Things Forbidden (7 page)

“I am never wrong,” Paris said.  He was
careful
with his words.  Jackson was very good at
sniffing out lies
.  That was one of the reasons he liked having him around,
except when he was the one being questioned.
  He wasn’t technically lying.  He had assessed her, and he was correct.  She was definitely an Untouched.  He had known the consequences at the time, and hadn’t really though
t too much about it at the time.  His mind was occupied with more carnal thoughts
. 
But h
e was
now
starting to realize the amount of trouble he could
possibly be in
.  Especially if anyone decided to do any digging and found out
this was, in fact, her first contract.  General Agents were strictly forbidden from offering a first-time contract.  Special Agents, with a more accommodating nature, were the only ones that could make a first time deal.  Clients needed to be taught protocol.  It was beneficial for future contracts that they understand the process.  It actually worked to prevent a lot of the mistakes the girl had already made. 

“She is rather attractive for a human,” Jackson said, watching his friend closely for a reaction.  It was one thing if Paris was just breaking the rules to gain a lucrative contract.  Because of
who
Jackson’s father was, he knew it was not uncommon for demons to break this rule.  But
if there was something more, i
f Paris saw the girl as more than just a client, that meant big trouble.  Mating between h
umans and demons were condemnable
.  It was unthinkable, and Jackson fe
lt bad immediately for having to ask
such a thing of his friend.

“I suppose she is,” Paris said.
  He kn
ew exactly what his friend was getting at
.
 
“If you’re into humans.”

“Are you?” Jackson asked him point blank.  It was an insult, a slap in the face.  And Jackson knew he risked facing Paris’ wrath.  But he had to ask it. 

“That’s a r
idiculous question,” Paris said, not ready to face the truth for
himself
.

“And you are avoiding the question,” Jackson fired back at him.
  He wasn’t going to let this go.  He had to know if Paris was about to make a terrible mistake. 

“Because it is an absurd assumption,” Paris said.  He maintained his cool exterior, but inside he was boiling.  He wanted to rip Jackson’s throat out, but at the same time he knew that would be entirely hypocritical
of him.  He had to face the truth.  H
e apparently was in
to humans. 
T
his one at least.
 

Chapter Thirteen

“I get
a new slave for a mating gift,” Salem
said, bragging
to the ladies of the court that followed constantly on her heels.  She fanned herself with the folding fan that she liked to carry with her everywhere.  It w
asn’t that the room was hot, it was just
she was so fat that every room felt hot to her.  “The st
upid little thing tried to breach contract with
Paris.”

“How exciting,” Athena, one of her reluctant minions, said, trying to sound interested. 
She flicked a lock of long red hair over her shoulder.
“You are the envy of all the court.”

Athena shared a look with the other ladies, who all new that wasn’t even close to true.  No one envied Salem for anything.  And if she honestly thought that Paris was going to go through with the mating, she was delusional.  Everyone but her knew he was only going along so as not to suffer the anger of the Grand Elder.  He’d almost certainly find a way to wiggle out of this.  He was very cunning.  Her mind wandered to the night she had spent with Paris, not so long ago.  He had a salacious reputation for a reason, and he had certainly lived up to it.  It would be such a shame if he suddenly became tied to such an unworthy creature like Salem. 

“She’s a young o
ne too,” Salem continued
,
cheerfully
unaware that nobody really cared about what she was saying. 

“Paris always did get the most lucrative contracts,” Athena said, doing her best to carry on the forced conversation.

“Yes,” Salem said, “He does.  You really should see this one.  She is quite exceptional.”

“I’m sure,” Athena said
,
a far-away look in her eyes as thoughts of
her one glorious night with
Paris occupied her attention.

“You don’t believe me,” Salem said, mistaking the look f
or boredom.  “I will show her t
o you.”

Salem stomped across the crowded room of demonic royalty and high society.  All eyes were on her as she approached her soon to be mate
with a scowl on her
face. 

“I want her here.  Now,” Salem said, putting her hands on a roll of fat where her hips should be.  “Go get her.”

“My dear,” Paris said, trying with all his strength to maintain his charm.  He couldn’t take this much longer.  He would rather just off himself than actually have to mate this creature.  His time was running out to find a solution and he was beginning to realize death may be his only way out.  “I do not believe this is the place for a human.”

“This is my party,” Salem hissed at him through her gnarled teeth.  “And I want her here.
Now.”

“Very well,” Paris said, forcing a smile.  “If that is what you wish.  I will have her make a brief appearance.”

“No,” Salem said.  “I want her to stay.  I
want her to learn her place.  I want her to see the magnificence of my father’s palace
.”

“Whatever you like,” Paris said.  He wondered how the Grand Elder put up with such a demanding creature for as long as he had.  It was absolutely exhausting. 

“And have her dress appropriately,” Salem said.  “I don’t want her ruining my party with her plainness.” 

Paris disappeared from the room before she could say anything more.  He really did not need to be parading an illegitimate contract before the entire royal court, but he didn’t really have much of a choice.  He hoped the girl would be cooperative, but he knew that was just wishful thinking.  This situation had gone fr
om bad, to worse, to all hell
about to break loose.  

#

He should have expected this.   He hadn’t, he didn’t know why.  But there she was. 
In his personal library, reading from a book that no human should ever see.
  Paris really wanted to be mad
at
himself
.
  What started out as such innocent curiosity had turned into a complete mess for him. 

“This is a very informative book,” Zoe said, a smirk on her face, as she looked up at Paris.  She had learned a lot in the hours that he had left her alone here. 

“That book is not
meant
for you
r eyes
,” Paris said.  His voice was firm, but still kind.  He really couldn’t fault her for a mistake that he had made.  He had been making a lot of mistakes lately when it came to this girl.  He
wondered if it had any
thing to do with the fact that she was Untouched. 

“I can see why,” Zoe said, continuing to read from it.  “How’s your fiancé
?
”

She had meant it to be a jab, but Paris could hear the jealousy in her voice and he found it rather pleased him.

“She is demanding your presence,” Paris said.  “You must change.”

“Change?”
Zoe said, her e
yebrows scrunching together. 
“Into what
?”

“There is a dress in the spare bedr
oom.  I believe it will fit you
,
”
Paris said, eyeing her torn jeans paired
with dingy old flip flops with disdain
.
 
 

“How do you know what size I wear,” Zoe s
aid as she stood from the desk.  She put a balled fist on the curve of her hip, as she cocked her neck slightly.
“I have a unique fit.”

“I’m very familiar with the female form,” Paris said, unable to hide his playful smirk.

Zoe’s cheeks burned red
hot as his eyes roamed her curves
,
devouring every perfect swell.  He pulled
in his bottom lip, biting it lightly.  She thought she was going to faint from the pure seduction of the whole thing.  She took a deep breath, pushing out the naughty thoughts that were beginning to invade her mind.

“Fine,” she said.  “I’ll go try it on.
  But stop looking at me like that.”

The dress
was the most gorgeous piece of clothing she had ever seen, mad
e of a deep blue silk.  It
fit her perfectly, as Paris was so
annoyingly certain it would, but s
he felt like she didn’t belong in it.  It was just too fancy, probably cost a fortune, and Zoe had never been anywhere that would require such a dress.  The neckline plunged to her bellybutton, and a slit ran all the way to the top of her thigh, with thin straps that ran over her shoulder.  She couldn’t quite reach to get the short zipper in the back that would
help the dress to
hu
g her body
. 

The breath
almost
stuck in Paris’ throat as
she
emerged from the room, holding the dress he had handpicked to herself.  It fit her even better than he had imagined it would, and he couldn’t help his desire from rising.  She was stunning. 

“I can’t reach the zip
per,” she said, trying to avoid the
hungry stare in his eyes.

“Come here,” he said.  She complied, turning her back to him so he could fix the zipper.  He put his hands on her shoulders when he was finished.  There was no way he could sufficiently prepare her for what she was about to be brought into.  Demon society was difficult for even Paris to navigate.  One slip up and they would eat her alive.  They were ruthless, cunning, and had been around for centuries, doing what they did.  Although he had duties within the court that he could not abandon, he had done his best to distance himself from such things.

“The royal protocol is very strict,” Paris said, t
urning her around to face him
.  “I unfortunately don’t
have time to teach
you
anything
.  Just stay quiet, keep your head down, and do exactly as you are told.”

“Why
are you doing this
?” Zoe asked.  He could see the fear in her big blue eyes, could smell the fear in her aura.  He wished more than anything that he could take that fear away.  He was starting to lose faith in his own ability to rectify this situation, the further he got into it. 

“I have to,” he said, “her father is more powerful than I am able to oppose.
  I must do as she says, for now.
”

“You don’t want to marry her?” Zoe asked.  There was a small amount of hope in her words, and Paris found it strangely endearing. 

“Of course not,” he
said.  For her to even think such a thing was absurd.  “We have to go now.”

“Ok
,” she said with a heavy breath.
  “I’m ready.”
 

Chapter Fourteen

There was no way Zoe could have ever been prepared for what she was thrust into.  In the blink of an eye, she found herself in a large ballroom, the walls covered entirely in mirrors.  The room was lit with a multitude of candles that seemed to float unattached around the room, like magic.  The beauty of the room was marred by the hundreds of frightening characters that occupied the room, all with eyes on her. 

“W
here am I?” she asked in a whisper as she tried to calm her rapidly increasing pulse
.

“This is the Grand Elder’s palace,” Paris said, “Only a very select few humans have ever had the privilege of being here.  None of them lived to tell about it.”

“
Great,” Zoe said, shooting Paris an uneasy look
.

“Just do as you are told, and you will be fine, human,” Athena said, coming up beside her.  She gave Paris a coy smile, hoping to get his attention. 

“Where is she?” Paris asked, noticing the rather pleasant absence of his fiancé. 

“With her father, I believe,” Athena said.  She ran
a hand through Zoe’s soft yellow
hair, inspecting her.  “She did not mention how pretty this one was.”

Zoe eyed the b
eautiful
demoness with extreme caution.  She had even more mischief in her eyes than Paris
, and that really made her nervous
.  She was in some hot water here, and she would definitely need to watch her step.