Awakening the Demon's Queen (19 page)

“
Why can’t anything be easy,
demon?” Her head fell to his shoulder and she turned her face into
his neck instinctively. Slipped her arms around his neck and melted
him completely.

“
Because then it would not
matter as much, pet.” Rathan stroked the blonde hair that was
matted with sweat. He had already ordered a hot bath drawn for her,
and robes laid out. Robes that denoted her high position as his
mate.

Despite the events of the last few hours, a
part of him was filled with utter jubilance. She was his, in his
world, and in his home. And she would sleep in his arms.

“
I don’t think I can do much
more for Auri. It’s in the goddess’s hands. They are always in the
goddess’s hands, and she’s been remarkably inattentive
lately.”

He carried her into the suite, missing the
fanfare the moment deserved. But she did not need that. She needed
loved; someone to take the burden off her shoulders.

He had not realized only a few nights ago how
important to him she would be. Now she was everything; more so even
than his kingdom. More so than the spawn.

Demons did not find true mates, but every
once in a while, a pair of demons would find a tie so wondrous all
envied it. Lilith and her Lothan had had such a tie. His parents
had not. He now feared that he would soon feel that tie for this
delicate, yet stubborn creature in his arms.

Would she ever feel the same?

****

He helped her through her bath, surprised and
concerned at her lack of resistance. It took little prodding for
her to drink the juice he’d spiked with a strong dose of his
blood.

He had sent the maids eager to serve them
away and carried his woman to their bed. She looked so frail
against the purple and black silk that dominated the bed. So
ethereal. Like the angel he first thought she looked like.

Tonight she would rest; he would see to it.
Tomorrow was soon enough for her quest to resume.

****

He was called to the warrior woman’s room in
the middle of the night, brought by a rushed knock at the door and
a fearful explanation.

“
What is it? Is it Auri?
Belnus?” Kindara’s voice held her fear.

“
Your warrior friend sleeps,
though fitfully. And the male has wakened and eaten. He rests.”
Rathan hesitated.

“
What is it? There is
something you’re not telling me.” Kindara threw back the blankets
he’d so carefully tucked around her and stood quickly. “Tell
me!”

“
The girl
healer.”

“
Bronwen? What
happened?”

“
She has apparently been
taken.” Rathan did not understand it himself—unless he had a breach
in loyalty.

“
By what?”

“
We do not know, yet. We
have also had a report of a missing prisoner.”

“
A prisoner took Bronwen?
Who is he? Why was he a prisoner? Where would he take her? My gods,
she’ll be terrified! Do you demons always just take women when you
want them?”

“
I do not know about him.
Other than that he is the warrior king—one of them. There are two
of them, twins. He will be found; she will be found. I am sorry,
pet. This trip is not yielding the results I had hoped, and it is
only the first night.”

“
We have to find her, demon.
She is even more sheltered than my daughter. She has spent most of
her days in the lab studying. Out there,” Kindara waved a hand
toward the nearest window. “Out there she is helpless.”

“
We will find her. She will
not be harmed. He probably saw her and realized she was a
Dardaptoan healer and took her for the value she represents. Even
in our world where medical supplies are abundant, your kind are
valuable. Even more so that she is a young female. He probably just
took her. But he will protect her with everything he has. It is the
warrior way.”

“
You respect him, don’t you?
So why was he prisoner?”

“
Politics, pet. He
trespassed into lands that were not warrior. My people could not
let that pass. Let them get one foothold in, and they will demand
more. My people were holding him until I could speak with him on
the morn.”

“
Instead, he gets free and
takes her. Demon, does everything you touch turn to
hell?”

“
Fates conspiring to keep us
apart. Or gods and goddesses. I must deal with this escape and send
my people to find your friend.”

“
I need to be with Auri. And
need to tell Belnus. He and Bronwen are very close. Cousins through
the way. He will hold himself personally responsible.”

“
I am sorry.”

It was if the deities were against them.
Rathan was beginning to feel the same. Why did this have to happen
to the girl, now of all times? And to the warrior woman
Aureliana?

He had envisioned taking Kindara to his home,
and instilling her in his court, with a little lab in a tower for
her to do her research. He had not expected threats to her friends.
If the two other Dardaptoan women had now been fated to be injured
or taken, what was next? A threat to Kindara herself?

Rathan hurried her to Aureliana’s chambers,
stopping her just outside the door. “Do not speak of the spawn
yet.”

“
Why? Do you think there is
a threat? I won’t have the babe threatened here. I will take him or
her and return to my brother where he can keep us completely safe.
Tell me.”

“
I do not know the threat
level here. I am ashamed to say I half neglected my court chasing
down proof against my brother this last century. I do not fully
know the atmosphere here; yet. I will know more within a few hours.
I still must track down my niece Cerridwen. And my younger sister
Danae should be back by now, but is not. I will not stop until I
find them all.”

“
And the babe?”

“
I will take extra
precautions with your safety and the babe’s from here on out. You
know I would not have left you at ??? if I had known Renakletos
would harm you. Never would I cause you pain or damage. Or your
friends. I will make this up to you.”

“
Just see to it that you
find Bronwen. I will take care of Auri.”

****

He fought to contain the flames growing
within him. How dare they question his authority? “I am the king of
Demonkin or have you all forgotten that?”

“
Renakletos has ruled in
your stead for one hundred and nine years, Rathan. Now you have
returned and expect to just resume your reign? While we understand
what was happening, I am afraid the demon of our kingdom might not.
And you’ve brought back four of this strange race of beings. Our
people are bound to be questioning your decisions, your ability to
lead.”

“
Do you question,
Agmendias?”

“
Of course not. You and I
have been friends since the turn of the first century, Rathan. I
know you and your capabilities. If you say these people can benefit
ours, I believe you. But our people might not.”

“
Have they lost all loyalty
to their king, then? In a mere hundred years?”

“
Of course not. But there
are some factions who have managed to seed some doubt.” Phelius
cautioned him with both tone and expression. “Now that you have
returned, you can work to dispel those notions. In a few years you
can choose a mate, have an heir. Get the realm back on a more even
keel.”

“
That will be happening
shortly anyway.” Rathan threw his head back, exposing his horns in
full glory. He did not want to reveal it, but the time had come. He
was king and no one would question that again. “The healer Kindara
carries my spawn. She is my chosen mate. She is your
queen.”

“
That’s wonderful.” Phelius
smacked Rathan on the back. “You’ve waited long to find her. And
she is a remarkable female. You have my congratulations, both on
the mating and on the spawn.”

Rathan knew his cousin meant what he said.
Phelius was one of his most trusted friends. He was not the
betrayer. Rathan had unshakable confirmation of that. They had been
together in the month before the trouble—searching the uncharted
territories of a realm no peoples had even thought to name.

But it could have been one of the other three
men in the room. He looked at each of them to judge their reactions
to his news. But each was well over a thousand years old--some more
than three times that—and they hid their reactions well. Extremely
so.

“
When can we expect the
arrival of the heir?” Agmendias asked, once the felicitations were
over.

“
Sometime in the summer. I
am not sure of the Dardaptoan race’s reproductive requirements.”
Rathan made a note to study everything he could find on Dardaptoan
birth. He would do what was necessary. He would set Phelius the
task of studying the Dardaptoans, while Kindara worked the task of
studying the demons.

“
Excellent. So you will be
filling your court and calling your first session within the week?”
Agmendias nodded his approval.

“
Provided all goes well with
my mate’s kin. And we find the missing girl healer.” Rathan glared
at the older male. In his stead, Agmendias had been charged with
keeping the peace between the two Kinds. It was abjectly clear that
he had failed in that duty. “I also aim to find out why one of the
warrior twin kings was held in my castle for more than a fortnight.
We are allies with the warriors. A trust we cannot afford to have
destroyed. I will be sending an envoy to their castle forthwith to
convey my apologies and gifts of reparations.”

Chapter
Twenty-One

“
Have you found her yet?”
Kindara met the demon at the door to the suite one of the maids had
led her back to. She knew it had to be the demon’s. It smelled like
him, and was decorated in bold colors that reminded her of
him.

“
We are looking, my love. I
will be sending an envoy in moments. I just need to decide whom I
trust the most to handle these negotiations diplomatically. My
sister…was last seen in this warrior king’s hall.”

“
Did he take her,
too?”

“
He or his brother. Danae
was sent on a mission two days ago. She should have contacted me or
Phelius. Or Ren. And has not. I wait two more days for word from
her. But your Bronwen, the story is different. She can be purchased
back or taken. Honor demands they not just release her. Any more
than I would have been able to release the warrior king without
some type of compensation.”

“
You trade in prisoners? In
people? Is that why your brother has still not left in search of
his daughter? You will trade her back to him later?”

“
It’s not as barbaric as
you’re making it. Tell me, how is the warrior woman?” He led her
into the suite, guiding her to the small couch beneath the first of
six large bay windows.

“
Improved. So far as we can
tell. There are no signs of infection and the skin around the
injuries is looking better. But she still hasn’t wakened.” Her
puzzlement was clear for him to hear in her words.

“
But she is healing. Mayhap
she has been granted rest from your goddess.” He sank down beside
her and pulled her closer. He rubbed a hand up her spine and down
again, the gesture meant to relax and sooth.

“
I think it best she stays
unconscious. For her sake, and because once she learns of Bronwen,
she will fight to find her. Auri needs to be kept calm and quiet so
that she has a better chance of healing.” She relaxed against him,
her movements stating that she wanted his comfort and that she felt
comfortable with him.

The ease with which she accepted him and his
touch thrilled him. Soon, she would see him as an integral part of
her life.

“
We will retrieve your
healer and my sister while Aureliana rests. I will send Phelius. He
can speak with the healers of the warrior kind while he is there.
He has compiled books of all the healing skills of our people for
you to read. To study. You can do that at the warrior woman’s
side.” Safe, in his keeping, while he set about restoring his
reign. He had much to do; and he did not trust her safety to those
around him.

Had he suspected his realm was in such
disarray he would have insisted she stay at her brother’s side.
Now, even if he sent her back to her world, she faced danger.
Demons could enter her realm at will with just a few simple words
to open a portal, even inside her king’s home. It would be nothing
to just open the portal, take her, and disappear into one of the
seven realms forever. Take her and the spawn away from him.

It would devastate him to lose her. To lose
their spawn.

His arms tightened around her.

“
What is it?” She tilted her
head up, looking out of tired, worried gold eyes. “What else is the
matter?”

“
I am so very sorry for all
that has happened.” He brushed a kiss against her forehead. She did
not pull away from him. “I thought Relaklonos would be safe for you
and your friends; instead it poses more danger than Colorado. I can
promise you that it will not be this way forever. I will flush out
the traitor amongst my court and provide you and our spawn—our
babe—a safe and beautiful home.”

She stilled. “This is not my home, demon. My
stay here is temporary. You know that.”