Orion raised a bloodied hand. “I’m fine,” he said at last, and then he darted forward and grabbed the duke by his neck. The duke’s eyes bulged, and Orion lifted him by the throat, choking him. Silver claws shot out from Orion’s fingertips.
Oh, God. He wasn’t going to—
Orion’s claws sliced into the demon’s chest, and one sharp, ruthless swipe carved out the heart. The glutton demon’s bony corpse fell to the ground with a thud, his chest cavity gaping open and his body still twitching.
Holy shit.
My gorge rose, but I couldn’t afford to throw up. I had to look like that was normal. All perfectly normal. Oh, God, the way it glistened…
Orion shrugged. “What? He attacked me. I was well within my rights to end his life, as I’m sure you all agree.”
The crowd murmured. The shocked excitement in their eyes reminded me a little of the glee in my classmates’ faces when I’d had my meltdown.
Orion turned to look at me, brow furrowed. Was that a flicker of worry in his pale eyes?
“You’re okay?” I asked again. “I think we should get you home.” And I had to get out of here before the bruises bloomed all over my throat.
But the king was prowling closer, dressed in a finely cut midnight suit. His dark eyes were locked on me, and a smile curled his lips. “Good. Everyone survived, then, it seems. Lady Mortana, house of Lilitu. Duchess of the Ward of Asmodeus. After tonight, the abandoned ward will no longer be abandoned.” He raised his hands to the dark skies. “The council of seven is reunited!”
Instead of cheers, only silence greeted his pronouncement. Then, the sound of a throat clearing broke the silence. The king lowered his hands to look down at the twitching corpse on the ground.
“Or, nearly reunited We will have to get a new one, I suppose.” He raised his hands to the skies again. “Anyway, the celebratory party begins immediately in the Temple of Ishtar!”
Orion had just been nearly stabbed to death, another duke died, and they wanted to throw a party? I was so caught up on that thought, I nearly missed the other part—Duchess. That was me now. A demonic duchess.
A few people clapped, but it didn’t sound enthusiastic. Orion was standing straighter now, and I let my arm drop from his back.
My gaze flicked to Lydia, who still seemed furious. Darkness coiled around her, curling into the night sky like smoke.
If I hadn’t been nearly strangled, I’d probably make a big, cocky pronouncement right now, like Mortana would. But my voice box had been crushed, and I didn’t think I’d sound normal when I spoke.
Clearly, I had to watch my back here. Lydia would rip my heart out the first chance she got.
I hadn’t really thought about the implications until now, but as the only person in the Asmodean Ward, I would be its leader by default. Lydia was no longer the only female on the council, and she didn’t like that one bit. I’d be part of the Quorum now. Close to the king. A rival for the role of queen.
She just had no idea I wouldn’t be here that long.
I glanced back at the Bridge of Harrowing and saw that some of the other demons from the forest were starting to stumble out, looking like zombies—bodies scorched, clothing singed. Some had blistered skin and watering eyes.
This night had been brutal for lots of us, but I supposed only a single death was a victory.
Orion pulled me close to him, almost protectively. “My lady will want to dry off, and I’ll need a change of clothes after that unfortunate incident. We will soon join you at the temple.”
He grabbed me by the hand, leading me to the street on the far side of the esplanade. Within moments, a sleek black car pulled up, and Orion opened the door for me. I slid inside and buckled up while Orion told the mortal cab driver to take us back to his apartment in the Leviathan Hotel.
Now, for the first time tonight, I felt the full weight of my exhaustion. My muscles burned with fatigue, and my throat felt raw. Even without the other clothes, I still smelled faintly of fox pee.
Never in my life had I craved a bath so badly.
When the car started rolling, Orion turned to look at me. “Congratulations,” he said softly. “Duchess Mortana of Lilitu.”
The first thing I’d done upon our return to Orion’s apartment was to run upstairs to the balcony bath. As I’d filled it with scalding water, I’d stripped off my clothes. Now, I was leaning back into the hot, bubbling bath as the steam curled around me. I let my muscles melt and scrubbed my body clean.
While I soaked in the heat, I gazed up at the stars. I could just about make out the North Star, I thought, at the end of the Little Dipper. Mom had taught me to find it, another survival technique. I looked for it at night sometimes, centering myself. It was just that the compass app was a lot easier and worked even when there were clouds.