Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2)

by Kiersten Fay

  Rex followed behind him, equally aggressive in form.

  The weapons that had been on her were now turned toward the demons.

  “Wait!” she called, rushing for Marik, her hands up in a calming gesture. “Marik. Stop.”

  He did, looking at her with dim confusion.

  What had happened to his face? It was slightly swollen, and his cheek and lip were cut. He scanned the room and let out a terrifying roar that, days ago, would have made her cower.

  Now she just snapped her fingers for his attention. “Focus.”

  Both he and Rex gaped at her.

  Nadua turned back to Cyrus and the armed men. “Cyrus, these are my demons. I mean...not my demons, my friends. I mean, they won’t hurt anyone.” She turned back to Marik and Rex. “Right?”

  Both gave halfhearted shrugs.

  She looked at Cyrus again. “But your people need to lower their weapons. Now.”

  “Do it,” Cyrus ordered.

  The Cyrellians glanced at each other and relaxed their stance.

  “Things have changed,” Cyrus observed. “Have we established a treaty with the demons?”

  “We? What do you mean by we? The kingdom? Or are you talking about the living?”

  “Nadua—”

  “No, I need to know.” She gestured to the room. “What happened to you? Are you allied with the rebels now?”

  “Of course not. How could you think that?”

  “Why have you not contacted me? Or Wren?”

  Cyrus ducked his gaze at that.

  Nadua gasped. “No...Wren knows? For how long?”

  “I wanted news of you, and little Avaline.”

  Nadua felt her lip quiver. “I took it all on when your brother died. The kingdom. Raising Ava. You could have been there, this whole time? I needed you!”

  Sorrow etched in his features. “From what I hear, you’ve been doing a wonderful job.”

  Tears fuzzed her vision. She marched forward, teeth clenched, and slapped him again. His entourage raised their weapons. Before Cyrus could wave them back, Marik had her behind him with a growl.

  “Marik, this is my business,” she snapped.

  “When it concerns your safety, it’s mine.”

  She pushed past him, and thankfully he did not try to stop her. “Well?” she said to Cyrus.

  Cyrus gave a heavy sigh and replied, “You look tired. And why are you such a mess?”

  Nadua looked down at her clothes, which were torn and stained from her travels. “It’s a long story.”

  He glanced at Rex and Marik. “Indeed. Well, so is mine. Allow me to provide you with lodgings and proper clothing. And I will have a warm meal prepared for you. Let us talk then.”

  Curious faces gazed down at them from the balcony. Most were dressed in the standard aristocratic garb, and held themselves with an elegance that reminded Nadua of the palace.

  “Who else is with you?” Cyrus asked.

  “It’s just us.”

  His brows shot up in surprise. “It’s just you three?”

  “Like I said, long story.”

  He motioned for a nearby female to approach. “Show them each to a room, please.”

  Marik wrapped his arm around Nadua’s waist and pulled her closer to him. “She stays with me.”

  Cyrus slanted a gaze at her.

  In a tone meant to pierce metal, she said, “He’ll forget he said that in a couple of minutes. Three rooms will be fine.”

  Marik gave her confident look that said, “There might be three, but we will be using two.”

  We’ll see about that.

  “Uh, very well then. Please follow Collet. She will show you the way.”

  Collet bowed, slipping nervous glances at the demons. “This way, please.” She started up the steps and glanced back as they followed.

  Marik was still rigid and giving off I-will-kill-everyone-here vibes. Rex moved cautiously, scanning the large room. He was obviously unnerved by their close proximity to these Cyrellians—some of which had probably fought against his people.

  “Cyrus is an old friend.” Nadua felt she should reassure them.

  Collet kept a few feet ahead and walked as though she were prepared to be tackled at any moment.

  “You trust him?” Marik sneered.

  “Yes, I do.”

  I did.

  She hoped he was still the person she once knew, but she couldn’t be sure. It had been such a long time since she’d seen his beautiful, crystal eyes.

  Questions pounded inside her head. Why did he leave so long ago and let her believe he had died? What was his purpose here?

  Please don’t let him be involved with the rebels.

  Seeing Cyrus had been more than a shock—it had jarred her to the core, rendering her breathless. She had rushed forward without thinking. Now she prayed she hadn’t just walked them into danger.

  Collet paused, gesturing to a door. “For the lady.” She moved to turn the heavy knob but jumped back when Marik approached. He burst through the door as if expecting an ambush on the other side.

  “Uh, thank you, Collet. You can just point to the other two if they are nearby.”

  Collet let out a relieved breath and indicated doors at the end of the hall. Nadua dismissed her.

  She turned to the demons and sighed. “Try not to scare the locals, boys. Oh, and Marik, your room is over there.”

  He snorted, ignoring where she pointed and advanced into her room. Nadua gave Rex a look beseeching him for help, but he shook his head.

  “There’s nothing that can make him leave your side right now, short of killing him.”

  “I suppose we should talk. Will you be alright by yourself?”

  Rex nodded. “These people have never hunted me like the others.”

  “Nice blanket!” Marik call from inside her room.

  Nadua poked in her head. A familiar looking blanket lay neatly across a high bed. She raised a dubious brow at Rex. His guilty smile nearly made her laugh. “You thieving demon.”

  After watching Rex enter his own room, Nadua took a calming breath and shut the door behind her. Small windows against the wall let soft light in, making the space surprisingly bright. The room was magnificent.

  Marik sprawled out on the bed, arms bent behind his head and a wicked grin on his face. His legs were crossed and his dirty boots hung off the edge of the mattress. He looked too sexy and, for a split second, she imagined straddling him there. Then her sanity returned.

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “What happened to your face?”

  “Rex.”

  The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was in the den of a prowling beast, and she wished it didn’t send a small thrill through her.

  I am angry with him, she reminded herself.

  “Rex told me what you did to me was against your people’s law.”

  He frowned. “Aye.”

  “And irreversible?”

  Losing all resemblance of humor, he repeated, “Aye.”

  After everything that had happened to her: being attacked, abducted, forced to travel the countryside on foot. Having the most erotic experience of her life, followed directly by the most devastating. Finding out that she’d been lied to by a dear old friend, as well as her oh-so-loyal captain of the guard. Nadua’s emotions were held together by a frayed thread of sheer determination.

  “How could you?”

  Marik’s lips thinned but he watched her with eyes full of regret.

  “Say something.”

  “I have no excuse. It was a huge mistake that I cannot undo.”

  “A mistake! No, this is a disaster!”

  He raked a hand down his face and mumbled, “Aye.”

  “Stop saying that!”

  “I don’t know what else to say. I never thought I would find my mate this way.”

  “I am not your mate.” She pointed to her neck that was now fully healed. “Orgasmic bite does not equal binding commitment.”<
br />
  “Orgasmic?”

  She pinned him with a hard glare.

  “I wish I could dismiss it as easily as you. But I can’t. Every fiber in me says you are my life now.”

  Nadua frowned. She opened her mouth to respond, but for a moment nothing would come out. Finally, she said, “I didn’t agree to this. You don’t own me, and I can be with anyone else if I want.”

  His features twisted with a mix of agony and anger. “You’d be risking the life of anyone that you show interest in. I won’t be able to help it.” His voice turned into a rumble. “To me, and to all other demons, you are mine.”

  Rendered speechless once more, Nadua began to pace. “There has to be a way to reverse this. The Serakians are old allies of my father, and their magic is great. I have no doubt that they can work a spell to fix this.”

  * * *

  Marik shot to his feet, alarmed by her words. Fix this? Like they were broken?

  “Is that really what you want?”

  She stilled. “Isn’t it what you want? You yourself said it was a mistake.”

  He did, but he meant the way it had happened. He’d bungled the claiming, but he couldn’t be more satisfied with his mate. She was powerful and sexy as hell. He enjoyed talking with her, and her lovely eyes commanded the beating of his heart.

  The Serakians are a secretive race, and little was known of them other than they were not borne. They were recruited from remarkable individuals found all over the universe. What Marik did know was that Nadua was right, they were renowned for their prowess with magic. If there was any way to affect the finality of demon mating, they would know if it.

  “Right?” She prompted. “You don’t actually...want me? Forever?”

  Keeping his voice steady, he replied, “Of course not.” Marik’s heart sank the moment her shoulders relaxed. Up until he had claimed her, Marik had been looking forward to the time they would spend together, not just on Undewla, but on Marada. Even though he hadn’t realized she was his mate, he’d been excited to have her to himself for as long as he could.

  Had she been imaging the opposite? Being away from him? With other males? Ethanule?

  Feeling himself slip toward the Edge, Marik lowered his eyes so she wouldn’t see them change and worked to pull himself under control. He should have realized early on that he was falling for her. Perhaps things would have gone differently if he had. Now he would need to woo her.

  But there were two problems. First, he’d never wooed anyone in his life. The second was his little problem of blacking out at the worst possible times. If he was going to make love to her again, he needed to be fully conscious.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  Nadua called, “Come in.”

  Collet eased the door open and peeked in. “Hello miss, I have clothing for you and your...male.”

  “He’s not my male,” she grumbled.

  Marik stifled a protest.

  “I can help you dress if you require assistance.” She held out a formal gown. The fabric looked beautiful and elegant, just like everything else in this place.

  At the woman’s question, Marik thought he noticed Nadua cringe and recalled that female garments could be difficult to get into, requiring a lot of touching. She had probably been burned many times by those who helped her in the past.

  “I’ll assist her.” He crossed to accept the clothes, forgetting that his eyes had reddened.

  The frightened girl backed up so fast she knocked into the wall.

  Nadua moved between them. “I’ll take the clothes. Thank you for—”

  Before Nadua had finished the sentence, the girl thrust the bundle at her and darted into the hallway.

  “You’re real good at making friends, aren’t you?” She separated the gown from the rest and tossed Marik his clothing. Then she ducked into the bathing room. “And I won’t be needing your help.”

  She slammed the door.

  * * *

  The gown was nice, but a bit old fashioned with its low cut and crisscross laces on the back of the bodice. She contorted her body for what felt like eternity, first trying to reach over her shoulder, then behind her back while bending forward. With a huff, Nadua admitted defeat.

  She poked her head out the door while holding the dress up at her breasts.

  Marik sat on the edge of the bed, already dressed in his new outfit. They’d guessed his size well. The dark top hung like a robe and flared at his midsection. Defining his waist was a strip of fabric that split in the front and was decorated by a pair of silver clasps. His dirty boots should have made the pristine black trousers look out of place, but on him it looked...sexy.

  Damn it.

  When he spotted her, he tried to hide his smile but it showed in his eyes.

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “I need you to tie the back of this.”

  Instead of making a snarky comment as she expected, he rose from the bed and made his way toward her as if trying not to seem too eager.

  Nadua gave him her back. A soft rumbling sound escaped him, followed by his finger running down her spine. She clenched her teeth to keep a shiver in check.

  “Just tie, no touching.”

  The gods knew what happened last time he touched her. And this time her body sprang to life at that tiny hint of contact, making her remember in perfect detail how his body slipped easily into hers, his hands running over her heated skin. She mentally shook herself.

  At the base of her back, he started pulling the strings taught, slowly moving his way up. Every now and again a finger would graze her flesh. She suspected on purpose, but it affected her nonetheless. When it happened again, just below her shoulder blades, she couldn’t prevent a small shudder of pleasure. He briefly paused, then continued.

  When he neared the top, Nadua lifted her hair out of the way. She felt a current of air brush her neck, as though his lips were close. She looked back and he gave her an innocent expression that screamed guilt. He was enjoying this way too much, and it was like sensual torture for her. And it wasn’t over.

  With the strings tight, he now had to do a second pass, and secure it with a knot at the bottom. Grinding her teeth, she remained still as he went even slower this time, having to slip his fingers under each crossing strand against her skin.

  Nadua gripped the fabric of the dress, convincing herself that she was doing a wonderful job of steadying her breath.

  Finally, the knot was tied. She turned and caught his eyes, glowing with barely contained passion. She gulped because she liked it. And so did her body. Way too much.

  “Thanks,” she choked out, and rushed back into the safety of the bathing room.

  * * *

  Marik shifted in his pants. Such a normal act had turned into something so damn erotic he couldn’t think straight. Each stolen touch had his shaft lengthening, growing hard as steel. He had hardly kept himself from pulling her to the bed, lifting her skirts, and working himself inside her.

  By her responses, he was sure she had felt it too. The scent of her arousal still mingled in the air. Just before she scurried away, her eyes had been heavy with lust and glossed with a sheen of iridescent sapphire.

  She still wants me.

  But she had practically dove to get away from him. It was going to take a long time for him to make things right between them, but he was up for the task. Time, he had. Patience, he could fake. Yet, becoming the man she deserved? To be worthy of her? He wondered if it were even possible.

  His thoughts turned dark as old memories assailed him. His sister, Misha. How she had begged him to save her. Shadowed glimpses of the arena, and the screams that still echoed in his mind. Losing himself to the pain of his later tortures, and selfishly enjoying the mindlessness it eventually brought. There wasn’t a moment in his life where he had proven his worth.

  But he was stronger now. Trained. Hardened. No longer the helpless young boy. For Nadua, he would prove himself. Every day if he had to.

  One thing was certai
n: she could never know of his past.

  Chapter 22

  Eventually, Nadua calmed enough to re-enter the room. Almost immediately, another knock at the door saved her from having to finish the conversation she’d started with Marik.

  A different woman stood on the other side, holding a small box. She was much older and tougher looking. Collet must have refused to return.

  Without invitation, the woman barged into the room, eying Marik as though she would put up a hell of a fight if he tried anything.

  Holding out the small box, she said, “Cyrus offers a gift to the lady.”

  Inside, a gorgeous necklace sparkled at her. Twisted silver vines wrapped around golden flowers, each with a different colored jewel at its center.

  Long ago, Nadua would describe the plants of her home to Cyrus and he would paint wonderful images based on her words. This looked straight out of one of his paintings.

  “Beautiful.” Her voice was breathless.

  The woman continued. “Cyrus requests that you wear this at the evening’s meal.”

  “When might that be?”

  “Soon. I will return for you when it is time.” Curling her lip, the woman added, “He says the demons are welcome as well.”

  Without taking her eyes from the gift, Nadua replied, “Thank you.” But the woman had gone. Throat tight, Nadua ran her fingers over the smooth metal.

  In a strange tone, Marik observed, “This makes you sad. Would you like me to destroy it?”

  She clutched it to her chest. “No! Why would I want that?”

  His only response was an irritated shrug.

  Was this jealousy? Marik saw her as belonging to him, which probably meant he didn’t like that another male had given her something so beautiful. Good thing he didn’t know how instantly dear it was to her. She slipped it on. The cool metal slowly warmed against her skin.

  Telling a demon to check his attitude was probably like telling a rock to speak up. Still, she asked, “Is this how you plan on acting from now on?”

  “Do you plan on wearing that from now on?”