Inexplicably, the demon was here.
“Leave us,” the duke snarled over his shoulder.
She didn’t know whether to be grateful that her prayers had been answered or frightened at how illogical it was that he was here. Had he been following her? How would he have gotten here in a few seconds if he hadn’t been there the whole time? And how had she not seen him at the ball?
The duke gripped her tighter, jerking her back to the present. “I said, leave us.”
Suddenly she didn’t care if he had been following her.
But the demon did nothing. He looked, in fact, to be paused on the threshold waiting for something.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please.”Please help me. I’ll give you whatever you ask if you just get me out of here.
“I think I’ll stay, actually,” he said coolly. She glanced at the demon—her unexpected saviour—he met her gaze, and for a heartbeat, there was a gleam of triumph in his eyes, but it was gone a moment later.
The duke whirled on him, releasing her. “This does not concern you.”
Elizabeth took her chance at freedom and quickly distanced herself from the duke. Grimacing, she brushed where his hands had been as if brushing off lint, trying to remove the phantom memory of his hands touching where she had not invited him to touch.
Caspian prowled closer, and the room’s temperature dropped even further. The demon towered over the duke with nothing but wrath in his eyes. The silver flames in his gaze burned brighter, and his entire body seemed to glow and pulse with dark power.
He muttered a word she couldn’t make out and stretched out his hand towards Duke Howard. Dark flames spewed from the demon’s outstretched palm, sweeping the duke off his feet and throwing him against a wall. The dark flames licked around his throat, holding the duke against the wall. The duke gasped, his hands clawing at the black flames holding him in place.
The demon prowled closer to the duke with his palm outstretched, his magic unyielding.
“Demon,” the duke spluttered. “I will have you burned alive for this, boy!”
“I am not of this world, mortal.” Caspian’s voice was cold.
Duke Howard’s face turned purple. His features contorted as he croaked for air, one hand reaching for the demon to stop his magic. Caspian closed his fist, extinguishing the black flames.
The duke fell to the floor in a heap, gulping in as much air as his lungs could.
Caspian stepped towards the door.
Elizabeth stood between two evils, unsure of what to do.
Her feet seemed to decide for her, edging closer to the demon.
Realizing Caspian would not be so easily intimidated, the duke pointed a menacing finger at her. “You will pay for this, wench!” he spat. “I will not be humiliated by the likes of you and this—thiscreature.”
Elizabeth took a moment to compose herself, and now that her fingers were touching the door jamb and escape was in her grasp, she smiled pleasantly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dearest betrothed. I said, and did,nothing. Perhaps you should have a goblet of wine and retire by the window. It’s a beautiful night,” she said in an attempt to tactfully allow the duke to save face.
The duke stood and opened his mouth to speak, but she did not wait to hear it, and strode away.
The sound of her heels ricocheted off cream-coloured stone walls as she hurried toward the gardens. The gardens behind the manor were filled with more rose bushes. Up ahead, a rose had wilted, leaving deep red petals strewn across the white stone pathway, looking for all the world like a trail of blood.
She walked faster.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind her, and she whirled around, her heart in her throat.
It was the demon.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said, relaxing a fraction.
She walked briskly, wanting to get as far away from Howard Manor as physically possible without leaving the property. The demon skulked behind her the whole while, saying nothing.
She wanted to bathe and scrub off every inch of skin that the duke had touched. She lifted a hand to her cheek, as if she could wipe the memory of his vile tongue away. A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
