Conversations dried up, and movement slowed. I wiped my blade on the demon’s socks, which he was still wearing, before putting it away. The seat was clear of gross things, so I gingerly sat.
“What’s up?” I asked Hadriel, who was still crouching on the chair.
He let out a breath and slowly stepped down before sitting. I was sure his ass crack was touching upholstery. It made me rethink my current seat.
“Listen…” Hadriel leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “I’m sure by now you know that demons and shifters are like oil and water. We aren’t much alike. The demon king thinks he’s got us all figured out. Including the master. You need to make sure you give him some surprises. Now, let’s talk about the end game and find a way to it. There’s a reason they won’t let me play chess anymore, and it isn’t because I got drunk that one time and tried to shove a queen up Cecil’s ass. He was cheating, though. He deserved it. No, the reason no one will play with me is because I am excellent at it. It was my mom’s favorite game, she taught me well, and I’ve been a die-hard ever since. I’m good at strategy. I’m also incredibly good at puzzles, as you know. So hit me. What is your plan?”
Later that night, I staggered up to the tower. My stomach was twisting and my knees were weak. I’d spent too long in that room with all the sexy demon magic. I should’ve taken the draught so it didn’t affect me. As it was, it had gotten bad enough that I needed to leave so I could purge my stomach.
Halfway up the third flight of stairs, I stalled against the railing, struggling to keep the bile from evacuating. I heard footsteps and recognized Nyfain’s delicious smell before his strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me in close.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, carrying me the rest of the way. “Are you okay?”
I breathed deeply and leaned my face against his neck. “Demon lust magic. It’s…” I pushed my fingers to my lips and struggled to get out of his grasp. “Going to vomit.”
He hurried me into the washroom and bent me over the basin in the corner, thankfully empty and clean. My stomach convulsed and my back arched as I purged. My disheveled hair was gently scooped up from around my face, held back behind my head. Nyfain knelt next to me and rubbed my back with his free hand.
My stomach heaved again, and I gripped the edges of the basin as sweat covered my forehead. Comfort and support radiated through my bond with him. After the third time, I sagged and moved my face to rest on my arm, breathing fast and shallow.
“Water?” Nyfain whispered. He smoothed my hair to the side.
“Yes, please.”
A moment later he handed me a glass and sat beside me, pulling me against him.
“Had a great time, huh?” he asked, stroking my shoulder with his thumb. I didn’t miss the anxiety in his tone.
“I can’t stand that lust magic.” I shuddered. “The whole room was stuffed with it.”
I put the glass on the floor and breathed in his scent, closing my eyes. The waves of nausea subsided.
“Have you been up here all night?” I asked weakly.
He lifted me up and took me to bed, stripping me of my weapons and clothes. I still needed to retrieve that one throwing knife from the grand ballroom, but I’d collected everything else. He tucked me into bed and a moment later joined me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close.
“No. I was outside for a while, on hand in case you needed me. It seems you didn’t, though. You handled a group of seven pretty powerful demons at one time on your own.”
“How’d you know?”
“Everyone was sober tonight. I heard the full account.” Pride rang through the bond.
I curled into him, my talk with Hadriel still fresh on my mind. “Dolion wants to meet us for dinner tomorrow. He wants to chat.”
“I heard that, too.”
I nodded and curled my lips under. A tear streaked across my face.
The way forward was clear, but I didn’t know if I had the strength to start the journey.
Twenty-Six
I wore my fine shirt and trousers because I didn’t know how dinner was going to go down. I wanted to be prepared to fight if I had to. Nyfain had dressed in a suit, but when he saw me, he turned around and came back in a button-up shirt and slacks. He was very conscious about dressing to match me. Clearly it was something nobles did.
We walked down the stairs and quiet corridor in silence, hand in hand. His demeanor was stoic and the bond was on fire with all his raging emotions. His dragon was clearly riding him hard. I didn’t ask about what. I assumed I probably knew.