Runes of Royalty: A Demon’s Fall Series: Book Four

by Bailey, G.

  "Queen Evelina," she bows to me and glances at Nix who stops by my side, holding his hand out.

  "I'm Nix," he introduces himself, and they shake hands.

  "We can go somewhere else if you like, but I thought you might like to help out today. We are short-staffed," Keira suggests. “I didn’t want to cancel on them.”

  "I'd love to. I used to rely on places like this as a kid," I explain to her as we walk to the tent, going in through the back. We pull on gloves as we look around the old, thrown together kitchen. The cooker looks like one of the first ever made in history, with more rust than actual metal. The cupboards are falling apart, only little tiny parts of them are painted to cover up the worst of it. There is a massive pile of dirty plates, not one bit of cutlery matches the others.

  "Can you cut the meat up into chunks for the stew, Nix? And Evie, would you wash up while I dry them as we talk?" Keira asks Nix, pointing at the fridge which is just as old and deteriorating. The door is taped shut to hold it in place by the looks of it. I meet Nix’s gaze for a second, and I see the same thing as I feel. Shame. Shame that anyone is treated so poorly. Demons are people, and this has to change.

  "Sure," I reply, following her over to the sink, as Nix goes over to try and open the fridge. I start washing a big red, chipped bowl out while looking back at Nix every so often to see him focused on his job.

  "You love the Protector, don't you?" Keira softly asks me.

  "I didn't think I could ever trust anyone to really fall in love with them, but here I am with three Protectors and a demon I'm in love with," I answer her more honestly than I intended.

  "I like how open you are. Honesty is a rare quality in a leader. Usually, they keep more secrets than one person should ever hold," she replies to me.

  "I'm not without my secrets,” I tell her.

  "I am sure you have plenty," she replies. "We all do."

  "What did you ask me here for?" I ask her, cutting to the point. “I doubt it was to find out all my secrets.”

  "The demon underground sees you as the leader—the queen—we have never had...but they want a promise of a future to fight for," she informs me. “You cannot ask them to die for you without something more.”

  "What kind of future do you think they will fight for?" I ask, interested.

  "It's not a hidden secret the Protectors have money, and even if the Protector city is destroyed, it can be rebuilt, re-warded as the perfect place of safety," she says. “Money is something we extremely struggle for. Even the basics are impossible to buy for us.”

  "They want me to move them into the city?" I ask.

  "More than that, they want to be seen as equal to the Protectors. That you are equally queen of both the Protectors and demons, and the laws apply to both. Demons will not fight next to Protectors if they are going to hunt them like they always have done when this is over," she says, locking her eyes with me as I hand her the wet bowl to dry. “They want to know life is more than this. That we can rise. That demons will rule.”

  "Then gather the demons for me tomorrow night. I will make it clear what they have to fight for," I reply. "I will put the word out for the Protectors to come too for a massive gathering. There must be a future at the end of all this."

  "The old motto of demons will rise seems to be coming true. I just hope that we don’t lose too much blood to get there,” she tells me.

  “I can’t promise anything to anyone right now,” I answer honestly.

  “I know,” she replies, eyeing the glowing stone resting above my top. “That glowing stone is a temporary fix.”

  “You know what the stone is?” I whisper, eyeing Nix behind us who is thankfully distracted as he talks to a demon who is making a stew.

  “Your secret is safe with me…but please make sure you are ready for when the stone fails and he can find us. We must know what is coming,” she implores me.

  “I will end him…one way or another, I will make sure he is gone,” I make a vow to her.

  “I don’t doubt it, Queen Evelina,” she says and rests her hand on my arm for a moment before letting go. “Let’s get this all done, and perhaps we can find you some bacon for lunch.” I shakily nod, filled with a nervous emotion I really hate as I pull my eyes back to Nix who looks so happy and relaxed as he laughs at something. At least I have these days with them.

  Chapter 12

  “Thank you for all your help, Queen Evelina and Nix,” Keira says, bowing her head at us as we step outside the tent. I really liked spending the day with Keira and helping out here. I found out so many demons are running here because Cex’s yellow demons are walking around the streets outside, looking for me, I’m guessing. It turns out there are far more demon children without parents than there ever has been due to the fighting and the destruction of the other demon undergrounds. Trex came to check on us half way through the day, and I sent him with orders for Keeper Grey to buy safe houses for the children and, well, anything they need. We have all this money, and it doesn’t make sense to not use it for something good.

  “No, thank you for letting us help. I would love to come back next week and help out again," I offer, knowing it could be one way to feel useful until we run out of time.

  "We both would," Nix says, and she smiles at us as Nix wraps an arm around my waist, and I rest myself into him. I was surprised how much Nix loved helping out today, laughing with the demons, and I even saw him helping an older demon pack a bag of food to take home.

  "I will see you both at the same time next week then," she replies before walking into the tent, and I look up at Nix, seeing him staring at me. Today has been eye opening but sad all the same. It’s hard to see my people still suffering and really having no major way to help them yet. They need a home, a real home that isn’t in the mud and made of old containers with many holes and rust.

  "Can we go and do something crazy? Something completely mad?" I ask him, not sure why I know I need to do something, anything to get my mind out of my gloomy thoughts of war and pain. “Somewhere away from here. I need a break.”

  "I have a perfect idea," Nix says and holds his hand out. A portal appears in front of us, and Nix grins at me, nodding his head towards it. "Let's go." I nod, happy that Nix just gets it, and if I could trust anyone to have fun with, it’s him. Nix walks me through the portal with him, which leads us out into a little village street where a black painted shop is in front of us with a big sign that flashes tattoos in the window. There are a few other stores, but as the sun sets in the sky, they are closing up shop. The street itself has a few cars that pass by, but overall it is quiet. I have no clue where we are though. I wasn’t expecting a tattoo shop to be where he took me, but I love the idea.

  "I like your plan, Nix," I say, squeezing his hand.

  "I like you and tattoos, love. If it isn't pretty obvious," he says with a smile as I run my eyes over the tattoos on his neck and lower arms that are visible. I've seen him without a shirt and know he is covered in tattoos all over his body. Nix walks ahead of me and pushes the door open, which rings a bell as we head into the room.

  "Nix, my man," a large, grey-haired human who is covered in tattoos states as he comes out of the back office. Nix lets go of my hand to give the human a manly hug, and they both laugh as the man looks over at me. "And with a new friend."

  "This is my girl, Evie. Evie, this is my manager and old friend, George," Nix introduces us, and I shake George’s hand before stepping back.

  "Manager?" I ask.

  "I own this tattoo shop, but George taught me how to do tattoos and everything really," he explains to me.

  "You have a natural talent, and I knew it the moment we met," George says. "Now, I was just about to close up shop for the weekend, but I can stay if you want? It’s been a long time since I saw you here."

  "No, I wanted the place to myself anyway, and you have a beautiful family to get back to. It's good to see you though," Nix replies.

  "Alright then. You should pop in more of
ten," he says, patting Nix's shoulder before Nix walks him to the door.

  “Go and have a look around, love, while I walk George to his car,” Nix suggests, and I wave goodbye to them both before looking for the door. I walk into the back room, seeing a tattoo chair, the needle and ink on a small table with sealed packets on the side on a counter. There is a wall near the door with dozens of pictures of tattoos, and each one is gorgeous and pretty amazing. There is everything from butterflies to famous celebrities done, and each one is extremely realistic, though it doesn’t surprise me. All of Nix’s tattoos are drawn and designed to be unique, and they really stand out.

  "Do you like them? I did a few," Nix says when he comes back and finds me looking at them.

  "I do...now what are you going to do on me?" I ask him, and he grins as he crosses his arms, running his eyes over me as he thinks about it.

  "How much do you trust me, love?" he asks.

  "Are you going to ask me to trust you to blind tattoo me?" I ask, and he smirks. I roll my eyes and walk over to the chair and sit down. I very slowly pull my top off, dropping it to the floor, and I see Nix's eyes widen before I lie face down on the chair.

  "Tattoo away. I trust you," I say to him when he is silent for a moment.

  "You always surprise me, Evie," Nix mutters, walking past me to get everything ready and trailing his fingers across my back as he passes.

  "I surprise you by trusting you?" I ask, curious about what he means.

  "Honestly, yes. I was a drunk, fuck up of a Protector when we met, and somehow you make me want to be better. You make life seem worth it again," he tells me, which in some ways is hard to hear. I hate that he thinks that way of himself, and I dislike that I can’t be certain of our future enough to tell him everything is going to be okay.

  "I never saw you like that...you were just lost because the world was cruel and heartless to you. It wasn't who you were, but more who you became to cope with life. Nix, you are incredible under all the pain," I say as he comes back over to me. Nix leans down, gently moves my hair to the side, and presses a kiss in the middle of the top of my back.

  “Incredible isn’t a word I’d use to describe myself,” he quietly says.

  “It’s a word I think suits you completely,” I reply. Nix gets to work, tattooing something near the top of my spine, and the pain isn't all that bad after a while.

  "I know my brother has already asked you this...but I want you as my mate as well," he randomly says, and I turn my head so I can see him a little bit in the corner of my eye. Nix is breathtakingly gorgeous, and I've always been so attracted to him. It's the black wavy hair, the mischievous glint in his eye, and the dark tattoos that suit his handsome body. It was almost like Nix was made for me in a way, he ticks all the boxes. Though it's more than that. We are both messed up by our families, our past, and yet we are fighting for a future with each other.

  "Before I answer, tell me what you think of about our future. Where do you see us in ten years?" I ask him. He flashes me a confused frown but tells me his answer anyway.

  "Honestly? I see us all living together, with you running circles around us and driving us crazy as you have always done. I see Hali dating some douchebag that breaks her heart, and us lot having to hold you down as you make a ploy to kill him. Then I see you sending Star after him anyway," he tells me, and I like his idea of our future already.

  "Star is a brilliant sidekick," I say, and he chuckles.

  "Mostly I see a future with us all together. I want you, us, you know? I want to sit in front of a fire, cuddling up to you while we laugh about something that happened that day. I want a normal future, at least as normal as we can get," he explains to me and sits back. "Your tattoo is all done." I sit up as Nix gets me two mirrors, handing me the first one and placing the other behind my back so I can see his work.

  "Nix, fucking hell, it's perfect. How do you know me so well?" I ask, eyeing the Celtic knot he has drawn. Inside the swirls is an H for Hali, because he knows she is like a child to me, and that is where you place your child’s initial for good luck. I remember seeing a woman in the Protector city bar with Nix, and we spoke about her own knot tattoo, and I said how much I would love one in the future. The fact Nix remembers that conversation after all this time says a lot about him. A lot about how he feels about me.

  "Because I love you. Even if you say no to being my mate, to being with me fully, or hell, if you don’t want to be with me at all...I will always love you from a distance. I know I don't deserve you, and hell, I don't think there is a single man on Earth that does...but if you agree to be mine, I will make sure I'm always a man you deserve," he explains to me and leans closer as I put the mirror down. I wrap my arms around Nix's shoulders as he puts his mirror on top of mine, and I slide my hands into his soft hair.

  "Nix, of course I will be your mate. I love you, and you have always been deserving of me and the whole entire world. You are far more perfect and awesome than you know," I tell him, needing him to feel that way about himself. I’ve never doubted that mating with Nix would be the perfect future for him and me. We are two halves to a whole, or whatever the saying is.

  "For a woman who says she doesn't like romance, you sure have a way with words, love," Nix tells me with a smirk on his lips, which disappears as nothing but sexual tension builds up between us. I don't know who moves first, but the next moment, Nix's lips are on mine, and my hands are ripping his shirt off. Nix groans as I undo his trousers, and he unclips my bra.

  "You are fucking gorgeous, love," Nix tells me, lowering his head and kissing down my chest until he finds one of my nipples. I moan as his skilled tongue teases my nipple. I lift Nix's head to my lips again, and Nix chuckles as I hurriedly push his trousers down his legs.

  "You’re in a rush, aren’t you?" he grumbles in a deeply sexy way.

  "I've wanted you since the day we met...so yes," I reply, and he smiles, lifting me on to the bed. Nix places the mirrors on the counter as I push my trousers and lacy underwear off, leaving myself naked on the tattoo table, with Nix's eyes greedily taking in all of me. "What are you waiting for?" I tease.

  "I'm committing this view of you into my memory for good," he tells me, climbing on to the table and pushing my legs apart as he lines himself up. I gasp, holding onto his shoulders as he slowly, deliberately slides inside of me and groans as he rests his head on my shoulder. "Fuck, you feel better than you look, and that's saying something." Nix grabs my hip, lifting my leg so he can slam in and out of me deeper, making me lose control with every perfect movement.

  "Come for me. I want to see you lose control. Like that time I saw you with Connor," he whispers into my ear before gently biting down on my neck. I cry out in uncontrollable pleasure as his words send me over the edge, and Nix thrusts into me two more times before finishing, too.

  "You like dirty talk then, huh?" I breathlessly ask. I didn’t know Nix had this side to him, but damn, I really like it.

  "And watching," he admits to me, and I grin. “Watching anything to do with you.”

  "I love you and your honesty," I say before lightly kissing him.

  "I wouldn't lie to you," he tells me and kisses me before he can see the guilt in my eyes. I'm lying to him every day, to all the men I say I love...and I know there is nothing I can do about it. I kiss Nix, letting myself be lost in him, in everything that makes me happy and complete. At least, for now, it will keep my guilt from swallowing me whole.

  Chapter 13

  "Are you sure you are ready to do this—alone? Protectors can be stubborn and act stupid in anger," Trex asks, his arms stubbornly crossed against his chest as he looks over at the crowd gathering around the highly raised platform in the clearing I chose to meet in just outside the demon underground. It is warded here, but it’s open enough that my voice will carry to everyone that has come. There are far more people here than I expected, and I’m wondering how they all fit in the demon underground to begin with. As I look around, you can clearly see the
people divided. There is a group of demons with a line of space between a big group of Protectors. Then there are mixtures of demons and Protectors gathering together in small groups, the ones that clearly are getting along anyways.

  "Demons even more so. There hasn't been a queen of Hell in five hundred years, so they have never had a leader. The queen of the demons is a title that has never existed until you, Vi," Azi reminds me of what I already know. The bloodline for the queens or kings of Hell died out centuries ago when the last heir was murdered. That is why Hell is in such a state, and no one will be able to fix that mess. I can lead the demons on Earth though, or at least I fully intend to unless someone tries to challenge me.

  I need to do this, to make a stand that no one else can do. We have too much to lose for me to run away like I usually do. I can’t be just the assassin I was. I have to act like a leader now and convince them there will be a future to fight for. I have this big speech in my mind, one I’ve gone over with my guys and Keeper Grey several times to make sure it sounds right. I glance at the keepers stood in a circle around the stage, protecting me and not letting anyone closer.

  "We should be up there with you," Connor mutters to me. Nix doesn't say anything, but I know he feels the same way. Hali just smiles at me, but her eyes don’t hide her worry.