“Hmmm, interesting.” Turning his head, he yelled toward Valentina, “Azzanuul! Didn’t you kill that pest this time?”
She snarled something obscene back at him. “No, I was thrown out of the palace before I could!”
“I took precautions this time.” My temper unraveled in a sharp snap. I slammed against him, our swords catching at the hilts once more, and tested the grip he had on his sword, pushing him back a little, feeling immediate resistance. “Tell me. Did you order Edwin killed yourself?”
“But of course. Your pain was delicious to behold, I must admit—icing on the cake. But we knew his Task. He had to fall in order to weaken you.”
This plot had layers like a freaking parfait made entirely of dog shit in different stages of decomposition, and it just kept getting worse.
Zag’druren leaned in, trying to push me back, and I could tell it frustrated him that he couldn’t. Victor’s body was wasted from years of alcohol and drug abuse. Even a demon’s powers could only augment it so much.
Frustrated, he snapped, “Fuck me, but killing that man is an essential ingredient. You’re too powerful with Edwin at your side!”
I was curious enough to ask, “How?”
“He doesn’t let anyone near you, that’s how! Not without checking every single thing about them. Even when you were married to Azzanuul in the previous life, he wouldn’t let her anywhere near you most of the time! He’s worse than a guard dog!”
“Pity you didn’t manage it this time, then. Pity, too, you’re in a body too weak to combat me effectively.”
This did upset him, like a personal insult. “It wasyourbody I was supposed to have this time!”
Wait. “Did you really think she could seduce me when I’m still in love with Edwin and I hated her enough to kill her in the first life?”
“We didn’t know you remembered everything!”
“Tsk,tsk, Demon King. How stupid of you. Your plan was all arse and no forehead.”
He screamed at me in some demonic sounding language, all clicks and hisses, but didn’t engage. He was trying to find an opening in my guard.
I gave him none.
My ears reported the sounds of multiple spells and prayers, most being yelled at the top of their lungs. My soldiers were all locked into combat, so no one was free to come at me anytime soon. Even Valentina was in combat with three temple knights and couldn’t yell at anyone anymore, looking more cornered than a rat in a dead-end alley.
Seemed my time to truly retaliate and win this fight.
I lashed out and kicked Zag’druren’s knee out from under him. The Demon King rolled with the blow, coming back up spryly to his feet, and while he smiled mockingly, his eyes shone with pure greed.
“Perhaps I can have your body yet.”
“Wishful thinking.” I rotated my sword, all while planning out the best way to get him pinned to the ground. I’d have much better luck saying the spell if I wasn’t trying to stay alive at the same time.
Zag’druren said in a sickly sweet way, “Why’s that, dear?”
“Turns out there’s many advantages to marrying a bookworm. Want to hear one?”
I locked eyes with him as I started the spell.
“Hear me, Zag’druren, King of Demons—”
With the utterance of his name, all his cocky attitude washed away, pure fear taking its place.
This time, bastard, the battle won’t go in your favor.
Eighty-one
James
Zag’druren launched an attack, stronger than ever, and it took all I had in me to block, never mind retaliating. Victor’s body might be weak, but demonic energy never ran out or waned. It was like battling a man who was high on drugs and could feel no pain nor care if he was injured.
