or coat or anything to indicate his position, but I supposed it was late.

“Pleased to meet you,” I said, hesitating a little as I held out a hand. Carnon took it, rather than letting me shake the demon’s hand.

“Is there a guest room ready?” he asked, lifting my hand to his lips and dropping a kiss on the knuckles. Lucifer looked to be just as surprised as I was by the casual affection, raising a bushy blonde brow at Carnon.

“No,” Lucifer said simply. “You told me tomorrow, so I planned for that tomorrow.” Carnon took a breath, possibly to manage his rising frustration with this wall of a male, who seemed to be an uncompromising manager of the staff.

“Then can you get one ready?” he asked through gritted teeth. “As you see, we are early.”

“Yourroom is ready, as always, my Lord,” Lucifer said, smirking a little and seeming to enjoy Carnon’s frustration. “Take her there, if you need her to have a room tonight. The staff already has the night off.”

“Fine,” Carnon growled. “Thank yousomuch for your help, Lucifer.”

“Always a pleasure,” the demon replied with a chuckle, raising an arm to show us out of the kitchen. He didn’t follow us, seeming to trust that Carnon knew where he was going.

“He doesn’t like you that much, does he?” I asked, as Carnon led me through a series of faintly glowing moonstone passageways that must be used by servants or other staff, for they weren’t grand enough to be part of the palace proper.

“He likes me fine,” Carnon growled, sounding irritated. “He just likes to be an ass more.” I huffed a laugh, and Carnon looked back at me with a warm smile.

“These are servant passages,” he said, confirming my initial impression. “I can show you the palace properly tomorrow when you are expected, but for tonight we need to be discreet.”

“Would the Demon King really be offended by my presence a day early?” I asked, trying to tease out the truth from him. If my suspicions were true, he was doing a stellar job of lying through his teeth to me.

“It’s more that he likes to seem in control,” Carnon said, not looking back at me. “I wouldn’t want to threaten that.”

I rolled my eyes, noting his clever use of words. He probablywasn'tlying to me outright, but he had a silver tongue when it came to obfuscation.

He led me up several flights of moonstone steps that must wind around the towers of the palace, finally emerging near a wooden door that looked far too plain to be in an important part of the palace. He opened it into blackness

“Where are we?” I whispered, trying to see past the door.

“Upper hallway,” Carnon murmured, pushing the blackness aside. It was a tapestry covering the door, and he held it aside for me like a curtain so I could pass. I gasped. The hallway was also moonstone, like the rest of the palace, but it glowed a much brighter white with the addition of lamps on the walls that flickered prettily against the luminescent stone. There was a plush, midnight blue carpet that extended the length of the hall and several windows that looked directly down onto the city. I went to one, craning my whole upper body through the opening to try to get a better view.

“Careful, Red,” Carnon chuckled, putting his arm around my waist. “If you fall from up here, I won’t be able to catch you.” He pulled me back in a little, and I admired the delicate carving of the moonstone window ledges, built so you could sit and look out over the city. I made a mental note to come back here when I could.

“Where is your room?” I asked, turning in his arms so we were chest to chest. He sucked in a breath, taking a step back from me, and I frowned. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said, clearing his throat. “You just look…I didn’t…” he cleared his throat again, hesitated, then stepped toward me and enveloped me in a searing kiss. “The moonstone makes you glow,” he murmured when he finally broke away.

“Oh,” I breathed.

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