More presence—power. More demon prince energy he tries—andfails—to pretend he doesn’t have.
He turns his head slightly. “Good morning.”
My knees try to buckle and I silently curse them. “Hi,” I manage.
His eyes sweep over me once—slow, assessing, not predatory but not not predatory. “You look like you slept decently,” he notes.
“I tried.”
His mouth lifts slightly. “You succeeded.”
I roll my eyes to hide the treacherous warmth blooming in my chest. “Is Newt okay?”
“He’s fine.” Slade inclines his head toward the cat now weaving smugly between his ankles. “He is… comfortable.”
Newt rubs against him like they’ve been best friends for a decade.Traitor. But there’s another layer beneath it—something uneasy.
Rhea’s voice echoes in my head. “Let me take him if you go anywhere dangerous.”
I clear my throat. “Rhea said she’ll take him for a few days.”
Slade’s expression softens just a fraction. “Good.”
The tone beneath that one word chills me. “So,” I say cautiously, “you’re… different today.”
He doesn’t deny it. Instead, he turns fully toward me, arms crossing over his broad chest. And suddenly I understand exactly what changed. He’s in full demon-boss mode.
No teasing, smugness, or lazy flirtation. Just full on power.
“Piper,” he says quietly, “we need to discuss tonight.”
My stomach flips. “Lucifer’s Ball?”
His jaw flexes once. “Yes.”
I swallow. “Okay. Discuss.”
He watches me for a long moment, as if deciding how much truth I can handle. “There will be rules.”
Great. Rules from a demon. So reassuring. “Such as?” I ask.
Slade steps closer. Just one step. But it feels like a declaration. “One,” he says, voice low, “you do not wander. Not even a single corridor.”
“Noted.”
“Two. You do not drink anything that is offered to you, unless I personally hand it to you.”
“I sense a story there.”
“Several,” he says dryly.
Okay then.
“Three,” he continues, “the covens will be watching you. Some out of curiosity. Some, I suspect out of envy. Some because they’ll suspect youmighthold something ancient.”
My heart thumps painfully.
“And four…” His eyes lock onto mine, burning green flame. “You do not take your eyes off me while we are in that realm.”
