Chapter 9 Mari
Mari
The impression of the king’s—no, Demon’s—fingers pressing across my knuckles, stroking the underside of my wrist, lingering at the juncture of my fingers—had me barely holding my reactions to him at bay.
Not disgust, not indifference…those would be expected. No, it was the flushing heat from wherever he touched me, to the sudden awareness of how the satin and lace underthings slid across my inner thigh.
Wishing it was something else.
Then not snatching my hands back, that had taken every ounce of hard-earned control I’d acquired over the years.
Tulli’s words from earlier that morning whispered through me, encouraging me to entertain one of Rose House’s demon patrons.
The irritating reminder steeled my resolve.
Over my dead body. King or no.
“Briar Queen, my apologies.” Gabriel smiled and dipped his head, shocking me as much as his touch had, maybe more. “Tell me your concerns, I would hear them. Then I would speak of my own.”
I hadn’t meant to blurt out my fears of a monster stalking the realm. But at least if he knew, then if Tulli, Feather, and I had to leave before the killer was found, maybe he would do something about it?
One could hope.
“Two Doves have been killed within days of one another, Your Majesty. In the same manner as Jack the Ripper did over a hundred years ago.”
His eyebrows rose slowly. “And you are aware of Jack the Ripper, how?”
I frowned even though he could not see my eyes, he could see my mouth and my voice hardened as if I were lecturing a young nestling.
“I am not illiterate, Demon. And I once lived in the human realm, as did many of the Doves in their younger years.” For a moment, I flinched, wondering if I’d gone too far.
Usually, I was better at diplomacy, but between seeing Alethea and being here now, I found myself on the razor’s edge, taut as a bowstring ready to snap.
He held up both hands. “Peace, Briar, peace. I will double the guards. Luc, have that done, will you?”
“Yes, of course, sire,” Luc said as he strode from the room. “I will get Algrin on it, right now.”
He was gone and then it was only the new king, Gabriel, and me. Jeff was in a corner somewhere, but he would not rescue me if the king decided to punish me for my insolence.
The king’s eyes searched where my face would be.
“Why do you hide behind the hood?”
There it was—the question that always came and the one I preferred not to answer.
“I am a plain woman, with no real beauty. The Fallen, as you know, abhor anything that is not perfect—and my face is most certainly not perfect. Unlike some of my girls that I have trained, who are beautiful. Is that not why you asked for me? To choose a consort?”
I tried to swallow the sudden urge to yank off my ring and show him my real face.
Ridiculous.
“A consort?” He let out a harsh laugh. “Wish that I had the time for such a thing. No. I’m in search of a woman who holds the key to the future of this Territory.”
I held back a snort. “You expect me to believe you want me to find your Queen…among the Doves? Don’t be ridiculous, Demon.”
His cobalt eyes went stormy and his jaw flexed. In my exhaustion and the stress of the day, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had gone too far.
Instead of ripping into me at the insult, he spared a glance at Jeff.
“Leave us.”
Fucking hell.
Jeff scurried toward the door and it shut behind him with a loud click that seemed to reverberate through the room.
I resisted the urge to fidget as the demon king prowled toward me, stopping short just a few feet away.
I’d clocked how big he was the first time I laid eyes on him, but now, with him hulking over me, it was like standing before a brick wall. Waiting for him to break the silence became unbearable, and I found myself babbling.
“No insult meant, Demon, but you know it’s true.
This Dove would have a better chance staying alive at the hands of our Jack the Ripper over what would happen to her if you took her as your Queen.
” I wet my lips, and took a tiny step back, just for a little breathing room.
“You and I both know that your kind views humans the same way we view cockroaches. Both are a necessary part of the ecosystem, but there’s no harm done by squashing either when the situation calls for it. ”
I should’ve left it there. Should’ve ended on an apologetic note, but then I’d have been someone else entirely.
“The only difference is, we don’t fuck our cockroaches.”
If I could’ve snatched the words back, I would have.
But just when I was about to apologize yet again, he threw his head back and roared with laughter. For a brief moment, my knees went weak with relief. As he continued to laugh, though, my anger rose again in a hot wave.
“I’m glad you think it funny that your kind treats mine worse than dogs, but I assure you, it is not.
” I hated that my voice trembled, but at least it was with indignance rather than fear.
“Two women are dead, sire. Women who did nothing wrong…who didn’t even choose to be here.
They mattered. Maybe not to you, but to me. ”
His expression grew solemn and he raked a hand over his face with a heavy sigh, the laughter gone.
“Right again, Briar Queen. It’s not funny at all, and I assure you, I’m not taking the deaths lightly.
But as hard as this might be for you to believe, the woman I seek is necessary if I’m to save countless more lives.
” He paused, seeming to consider his words for a long moment before continuing.
“The human I seek possesses something that we need that will shape the future of both the Alpha Territories and the Human Realm. I cannot say more than that. I only even share this much so that you understand the seriousness of the task before you.”
I gnawed on my lower lip as a dozen questions invaded my brain at once. Knowing he was unlikely to answer them, I settled on the most important one.
“And if I find her for you…this Dove you seek? What then? Will taking whatever it is you need from her result in her death? Because I refuse—”
His eyes snapped blue flames as he slashed a hand between us.
“Enough, woman! I am your king, like it or not, and you will refuse me nothing!”
For the first time, I felt genuine fear. He was right. I was completely at his mercy. After years of playing the game so well, using charm and wit to ensure my time here was as painless as I could make it, why had I chosen now…with this male, the most powerful of all, to let my iron control slip?
I’d known it from the start. He was dangerous. Not because of what he might do to me, but because of what he made me feel. I bowed my head and lowered myself into a curtsey.
“I apologize, sire.”
The fire in his eyes left as quickly as it came and he tipped his head back to me in a curt nod as I stood once more.
“The woman I’m looking for is between the ages of 25 and 30. She had black or dark hair at some point, spent time in England, and likely possesses a magical ability that may or may not be latent at this time.”
I stared at him, mouth agape. “There are 500 Doves in The Spire. That description could fit a solid third of that number.”
Including me, Feather, and Tulli, if wigs counted, but I kept that to myself for the moment.
He shifted from foot to foot, suddenly restless. “She would’ve been present or near Stonehenge around the time the Veil fell.”
Alright, that was far more specific, and I let out a sigh of relief.
I’d never seen Stonehenge, except in a book, and the girls and I stuck together like glue back then, so if I hadn’t seen it, neither had they.
“That will narrow it down some for certain. Assuming, of course, they are willing to answer questions honestly,” I hedged dubiously.
I was well-respected, but most of the Doves had been raised by the streets. Trust was a rare commodity, and for good reason.
“Which is why I’m coming to you.” He stuffed a hand in his pocket before continuing. “You know the tremor last night that rippled through the rock?”
I’d felt the ground rumble under my feet a bit, but given everything else that had been going on, I’d barely given it any thought. “Yes?”
His firm lips were set in a grim line. “That’s just a taste of what’s coming. Things are about to get very bad for us. Both here and topside. We need to find this girl. Quickly.”
I wanted to tug the hood down so I could see him fully. Stare into the windows of his soul and read those thoughts. But something about the solemn expression on his face made it moot.
He might not be correct, or working with all the information, but whatever the case, he believed what he was saying.
Something terrible was coming that he believed a single woman could stave off.
And if it was enough to scare this demon king? It was enough to scare the shit out of me.
“I will help.” I cleared my throat and pressed on, knowing I had no real bargaining power.
“If you swear to put some manpower into finding the murderer on the loose.” I hesitated, skin still tingling from when he’d inspected my ring a few minutes earlier but then held out a hand. “Do we have a bargain, Demon?”
“Aye.” He clasped my hand, his dwarfing mine. “We do, Queen. You have one week to gather a comprehensive list of Doves who fit the profile, at which time, I will interrogate them myself to figure out which is the girl I’m looking for.”
“A week?” I drew my hand back and shook my head.
“That is more time than I have to give, truth be told. It’s non-negotiable.
” He turned back toward the mantel he seemed so enamored with, blocking the light and heat of the fire with his broad shoulders.
“I’ll expect you to report to me at the end of each day, no later than the dinner meal.
Of course, I will have a guard see you home after our meetings, and now as well. Thank you for your time.”
As if I’d had some choice in the matter.
I exited the room, only to find Harald just outside the door.
“Leaving now, ma’am? His Majesty mentioned earlier that I’m to walk you home.”
He’d asked Harald to walk me home, before he even knew that there was a killer on the loose.
I nodded, bristling at the swift dismissal. “Yes, thank you.”
I still had so many unanswered questions. Like, what the fuck was going on that could cause an earthquake that could potentially result in the end of the world? And what did a Dove have to do with stopping whatever terrible thing was coming?
But the new demon king had let me keep my secrets, and for the time being, I’d allow him to think I was returning the favor.
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat, wishing I could turn the clock back. Wishing I’d grabbed my girls and gotten out while I had the chance. Before this new mess had arrived on our literal doorstep.
Now, I was stuck. I had a murderer to catch, a girl to find, and a king to outwit.
Because come hell or highwater, I would be getting to the bottom of this—if anyone could dig a secret out, it was the Briar Queen.