My moment of elation cuts short as the new environment registers.
My focus snaps down to discover that I’m teetering at the edge of a bottomless pit.
CHAPTERTEN
What the…?
My reflexes fire and I leap backward, bumping right into Roman as he steps inside behind me.
His arms fly up around me, the full body contact at my back striking through me like a hot iron, stopping the breath in my chest. Whatever surprise I was feeling about the pit I nearly fell into, it’s nothing compared to the heat that flows straight to my core as Roman’s palms flex against my sides, his fingertips brush the underside of my left breast, and his rock-solid, armor-clad muscles remind me of everything I can’t have.
I don’t immediately pull out of his hold, aware of the narrowness of the ledge we’re standing on and that beyond this ledge is a plunging darkness.
The space around me is huge, mirroring the grand size of the Citadel from the outside. So large that I can’t see the ceiling or the back wall from this location and, as I peer over the edge again, I definitely can’t see anything below.
None of the wolves follow my movements, and that makes me wonder if they’re aware of the danger. Or if their lack of movement is part of their normal dislike of steel buildings.
Roman’s voice sounds at my ear, a delicious rumble, even though it carries a touch of anger. “This ledge wasn’t this narrow last time I was here. Or I would have warned you.”
He slips out from behind me, his hands brushing my hips before he lets me go, and I fight the groan of disappointment that rises unbidden to my lips.Why does it feel so damn right when he holds me?
He stops beside Ace. “This level is an additional layer of security against the rare possibility that an unauthorized demon gains access to the Citadel,” he says.
“It’s very disconcerting,” I admit. “How do we get around it?”
Before Roman can answer, a rumbling laugh sounds from somewhere out in the abyss beyond us. It’s not an amused laugh, with a very strong undercurrent of derisiveness.
I prepare myself for whom I’m about to meet.
A figure strolls across the space above the pit, their body shrouded in darkness that hides their identity. They seem to be walking on air, and there’s no sign of what power they’re using to allow them to cross the abyss. The darkness hides most of their features until they’re standing a step away from us, and I realize that it’s a woman. A beautiful woman with cascading, golden curls, falling to well below her butt. She has huge, gray-blue eyes framed by lush, dark lashes, golden skin, and a petite nose, all shadowed by the sneer on her face.
She crosses her arms over the loose harem top and pants she’s wearing, both in soft shades of white, adding to the angelic aura she exudes. “If you can’t find your way across this very simple obstacle,” she says in a husky drawl, “you have zero chance of surviving the Elimination.”
Great. It looks like it’s time to meet the resident mean girl.
One who is not part of the royal family if the color of her hair is any indication, but she’s clearly here to put me in my place.
“No one gives a shit about your opinion, Carys,” Roman says flatly. “Not one of your children is fit to wear their father’s crown, so you’d better fucking hope that Nova manages to survive. Or all of demonkind will fall to ruin.”
Children? Who could wear the crown…?
Is Roman trying to tell me that this beautiful, angelic-looking woman is the mother of Koda, Arga, Esta, and the others whose names I don’t know yet? She looks no older than me, which for demons isn’t saying much, but it still takes me by surprise. It clicks a second later that technically, Carys is also my father’s… wife? I don’t even know if they have the concept of marriage here.
No wonder she’s so snarky with me. My mother was basically the other woman, if I read the room correctly, and as the resulting child who could possibly take the crown from one of her children, I’m definitely not welcome.
I don’t even blame her.
“Look,” I say quickly, “I didn’t ask to be born, or to be here in Mortem, for that matter. I don’t want the damn crown. I just want to save my sisters and get the hell out of here. You will have no trouble from me.”
Her eyes narrow, all of her delicate features bunching together like she’s trying to figure out my angle. Only there’s nothing for her to figure out. I have no angle. I have no agenda. Survival is my mission, and it’s the same one I’ve had from the first moment I was rejected by the Vegas packs and had to run the streets alone.
Something tells me that if Carys is an enemy, my time in this citadel will be harder than it needs to be. Hopefully, she sees reason and decides that I can be an ally who will help one of her children take the throne. Despite what Roman said, there’s no other option. As he knows, I don’t want this role.
She takes a deep breath, letting her arms fall so that her puffy white sleeves all but hide her hands and her red-tipped nails. “I don’t like it, but Crone decreed that all children would participate, and since you’re clearly no threat, I’ll show you to your room.”
Nobody has to explain demon politics or power hierarchy for me to understand that her “no threat” statement is a huge insult. For once, I don’t care. It’s better that her children underestimate me.
Without another word, she turns and stalks away, disappearing into the darkness again.
