“I’m here on invitation. Take it up with Aridon if you have a problem with it.”

“Maybe I will.” Clophas snarled, showing the full extent of his conical fangs and his face distorted into half cat. “Stay out of my way until then.”

Lita stayed still as she watched her antagonizer saunter away. Then she glanced at Taiken. His face had already gone back to normal. Blue eyes glaring after Clophas. As though just his eyes could push the other demon into leaving faster.

“Are you alright?”

He didn’t look at her. Still glaring after the other male.

“I’m fine!” she snapped. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

Taiken dragged his eyes back to her and gave her an incredulous look. “You’re mad at me?”

“I was handling it!”

“By doing what? Letting him touch you?”

“I have a Contract. He can’t hurt me.”

“There are plenty of things he could have done without actually hurting you.”

She wouldn’t argue about this. “You’re not my master anymore,” she snapped. “You have no right to interfere with anything in my life.”

He rubbed his forehead.

“You are such a stubborn ass, Lita. Can’t you just say, ‘Thank you, Taiken. I really appreciate that someone is decent enough to step into situations like this.’ Or something like that? Or maybe just a ‘thank you’? That’d be the polite thing to do.”

“Decent? You?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms. Saying nothing, he closed his eyes, and slowly breathed out. His face visibly calmed.

“I have a meeting to get to. Good day, miss Lita.”

Lita sighed and followed him into the main hall. Where she realized half the hall was watching the pillar. Flushing, she hurried to catch up to him.

“You don’t even know where you’re going,” she muttered.

“Do you?”

“I’m supposed to escort you.”

“Then get to it.”

He slowed down so he was a step or two behind her while she led him to the staircase.

When she was a child and traveled around the lake to the different villages and cities, she’d noticed that demons tended to live together and, whenever possible, touch their homes straight into the mountains.

She hadn’t found out why yet.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t build or maintain decent houses. They built places all the time on Contract for humans. And there were plenty of humans who’d accept a Contract that guaranteed their safety for taking care of those places.

If she had to make a guess, it was to be intimidating.

Whatever the case was, the floor for the demons’ personal rooms and demon guests, had almost no traffic compared to the rest of the building. It started on the outer wall where light was allowed in by the windows down a long hall. Then they dug further into the mountain along long hallways.

Most of the rooms were empty but kept clean anyway. Ready for the owner who lived in another city and Palace.

Some rooms were as small and sparse as Diana Veran kept her room.

Some of them had a couple of rooms attached.

And one, the one they turned down a couple of corridors to get to, was almost a wing by itself. With several rooms, all of which almost as big as the servant’s dining hall downstairs, as well as his own bathroom and smaller bedroom.

She stopped outside the square in the wall and knocked on the stone.

“Lita.”

“It might be a heartbeat,” she told him briskly. Without looking at him.

“Lita-”

“Watch your manners in there. The master was in a bad mood this morning and-”

“Lita!” Taiken interrupted by firmly grasping her elbow. She still refused to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

Bewildered, she finally faced him. Looked him in the eye. There was a time when those blue eyes would’ve been as comforting as Sheldon’s face. And would’ve sent her gossiping and giggling with the other girls.

Not anymore.

He lowered them, looking at the ground uncomfortably.

“For Kelly.”

The air froze and she balled her hands into fists.

“Yes. Because sorry can fix that.”

He winced.

“Just shut up. Or I might punch you.”

She turned her back on him, heart pounding and face reddening with anger. Sorry?! Did he really think sorry would fix anything? That wouldn’t change the nightmares. The heartache. The, the, well, all of it!

Voids him!

She gritted her teeth.

She was relieved when the doorway finally began to melt. Then blinked in surprise to find herself facing Diana Veran.

The demoness stared at her unblinkingly as Lita dipped into a bow.

“You’re dismissed,” Diana said coldly.

Thank the Void for that! She only had a twinge of regret as she took a step back. If she could’ve gone in, then she might’ve found something to report to the Chief.

With Nakos’ death on her mind, she didn’t want to be anywhere near Aridon.

“No,” someone drawled from inside. “Have the rat come in and serve the wine.”

All three of them stiffened. Lita’s heart pounded for different reasons. Reasons that made her stomach turn and her hands shake. Images of Nakos’ body flared up unbidden in her mind and she struggled not to heave.

Voids!

“I have other things I want my servant to be doing,” said Diana irritably, turning around to face the inner room.

“Humour me and spare her for thirty minutes.”

There was a tense silence as Diana stared down the demon Lita couldn’t see. Then her mistress sighed. “Both of you, inside.”

Dazed, Lita obediently stepped in after her mistress.

Diana closed the doorway, removing all chances of Lita escaping by a quick dash out. 

“The wine’s over there, human. Don’t spill any.”

Lita nodded numbly, waiting only a heartbeat to take in the room, watching Diana and Taiken approach Aridon.

The Brethren member was sitting at a low table, leaning forward with a smug smile on his face. Moving only his eyes, he suddenly looked at her. She stiffened and dropped her eyes in a hurry. Swallowing against heaves.

She heard the snake, the devil’s imp!, laugh.

Her steps were not steady as she hurried to the wall where a short bar and rack of goat skin bottles waited for her. There were a few glass bottles, but she ignored those.

Too easy to break.

***

“Did I say you could sit, unnatural?”

Taiken ignored the jab and sat down anyway. Crossing his arms and trying his hardest to pretend he wasn’t disturbed.

Voids him!

Leave it to Aridon to remember that Lita was once one of his. He had no doubt at all that that was the real reason the viper had kept Lita here. If he got angry enough, maybe he could at least overpower her scent.

Doubtful. With no airflow to push it away, her fear reeked and permeated the room like a rotting carcass.

So, distraction would be best.

He pulled out the letter he’d received yesterday and dropped it on the table.

“What the voids is this?”

“Language, boy. Didn’t your mother teach you better?”

Taiken stiffened. “Leave my mother out of this.”

“Temper. All I did was mention her and you’re already jumping down my throat.” Aridon smiled wickedly and leaned on his steepled fingers. “It must’ve been your father to teach you to refer to the Void so casually.”

Taiken gritted his teeth.

Voids it!

“Why is it you can’t leave them out of any discussion we have? Are you still hurt my mother chose someone else?”

That did it. The energy and scents shifted. He could hear liquid pouring somewhere behind him but he knew he’d gotten the old viper’s full attention. No matter how much Lita’s scent reminded them she was there, Aridon was no longer thinking about her.

For now.

The Brethren member’s face shifted subtly into something dog-like. Just hints around the eyes and nose as he narrowed his eyes.

“Cheryl was enslaved and confused.”

“Cheryl was in love,” Taiken shot back.

Aridon smiled and Taiken clenched his fists on his knees.

“I doubt it. More likely the bastard was just clever. Offer the wild demoness the one thing she wanted most desperately? Something no other male could give her? I can see why she’d accept a soul bond and settle down like an obedient puppy.”

“Enough.” Diana Veran rapped the table, calling the men’s attention.

Taiken winced. He’d forgotten she was there. It was almost hidden in the whirl of testosterone, fear, and anger, but he could smell the sour tinge of her pain.