It wasn’t something she offered lightly.

It meant taking a great deal of effort to remember and write down a spell, disguise it so anyone looking at it wouldn’t know what it was or how to recreate it, then waking a lighter to make the voided thing work.

If this human weren’t one of her favorites she wouldn’t bother.

“Thank you, Mistress, but I’m fine.”

He wasn’t. But, he was mostly calm about his distress and that calmed something inside her. She was willing to allow him that choice.

“Very well. Let me know if there’s anything that needs to be done here.”

Her Captain was a smart man. She knew he’d understand she wasn’t just talking about him but the entire wing.

“I will. Thank you, Mistress.”

Well, that was it. That was all she could do to smooth out the damage done here. She spun on her heel and stalked away from the man. This captain. She knew his name. She hated knowing their names.

Humans lived for too short a time. They were supposed to be expendable.

And most of them were.

She didn’t look back but she knew, could feel, that he watched her until she left through the main doors.

She was out and halfway down the right walk, towards the gardens, when she processed what her nose had been telling her. The three scents she was following had returned this way and gone back inside.

With a quiet curse she spun around and walked back the other way.

Back upstairs. To her own room.

For a moment she stood outside her own curtained doorway, snarling and letting her anger build up. Then pushed inside.

Aridon.

He had the nerve to smile.

“I was wondering when you’d come in.”

“Don’t play nice,” she spat, letting her fangs grow until they touched the edges of her chin. “How dare you!”

“I’ve already had this lecture once tonight.” He stood up, his expression pained. He let his voice drop. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise such unpleasant memories for you. For anyone.”

With that the rage started to melt. She turned her back to him, desperately clawing for the anger that had kept away the worst emotion of all.

She wouldn’t cry for him, though. Wouldn’t let him see the brightness gathering in her eyes.

Then that, that, bastard came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her neck. A tear ran down her cheek and she snarled, not daring to wipe it away. Just in case he hadn’t noticed.

If she kept the rage then she might be able to mask most of her other smells.

“I should’ve warned you.” He whispered it close to her ear. Pause. “I really am sorry, Diana. Please forgive me.”

Voids! If that bastard hadn’t sounded so sincere she might’ve been able to hold onto the rage just a little longer. Long enough to tear into him and send him scurrying from her room.

What was left of her rage vanished through her fingers.

Tears came in force and she turned, allowing him to pull her closer and hold her there. There was no sobbing for Diana Veran, though. Like any other demon, every tear was silent.

It didn’t take long to gain her some of her composure back.

She had to. She was Diana Veran, the most feared enforcer for the demons. This weakness of her’s was shameful.

She pulled away from him and stalked to the bed. But, didn’t have time to sit before, without permission, Aridon grabbed her from behind and sat down. Pulling her onto his lap.

Diana Veran was too tired to fight him.

So she sat there, holding him and burying her face in his neck. There were no more tears. She wouldn’t allow them.

It was moments like this that she remembered why she couldn’t hate him.

“I was foolish. I didn’t realize how many of my friends would react badly to that scene. I have so many apologies to make tomorrow.” He kissed her hair. “A couple humans threw up, though. That was funny.”

She snarled, showing him her fangs.

“So did Elisha. And possibly others.”

“Alright, alright. They all did splendidly hiding it from the humans. We can be proud of them for that.”

Yes. Wouldn’t do to let the humans see such weakness.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“Do you? Damn you, Aridon. Only you and that idiot Clophas likes taking it that far. The rest of us don’t want to- remember… And you know-”

He was laughing quietly and successfully distracting her by kissing her cheek. Then her nose. Then her lips.

“And I know?”

She struggled to remember where she was going with that. Her tired mind was not cooperating. But, hungry for the affection he was showering on her, she gave in and couldn’t speak with her mouth occupied.

When he pulled back she leaned her nose against his cheek.

“Promise me, no, contract, that you’ll be more careful.”

“For the demon's sake? Or for your pets?”

She growled. Without heat. “If my humans revolt we’ll be in a lot more trouble than a few scared demon.”

“I would have thought the lesson of fear would keep them in line, too.”

She growled again. “I was fostering loyalty, not fear, in my humans, Aridon. Fear could destroy that.”

“Too much effort for humans.”

“It’s been worth it.”

“As you say.”

They’d never agree on this so she dropped it. “Promise me. No more executions like that. Or least give the rest of us warning-”

“I’ve already Contracted with the other Brethren. No more public displays like that without consulting them or giving warning. Does that suit you?”

No. There was something about the promise, or maybe just his attitude, that didn’t suit her at all. He was too casual, too eager for the blood of his enemies. She wished to temper it, to keep it from consuming him and those around him.

“Aridon-”

He interrupted her. Again kissing her, silencing her, feeding the empty hole in her soul. She responded by clinging to him and desperately accepting his offering.

Reasoning with him could wait.

It was probably futile anyway. At least now she had his promise.

It was a while later, in Aridon’s rooms, that she sleepily remembered something she should have told him earlier.

“I had my maid deliver your message.”

She snuggled into his shoulder. Breathing his scent. They had an official marriage Contract between them but she rarely slept here. Tonight, it was nice. Even if on his side it was guilt driven.

“And?”

“He’ll be coming in to talk to you. I just need to set up the time.”

“Good.”

Silence.

She cracked open an eye at him. It was annoying that she couldn’t see him in the deep darkness. Not without a full transformation. And even then smell was still the best way to get around.

All she smelled was his sleepy amusement and satisfaction. Both of which she caught in his tone before she smelled it.

“What?” she demanded.

“Nothing.”

“Right.”

He laughed softly, the sound reverberating deliciously in the ear pressed to his shoulder. “I was just thinking how satisfying it would be to prove he’s our trouble maker.”

Diana Veran frowned and sat up. Staring down at his shape, vaguely outlined from the light of a lantern in the outer room. “What?”

“I can’t prove it. But-”

She barked a laugh and leaned her forehead down on his chest. Shoulders shaking. “You think Cheryl’s son is behind all the disturbances and spies?”

Aridon winced under her fingers. “Don’t you?”

“No.”

Aridon grunted and pulled her all the way back down again, this time sprawled across his chest. “I don’t know whether to be amused or disgusted that you have such a soft spot for the unnatural.”

She growled. “It’s not softness, Aridon. That one is like a bee. He’ll happily dance with flowers all day but won’t sting unless you provoke him.”

“Are you telling me to not provoke him?”

“I’m telling you that if you leave him alone he’ll never become a problem.”

“You sound like the other Brethren.”

“Because they’re right.” She kissed his lips. It still hurt but this was better than never being noticed at all. “Please, Aridon. You’ll only stir up trouble that we don’t need.”

“I’m just doing what’s best for us.”

“But-”

He pulled her head down, cutting her off with another kiss. “Leave it alone, Diana. Or I’ll cut you out of my doings altogether.”

With a growl of frustration, she dropped it.

***

Lita didn’t sleep.

By the time morning came, spreading light from the arrow slits down the servant’s corridor and into her fluttering blanket doorway, she’d laid awake most of the night. And her face hurt from all the crying.

Mourning Nakos. Mourning and fearing for herself. Obsessing over those stupid plans tucked under her mat.

She stared up at the low ceiling of her cramped closet. Clutching her arms around her chest.

I’m 19 today.

The thought was so sudden that she laughed at herself. A laugh full of pain. No one here knew. No one here cared. Actually, she was surprised she remembered it herself. Last year she’d forgotten until four days afterwards.

With a sigh, she slowly dragged herself upright on her sleeping mat and got dressed. Shoulders occasionally bumping the walls on either side of her bed.

She could hear the other servants moving around down the hallway.

But, beyond their quiet rustles, it was eerily quiet. Not even an occasional whisper.

It took her only a few minutes to pull out another stolen parchment, ink and pen, then copy the Randa plans. The words on the copy shook, mirroring the shaking of her hand. Once she was done, she slipped both the original and the copy into her pocket.

Now, to get rid of the original.

“Mistress?”

Remembering the demoness’s temper the night before, Lita cautiously waited then peeked into the room. With a sigh of disappointment, she stepped inside and looked around.

The bed hadn’t been slept in. Nothing had been moved. With another sigh, Lita took a couple minutes to give the room a quick dusting and a few fluffs to the pillow.

She noticed a few things out of place. And normally she would have wondered why so many of the vellums had been moved or the ink bottle was lower than yesterday.

Today, though, she didn’t care.

When she was done she had a moment where all she could do was look around the spotless room.

No. It wasn’t that she didn’t care.

She was too scared to do more than try and get rid of the plans she’d already stolen.

Because Nakos was dead. Dead for spying. For a Contract breach. “For breach of Contract.”

She shuddered at those horrible, horrible words. They haunted her nightmares already.

Suddenly desperate for movement, for air, for something, she turned and ran through the curtained doorway.

If she never saw another demon again it would be too soon.

The kitchen was just as quiet as the servants corridor. As quiet as most of the Palace seemed to be. She helped with some of the preparations before beginning to serve with the others.

Diana, her main priority, wasn’t in the dining hall yet.

Where was she?!

And only Clophas and his two personal friends seemed to be fully awake at this time. Most of the other demon were muttering in low voices to each other. If they were talking at all.

So Clophas’ voice was an unwanted nuisance that grated on every human nerve.

“Lita!”

His voice rang across the room and she winced.

“You’ll serve us today. Bring that here.”

Reluctantly she pulled two plates from the communal cart, which someone else had pushed today, and trudged his direction.

“These two first, then hurry with mine.”

She put down the plates and was back a moment later with the third. As she put the plate down she tensed. Ready to yank her arms back.

Sure enough Clophas made a grab for her wrist and she was too tired to avoid it.

“Why, Lita. You look awful.” He reached up and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “You need some rest. Why don’t you join me for breakfast? And after. I can help you sleep.”

“Let me go, Master Clophas. I have work to do.”