Page 92 of Run Like the Devil

“Sadly, that is a skill Loch has never quite learned,” Tyrus said.

“Loch?” The man moved his gaze over me as if he wanted to connect the name with me. “You are a Demon Lord.”

I took a step backward, his words feeling like a threat.

“Do not worry yourself. I am rather old, so I can usually tell the power level of a person. Yours is quite high. Given you are here beside Yazmor, Hale and Tyrus, it would only make sense that you were also a Demon Lord.” He tilted his head when he looked at Gorrin. “Of course, that makes Gorrin’s presence even more surprising. I would have thought stealing a person’s power and position would leave soured feelings, but perhaps the story is more complicated than that.”

He gestured at the table. “Please, sit.” He went to move away, then paused. “Forgive me—I failed to introduce myself. My name is Cain, though they often call me the first.” With that, he bowed slightly and retreated.

“He doesn’t ever ask questions,” I whispered to Gorrin. “Did you notice that? Despite all of that, he never actually asked anything.”

“He’s also a lot more informed than I would have thought if he has been here longer than the others. How would he know about Hale and Tyrus?”

I had no answer to that, but there didn’t seem a way to refuse the order. They might have talked about dinner as if it were just an offer, but I knew better than to think that.

No doubt, if I checked the front door, I’d find it locked.

“Please, sit,” Cain said, his voice rising above the general hum of conversation. He’d pulled a chair out, staring at me and waiting. “I saved you a place here, beside me.”

“Hard pass.”

He didn’t move despite my not-at-all-kind rejection. In fact, even his smile didn’t dim. Had he even heard me? “Do not fear. If I wanted to harm any of you, I could have done so already.”

“You could try,” Hale answered.

Cain still didn’t move his gaze from mine, and I almost felt lost in his dark eyes. “I wish to speak to you, to hear about you and your companions. For that reason, I ensured I would sit close enough to make conversation possible. Now. Sit.”

His command left no room to misunderstand that he would not take no for an answer. And really, who the fuck wanted this to turn badly over a stupid seating arrangement?

I suddenly recalled an old friend planning her wedding, when she’d fought with her fiancée over where everyone would sit, when she’d told me that a poor seating plan could ruin an entire event.

She probably meant ruined as in a few drunken arguments and maybe someone hooking up, whereas ruined here would no doubt turn bloody.

So I lifted a hand when Hale took a step forward to intervene. I could hold my own, and if that meant sitting next to this fucking weirdo, that was fine by me.

I’d done far worse in my life, after all.

The Lords took other seats around the table, none of us right beside one another. As uneasy as it made me, I tried to think like Tyrus. I could almost hear his lecture in my head, reminding me that information gathering was vital, and that the best way to do so was to insert oneself into the group who had the information.

Thus, us sitting apart would increase the odds of us getting a clearer overall picture than if we’d all banded together.

A few others brought food out on large trays, placing them along the center of the table, then took their own seats.

I counted twelve others, which meant if Nona was told the truth, everyone in the community sat at the table.

“How long have you been here?” Cain asked.

“No idea. None of my clocks work and there’s no day and night cycle to judge time.”

“Fair enough.” Cain gestured at one of the plates. “The food is simple, but it is good.”

“I’m not hungry.”

He tilted his head. “You fear it is poisoned.” He reached out and took a piece from the plate, something that looked like chicken, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, then swallowed. “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t go through the trouble of allowing you to wash and dress just to poison you.”

When others at the table served themselves food from the plates and ate it without worry, I cast Tyrus a questioning look. He nodded, the motion so subtle others would probably not pick up on it.

Guess it’s safe enough to eat.

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