The room was larger than I expected, but then again I was a royal concubine now. It may have been a downgrade from the title the blood in my veins destined me with, but seeing as that didn't do a fraction of what being Nea's concubines was already doing, I wouldn't say I was disappointed.

Zev was the prince. Not me. I was the spare that was hidden away. Most of the people weren't even aware that two princes exited. It was better that way, as father used to say. Wouldn't want the Fae folk to think our lands were cursed with the birth of twins. The fact one of us held the characteristics of the dark wouldn't have helped any either.

While Zev had been raised in the laps of luxury, luxury that I was currently staring at, I had been hidden away and trained in the rat-infested tunnels to become a ruthless killing machine.

My fist tightened.

They had succeeded in turning me into one after Zev had turned his back on me. Alone and scared, having no one, I thought I could seek approval and acceptance I would never get from a father who couldn't stand to look at me and a mother who beat me for calling her as such. I was young, naive. Desperate. Lonely.

Who knew Zev was the only thing standing in the way of my descent into the darkness.

I was finally able to pull my way out by taking that darkness that was seeping into each breath I took and moulding it to my will. Gaining control of the darkness allowed me to control it. The wisps of smoke like shadows. I used the very thing they created to break free.

I may have beaten them in the moment, but they had won in the end. Those few years and the transgressions I committed during them would forever haunt me. Most of them deserved it, but some didn't.

I shut the door tightly, twisting the lock on the knob before sending out a few tendrils of shadows into the locking mechanism to ensure it stayed locked. Jostling it and finding it acceptable, I turned around to find Nea standing by the fireplace in the seating area of the large suite.

She was fidgeting, pulling at her clothes nervously and shuffling on her feet. I couldn't help my lips from turning up at the sight of her nerves.

She glanced towards me, briefly meeting my eyes before sharply looking away. The red flush that consumed her tanned skin told me all too well of the dirty thought that ran through her mind when her eyes flicked to the locked door behind me. I could sense her arousal, but it was heavily drenched in fear.

It excited my darker half.

Looking away from her, I shucked off my suit jacket before unbuttoning my shirt. Letting the two halves drop open, I worked on removing my belt. Tossing the leather strap and tailored jacket onto the back of the sofa, I made my way towards the door that was cracked open to reveal an ensuite.

I brushed past Nea, giving her a jump as I pretended to pay no attention to her. Instead of putting her at ease, the action had her nerves stringing tighter.

Grabbing a brush from the holder by the facet, I loaded it with paste before shoving it in my mouth. I didn't know how Demons enjoyed drinking that amber hell. I could still taste the bitter taste under the strong herbal mint taste of the paste.

I walked over to the door as I brushed my teeth. Leaning against the door, I did nothing to cover my revealed torso as I watched Nea's nervous fidgeting grow. She looked everywhere but at me until her growing discomfort force her to do something.

Noticing the folded clothing on the bed, she made her way over and grabbed the smaller set. She hugged it as she turned towards me, shuffling forward.

I paused mid brush when my heart thumped hard at the sight. I reached up to rub my chest above it. It was the first time I had felt such a sensation. And it was because...

Because she looked so...

Cute.

She cleared her throat, trying to silence the sound as much as possible. It was a trait of hers I had noticed. When she felt anything but comfort or anger, she would try to make herself as quiet and small as possible, hoping the attention would stay off her.

It always made her stand out in my eyes.

"Is it alright if I use the washroom first?" she asked, glancing up through her lashes. They held a few stray speckles of the glitter that had been used to highlight her collarbone by the insignia that marked her as Queen.

I tilted my head as I silently watched her for a moment, making her squire.

"Sure," I said with a shrug as I took a small step closer to the door frame.

When she saw that I wasn't going to move further, she released a small annoyed breath.

Ah, there was the defiant one I loved to toy with. As much as her fear-laced arousal thrilled my darker side, her defiant glares were arrows to the heart. I couldn't stop the corners of my lips from lifting when she sent me one as she brushed past me. She tried to avoid as much contact as possible, but I didn't leave much room for that as I refused to move to give her more.

Her want to distance herself had me wonder how serious she was when she made me that deal with me. Would she follow through on her end even when the thought of doing so, so clearly terrified her?

She coughed awkwardly again. "Can you leave?"

I rose a brow at her blunt words. I hadn't expected the rude question backed by a lowered voice that seemed like it wanted to intimidate. Walking towards her, I cornered her retreating body against the vanity by the sink. Pulling the brush from my mouth, I lean closer towards her. She pulled her head back. My eyes were drawn to her neck as she swallowed hard.

Her breathes quickened the closer I got, but before my lips could meet her skin, I shift to the side, passing by her to spit into the sink. When I pulled back, she stood frozen, blinking for a moment before visibly relaxing slightly.

"No need to be so rude, little one. Like I've said before, you may come to regret it."

I was worried she would take my words the wrong way, ignoring the suggestive tone they held to focus on the punishment aspect. When she reacted with another red face and avoided eyes, a comforting warmth began to build in my chest. I didn't know the specifics of what she had been through in her life, but I knew enough that I could connect the missing dots to complete the picture. Seeing her slowly making progress, healing invisible wounds, had me experiencing something I hadn't in years.

Happiness.

Feeling I had teased her enough for now, especially considering what was to come, I stepped back.

"Don't forget to clean behind your ears," I said before turning and leaving, shutting the bathroom door behind me. I was serious when I said the words. I couldn't help it when seeing her loose hair reminded me of that king asshole brushing the dark strands behind her ear.

While she took care of business in the bathroom, I grabbed my bag that had been placed in the walk-in closet beside the bathroom and pulled out a few weapons. A quick sweep with my shadows had revealed the room was free of any surveillance circles along. I hid my weapons in secret but easily accessible locations around the room before casting a few surveillance circles of my own to monitor for any intruders. I didn't trust a single person here aside from Nea.

Well, maybe the kitsune bastard. If I had to.

Zev, the dragon, and the king. I didn't trust them. Not enough to think they would look out for Nea's everyday well-being. Sure I would put my faith in them to protect Nea in life or death situations, but that was solely due to the negative and deadly repercussions they would face in the case of her death.

It was the incentive that held my trust, not the men.

While I trusted those three to keep her alive, I wasn't sure if the two new addition would prove to be friend or foe. There shouldn't be cause for concern considering they seemed loyal to the other three, which in turn would incentivize them to keep Nea protected, but I didn't like the ways their eyes followed her. Green ones filled with guilt that ran deep enough to raise concerning questions, and grey ones filled with barely controlled want.

I was going to stay close to her. I planned to for the rest of our lives, but I would be uncomfortably so for a while. I was looking forward to her reaction to my constant and close presence.

I had a feeling she was going to add a spark of interest into my life. I was already feeling myself watching and taking note of her preferences like I would a target. But unlike the target, I found joy with each new detail I learned about her. My schemes born of the information I gathered were carefree and playful, serving to tease, not bleak and deadly.

I listened to the shower run as I made my way towards the bed. I stashed my bag filled with essentials under my side of the bed before pulling the covers back. It would be ready to grab at a moment's notice when the need arose.

Having bathed before dinner, I didn't feel the need for another so soon. It wasn't like I felt the need to wash away the touch of another's hands that had been over me all night, I thought while grinding my teeth in anger.

I had to find a way out of here for us. Before the Demon King tried to do more than just hold her like a prize during dinner.

I stripped down to my drawer and pulled back the covers, situating myself comfortably. I stuck closer to the middle of the bed, guaranteeing Nea's discomfort when she finally decided to emerge from her hiding place. Though I wanted her to recover from the horrors that swam in her eyes, I saw nothing wrong in teasing her harmlessly. Especially if it worked to make her more comfortable with me in the long run.

My lips curled up evilly as another thought entered my mind. If I couldn't kill Zev, being denied what I had been living to do for the last century, then I could watch him rot from the inside with envy. It would be killing two birds with one stone. Gaining my mate's love and affection while Zev stewed in acidic jealousy. I wouldn't even mind inviting Ryder to join in the antagonizing if it proved to drive Zev madder.

With the sheets pooled around my waist, my upper body openly revealed in a dare for Nea to ogle, I lounged back, crossing my arms behind my head as I waited for her to finish. I wanted to see her face the moment her eyes landed on me.

She took her sweet time emerging from her prison of safety. A cloud of steam followed her into the room, adding to the otherworldly aura she failed to notice she carried. It was what first drew me to her in the Deadlands. The way she took everything in just added to it, making it clear to anyone who sees just how new everything was to her.

The oversized sweatshirt and pajama bottoms she wore did nothing to take away from her appeal, adding to it in a strange homely way instead. I could get used to seeing her like this. I had already gotten used to the sight of her naked body while treating it and was looking forward to getting used to seeing the sight of her skin without injury, but the sight of her like this brought out a different feeling. I was quickly realizing I may enjoy seeing her in lazy comfort as much as the sight of her naked.

When her eyes landed on me, they widened comically. To my surprise, she didn't look away like I thought she would. She nervously chewed on her lip as her eyes roamed the curves and dips of my muscled body. It was decorated with high Fae glyphs that offspring from specific bloodlines were born with, along with Thorne and Slate. Although my brother had asked for his familiar back and I could feel the beast's mutual want, he wasn't worthy of such a loyal beast.

Before the sheets in my lap could shift further in reaction to Nea's lingering gaze, I dropped my hand into my lap. Nea's attention was testing me in ways I wasn't expecting so soon.

When she finally reacted like I expected and diverted her eyes, suddenly finding an interest in the minimal decor of the suite, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Come on," I said as I pulled back the covers from her side of the bed in invitation.

The action had her swallowing hard in response. For a moment I thought she was going to ask to sleep on the sofa when her eyes lingered on it for too long, but eventually, she took a deep breath and made her way to her side of the bed. She carefully climbed into the bed, sticking as close to the edge of her side as possible without falling over. Pulling the sheets up to her ears, she huddled into a ball with her back facing me.

I frowned. This wasn't what I had in mind. I guess she couldn't help but chicken out in the end, even if it wasn't as direct as I had expected of her. Did she think I'd just leave her alone if she acted like I wasn't there? Had she learned nothing in the time she had spent with me?

Reaching an arm out, I hooked it around her side before pulling her back into me. A small squeal escaped her lips, but that only served to heighten the satisfaction the move brought. That and the feel of her against me.

"Trying to get out of holding up your end of our deal, little one?"