It doesn’t matter that I know very little of the two demons at the bottom of the river except that they work for me. They aremydemons, and as their king, everyone that falls is an insult to me and my kingdom.
It makes me look weak. Incompetent. This could make the demons start to rebel, misplacing their fear and anger. Not that I can blame them.
“Okay,” she says the word slowly, biting her lip in concentration. It’s so damn distracting that I miss her words the first time. Naturally, Isabelle huffs. “I asked if the poisoning started when the roses were delivered to your door?”
Ah, I see what she’s getting at, but it’s another dead end. “Yes. So, we tried destroying the roses.”
“And what happened?”
“They all turned to stone. Everyone who touches it. That’s why it’s in a dome now, so no one else will be tempted to touch the forbidden flower.”
“Damn, that was going to be my suggestion,” she mumbles under her breath, picking herself up from the ground. She moves away from the edge and starts pacing. “Do you think the Nephilim poisoned the lake?”
“Another great question, Kitten.” I push up off theground, slide my hands into my pocket and shake my head. “No, it can only be poisoned by someone within because of the protective wards set at our borders. None of the Nephilim have journeyed over the river. They can’t. It acts as a barrier to keep them out. However, I fear that won’t be the case much longer.”
“Are you saying one of your demons is sabotaging River Hel?”
With a sigh that holds all my exhaustion, I nod once again. “Yes, Miss Sinclair. That is exactly what I’m saying.”
Chapter 13
Isabelle
“Well, that’s fucking unfortunate,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. I don’t miss the way Oziel’s gaze dips down to my cleavage. His eyes darken, reminding me of a starless sky, something you could get lost in.
“Well put, Kitten. Very astute observation.”
What I just thought about him, I take back. His eyes remind me of garbage. Fat, smelly piles of trash. Why this man insists on that god-awful nickname, I’ll never know. Telling him off or showing any negative emotion toward the name would only give him satisfaction, so I try to keep my face as neutral as possible.
Judging by his snicker, it’s not working well.
Oziel just burdened me with a lot of pertinent information. My mind is still reeling from everything. Even as I look upon the still river, I can’t picture what it once was: a power that sustained demon magic. The air is filled with death and decay, and a heavy sadness washesover me, as if River Hel is crying out, grasping at the last bits of power remaining.
It’s hard to be near it. I’m not even a demon—depending on who you ask—but even I can tell how sacred this river is. How can one of Oziel’s own want to poison it? What would be in it for them other than the downfall of Oziel?
“Someone hates you very much,” I say after a pause.
When he smiles, it doesn’t meet his eyes. Oziel does a good job at playing the role of a mighty, unfeeling king, but I think he shoulders every burden and failure. He’s just gotten really good at hiding it.
“That does not narrow the list down much, I’m afraid,” he says. “Even as we speak, demons plan a coup against me to steal the throne. Perhaps before the curse I would say differently, but now everyone is on edge.”
“What? Why?” Something akin to anger and fear—for him?—heats my body. “If you know this, why aren’t you doing something?”
He stares pointedly at me. “I am doing something.”
Right. I’m the something. It hardly seems like enough, though. This is way out of my skill set. Need me to kill an abusive dick? Done. I’ll never regret that choice. But saving an entire kingdom? Saving Oziel from his own people? People who are scared and don’t know how to handle that emotion, so it manifests in anger? I believe Oziel is more than capable of taking care of himself. He wouldn’t be king in a place like this if he wasn’t, but he is still one man.
I didn’t like the odds.
“So, what do we do? Obviously, the first thing would be to figure out who is sabotaging your magic supply.”
I’m shocked to see Oziel shake his head. “No, the first thing is for us to marry.”
He could have sprouted a tail to match his horns, and I would have been less shocked.
“What?”My voice reaches octaves I didn’t know I was capable of. “After everything you just told me, you would rather focus on our marriage than the real problem?”
“I am focusing on the problem, Miss Sinclair,” he growls. I pretend my body doesn’t heat at the sound. “And I’ll be at my strongest if I’m connected to my human wife. For everything we will endure, I need to be at my strongest.”
