Demons Forever (Peachville High Demons #6) (3 page)

I shivered at the memory.

"I'm going to put this ring in my vault and make sure there are extra guards stationed with both you and the ring at all times," my father said. "We can't take any chances."

A sick feeling rolled around in my stomach. I wanted to trust him, but that ring was too important to our cause to let it out of my sight. He moved to place it in his pocket, but I reached out and gently touched his arm.

Surprised, he paused and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," I said, pulling my hand away. He might have been my father, but he was also a king. There were probably rules about being too familiar. "It's just that we went through a lot to get that ring. We need it."

He closed his fist around it. "Harper, I understand you've been through some tough battles," he said. "But you need to understand how important this ring is to all demons. With it, the blue demon gates are useless to the Order of Shadows."

"I know," I said, biting my lip. "But holding onto the ring only prevents the Order from bringing more demons through to the other side."

"Do you understand how many lives we could save if we could do that? How many rituals we could prevent?" he asked. "What could be more important than that?"

My chest tightened.

"Freeing the demons who are already trapped in the human world," I said.

The king stood and cleared his throat. "We all know there's nothing we can do for those who have already been taken," he said, a hard edge to his tone. "We have to concentrate on saving the demons who are still here in the shadow world."

"That's not true," I said, pushing against the wall to stand. Was he really so quick to give up on those who'd already been enslaved? "According to the diary we read, if we perform the original gate opening ceremony in reverse, we can close a demon gate forever. If we do that, it will break the bonds created by that portal. That means every demon tied to a witch in that gate town would go free and no one would have to die."

"That's impossible," he said. "Where did you say you found this information?"

"A diary," I said, crossing to him. "One of the five original sisters who created the Order kept a journal. A detailed history that includes rituals and information about different spells that were used to create the Order's power."

"Demons have been looking for a way to free the enslaved demons for two centuries," he said, shaking his head. "If a diary like that existed, I would have already known about it."

Warmth crawled up my neck. Was he calling me a liar?

"I can show you the journal if you don't believe me," I said.

"How can you be sure it's real and not something created to lead you down the wrong path?" he asked.

"I can't prove it's real, but I can tell you that it led me to the ring in the first place. And if there's any chance the ritual reversal might work, I will do everything in my power to perform it. Even if I have to risk my life by going back to Peachville."

The king paced the length of the cell, rubbing his beard. "I understand why you want to free yourself and Jackson's brother from the Peachville gate, but this war goes much deeper than one demon or one gate. We can't risk letting that ring get back into the hands of the Order."

I clenched my jaw tight. This was my first real conversation with my father, a man I'd dreamed of meeting my entire life, and he was already pissing me off.

"Peachville's just the beginning. If the ritual works there, it will work everywhere. With this ring, we could close all of the blue gates forever and free thousands of demons who are in captivity," I said. "Isn't it worth the risk if we can free so many demons and humans from the Order's slavery?"

My father sighed. "We can talk about this later," he said, his voice tired. "For now, let's get you up to your room. You have to be exhausted."

I swallowed. "Can I have my ring back?"

He turned back to me, worry creasing his forehead. "I think I'll keep it for now," he said. "That way I can make sure it's safe."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I know you're my father, but that doesn't automatically mean I can trust you," I said. "The ring is rightfully mine. I need you to promise me that if I ever ask for it again, you'll hand it over without question."

He seemed to consider it for a moment, then released some of the tension in his shoulders and nodded. "I guess I should have expected you to be independent and stubborn," he said with a sad smile. "You get that from your mother."

My breath caught in my throat. A heavy silence filled the space between us. It was the first time he'd mentioned my mother. I wanted to ask him about her, but I was too scared to open that door between us.

"Now, let me take you to your rooms," he said, holding his arm out to me. "Thankfully the back side of the castle was not damaged."

I hesitated. Was I was doing the right thing by letting him keep the blue ring? Could I really trust him to give it back?

After a moment, I finally placed my arm in his.

It's Complicated

I followed my father up the stairs, past the main floor where more than a dozen people worked on the repairs.

Through the broken wall, a sliver of sunlight shone through the oily remains of the Order's attack.

"Harper, your room is up on the top floor," my father said. "In fact, I've had this room ready for you for the past sixteen years, just in case."

His words blossomed in my heart. He'd had a room for me? All these years of moving from one foster home to another, sharing rooms with other kids and never knowing how long I'd even stay in one place and all this time, a room had been waiting for me. It didn't seem real.

I gasped as he stopped in front of a large golden door. Shimmering on its surface was a beautiful painting of a white rose.

The door opened on its own as I approached, as if to welcome me home.

My father stepped back to let me pass, a gentle smile on his face and the hint of a tear in his eyes.

I stepped inside and my hand went to my mouth. The entryway was gorgeous. Perfect white roses were arranged in a large pink vase that sat on top of an intricately carved table. The floor glittered with multicolored stones embedded beneath clear glass tile.

Above my head, crystal lamps hovered in the air, unattached to any wires or switches.

"Go on," he said. "You have three rooms all to yourself up here."

My eyes grew wide. Was he serious? That was practically like my own house.

Like a giddy child, I moved through the foyer into the living room area, anxious to explore my new space. A space that had waited here for me all my life.

A thick black rug lay across the glittering floor. It looked like some kind of fur, and I couldn't resist leaning down to run my hand over its soft surface.

"Magdonear fur," my father said, naming an animal I'd never heard of. "When I was younger, I used to hunt quite a bit in the mountain areas. I had this made just for you when I realized how much you liked black."

I stood, my hand going to my heart. He knew I liked black? How?

My lips fell open, the room forgotten for a moment. I couldn't even think straight enough to figure out how to put words to my questions. "When?" I asked. "How long have you been-"

"Watching you?" He completed my thought. "I've been searching for you from the moment I found out you existed, but your mother did a good job of hiding you. When you came to Peachville, it was both the happiest day and the saddest day of my life."

I tilted my head and looked at him, puzzled. "Why both?"

He moved into the room and put his hands on the back of a leather chair in the small seating area. "The happiest because I'd finally found you," he said. "And the saddest because that meant the Order had found you too."

I swallowed, my mouth dry. "Why didn't you come for me?"

"It's complicated," the king said. He pushed off from the chair and moved toward the next room, avoiding the question completely. "We'll have plenty of time for talking about these kinds of things. Why don't we get you settled so you can get some rest? I'm sure you're anxious to get cleaned up, too."

I took a deep breath and pushed my disappointment to the back of my mind. I followed my father into the bedroom.

One look and it took my breath away.

The walls were made of dark stones in various sizes from floor to ceiling. A square mahogany bed decorated with inlaid pearl panels and draped with sheer golden curtains took up the right half of the room. A fire roared in the large stone fireplace to my left.

Even the ceiling in here was a work of art. An abstract mosaic created with pieces of golden-colored gemstones sparkled in the light of three large floating chandeliers.

My favorite part, though, was that the entire far side of the room was open to the outside. The same golden curtains that hung over the bed also draped across four separate archways. The light fabric swayed in a gentle breeze, caressing the floor with a whisper-soft touch. I pushed through them and stepped onto a large stone balcony overlooking the castle's gardens.

A white marble fountain flowed in the square below. The garden burst to life with flowers of every color, including an entire section of my mother's favorite white roses. Their fragrant smell reached me all the way up here at the top of the castle, and I breathed in, wondering if my mother had ever visited here. Had she even known my father was a demon king?

I knew from reading her journal that he had once been a married man living in Peachville. He'd had a wife and daughter there when my mother fell in love with him and got pregnant. Why had a demon king been living in Peachville, pretending to be a normal man? And what about my half-sister? Was she still living there in Peachville? I wanted so badly to ask, but he'd avoided every single question I'd asked about my mother or his past. I didn't want to push him away.

"What do you think?" he asked, joining me on the balcony.

"I love it," I said. "This is such a gorgeous castle. Did you design all of this yourself?"

My father looked out across the gardens. "Yes. The original castle where I grew up was destroyed in an attack around the time you were born," he said. "The dungeons down below were the only rooms that survived. When I returned to the shadow world, I had to basically start from scratch. That's when I built the domed city and this castle. I invited everyone in my kingdom to live under the safety of our dome."

He leaned over, resting his arms against the thick stone railing. Worry flashed in his eyes.

"Only, it's not so safe any more," he said. "I guess I knew eventually the Order would find a way inside, but I didn't think it would happen so soon."

"Do you think you'll be able to repair it?" I asked.

"Yes, but what then?" He lifted his eyes to the top of the dome. A thin layer of black residue still clung to it. A large crack ran through the center at the very top. "What's to stop them from attacking again? I have to figure out a way to make my people feel safe. They count on me."

He sounded tired. I wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know how. He was still a stranger to me.

"We'll help however we can," I said. I had no idea how long Jackson and I would stay here, but I knew we would both do everything in our power to make it safe. Especially since the attack might have never happened if it wasn't for me.

The king straightened. "Thank you," he said. "But for now I'll leave you to get settled in. I need to meet with my council and the head of the guards so we can discuss our plans to rebuild."

I followed him back into the bedroom.

"Oh, and I'll have your handmaiden join you shortly," he said. "She's currently helping to clean the throne room, but I know she's be anxious to meet you."

"Handmaiden?" I asked.

"A sweet demon girl named Tulianne," he said, crossing through to the living room. "Don't hesitate to let her know if you need anything at all. I'm afraid I might not be around a lot in the coming days. There will be a lot of work to do around the city."

Disappointment flooded through me. "I had hoped we'd have some time to talk," I said. "I have so many questions about my mother and how you came to know her. And I'd like to talk to you about our plan to get back to Peachville."

At the mention of Peachville, my father turned sharply back to me, his face serious and stern. "Going back to that town is not an option," he said. "Not for many years. We need to fortify the city first and make sure you're safe from any attack. Then, after a few years, when the Order has backed off a little, we can revisit the idea of you going back there."

I bristled at his harsh tone. Was I a prisoner here now? "That's not really a decision you can make for me," I said, lifting my chin. If he'd really been watching me all this time, hadn't he learned I wasn't really one to follow the rules?

I swallowed hard and waited for his reaction.

My father narrowed his eyes at me. "Of course not," he said. I saw his hand move to the pocket that held the Order's blue ring. "I only hope you'll see the importance of staying here inside the dome where you'll be safe."

Where he could keep a closer eye on me. Wasn't that what he'd really intended to say? I was glad he cared about my safety, but I wasn't used to having a parent. And I certainly didn't want to have to start following his orders just because he was my dad.

He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but quickly closed it again. Instead, he gave a short bow, then shifted to smoke and disappeared from the room in the blink of an eye.

All These Questions

Jackson hugged me tight as we stood on the balcony looking out over the gardens below. My father had prepared a room for him down in the guard's quarters, but he'd come looking for me as soon as he was done in the healing rooms.

The three suns had started to set, their light fading rapidly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I leaned against him, burying my head in his chest. "It's been the single most insane day of my life."

I'd never experienced so many highs and lows in such a short period of time. I was happy to have found my father, but still in shock about the fact that he was a demon king. Then there was the attack and my father's determination to keep me here. It was all so much to take in.