His words are a stark reminder of why I’m here. For power. For war. To further his kingdom. These are the things I agreed to when I signed the contract. Nothing else can or will come from this arrangement.
However, it’s incredibly one-sided. I haven’t survived this long on my own without looking out for myself, and even here, in front of the demon king, I will make demands.
“Fine, but I have conditions.”
“I would be surprised if you didn’t.” Oziel crosses his arms over his chest, an amused expression on his face.
“First, there’s a woman named Erin Goodwin here. I don’t know who Ender paired her with, but I want to speak with her.”
Oziel lifts a brow, clearly taken aback by my first demand. He knows nothing of the reasonwhy I’m here. And although I won’t ever regret what I did or seek redemption, I’m also not ready to tell him. Erin deserves to hear the news first. She deserves to know what happened to her abuser. Admittedly, I’m nervous about her reaction. I’ve never spoken to the woman, so I don’t know how she’s going to take the news.
“Noted,” Oziel says. “What else?”
Nerves get the best of me, and I awkwardly shuffle my weight from foot to foot. My next words could potentially piss him off, and there would be little I could do against a mad king. Still, I don’t want to live with the regret of not voicing my needs.
“When this is all over,” I gesture around us, “the war, the Nephilim—I want out.”
“You can’t go back home?—”
“I know, and I wouldn’t go back there even if you paid me,” I interrupt. “But that’s not what I’m saying. I want you to let me go when this is all over. I don’t wish to stay married because it would feel too much like a prison. I want to leave freely, despite anything that might happen between now and then.”
I don’t realize I’ve moved closer to him until I'm a hair's breadth away from him. I see the soft rise and fall of his chest, smell his smoky scent, and feel his power. Despite their poisoned source of magic, Oziel is deadly. I fear what will happen when he truly unleashes himself upon the world.
“Do you think something might happen, Miss Sinclair?” His hot breath heats my neck.
He’s trying to get a rise out of me. Or for me to lie. I plan on doing neither. “You’re a demon surrounded bylust, and I’m not ignorant of your…charm. If something happens, I need for you to know it changes nothing.”
“Charm?” He chuckles as if I told a joke. But then he drops his smile, and a dark cloud lingers over him. “That would be for the best. You are free to leave when this is over. I will not stop you.”
“Good.” And it is good. I don’t know where I’ll go yet, but I’ll figure it out. Yet, I can’t help but feel disappointed he agreed so easily. I expected a little resistance…but this is for the best. I have an aching need to reach out and place my hand on his chest. If for no other reason than to assure him this decision is best for both of us. I almost do.
Then suddenly, Oziel pulls back. “We aren’t alone.” He stares off into a wooded area. My body tenses, expecting another one of those monstrous creatures, but the man who steps into the clearing is one I recognize, and my body relaxes.
“Garvan, what information do you have?” Oziel moves in front of me. I have to peer around to see the gangly demon, dressed in a pristine black outfit.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, my lord. But you said you wanted to be notified the moment I heard word from the kings.” Garvan dusts off invisible lint from his shoulder.
“Go on,” Oziel prompts.
“Alpha King Rip and King Allarick have responded. Both are willing to meet, though they’ve said nothing about including their queens. No word back from King Malix, but sources tell me his wife is with child, due any day now. I don’t think we should count on his help.”
“No matter. I only need one,” Oziel says. “Set themeeting up for three days from now. I must have time to prepare.”
“Prepare, my lord?”
“Yes.” Oziel turns to face me. The look on his face sends shivers down my spine—like I’m the shiny new toy he’s been dying to get his hands on. It should piss me off, but my traitorous body gravitates toward him.
“Prepare the vow ceremony. We will wed at the witching hour.” His smile turns positively feral before saying, “Oh, and Garvan? See to it that Miss Sinclair is properly prepared for the ceremony.”
Chapter 14
Isabelle
Three female demons gaze upon my naked body, muttering to each other in a language I’m not privy to. If I were the modest type, there would be no way I could endure another bathing session with strangers around me. At least this time, no one is fucking. But that also means their attention is focused on me, and even as confident as I am in my body, this still feels intimidating as hell.
When Garvan found Oziel and me by River Hel and informed us of the correspondence from the other kings, Oziel immediately began to bark out orders. Most of them had to do with “prepping” me. I didn’t like the way that sounded, but before I was able to protest, black smoke gathered around me and transported me away. I really hated that little ability of his. My stomach plummeted, the same feeling I get when I’m on a roller coaster going down a massive hill. Only there were no thrill seekers waiting for me once the smoke cleared in myroom, but rather three demons with haughty, sour expressions.
The blue-skinned demon introduces herself as Greta. She seems to be the one in charge of the other two: a purple-haired demon named Lola and a short, stout demon named Paulina. Greta barks orders—or what I assume to be orders it’s a language I don’t know—to the others. Lola and Paulina usher me down the hall and into the bathing room. It must have been cleared out because it’s empty, free of the orgies that took place earlier.
