“Tell us,” Oros commanded. She shifted, pulling me slightly behind her. A motion that had the king growling.
He flashed his fangs.
“You’re getting overly confident with your plaything here.” His voice was low, the threat in it obvious.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.
But even as I chanted it, my mind didn’t believe it, and multiple demons moved to stare at me. Their nostrils flared, and some had a slight smile on their face.
It was Eros’s turn to step in front of me. Just like she’dpromised, she was trying to protect me, but it was my own stupidity and fear that would ruin this for all of us.
I tried to let go of the fear, but the human by his side looked too much like me. It was easy for my mind to replace her face with mine. See his claws sinking into my skin hard enough for blood to run down my body. His fangs were so close to her neck that I could almost feel a phantom version of them against mine.
Shivers crawled up my spine that felt achingly similar to a clawed demon hand.
“Stay calm. We have you,” Oros whispered at my side.
“Answer the question,” Eros ordered. “It’s not like you have something to hide,right?”
“The king would never!” one of those beside him blurted out.
“It’s insulting that you would even say such a thing!” another added. “Everyone knows how much the king respected her!”
Respected. Not loved.The choice of words stood out to me right away.
Growls rang out across the room. The bloodlust was creeping into the air, stifling me and causing a few of the other humans to let out high-pitched noises.
They probably knew what came next.
They’re going to die. But the real question is… Am I?
“Father,” Oros said placatingly. “We want to believe that you had no part in her death. Just say it.”
The king let out a bitter laugh.
“I would never hurt your mother, and I had nothing to do with her death.” And in a flash, he sunk his teeth into the human’s delicate neck.
The bitterness that exploded in my mouth was so potent I almost gagged.
19
OROS
For once, I had to admit that my sister had been right about something. Eros was the type to make decisions based on her feelings. Her anger. More often than not, that led to some not-so-great outcomes and ideas.
But taking Eve to the partyhadbeen a bad idea.
We accomplished our goal… but at what cost? Eve’s mental health? Our relationship?
She would never look at us the same way. I had watched my father and our kind devour humans. Hell, I had been a part of it once upon a time.
But for Eve, this was so far out of left field, so horrific… something her kind should never have to see.
But she sat through it—forus.
Is it worth having Eve witness the worst of our kind?
Was it worth it to watch her face as the humans pleaded for mercy and Father and his men dug their teeth into their flesh?
