The one about Tiers that he’d publicly announced? I’d call bullshit except he was seriously shitty. He didn’t want me to leave, and yet he didn’t want to announce whatever he’d discovered either.
I took a breath. “We made a deal. I’ll do the princess jobs.”
Carmine stiffened at the “princess” remark, but his voice was calm when he said, “Tomorrow, you will work with Gratia to learn your new duties.”
I waited. Was there anything else he could think of to delay my departure? What did he expect me to do today that was different to other days? I watched the play of emotions on Carmine’s face. Some I couldn’t identify, but anger was there. Pain? And something wide-eyed that could be fear.
But that couldn’t be. The demon king didn’t feel fear.
Was he in danger? Was it the gates? Were we under attack? I could only hope. I searched his gray gaze for answers.
“Tygrio will die for what he offered you,” Carmine eventually said.
My heart skipped a beat.Oh, shit.Suddenly everything made sense. I rolled my eyes. “That’s what this is about? You expect me to portal to Tygrio’s room for a few hours while you’re dealing with the gates?”
“Fits of jealousy are for boys, enamai.”
“You’re in a fit of something.” I straightened, and my eyes widened. “Mother be, that’s it.”
Carmine’s jaw clenched.
I laughed. “You know that I know.”
He turned away, back tense.
“That’s right, asshole,” I said. “I know the mating ritual can be stopped and broken.”
Crimson smoke and invisible ice shards blasted through the room. A scream lodged in my throat as I reeled away from what was coming.
I landed on the bed on my back and stared up at Carmine, who was an inch from my face.
Monster.
I sucked in tiny breaths, trying to stay still.
“You will not leave this fortress again,” the monster told me.
My mind unlocked somewhat. Enough to panic at the thought of being truly trapped here. I’d made a promise I couldn’t break. “We had a deal.”
Carmine roared in my face, and the sound was so terrifying—even to me—that I turned my face and screamed out of sheer fear of survival.
My chest heaved after, but I forced croaked words from my dry mouth. “You know I’ll portal away.”
“Not if I chain you to my side.”
I closed my eyes. Because, yes, he could do that. He could do a lot to me if he chose. He just hadn’t until now.
Clearly, Carmine wouldn’t risk me breaking the ritual. So I was guessing from his behavior that once broken, there was no chance for a do-over.
I had to portal away from here every afternoon at three to return by seven.
I forced myself to look at the demon king and into gray eyes of solid ice. There was nothing inside him. He was empty. Void. Unfeeling. A robot with the sole job of chasing power for the sake of the realm.
“How did I ever love you?” I asked him, though I’d meant to say something else.
His lip curled. “Because your weakness is your pathetic human heart. Even now.”
Carmine was right about my heart, but not about it being a weakness.
