by Nikki Frank
Iya pushed me away with a nervous chuckle. “I’m flattered but really . . . Olivia. Is this proper?”
“I want—”
Iya clamped a hand over my mouth. “Is there an antidote for this? We don’t want an international incident.” He gave another nervous laugh. Olivia, get a hold of yourself before you blow it.
You want me to blow it? I licked his palm and started to slide down his body.
Iya gave a yelp and ran away from me. “Shit, Olivia.”
I’d somehow dropped to the floor and started stalking him on all fours. My tail lashed behind me. Somewhere Shandian laughed and mocked Iya for being afraid of a willing woman. A little voice in my head said I was making a fool of myself, but the magic coursing through my body overrode this voice. A snarl let itself out, and my teeth snapped at Iya.
A blue hand stuffed a toffee in my mouth, and I chewed and swallowed without thinking. The only thoughts in my head were what I would do to Iya. The toffee kicked in, unleashing the realization of what I was doing—crawling on the floor, Shandian’s laughter echoing, and Iya backing away. Unadulterated rage surged through me.
I flipped to my feet and spun on Shandian, slapping him hard across the face. “I should break your fucking nose. I’m not some little whore you found on the streets. I’m a demon lord, damn it. I expect to be treated as an equal.”
I whirled on Iya and punched his shoulder, hard. “And you. Don’t let him keep feeding me the candy once he’s told you it’s an aphrodisiac. I expect a little more backup from you.”
A ball of my fire incinerated the model of the forest. “Noble, no wonder your family cast you out. You’re no better than a pimp. It’s disgusting. All three of you can go to hell.”
I ripped the curtain down on my way out the door. Iya called after me. I flipped him off over my shoulder. Who knew if he’d understand the human gesture, but he ought to get the gist.
Tears of anger wet my face. “Feran,” I screamed at the sky.
Even if he couldn’t hear me, the screaming helped me vent. To my satisfaction, Feran heard, and people shrieked and scattered as he landed in the street. I scrambled on his back as Iya and Shandian burst out the door.
“Back to the palace. Now,” I ordered Feran.
The air from his wing beats buffeted those remaining in the street as we left my humiliation behind.
Olivia. Wait. I’m sorry. Iya called.
Piss off.
Please, Olivia. Don’t make an enemy of Shandian.
That’s why I only slapped him. Don’t get me started on what I wanted to do. Or what he deserved. Shandian’s a worm. You two can rot together.
I closed my mind and pushed all my demon power back into Katriane so he couldn’t use it to speak through to me.
Back at the palace, I locked myself in my room and gave Feran strict orders to admit no one except Katriane. She got a message from me to stay away from Shandian.
Once the door shut and Feran settled in front of it, he let out a cloud of smoke in a sigh. “What set you off if you don’t mind my asking?”
I burst into tears. “Shandian. He fed me a sex spell. I acted like a fool and a slut. The whole time he laughed, telling Iya he used the magic to get young girls to not be afraid of him. He’s a predator.”
“He’s a demon.”
“He humiliated me. I’ve never been so degraded, and Iya did nothing to stop him. He did nothing,” I screamed.
“He did nothing, or could do nothing?” Feran stretched his neck out so that his snout lay close to my body. “I thought things between you were secret for the time being. In which case, would acting too swiftly or boldly on your behalf have made Shandian ask questions? Would he have suspected that which you don’t want him to know?”
“Don’t defend the pervert’s accomplice. Iya’s nearly as guilty.”
“Even being so new, I can see Iya loves you. For a demon, he seems quite devoted. I held the impression Shandian’s behavior is closer to the norm.”
Someone knocked on the door. “Olivia, please let me in.”
I shook my head at Feran, who gave me a hard stare in return. “Perhaps you should listen.”
“I don’t want to hear excuses.”
“Who said he means to offer any?”
“Fine. After this, will you follow orders and keep people out?”
“If that’s what you wish.”
“Stupid, nosy dragons. Always sticking their snouts in things. Just open the door.”
Feran moved his body and ran a claw across the copper square, opening the doorway. Iya stepped through, looking rather nervous.
“You’re not going to lash out at me, are you?”
I burst into tears, and Iya dashed over, taking me in his arms. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want you.”
He buried his nose in my ear. “I’m truly sorry this hurt you so badly. I wanted to stop Shandian, but our secret held me back. I chose wrong.”
“You think?” I snarled.
“I should have come to your defense.”
“Damn right.”
“What Shandian does to those girls is wrong. And he should never have used you as an example.”
My lower lip quivered, and Iya sighed, kissing it. “Please don’t be so sad. Your smile is so much better.”
“This is partly your fault.” I sniffed.
“Which makes me feel worse.” He used his nose on my chin to tip it back and kiss my neck. “Should I beg? Eat some of the candy and be your slave for the night?”
A chuckle burbled out against my will. “I don’t want that.”
“I think you do.” He pulled a candy flower out of his pocket. “If I eat this, you can do whatever you want to me.”
“Don’t be gross, Iya.”
He smirked. “Sex with your wife isn’t gross. A couple of these puppies and you could slap me around, whip me, whatever, and I’d enjoy it.” He made a little face. “I might not need the candy . . .”
I let out a shocked little shriek and poked his belly. “Don’t be such a pervert.”
He caught my shoulders and pulled me close. “You’re smiling now. That’s better.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me. “I really am sorry. We’re going to be together a long time. It’s not the only mistake I’ll make. What matters is how we handle ourselves. So, I’ll be sorry, and you’ll be forgiving, and we’ll make up.”
I sighed and rested my head against his shoulder. “All right. I forgive you. You know you’re lucky that I’m such a nice girl, right?”
“Oh, I know. And you should be having a party every night at your good fortune to have ended up with me.”
The door chimed, and a shi entered. Iya jumped away from me so fast he must have been wearing Hermes shoes. “Lord Shandian invites you to dine with him,” the shi announced.
“We’ll be ready in a moment. Please wait outside,” I told him. He vanished back through the door. “And that’s why we can’t―”
I didn’t get the whole sentence out. Iya had caught me again and kissed me. A hard kiss full of passion and pent up . . . everything.
“Are you coming to dinner? With Shandian and all?” he asked, reluctant to let me go.
“Of course. This won’t stop me from my duties as demon lord. Besides, I think I made my point earlier.”
I dressed myself with magic, this time putting myself in formal attire from home. Screw Shandian’s customs.
Iya let out a low whistle. “Hot damn.”
I blushed. I’d curled my hair and pinned the ringlets on the side with a glittering clip which had a princess look to it. My dress shone a deep indigo-blue satin with a three-tiered, asymmetrical skirt to show off my legs a little. A tight top with a straight-cut neckline displayed my best asset
s without even showing skin. I wanted Shandian’s jaw to drop, and I wanted to know he’d never even get a peek.
Iya sighed. “It’s really too bad we can’t stay here and share a piece of candy.”
I put my hand on his arm and impulsively squeezed his bicep. He rewarded me by leaning into me. Behind us, Feran cleared his throat, and Iya straightened up. I relaxed my grip, and we went in to fake our way through dinner.
Chapter 23
We made good time the next day, reaching Iya’s palace right after lunchtime. The gleaming metal that seemed so popular in Hakushi made up Iya’s palace, too. But his palace had been formed into spheres which reminded me of bubbles piled up in the bath. His residence had an organic quality to it, and I liked it immediately.
“Welcome to my home,” Iya announced. “My shi will see you to your rooms. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need something for your stay.”
The door shimmered, and a woman in a silk gown who was unmistakably Iya’s mother stepped out. They both had the same nose and horns, and her flame hair was the same shade of orange. It fell past her shoulders in a sheet which seemed to blow in its own light breeze. She had a sharp intelligence about her, but also a sadness which must have come from the loss of her partner. She held up a hand in greeting, then placed it on Iya’s head.
“I return your throne to you.” She kissed each of his cheeks. “Welcome back, my son.”
“Mother. Thank you.” He hugged her. “May I introduce my companions: Shandian, whom you know.”
She nodded her head in his direction.
“And this delightful woman is the demon lord Olivia.”
He led his mother by the hand over to me. I gave her a quick bow of the head and held my hand out.
“Pleased to meet you . . .” I shot Iya a look. “You never told me her name.”
“Zhiami.” She took my hand and shook it. “I’m glad to see you looking so well.”
“Iya took very good care of me.” I blushed. “I owe him a great deal.”
She patted my hand. “I do hope he behaved himself.”
Were my ears on fire? I swore they were. “He . . . uh . . . gentleman,” I mumbled.
She gave a tinkling laugh. “No need to feel so self-conscious. Come in and relax a bit.”
“Now you sound like him. Or maybe he sounds like you. He’s always telling me to relax.”
“And she definitely needs to.” Iya ruffled my hair on his way by. “I’ll leave her with you, mother, while I get everyone else settled.”
Iya, Nobi, and Naruhi led everyone else away. Zhiami stepped back and watched until Katriane walked by.
“A human?” She raised an eyebrow at us.
“My vessel,” I explained quickly.
She gave a whistle, and a pale gold shi appeared. “Please take the human to the chambers next to mine. See the young lady has what she needs and remains unbothered by those curious to see a person of her breed.”
The shi nodded and led Katriane away. Zhiami linked an arm through mine. “Anything else I should know?”
Guilt prickled me. I couldn’t tell this woman she was my mother-in-law yet. But keeping the news from her seemed disrespectful.
“Aside from the captive goblin prince we’re dragging around, that’s all for now,” I dodged.
“Here, dear.” She smiled, handing my arm to a waiting naiad. “Why don’t you go freshen up, and she’ll bring you down to lunch.”
Lunch and dinner passed in a slow march of formality. Tidying up details surrounding his own throne took most of Iya’s time. Rather than spend the free time trying not to hurt Shandian, I chose to hole up in my room.
Just after I’d settled in for the night, someone quietly tapped on my door. A moment later, Iya let himself in. From his guardian’s bed, Feran heaved a smoky sigh and tucked his head back in for sleep.
“What are you doing here?” I mumbled.
The bed shifted as he climbed up beside me and under the covers. “I missed you.” He lay down, curling around me.
“What if you got caught coming here?”
His shrug nudged my back. “Visiting is less suspicious in my own palace. Making sure my guests have everything and talking over plans for the joint meeting of the Hakushi and Central Borderland lords gives us plenty of excuses.”
I braced myself for the inevitable attempts to get into my pants. Instead, Iya let his arm drape across me and tucked his head in against the back of my neck. A series of long, slow breaths followed.
“Is everything all right, Iya?”
He didn’t answer, so I twisted to face him. Even though I made the move, my heart thudded erratically when I ended up nose to nose with him. The flames on his hair flickered, illuminating his rather pale face.
“What’s wrong?”
His head drooped forward until our foreheads touched. “I always imagined bringing my wife home differently.” Sadness laced his words. “We even had to lie to my mother. It’s going to completely taint any introduction I give the two of you later.”
I smoothed a hand across his cheek. “I felt bad about that, too.” Letting my hand stop on the back of his head, I kept his pressed to mine. “We’ll come clean as soon as possible. She’s the wife of a demon lord. She’ll understand.”
He gave a little nod. “I know, but she recently lost her partner. I’d rather make her happy. A daughter-in-law would bring her joy. And a wife with your credentials would thrill the demon side of her.”
“Happiness seems perpetually out of reach, doesn’t it?” I murmured.
His lips brushed mine. “Maybe I can reach a little.”
His touch sent ripples of fire across my skin. They settled in my chest, and I heaved a breath. The next kiss came slow and gentle, a caress of his lips against mine. I left my hand on his head, spreading my fingers through his hair.
Iya slipped a hand over my waist, pulling me against him. I expected to feel the desire to move away, but it never came. Instead, being held close by Iya brought up feelings of safety mingled with desire.
My breath caught in my chest. I desired Iya? His fingers rubbed my back beneath my shirt, leaving effervescent sparkles in their wake. Yes, yes, I did, in addition to feeling a whole lot more. Before we’d marched off toward the Goblin Kingdom, I’d told Talon my current feelings toward him. Keeping things bottled up had created a disaster. If I applied the same logic to Iya and I, the time to fess up was now.
“Iya,” I whispered between kisses. “I need to tell you something.”
“Hmm?” His kisses moved from my lips to my neck.
I closed my eyes and let the sensation soak into my body. I’d forgotten how intense the heat could get. I shoved the words from my mouth before I could scare myself.
“I . . . I love you.”
Iya’s head jerked back like I’d burnt him. His eyes bored holes into my soul. “Really?”
I blushed and ducked my head, tucking it against his chest. “Yeah.” Speaking was somehow easier when I didn’t have to look right at him. “My feelings have been getting stronger for a while now. We’ve got half our mission left to go. Just in case anything happens, I don’t want to regret not telling you.”
Gentle fingers under my chin raised my face. “We’ve done the dangerous part. You can relax.”
“You think telling the other demon lords about our bond will be smooth sailing?” I caught his gaze. “Or nothing can happen with Tezky? I’m taking your advice and not missing an opportunity.”
“Then this moment is the perfect one, is it?” His lips curved up as he asked this.
I kept my eyes locked on his. “I’m with a man I love. That’s enough.”
Iya’s next kiss contained so much heat I couldn’t be sure he wasn’t using magic. It melted me and bur
ned away any last hesitations. This time when my shirt disappeared, I did the same to his. Skin on skin brought up urgency rather than skittishness.
When his movements drew the first noise from me, he covered my lips with his. “People can still hear.”
From there, it became a challenge to kiss away the other’s indiscrete sounds, a task which grew more difficult as Iya demonstrated his skill and left us even more breathless. After he rolled to the pillow, spent, we had the new challenge of smothering our laughter.
He nipped at the nape of my neck. “I’m so glad this made you happy.” His tongue drew a shudder from me. “I love you, Livy.”
I kissed his shoulder, enjoying the sensation of his skin under my lips. “I love you, too.”
~ ~ ~
Two days later, Iya met me so we could greet the other demon lords. Tomi arrived first. He gave us a curt nod, and Iya put a finger to his lips. Tomi said nothing and walked away. Clearly, he still wasn’t happy about our union.
Drix arrived next. He had the largest distance to cover, coming from the far side of the Central Borderlands. We greeted each other warmly. Drix was about the age my father would be if he were still alive. Maybe that’s why I liked him so much. Or maybe it was because he was an ala; being a storm demon made him seem less threatening somehow. He had dark gray skin, and his black hair hid small, nub-like horns. Unlike akuma, he didn’t bother hiding his tail or the crow-like wings on his back.
The Lord High Governor arrived next. He gave me a hug and greeted Iya with a smile. Feéroi had smooth white hair which came to his shoulders and curled up at the ends. His wings were small translucent-green butterfly wings matching his antennae. He always wore a silk vest with a pocket-watch, and every time I saw him, Alice’s white rabbit came to mind.
Lord Feéroi was the king of fairy kind and the only fairy lord in the Borderlands. Because their population was too small to maintain a country, his predecessors set up rule over three transient demon territories, knitting the four districts into a single country. Usually, the ruling demon lords of the Central Borderlands came from a small class of demons, like Kessit. He was an asura. The ala and the asura both numbered too few to rule a country completely, too.
