Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
7
Kade stoodbefore the Demon of Sacrifice, his heart aching. This was the last place he wanted to come. But he would do anything for the woman he loved.
Even this.
The demon sat on a throne of bones, her grey eyes cold and cruel. More bones littered the ground at her feet, skeletons of the men who had bowed before her in the past, men who knelt at the very spot he stood now.
At her sides, eight demon guards wore armor made of bones, ready at her slightest signal to end the lives of anyone she chose. Kade hated that there wasn’t one inch of beauty or happiness in this place. The guards, the bones, and the woman all radiated death and sadness. He wouldn’t condemn his worst enemy to a place like this.
And certainly not her.
This far beneath the ground, a chill hung over everything. It settled on his flesh and then sunk deep to move through his veins. Demons were rarely cold, but in that moment, the chill seemed to squeeze his very heart.
“It has been a long time,” the Demon of Sacrifice said, crossing her legs.
Her movement caused her long black skirts to float around her body like living things. It was beautiful. And horrifying. The demon was becoming more a creature of fantasy and magic each time he saw her, which meant she was losing her humanity. Eventually, she would have nothing left.
Trying his best to conceal his disturbing thoughts, he moved forward and knelt before her. “It has been.”
“Have you told them about me yet?” she asked, never one to mince words.
Kade looked up at the familiar lines of her face. “No. But I want to.”
She shook her head full of long dark hair, the same color as his own. “I told you, they can never know.”
His chest ached at the secret he’d kept all these years. His brothers deserved to know the truth, and yet, it wasn’t his secret to tell.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her tone gentling.
He took a deep breath. “I need to see the King of Hell.”
Her eyes widened, but she said nothing for a long time. “Why? Why would you ever take such a risk when you’ve finally made it to Earth?”
The words wouldn’t form on his tongue.
“It’s for love,” she said, sounding surprised, perhaps awed.
He nodded, and for an instant, all he could see was Sharen, her face bruised, and the scars on her body. She couldn’t keep going on the way she was, saving one demon at a time. Regardless of the risk to him, he had to stop it, and this was the only way he knew how to.
The Demon of Sacrifice slid off her throne to kneel before him. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
He locked gazes with her. “I would give my eternal life to stop her pain.”
She reached out and stroked his cheek. “You, Alec, and Ryder are the only good men in all the realms. The rest are monsters that should be wiped out. Their bones crushed beneath my feet.”
He touched her hand, pressing his much larger one to hers. “One day, you’ll know this kind of love.”
Her teeth clenched together and she rose angrily, towering over him. “I am the Demon of Sacrifice. When a man harms a woman, she need only ask for me, and I will come with a vengeance. I will watch his blood run and offer her my help in all things. In my many years, both in life and in death, I have met many monstrous men. But I have only met three good ones. Do not try to convince me there are more out there.”
Kade felt tears sting his eyes. “The day we sought vengeance for you…I’d hoped it would give you some peace. Some healing.”
Her expression was like stone. “Accept the truth: nothing will ever bring me peace.”
He hung his head. “We failed you.”
She grasped his arm and pulled him to his feet. “No, the men who raped me killed the girl you loved. But seeing what you did to them? That gave me the strength of will to become so much more.”
“Kayla—“
She shook her head. “Kayla is dead. Only the Demon of Sacrifice remains. And you may have anything you ask of me, no matter how foolish it seems.” Closing her eyes, he felt her power wash over him. A portal of bluish-grey magic spiraled in the center of the room. “Enter it and find the Demon King’s city not far from it. Only you can see the portal. You may enter it only once, and you may exit it only once. In three days, it will close forever.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
She sat once more on her throne of bones. Her expression was cold, but beneath it he could feel her sadness.
Oh, little sister, how did we fail you so badly?
With his entire chest aching, he turned to the portal. If the demon king agreed to his plan, Sharen would never again have to risk her life so recklessly.
And if he failed? He’d be condemned to the demon realm for eternity.
No one had ever escaped twice.
