“Then there will be a fight,” Gerard growled, leaning closer to the young woman, his face right in front of hers.
“You would endanger the lives of many for this one woman?”
“How is it any different than what your brother is doing?”
“My brother is an idiot. I thought more of you.”
Aurora was surprised to see the shame that crossed Gerard’s face before it was quickly erased again, replaced by determination. “I want her, Desi. Demons take what they want.”
“She will never want you back,” Desi snapped, stomping a foot on the ground. “She will hate you for the rest of your life if you try to force her into this.”
“Who cares?” a deep voice cut in. “She will learn her place, the same way you will someday, little sister.”
Aurora moved her head slightly, taking in the newcomer who stalked into the room. He was the cliché: tall, dark, and handsome. Dressed to kill in a dark suit and tie. Someone even she would give a second glance to in a crowd. She knew immediately who he was. The prince of demons who was after her sister. She would kill him before she let him anywhere near Mist.
Desi glared at him, and Aurora was shocked to see flames erupt around her body, seeming to lick over her skin. “I will kill any man who tries to force me into anything I don’t choose for myself,” she vowed, taking a step closer to Gerard. “You better watch out, cousin, because I am sure your witch feels the same.”
Cousin. Of course. That was why the other demons backed away from him in the cabin when he told them she was his, not forcing a claim of their own. He was royalty. Aurora breathed in deeply, struggling to calm her nerves. She could feel her strength returning and knew her time of silence was running out. It was time to insert herself into the conversation and find a way to get back to her bear.
Gathering her courage, Aurora slowly pushed herself up on the bed, swinging her legs over the side. Her eyes were glued to the woman in front of her as she rose to her feet. Desi was dangerous, but Aurora had a feeling she could become an ally. Not all demons were evil, right? Maybe this one would help her escape. Just because she was related to the two douchebags in front of her, didn’t mean she was like them.
“I’m sure Allister would be up to the task of teaching you your place.”
Allister? Aurora had no idea who that was, but by the scowl that crossed her face, Desi obviously did. And she wasn’t happy.
“Let him try,” the demoness snarled. “I’ll fry his ass!”
Shaking his head in exasperation, the prince turned toward Aurora. “I see you’re finally awake.” He had a cold, calculating look in his dark eyes, and she could see he was not one to cross. Unfortunately for him, she’d been up against numerous foes like him before. The ones who thought you needed to bow down to them and do their bidding, no matter what. He was going to find out quickly that she couldn’t be intimidated. Not by him. Not by anyone. When she didn’t respond, he got straight to the point. “Let me break it down for you. You have two choices. Your first one, you take me to the one you call Mist and you get to live out the rest of your days with Gerard.”
Aurora let her hands fall to her sides, spreading her fingers wide as she began calling her energy to her. She was still getting her bearings, but she could feel the power as it started to flow through her. “I’d rather die in the fiery pits of hell.”
The prince grinned, shrugging as he glanced over at Gerard. “She’s a feisty one, cousin.”
A cruel grin covered Gerard’s lips. “Just the way I like them.”
“I’m telling you, Gerard, she will hate you for the rest of your life. Is that what you want? To be loathed by the woman you are tied to forever?”
Gerard threw back his head and laughed, the sound like breaking glass, making a shudder run up her spine. “See, that’s your problem, little princess. You are assuming I want her forever.”
“But you said you were claiming her as your own?” Aurora read the confusion on the demoness’ face. Aurora had to admit, she was confused, too. She was under the impression that demons mated for life, the same as shifters. He only wanted a temporary mate?
“I may be claiming her as mine, but just for now. A year or two should be long enough.”
“Long enough for what?” Desi snapped, moving to stand closer to Aurora as if to protect her.
Gerard grinned, wagging his eyebrows at her. “To get tired of my new toy and move on, of course. Why would anyone want one mate, when they can have so many different women over the course of their life to make them happy?”
Desi’s hands clenched tightly into fists, bright orange and red flames sliding over every inch of her body, her eyes glowing with rage. “Is that what happened with Dani? And Sarah? What about Kendra? Chelsea? You forced them into a relationship and then cut them loose?”
“Get over it, Desi,” the prince snarled, waving a hand in her direction. “We are demons. We don’t play well with others.”
“Not true!” Desi cried, shaking her head. “I would never hurt someone like that. Never force them into…” she paused, her eyes opening wide. “Gerard, did you force them into more than just a relationship? Did you?” That was when Aurora realized that even though the young woman was a demon, she had the heart of an innocent. She couldn’t even bring herself to say the word she was trying to spit out.
“Don’t worry, Desi,” Gerard said, his lips curing up in a wicked grin, “they all learned to enjoy it in time.”
“You bastard!”
“Enough!”
Aurora jumped, taking a few steps to the side and then back, ending up tight against a wall when a huge, overbearing man appeared in the doorway, dwarfing it. She watched in shock when the others dropped to one knee, lowering their heads in deference.
“My Lord,” the prince said, but Aurora heard the derision in his tone. She glanced around quickly, but no one else seemed to. Or maybe it just wasn’t unusual? Aurora’s eyes widened, shock racing through her when it hit her that she was in the presence of the king of the demons. Power rolled off him in waves, as did anger.
“What is going on in here?”
“Nothing, Father,” the prince said, rising to his full height. “We were just talking.”
“Who is she?” The king demanded, pointing toward where Aurora stood, fearing her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. She had never met anyone who managed to put the amount of fear in her that this man did. She’d been wrong earlier. The king was very intimidating, and she wasn’t sure how she would stand up against him.
“She’s mine.” Gerard stepped forward, squaring his shoulders, holding his head high.
The king cocked his head to the side, a slight frown marring his forehead as he gazed at Aurora. “Does she know that?”
“Oh, she’s been told,” Desi said, rising and flouncing around her brother and cousin to stand by her father.
“Told?” The king thundered, his eyes darkening even more if that were possible. “Explain yourself, Desdemona. Now!”
“Gerard stole her, Daddy.” Desi looked up at the king, her face taking on the expression of a little girl, one who knew exactly how to wrap her father around her little finger. “He took her from her family. Her mate. Against her will.”
Aurora saw pure rage wash over the king’s face as his daughter’s words sank in, and he turned to Gerard, grinding out, “Is this true, Nephew? Did you bring this young woman here against her will?” When Gerard didn’t respond right away, the king roared, “What were you thinking?”
“We are demons, Father,” the prince said, defending his cousin. “It’s what we do. Take what we want, when we want.”
“No!” his father snarled, shaking his head. “We do not do things the way my predecessor did, Darius. You know this! I will not allow it!”
“Yes, Father.”
Darius’ words were laced with irritation and resentment, but the king must have chosen to ignore it, because he turned back to Aurora. “I do not approve of
the actions my son and nephew have taken.”
Aurora nodded slowly, her gaze raking over the man in front of her. Tall, broad shoulders, biceps bigger than her thighs. She swore his eyes flashed red before going back to the dark brown color they originally were. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. His nephew had kidnapped her, his son threatened her and was after her sister. The only sane one seemed to be the daughter. Maybe.
“You will be taken back to where you came from and let go.”
“No!” Gerard bit out, moving closer to her. “She stays with me.”
“Do you wish to cross your king, boy?” The king asked, his body beginning to shimmer and change, as if morphing into something else. His demon form.
Gerard’s gaze went from his king to her and back again. Licking his lips nervously, he shook his head. “No.”
“Desi will return her.”
“I will take her.”
“No, you will not go near her again!” the king growled, his body giving off a bright glow again. “You have done enough damage.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Aurora clenched her fists at her side, her nails digging into her palms, before asking, “What about my sister, King?”
“Your sister?”
“She is mine!” Darius cut in darkly. “No one will interfere with that. Not even my father.”
“She is your mate?” the king asked, watching his son closely.
“Yes.”
Before the king could reply, Aurora shook her head adamantly. “Not true, your highness. He’s lying.”
The king’s eyes went from his son to her, then he breathed in deeply. “Darius?”
“She belongs to me.”
“She belongs to someone in your line,” Aurora conceded, “but it is not you.”
The king froze, his gaze coming back to her, and she saw the faint surprise flit across his face. “You admit that she is the mate of one of my sons?”
“Yes, but she is not Darius’. My sister has foreseen it.”
The king nodded slowly, his eyes going back to his daughter. “You will take this woman home, Desdemona, while I deal with things here.”
“Aurora.”
“What?” the king asked absently.
“My name is Aurora. Aurora Lewellyn.”
A part of her wondered if she should have given them her full name, but they could easily figure it out on their own. Hell, Gerard probably already knew it. She wouldn’t put it past him. She was sure he knew everything he could about her by now.
“Aurora Lewellyn,” the king said thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side. “I knew a Lewellyn once. Years ago. What was her name?” He paused for a moment, then went on, “Kyla, I believe. She and her husband came looking for her mother a few years back. I don’t recall the mother’s name.”
Aurora took a step closer to him, her eyes shimmering with tears as she whispered, “Daniella.”
“Yes, that’s right. I was sorry to hear about what happened to them.”
“What happened?” When the king’s eyes narrowed on her, she admitted, “I just found out about my grandmother a few days ago. I was told my parents went looking for her. That there was a bond between my mother and grandmother that couldn’t be severed.” She knew what that was like now. She could feel Noah through their bond. He was like a bright light that was getting closer and closer. She knew what that meant. He was coming for her.
“Ah, yes. That makes sense.” The king nodded, his eyes clouding over. “They came to ask about her one day, the next they were gone. I’d never heard of your grandmother before. I’d just taken over as king a couple of months before and was still getting acclimated to everything and everyone in my kingdom. The king before me,” he shook his head, “he was exactly as the world perceives our kind. Mean, malicious, killing for the fun of it. I am still cleaning up his messes.”
“Do you know what happened to my parents?”
“My soldiers found them three days later at a cottage in the woods, just a few miles away. It appeared as if they’d been murdered, as were the couple they were with. Humans we allowed to stay in our territory.”
Even though Aurora had already known that would be the case, pain sliced through her, nearly bringing her to her knees. Desi rushed forward, sliding an arm around her waist, murmuring softly to her. Words of comfort she would never have associated with a demon before. It would seem they did have feelings and emotions after all.
Raising her tear-filled eyes to the king, she asked, “Do you know who killed them?”
He started to shake his head, but a deep, rough laugh skated around the room. “No, my father doesn’t know, but I do.”
Aurora’s eyes flew to Darius, and she demanded, “Who?”
“Me.”
Chapter Twelve
Darius’ admission tore a hole in Aurora’s heart. Agony washing over her at the thought of what her parents endured at the hands of the prince. She knew the kind of pain and destruction a demon could cause. He wouldn’t have ended it quickly. No, he would have drawn it out, playing with them. Torturing them until he finally tired of them and showed them mercy by ending their lives.
“Why?” she whispered in despair. “Why would you kill them? All they wanted to do was find my grandmother. They wouldn’t have hurt anyone.”
“My father likes to handle things with kid gloves,” Darius sneered. “Which is going to get him dethroned soon. I choose to be the demon I was born to be.”
“Do you think you are man enough to dethrone me, Son?” the king growled, putting a gentle hand on his daughter’s arm and guiding her over next to Aurora. “You are welcome to try anytime.”
“Let’s go,” Desi whispered, slipping her hand into Aurora’s. “This is going to get ugly.”
“No,” Aurora said, her eyes on Darius. “He hasn’t answered my question, yet.” Raising her voice, she demanded, “Why, Darius? Why did you kill them?”
A slow smile spread across his face as he said, “Because I could.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Darius threw his head back and laughed, evil radiating from him. “Wait until I tell you what I did to your grandmother when I found her.”
“No!” Aurora cried, raising her hand, a white ball of energy forming quickly in her palm. It was barely complete before she threw it in his direction.
His smile was replaced with a smirk as he easily sidestepped it. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
A loud roar filled the room, and Aurora gasped when the king began to change into his demon form. He was huge and just plain terrifying. She had to duck her head when bright flames appeared, surrounding him, a part of him, consuming him. Darius followed suit, morphing into the monster he was. She was vaguely aware of Gerard slinking toward the door, but she couldn’t take her eyes from the demons in front of her as they snarled enraged challenges back and forth. The prince was taking on the king, and she prayed to the Goddess that he lost. Otherwise, the world would fail to exist as they knew it. She had no doubt that the demons would eradicate everyone they came in contact with if his son were to become ruler.
“Aurora, now!” Desi insisted, curling a hand tightly around Aurora’s upper arm. The demoness was more powerful than Aurora anticipated, and soon she was standing outside, near a small body of water.
Glancing up, Aurora saw a large palace sitting on the edge of a cliff above her. “Oh, my Goddess,” she breathed. It was stunning. Something out of a storybook, all light grey brick with four tall towers. But this one wouldn’t be your typical fairytale. No, this one may have princes and princesses, but only of the demon variety.
“We need to get you home, Aurora,” Desi said, her eyes skating around the trees surrounding them. “Only, I don’t know where your home is.”
“I do.”
Aurora’s gaze swung to Gerard as he sauntered into the clearing, malicious intent rolling off him. Aurora froze when she saw he was follo
wed by at least ten men, if not more. Flames crackled around them as they morphed into demon form.
“Holy shit,” Aurora breathed in awe, wondering how she was supposed to take them all on. Four or five she could manage, but this many? Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and stepped forward, her hands held loosely at her sides. She would fight. Her mate would be there soon to help. He was so close. She could feel him.
“My father told you she is not to be harmed,” Desi said, taking up a protective stance next to her.
“Your father won’t be king much longer.”
“You are deranged,” Desi huffed, swinging her mass of curls over her shoulders and placing her hands on her hips.
“And you are nothing but a spoiled, delusional princess who needs to be taught a lesson,” Gerard sneered, his eyes raking over her. “Maybe, after I’m finished with the witch, I will be the one to teach it to you.”
“I will kill you if you lay a hand on me,” Desi promised, bringing herself to her full height as flames began to spread over her body again.
“I can’t wait to see you try,” Gerard said, licking his lips. “It’s always more fun when they fight.”
“You are a dead man,” Desi promised, holding her arms out and bracing her legs.
Aurora watched them closely, aware of the fact that her mate was finally there. She could feel him, the bond between them strung taunt.
Gerard chuckled, moving faster than Aurora would have thought possible. One moment he was on the edge of the forest, the next he was behind her, an arm around her waist, another with a knife to her throat. She gasped as the tip of it grazed her skin, and then dug slightly in. “We will play later, little princess. Right now, I have plans for my witch.” The blade dug in deeper as he lowered his lips to her ear and rasped, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
A loud roar split the air, and then Aurora heard her mate’s voice. “My witch.”
Noah burst from the trees, shredding his clothes as his bear took over. One second the man was there, then it was the beast. Aurora’s eyes widened when the huge brown blur sprang for them, and she blinked quickly, getting the hell out of the way. She materialized a few feet away from Desi just in time to see Noah plow into Gerard as he was changing to his demon form. Flames erupted around them, singeing Noah’s fur, but it didn’t stop him. There was a flurry of fangs and claws as he dug into the demon, bellowing in rage.
Accepting His Witch’s Sass (Sass And Growl Book 3) Page 9
