I didn’t respond to the crimson’s daring, flirty look. Pulling my father’s blade, I waited as he selected a vicious-looking spiky ball on a chain. The crimson looped the weapon overhead, moving closer. He was very familiar with this weapon.
The other crimsons were already clashing in a ring of steel, and I only kept a small part of my awareness on them as I focused on the circling male.
“You have grown powerful in your absence, Mate-Intended.”
I hummed, watching his movement. The demon was powerful, as I’d expect with a father like his. My intuition warned that his smoke was fast and held just under his skin, ready to strike. The demon lashed out crimson smoke, and I pressed out my power to ensnare it, yanking hard after, despite the smoke’s sting.
Tygrio was dragged forward, and I lunged at him with my blade, narrowly missing as the male dropped to the ground and rolled away.
He grinned. “As fast as me. That is rare.”
“Men don’t usually brag about being fast.” I frowned. Were those flirting words? Maybe I hadn’t worked out all the lust leftover from the dream.
The demon’s lip curled. “Only fast where it counts, Mate-Intended.”
He tugged on the chain, and I jumped over the spiked ball that shot from behind me and back to his side. How the hell did that get there?
“Nice trick,” I said.
“Yes,” he answered. “One of my lesser cousins in Tiers is very fond of it.”
Warnings were rare among demons because warning someone could be interpreted as calling them weak. Tygrio had made sure to compliment my power ahead of time, so I wouldn’t find offense.
“I won’t fool myself that you want your cousin dead,” I answered.
“If he dies, then he allowed it to be so.”
Part of me did agree with that. “Why gift me your knowledge, Tygrio?”
“Because you and the king are not sharing a bed.” His gaze dropped over my body, then back up. “I cannot fathom how he lets such a prize slip through his fingers.” The demon lifted his head. “I offer myself to fill the void. You will find me a skilled and very attentive bed partner.”
I blinked. This guy was either dumb or very certain of his importance—or his father’s. He’d dared to criticize Carmineandpropositioned his mate-intended. Either of those by itself could get him killed. “You play with fire.”
“I like to be burned,” he replied, twitching the chain so the spiked ball rolled around his feet.
“If Carmine discovers what you have offered, you can expect to be thoroughly burned.”
Tygrio walked closer. “Yet it is simple, beautiful queen of demons. I want you, and if you want me, then we needn’t obey any order but that of our bodies.”
I mean, yes, but also, very much no. He was either arrogant or a total dreamer. “I cannot find sexual gratification without Carmine, as you’re aware, so your offer is just for yourself.”
Not like it was a secret. The lack of sexual gratification thing was well known.
“Not while you’re mated,” Tygrio murmured. “But the ritual is not complete.”
I snorted. “That doesn’t matter.”
“Nothing is permanent until the ritual is complete,” he said, his brow furrowing.
Mine did the same. What did he mean? He couldn’t be implying that mating rituals could be undone. If so, Carmine would have undone ours long ago rather than suffer.
My eyes narrowed as I remembered Carmine’s small smile when he’d so publicly trailed his hands through my black smoke. He’d been showing the other demons that my smoke didn’t hurt him, and that our mating ritual was intact.
Motherfucker.The mating ritual could be broken or reversed.
I’d spentthree yearstorturing myself for nothing? My brow cleared. Because shit. Carmine must know that he could break the mating ritual, and he never did. Which meant that Carmine had tortured himself for a reason—a huge reason.Not only did he want a mate and queen and her power. He was as desperate as any of the demons who had entered Tiers, including me, to have that.
Whoa.I could hold all of that over him now.
