“As you saw on your way in,” the king went on, “the former king has been vanquished. Vae Victis. Do you grieve his death, Mortana?”
This definitely was a test. How did I respond in a way that would flatter King Cambriel? Orion had said King Nergal was dull and tedious.
I widened my eyes, my hand flying to my chest with mock horror. “Is King Nergal dead? Honestly, given his personality, I’m amazed anyone could tell.”
Unfortunately, King Cambriel didn’t smile a bit, so that only made my stomach muscles clench tighter. I’d already emptied my cocktail, and the alcohol was starting to go to my head. I dropped my glass on the tray of a passing waitress.
A heavy silence still filled the room, and my pulse raced. After an endless few moments, titters broke out at last, and I relaxed just a little.
Had I gone too far?
The thing was, I had a feeling Mortana would go too far. It was part of what made her interesting. She wouldn’t have made so many enemies without shocking and insulting people along the way. She knew how to get attention and keep it.
The king’s lips curled just a little. He liked Mortana’s cruelty. “You don’t mourn his death, then? You must have been fond of him once.”
“Well, I was very fond of one part of him, but that part seems to be gone now, since there’s just the head left.”
Holy shit. It was fun to be evil. Was I turning into Orion? Empathy? Sounds tedious.
When Orion’s pale eyes slid to me, I could see the amusement in them.
One of the king’s fingers tapped the armrest. The flames of the fire were gleaming off his golden crown. While Orion’s beauty was sensual, the king had a sort of stark elegance. Refined, masculine features and straight black eyebrows.
“What do you intend to do here?” The king’s voice boomed over the hall.
There was a question I didn’t know how to answer. A bit of anxiety snapped through my nerve-endings, and I felt my fingers tightening on Orion’s bicep. Maybe we should have prepared for this question.
In response, Orion slowly reached over and stroked his fingertips over my wrist. His warm magic pulsed into me, and instantly, I felt my muscles relax. Wow. He could just do that? Mortals spent years training in graduate school for counseling techniques to help people manage anxiety, and all Orion had to do was touch them. Boom. Anxiety gone.
I still had to figure out an answer, though. So far, it looked like demons mostly went to fancy restaurants and bought gowns. What would my id say? What did I want?
I fluttered my eyelashes as the flames danced between us. “Well, I do intend to use that pool bar of yours, if you’ll let me. And perhaps Orion can join me.” Drawing more from my id, I turned to Orion, stroking his large bicep. The look he gave me was deeply carnal, which was good, since I was supposed to be inspiring envy in the king. “Oh, do you know what else I’d like to do? I’d like Orion to fuck me hard against a stone wall, since we haven’t done that yet.”
Holy shit. Too much id. Too much id.
With a low growl, Orion’s eyes darkened to shadows, and his heated expression seared me.
Was that a warning that I should shut my mouth, or something else?
At that moment, the flames in the fire pit rose higher, burning the air and scorching my skin. Was this Orion’s fire magic at work, or the king’s?
“You certainly have my attention, Mortana,” said the king sharply. “And what, exactly, is your relationship to Orion?”
One thing I’d learned from Dr. Omer was that when you didn’t want to answer a question about yourself, you deflected it back to the other person. You made it a question about them.
I jutted one hip and smiled coquettishly. “Your Majesty, I’m delighted by your interest in my love life. What is it, I wonder, that makes you so intrigued? Is this something we should explore, perhaps?”
Explore. That was a Dr. Omer’s word, but he’d never used it quite so suggestively.
The king gave me a faint smile. “You are the last of your kind, Mortana. A curiosity. That’s all.” But now he was giving me the same look Orion had, like he wanted to lick me from head to toe. Considering gorgeous women in the City of Thorns were a dime a dozen, it was clear Orion was right about what attracted the king’s attention. Jealousy was the key to his heart. He wanted me because Orion had me.
I turned to Orion, giving him a full view of my cleavage, and touched my finger to his lips, then traced it down his body. I felt his muscles twitch beneath my touch.
“The city could use a succubus again, I think,” I said loudly. “Don’t you?”