Page 105 of The Hive Queen

“You’re positively effervescent, darling.” I pull a pair of glow sticks from my pocket and crack them before tossing them into her body, where they spin wildly, like a club kid at a rave.

Swirling with delight, she barely even glances at the other passports she stamps as I hobble through the turnstile and into the white marble hall beyond.

“I’m bringing you with me every time I need to come here,” Sharpe mutters once we make it past the busy Demon Clerks’ Office and into the halls that hold the courtrooms. “This is usually an all-day affair for me.”

“You just need to know how to work the system.” I grin up at him. “Demons like bribes.”

He points to his face. “Lawman.”

I point behind him. “Long lines.”

A tall, white-robed figure strides toward us from the opposite end of the hall, and Lord Marius stops in front of us. “Merripen. Ga’Vine. The floor is about to open for petitions. We must hurry.”

Golden eyes that are a mirror for Pen’s shift to Marc and me. “Flanagan. Marceau. I trust you will not wander past the black rope at the end of the hall.”

I lift my cane. “We’ll be sure to be on our best behavior.”

With a nod, he gestures for Pen and Sharpe to follow him back the way he came.

I turn to Marc and pass him the cane. “You heard the man. Let’s find that black rope.”

a bargain for darius of fumontis

- Pen -

Lord Marius leadsus into a large, white room, with rows of benches filled with petitioners. Many of them have probably been here for days, waiting for their voices to be heard.

A tinge of guilt fills me as my sire walks us past them all to an empty bench at the front of the row, cordoned off from the rest by a gold rope.

Court guards stand against the back wall, dressed in silver armor, with their hands clasped behind their backs and swords at their belts.

The crescent-shaped table in front of them curves toward the bench seats, with seven demon lords sitting in attendance. A few of them cast surprised glances in our direction as we settle onto the hard, wooden bench and wait for petitions to start.

Lord Talkis sits on the left side of the table, fourth in power of the demon lords present today. Aside from switching out his red robe for a blue one, he looks unchanged from the last time I saw him.

Unlike my sire, he forgoes the disguise of a human form and instead embraces his demon body of black obsidian, which he polishes to a mirror shine.

Before the Great War, he was a minor lord, recently elevated and determined to prove his power. He had been in charge of guarding the citadel against outside threats, which mostly meant driving back or exterminating akuzal.

As he rose in rank and gained a name for himself, it elevated his guards’ status, too. When we met, Darius was proud to be contracted under Lord Talkis, though that sentiment changed when tensions between the witchblood and demons grew.

Lord Talkis had made it clear that having a witchblood lover would not be tolerated from one of his court guards, and when the witchblood were forced from the demon plane, he refused to release Darius from his contract.

At the time, I was young and passionate, demanding Darius leave with me regardless of the consequences, and his refusal broke my heart. I left for the human plane, bitter that love wasn’t enough.

In hindsight, I had been a child throwing a tantrum, and I regret my actions, even if they had led me to open my heart to Marc, then later to Flint and Ga’vin.

Lord Marius leans past me to speak to Sharpe. “We will be called on first. Once a petition is heard and a verdict decided, it cannot be brought forward again by the same person, which means you need to go first. If you’re rejected, Merripen will still have a chance to speak.”

Sharpe nods in understanding. We had gone over this at the cabin, which is why Marc and Flint are on their way to find Darius themselves.

Even if both of our petitions are denied, we’re not leaving here without our ignis demon.

The demon lord at the center of the table raps his knuckles against the marble surface, and the room falls silent.

His electric-yellow eyes settle on us. “We are gifted with the presence of a High Lord today. What may our humble court do for you, Lord Marius?”

My sire stands. “Today, I am merely here as a sponsor to expedite a time-sensitive issue, Lord Hoqi.”

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