Chapter 24 Bonds and Chains
BONDS AND CHAINS
Davarox
“Idon’t like this.”
Lazerath flashed Dav a frown, though the bastard was doing no better with his nerves. He hadn’t stopped bouncing his knee since they’d taken up post on this wall. It kept Rosalind in perfect sight where she sat at the table, an unnecessary number of columns and alcoves and bodies separating them.
“This demon has information that will help her proposal,” Laz said, sipping his wine as his eyes trailed a passing group of demons. “Don’t you want that?”
“Of course I do,” Dav hissed, ducking his head as he tried to blend into the wall.
No matter what corner of the mansion he found himself in—some noble’s party in a some founding village of Heck—he felt eyes on him.
It was ridiculous, really, but that didn’t stop the sickly attention from crawling over his skin.
“But you heard what Rose said about Ember’s trial. ”
Thank fuck Laz had been at city hall to bring her food yesterday.
Dav had kicked him out, partly to keep him from burning another batch of loaves as he waited to hear whether his brother could return to duty with the guard, mostly because Dav knew the air would do him good.
Except all it had done was put the red demon into another panic after Rosalind had learned of Ember’s presence in the building, which only stressed her out further as Laz ran off to find Severath.
It was just a mess, but during that mess, Rosalind had convinced herself that Tarzul was responsible for Elliran not coming to work, and maybe her disappearance entirely. Why else was the Horn so adamant about pinning everything on a human who had nothing to gain?
Which had only reminded Rosalind of her perceived failures back in the human realm to defend Ember, forcing her to throw her entire self into defending the other woman and investigate a missing demon who worked for an increasingly suspicious councilor.
So here they were, crashing a noble’s party because Mozke owed a favor to a friend of a friend who wanted a good look at one of those human women in exchange for information on bribes and funding to the Horn of Finance.
But if Elliran really was missing, and if Tarzul was responsible, there was no way Davarox was going to be letting Rose out of his sight.
Mozke let out a laugh across the room, the pale blue demon blending in effortlessly, though Dav supposed they were much more accustomed to events like these when it came to politics.
Even their partner, a broad-chested, giant gold demon in a tailored suit and not their glittery Serenity Storm attire, made looking casual its own statement.
Davarox knew why he stood out.
“Yes, I listened to what Rose told me about that shitshow,” Dav growled, crossing and uncrossing his arms. “It’s not that I don’t care about Elliran.
It’s that if Tarzul is responsible and so willing to make his assistant disappear, you think he won’t try something against Rose when she’s been a thorn in his side since she took that job? ”
“So that’s the real reason you’re here.” Laz poked Dav’s biceps. “You’re her big, bad bodyguard?”
Dav glared.
Laz only shrugged. “Whatever. It’s hot, is all I was going to say. Protective Dav is very attractive.”
Davarox shifted, maybe to subtly adjust his cock in his pants. Banter with Laz had always been easy, but with the new layer added to their friendship, he was discovering a lot about having to hide his arousal in public.
And maybe a customer had walked in right after Dav had released Laz from being pinned against the counter and promptly walked out. Davarox had starved himself of the red demon for over twenty-five years. He was allowed to live a little bit now.
At least, that was what he was trying to tell himself, but the distance he kept from the male now was another story. Laz didn’t see it, but Dav did. The eyes that held fear, the recoils when he moved in their space, the grimaces when he simply existed.
He was not welcome here. Never welcome here. And by association, anyone who stood a bit too close to him.
Lazerath let out a long breath, turning to face him. “Listen, I want to talk to you about something.”
Dav flashed him a look, even if most of his attention remained on Rosalind. “There are very few things you’ve never just come out and said to me. What is it?”
The red demon traced the rim of his wineglass. “Well, seeing Sev again yesterday with, you know—”
“His face.”
“Yes, his face. But there was no denying that terrified look in his eye when Ember was in trouble. And after, you know—”
“Our love confessions.”
“Yes, that. I don’t know. It really got me thinking back to my non-first-date thoughts with Rose.”
Dav raised a brow, giving Lazerath another fraction of his attention. “You want to put babies in Rosalind?”
“No, I mean yes. Definitely. Can you imagine how fucking adorable our little half-human, half-demon babies would be?”
Dav’s insides went cold.
“Anyway,” Laz said, waving off that thought like it was an easy thing to do. “I meant the soulbonding thing.”
Davarox disguised his cough with the back of his hand, wishing maybe he’d had a glass of wine to wet his throat. But Rosalind had accepted one earlier, and he wanted to make sure she felt safe, and no one around here would even offer him a water.
“You believe she’s your soulbonded?” he asked after he knew he could trust his voice.
“Sure,” Laz said, shifting again so he could see her across the room.
“I know Mozke told her a lot about demon culture, but I was thinking of just… running the idea by her, you know? Explaining it? I don’t know what humans believe and all, but I feel it.
” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I just sort of want that last bit out in the open. No more secrets.”
Dav remained silent, gaze shifting out of focus as the pit in his stomach grew. Or maybe it was in his chest, he didn’t fucking know anymore with his emotions so raw.
He blamed himself, for never really settling into them after Temptation.
He’d been so stressed he couldn’t sleep, thought admitting to Laz his feelings would be the end of it, but then there was love in return, and maybe if he just focused on that, only that, forever that… everything else would just disappear.
But darkness still twisted inside him, more obvious than ever. Right in the empty space where his magic might have sat if he hadn’t been born defective.
Tonight was just proof.
He didn’t belong here. His gray skin didn’t make him disappear in spaces like this; his gray skin made him a target. He was a place to focus their disgust, to get a snide comment in at his expense just for a laugh and acceptance among their peers.
While nobles were usually the more archaic and obvious about their dislike of his coloration, Dav had been subject to the more subtle avoidances every day for his entire life.
The demons who avoided his touch like he was diseased.
Who refused to set foot in Lovable Loaf like a cake he frosted might steal their magic.
Like it was Davarox’s fault.
A delicate touch pulled him out of his distraction, Rosalind brushing her fingers over his elbow. And he’d completely lost sight of her in his own misery, putting her in danger.
He spoke just as her mouth opened. “Everything go well?”
It took her a moment to respond, and Dav willed her all-seeing eyes to just ignore him this once.
“Sure,” she said, fingers slipping away and leaving him colder as she smoothed a hand over her silk dress. “They’re touring some trophy room now. I didn’t want to leave you, so Mozke will collect what I need. And they’re under a watchful eye.”
Davarox tried to hide the clench of his jaw, but he was grateful that Mozke was looking out for Rose when he couldn’t, and that someone was offering the same to them.
“Well,” Lazerath said, gesturing to the party. “We’re already here. We could dance.”
“You do know that’s not—” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, I don’t need to ask. Of course you know they’re not actually dancing down there.”
Davarox’s gaze fell to the crowd, one that he’d been too preoccupied to really focus on when he was concerned about Rose’s safety.
Over the strange platforms and different marble statues and columns with winding vines, the mix of demons were moving in what one would assume was a dance.
But if he looked closely, strained his ears over the melodies of voice and instrument, he could hear more.
The soft groans, the whispers of debauchery, the slip of hands over flesh and winding tails.
“What sort of party did Mozke bring you to?” Dav wondered aloud.
And maybe some part of him was curious if the same nobles who bribed corrupt councilors and voted for funding to be cut in places like the art district were also finding their way into Temptation or even a late night at Inferno to see Serenity perform.
“I don’t care what they’re doing,” Laz said, grabbing Rose’s hand and Dav’s sleeve before tugging them toward the throng. “We aren’t catering, and I just want a little bit of fun before we go home.”
Against Dav’s will, he was being dragged into the chaos. If Laz noticed the way others parted for them, he didn’t bring attention to it. Only found the location he wanted to stop and got his hands on Rosalind’s hips as fast as possible.
Dav enjoyed dancing, maybe not to the extent Laz did, but with the right number of drinks and a crowd of the right demons, he didn’t mind letting himself get lost in the movement.
But here, he felt stiff. He hovered too close to Rose’s back, kept his tail tight to his legs, shuffled instead of swayed to the music.
“Beautiful, can I ask you something?” Laz said over the noise, oblivious to the demons around them.
Rosalind’s skirt twirled at her ankles, arms resting on his shoulders to play with the ends of his hair. “If I’ve ever danced before? The answer is very little.”