But I didn’t. That was a luxury I’d never had, that sense of sureness and trust in another person, and though it was something I’d always wanted, I had a feeling Sitri wouldn’t be the first to grant me that mercy. But Apollo… he seemed almost normal in a way. Under different circumstances, I could have imagined him as a suburban father or a grocery store clerk, rather than a demon knight. If only we weren’t divided by his apparent loyalty to the Prince.
“I’m not so sure I’ll ever really trust him,” I said, omitting Apollo’s inclusion in that sentiment. “He hasn’t made a very good first impression, and I don’t know how much I believe in this truce he’s called, not when he had his hand around my throat just a few days ago.”
“I’ll remind him that his actions speak louder than his words.” Something flicked across Apollo’s face too quickly for me to read. As soon as it appeared, it was gone. Another forced smile replaced it.
“Listen, I’d love to chat, but I really should get this place cleaned up.” He scratched his head and gestured to the wastebasket. “If you need anything, I’m around. Just give a yell out the door and I’ll be right there.”
“Thanks,” I said, offering a less-than-genuine smile of my own.
Apollo collected the basket and carried on his way, the metal in his armor clanking against his cargo. I shook my head. Even if he and Mara had struck an agreement about the chores, there should be more servants around who were better suited to those tasks. Maybe the Prince hadn’t bothered to staff his estate. If that was the case, it was a wonder anything got done around here at all.
Once Apollo’s footsteps faded, I wandered through more hallways, eventually stumbling into the foyer. This was the only room that looked bigger in the light—a grand entryway flanked on one side by the mansion’s exit, and on the other by a pair of plain double doors I’d missed when I first walked this place in the dark.
They seemed unassuming, with no carvings or decorations. Just black-stained wood and a polished finish. I trailed my fingers down their smooth surfaces. No sound came from behind them, but flickering light flooded out from the gap at the doors’ base. If Sitri lit the place, and demons could see in the dark, then surely he’d tolerate my presence. If I were caught, and the Prince displeased, at least I’d have an excuse for poking around. Holding that thought in my mind, I pulled the door open and slipped inside.
Before me stretched a great room that stole my breath, adorned with chairs, couches, loveseats, and end tables, all done up in a Victorian style. Some were cloth, some were scaly leather, and others were upholstered in red velvet. Curtains made of the same velvet hung over the far wall. Overhead, an enormous chandelier burned with dozens of flames that cast the scene in dim, sepia light.
At capacity, this place could comfortably seat two dozen demons, possibly up to four dozen, if extra chairs were brought in. The thought of so many demons in one room, making merry and indulging in hellish delights, made me shudder.
I glanced around. There was so much to see, so much furniture and finery, that I had no idea where to start searching the place. Before I could decide, I was interrupted by a knocking that echoed in the foyerand through the barely cracked great room doors. At the sound of quick, measured footsteps, I abandoned my investigation and crept back towards the entryway. Through the gap, the foyer was on full display. As I’d suspected, those footsteps belonged to the missing maid, Mara.
Of the demons on Sitri’s estate, she still unnerved me the most. I couldn’t place why. She dressed like a doll, carried herself like a servant, but something felt off about her. Maybe it was her inhuman skin, which shone with a porcelain-like sheen, or her near-unbreakable demeanor.
Apollo wore his emotions on his sleeve, and Sitri didn’t bother hiding his cruelty. But Mara… Nothing seemed to faze her.
Nothing except for Zaleos.
She breezed right by the great room doors. If she noticed they were ajar, she didn’t show it. I crouched low to the ground, thankful that no walls would break my line of sight as she answered the door. In its frame stood a powerful demon of the bestial, red-skinned variety, who filled the oversized doorway with his muscular physique. His face mirrored that of a bull, complete with bison-like horns and legs that ended in hooves. The armor he wore reminded me of Sitri’s, though it had been crafted to fit his inhuman form.
He stepped into the mansion. The newcomer gave a muffled greeting in a voice as deep as a beast’s bellow. Mara returned the pleasantries, shut the door behind him, and led him in my direction. I froze, unwilling to breathe as they crossed within feet of my hiding place. Heavy hoofbeats shook the floorboards, and the scent of perfume, sweat, and smoke washed over me as they passed. Then, they started down the hall toward Sitri’s chancery.
Only after they’d disappeared behind the hallway’s bend did I loose the breath I held.
The lack of air left me gasping. My heartbeat thundered in my chest like a drum. Leaving the safety of my room had been a mistake, and the appearance of this new, monstrous demon made that clear. I straightened and slunk back through the gap in the double doors and pulled themshut, careful not to make a sound.
The foyer was now empty, aside from me. Only the distant murmuring of Mara and her guest to my right warned me of their presence. I’d have to pass them to return to my room, and with Apollo rummaging around outside, my hopes of avoiding another encounter waned.
I cast a glance at the hallway on my left—the only one I hadn’t been down. The last thing I wanted was to be out in the open when Mara and her guest returned. There was an opportunity there, some information I might glean, and a chance to be hidden out of sight. Better to take it and keep myself moving until the way was clear, and I could return to my room in peace.
The hallway itself was unassuming, as were most of the doorways that lined it. When I rounded the last corner and caught sight of the final corridor, I paused. Another of the tall, dark doors stood there. Immediately, it piqued my interest.
Unlike the great hall doors, this one was carved with a surprisingly tasteful mural of a demon and a demoness, both stripped bare, and curled around each other. Their suggestive poses put their bodies on display, but the image wasn’t wholly carnal. They held each other in a gentle, loving way that made my heart ache. No light came from beneath this door, a sign I wasn’t welcome, but my curiosity got the better of me. My fingers met the doorknob. I turned it. The metal clicked as the lock caught, denying me entry, the harsh sound echoing through the hallway.
“Do you fancy yourself a saboteur?” a feminine voice sneered, “or are you a unique breed of vacuous imbecile begging for an education?”
I jumped, whipping around to find Mara standing at the hallway’s bend, cutting off my only route of escape. I stumbled backward, back hitting the door with a heavy thud. Nowhere to hide, no weapon to wield against her, not that it mattered. Even if I’d been armed, I suspected we weren’t evenly matched.
My cheeks flushed with heat as I met her scathing eyes, and I failed toswallow my fear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I just—”
“I don’t care what you meant.”
Mara’s face remained a blank slate, her expression unreadable. She flowed like water with every silent step she took, and the rippling of lean muscles across her arms and neck warned me her anger was a thing to be feared. My eyes crossed to follow her finger as she thrust it into my face, nearly gouging her manicured, black-painted nail into my nose.
“Listen to me, Lillia. Those incubi might see value in you, but I do not. If you try to harm me, even the Prince can’t protect you from what follows. Am I clear?”
“Very,” I choked out.
Silence followed my answer. I didn’t doubt a word Mara said. The two demon men had powerful bodies, wore weapons that she lacked, but she wasn’t weak by any means. She had watched me at a distance, never bothering to leash the malice festering between us.
Just when I began to worry that my answer wouldn’t appease her, Mara whipped around, tension coiled in her body, and stalked back the way she came. Even after she disappeared down the hall, I didn’t dare move.
I wholeheartedly believed she would find any opportunity to make good on her promise—and a single step out of line would grant it.
