Claimed by a Demon King (25 page)

The trees resembled tall pines. They towered high on the hills, swaying in the breeze, shadowy and grim against their equally shadowy and grim backdrop.

She was beginning to miss blue skies and stars, but she felt no pressing need to leave this strange realm yet.

It fascinated her.

The pines were darker than those in her world. A product of their environment?

The wind came again, tousling her ponytail, and she tucked a few rogue strands back in place and surveyed the landscape surrounding her. She wanted to see more of this weird new world.

She couldn’t fathom where this world was in comparison with hers and didn’t want to think that it might really be beneath the mortal one, within the planet. It freaked her out whenever she contemplated it. Loren had told her that it was in a way, but not in others. That it existed on a different plane from her world but was connected to it via a series of pathways, and was beneath her world but not at the same time.

It was a mind fuck.

Sable frowned at her feet. There was grass. She scuffed it with her boots, amazed by it. Like the pines, it was darker than the grass in her world, verging on black. But it was definitely grass.

“Is it still bothering you?” Loren said beside her.

She turned her frown on him. “The grass?”

His black eyebrows knitted to mirror her expression. “No. Your wrist.”

He nodded towards it and she realised that she had been rubbing the leather cuff around it while walking.

Sable shook her head and then admitted, “A little.”

She followed the party up an incline, heading towards the treeline, and held her wrist. The urge to tell Loren about what had happened welled up within her and she squashed it, fearing the questions he would ask if she said anything.

Her gaze sought Thorne. He led the pack again, speaking with Kincaid. He fell quiet and looked over his shoulder at her, his crimson eyes questioning as he frowned. She smiled to alleviate his concern but he didn’t go back to speaking with the werewolf leader. His gaze held hers and then fell, following her arm to her hand where it clutched her wrist.

He stopped and turned back and she shook her head and let go of her wrist, afraid he would come to her and make a fuss of her in front of the others. It would only lead to questions and she wanted to avoid them for as long as she could.

He hesitated, the soft look in his eyes telling her that he wanted to ignore her request and come to her anyway, and then heaved a sigh and continued up the hill, entering the forest with Kincaid at his side. Grave looked back at her, his icy eyes locking on hers, a calculating edge to them. He said something to Bleu.

Bleu instantly teleported.

Grave grinned.

Bastard.

He was trying to stir up trouble again.

Bleu reappeared right in front of her and she had to stop dead in her tracks to avoid colliding with him.

“Are you unwell?” he rushed out, concern warming his purple eyes as he ran them over her.

“I’m fine. The bloodsucker is just yanking your chain.” But it was nice that Bleu had come running the moment he thought there was something wrong with her.

Sable frowned. There was something very wrong with her. She didn’t want Bleu’s attention, and she shouldn’t find it endearing when he rushed over to her. He wasn’t serious about her. She knew that deep in her heart. Olivia was right. He just wanted a little one-on-one action with her.

It had been Thorne who had noticed she was missing in the battle and had searched for her.

It had been Thorne who had bravely risked his life to teleport her back to the castle.

It had been Thorne who had kissed her with so much affection and tenderness that she had wanted to melt into a puddle.

It was Thorne who had stopped ahead of her now and was looking back at her with love in his eyes, with hope and fear, and everything that she felt colliding within her too.

“Bleu, I was speaking with Sable,” Loren said and Bleu’s gaze darted between them, eventually settling on his prince. “We were discussing something delicate. She is touched by your concern about her welfare, but she is well and would rather the hunt continued. You are placing her under scrutiny and exposing her to vile rumours, both from her peers and from the other species, including our own. Please return to the hunt and tracking our prey.”

Bleu shifted his purple gaze to her.

“What he said.” She wanted to leave it at that but the edge of irritation and hurt in his eyes made her add, “It is really nice that you were worried, but I was sort of talking to Loren, and Grave just wanted to make Thorne mad at you.”

And Thorne was making his way back to them now, his horns curling and eyes beginning to glow with his fury.

Bleu lingered. “You are well though? You seem out of spirits.”

“If the female says she is well, then she is well,” Thorne barked and scowled as he shoved Bleu’s shoulder, pushing him away from her. “She clearly does not appreciate you probing into her private life.”

“This from the male who would do the same once I remove myself from her?” Bleu squared his shoulders and settled his hand on the black blade hanging at his waist.

Sable lowered her head, not wanting to watch and definitely not wanting to hear what she knew was coming, but found it impossible not to peek.

Thorne grinned. “I know her private matters. She has spoken about much with me. She has confided in me.”

Bleu lips thinned and his ears flared, flattening against the sides of his head. His eyes shone vivid purple.

Loren’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding him back.

Sable planted her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Thorne? You want to score a victory over him with something like this... because I’ve spoken about much with Bleu too. I’ve spoken about much with Loren… and with Olivia… and the list goes on. If you want me to continue to speak with you about anything, both of you, you’ll grow up this second and drop this stupid rivalry.”

Neither male looked inclined to agree to that.

Sable huffed. “I’m going on ahead. Be sure to ogle my fine arse as I walk away from you both because it’s all you’ll be seeing of me on this hunt.”

She shoved past them and trudged up the hill, trying to put as much space between themas quickly as possible. Grave smiled as she passed him. Sable was tempted to punch it off his face but stopped herself. If she hit Grave, the vampire would hit back, and then all hell would break loose.

Loren bit out something harsh-sounding in the elf language.

Sable didn’t slow.

Not even when Thorne appeared on her right, his dusky brown horns curled around his pointed ears and his eyes blazing scarlet fire. He shoved his fingers through his russet-brown hair and trailed them down his left horn.

“Sable,” he started and she glared at him, daring him to say something stupid. She might not be foolish enough to land a punch on Grave’s jaw, but she would slap Thorne in a heartbeat. “I did not mean to upset you.”

“You never do,” Sable spat and kept stomping up the hill. It was bigger than it had looked from the bottom and the path was rocky, bumpy underfoot. She stepped over a root and huffed. “Why can’t men think before they open their mouths?”

Thorne shrugged, shifting the long blade balanced on his right shoulder. “He angered me.”

“You angered him too. Does that make you feel better? Does it make you equal? I’m tired of this childish behaviour.”

“I will stop then,” Thorne said, his deep gravelly voice making her insides quiver and heat. She stifled that reaction and frowned at him, not convinced he could come good on that promise. “I will stop if you swear you are mine and mine alone and have no interest in Bleu.”

Sable tipped her chin up and said nothing. She wasn’t going to let him bully her into confessing her feelings for him, whatever they were, or that she was only interested in Bleu as a friend. If she did, she was only giving his behaviour positive reinforcement, making him think he could use this tactic on her whenever he wanted something.

“What if I just said I would stop?” he whispered and moved closer to her.

The back of his left hand brushed hers and she looked up at him, and sighed at the soft hopeful look in his beautiful eyes.

“I would like that,” she admitted quietly and he nodded, turned his face forwards and walked with her.

Sable’s gaze lingered on him, tracing the noble lines of his profile and the sweeping arc of his dusky ridged left horn as it arched from behind the top of his pointed ear and followed the curve around to the lobe. They didn’t even bother her anymore—not in this smaller form that told her he was in control of his emotions nor in their wilder state, when they grew large and curled around like ram’s horns, forming a loop and deadly points. In fact, if pressed, she would admit that she liked them. They added something to his appearance, something rugged and masculine, and alluring.

“Gods, I want you when you stare at me like that,” Thorne whispered and ran his free hand over his left horn again. It grew, curving further around, the tip closer to his cheekbone. Desire. That emotion rippled through her too. “Stop it or I will whisk you into the woods before any see us disappear and take you against a tree.”

Sable shivered at the thought, hot and achy inside even when she told herself not to react to his husky, naughty words. His nostrils flared and he groaned.

He raised a single dark eyebrow and looked down at her out of the corner of his eye. “You would like that? My female is a wicked little one.”

“Not your female,” Sable countered as she finally tore her gaze away and sauntered on ahead of him.

“Yet,” Thorne said from behind her and she fought the smile that threatened to rise onto her lips at the determination in his tone.

At least he had acknowledged that he hadn’t won her yet and she didn’t belong to him.

He had to fight harder if he wanted more than just a swift moment of madness in a dark basement room with her.

Sable frowned at her line of thought and then at the incredible view stretched out before her beyond the brow of the hill.

The others caught up with them and Thorne led Loren forwards, to a clearing where the trees on the other side of the hill were lower. She could see for miles even in the low light and couldn’t believe her eyes.

It wasn’t the village nestled in the valley below that had caught her attention, or even the fenced off areas that had colourful things growing under lamps in them.

It was the huge towering white wind turbines on the hill across from her. They whirled slowly, spinning at a mesmerising pace that had her staring and losing track of her surroundings.

“I must admit, Thorne, that I admire your ingenuity. I had not thought to bring such a thing into my realm,” Loren said, snapping her back to the world.

Thorne stood beside him, his back to her and his sword stabbed into the ground beside him, one hand resting idly on the guard.

“I saw them on a visit to the mortal world. I am also investigating utilising steam from the thermal vents in my kingdom to create more power stations. Then, we will be able to generate enough electricity to power special ultraviolet lamps and we will be able to grow other crops.”

Sable couldn’t help but admire him too. He really was trying to make his land better and she could see that he wanted to improve it for his people. He cared deeply for them.

Thorne swept his hand out across the landscape. “What you see here is only the beginning of my plans. I intend to provide farms for the widowed females and those who would like to work. They have volunteered to begin running new projects, such as farming animals of the mortal world. We are to begin with chickens and then cows. Many of the males are as pleased by this as the females. Chickens and cows means eggs and milk and other dairy produce much loved by everyone here. Those with females have grown accustomed to a broader variety of foods. Eggs were new to me until recently, but I will confess they tasted good.”

His gaze darted to her and then back again. She smiled at his confession, remembering how he had made food for her when she had been hung over.

“What about pigs?” she said and he looked at her again and nodded.

“We would eventually like to bring pigs and sheep. We can use the animals for a variety of resources, not only for food.”

He was thinking like a true king and she wanted to tell him so, but knew that if she mentioned that he was a good king like his father had been, that he wouldn’t appreciate it. He had told her things in confidence too and she would keep them secret for him.

“We also intend to open schools,” Thorne said and lifted his gaze to meet Loren’s. “I would like to make a good education available to all in my land.”

That made her smile. He wanted the best for his people. It was noble of him, and again she wanted to reach out and lay her hand on his arm to gain his attention and tell him that he was a good king.

Thorne’s attention drifted down to her and she hid her smile, trying to hold on to her anger over what he had said to Bleu and his childish behaviour. Her anger faded and she let her smile out again when she saw in Thorne’s eyes and sensed in him that he needed to know what she thought of him now. She looked up into his eyes, letting him see that she admired him for trying to make this realm a better place for his people and how strongly he fought to protect them from others.

“Educated demons. Now there is a frightening thought.” Grave’s snide remark went ignored. His face darkened and he bared his fangs at Kyal. Picking on the weakest in the group? Perhaps Thorne and Bleu weren’t the only grown men in their party capable of childish behaviour.

Kyal ignored him too and continued stripping off, shoving his trousers down with something akin to pride. Sable averted her gaze. Seriously. Werewolves had no shame.

He growled, snarled, and when she looked to check on him, a huge tawny wolf was staring at her, his golden eyes bright in the low light. He snorted, shook all over, and then took off.

“We won’t see him for a few hours. He needed a run,” Kincaid said close to her elbow and she looked up at the older, brunet werewolf.