City of Thorns by C.N. Crawford

Chapter 19

Iturned to Lydia and snarled, baring my teeth. The sound came from deep within my chest, and it rumbled over the hall.

Well, hello,Mortana’s aggression. I’d just become familiar with my animalistic side, I guess.

Looking back at the king, I smiled again. “I think you’ll find I don’t need mind control to satisfy my depraved needs.”

The king’s sharp jaw clenched, and a dark smile curled his lips. His knuckles went white as he gripped the armrests.

A duke stepped forward—this one with dark hair, copper skin, and deep brown eyes. “We all know what the Lilu were like in the past. They cheated us out of our money using their seduction. Some of us are even old enough to remember.” He glared at me. “Mortana lured my brother away centuries ago, and I haven’t seen him since. Immediately after his disappearance, his gold disappeared along with him.”

Okay, Mortana sucked. But I still had to stay in character because that’s how I’d get out of here alive.

Another duke folded his arms. He was tall and thin, with dark curls that fell before his eyes. “If no one else is willing to say it, then I guess I will. Everyone knows she killed Queen Adele.”

I raised a finger. “Everyone does not know that, because I never killed the queen.” I could say this without worrying about looking like I was lying, because for once this evening, I actually wasn’t. Maybe Mortana once killed a queen, but I hadn’t. “Those were merely rumors. Nothing was ever proven.”

Orion’s face was a mask of calm. “Why let yourselves be swayed by gossip from four hundred years ago?” He shrugged. “I suppose it doesn’t matter to me, but I’ve been enjoying fucking her, and I’d hate to lose my favorite plaything.” He arched an eyebrow, his pale eyes gleaming with wickedness. “I’d heard the rumors about succubi, how they’d beg on their knees, but never before did I get to experience the wild desperation of the Lilu.”

Shocked murmurs rippled through the room, and a hot tendril of anger coiled through me. Did he really have to put it that way? Absolute prick.I shouldn’t care what the demons thought, and I was only playing a role. But still, I wasn’t sure how much humiliation I could take in this place.

And yet…

I could already see it had worked, because now the king looked ravenous for me.

Lydia cocked a hip. “You filthy scoundrel. Lord of Chaos, you weren’t here then. You don’t know what she was like. And she had the most motive, desperate to be queen. Only Mortana would be cruel enough to leave the Queen Consort in a vat of wine. I don’t care about the trivial issues of marriage, but how do we know Mortana won’t slaughter the rest of us for power?”

I sighed. “You can’t possibly believe I’m the only cruel demon in the City of Thorns. It could have been anyone.”

A gaunt duke with luscious brown curls wrapped his bony fingers around his wineglass as he stared at me. The firelight gleamed off his ivory horns. “You may not remember me, Mortana. I wasn’t a duke when you left, but I am now.” He grimaced at me. “You hardly gave me the time of day back then. A succubus like you was too good for a gluttony demon.”

I realized after a moment that his drink wasn’t wine at all. It looked like blood. He was a glutton for human blood.

Disturbing…

I blinked at him. “Oh, I still think I’m too good for you. That hasn’t changed.”

I was trying to stay in character. The problem was, staying in character meant pissing people off. And how much did I need them to like me in order to get the approval of the Quorum?

With a furious expression, he knocked back the rest of his blood. “Let me just spell this out. If you become duchess of the Asmodean Ward, that means less tax revenue for the rest of us.”

Duchess…right. As the last Lilu, I’d be the automatic leader. They’d be sharing power with me. Of course none of them wanted that.

But the king made the ultimate call, right? If he wanted something enough, I was sure he’d find a way to get it. My goal needed to be getting him on board as much as possible, and jealousy was the key to his heart.

I turned to Orion and brushed my fingertips over his abs. As I did, I felt his muscles clench, which was a strangely delicious feeling. My cheeks were growing hotter.

“Look, if you all decide you don’t want me here, then I can leave, of course. I can live anywhere. And perhaps I can compel Orion to come with me. I think there’s something about him—a very large thing, in fact—that I’m really quite attached to. I can’t imagine any other male coming close.”

Orion grabbed me off my feet. He moved swiftly but gracefully, and the next thing I knew, he was lifting me against a column. I stared into his hypnotizing blue eyes, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. With a wicked, seductive smile, he pinned me against the stone.

When the air hit the top of my thighs, I realized that he’d pulled my dress up nearly to my hips.

Whoa.Hello.

I stared into his eyes. At this point, I was glad for the wine and the cocktail I’d downed, because in normal life, I was never this uninhibited. As Orion had pointed out, I was a bit tightly wound. But it wasn’t just the alcohol, was it? Orion had his own sort of intoxicating powers. His seductive, velvety magic stroked my body. As he held me against the stone, his eyes looked dark, dangerous. I stared into his perfect, masculine features, and the world around me seemed to dim. I wanted him to lower his mouth to mine, to kiss me deeply.

Goddamn it. Terrible taste in men, Rowan. Absolute worst.

A breeze rushed through the hall, skimming over my bare skin. The strap of my gown had fallen, nearly exposing my entire breast. In fact, half my nipple was showing, tightened to a sensitive point against the silky material.

In any normal situation, I’d gasp and rush to cover myself up. But in any normal situation, I wouldn’t be thrown into a fire pit for being self-conscious, so I took deep breath and let the strap fall even more.

I watched Orion’s eyes as they brushed down my chest, and I heard his sharp intake of breath. He pressed in harder between my legs, and I bit my lip. From the feel of him, he wasn’t just faking this desire. And what I’d said before about how I couldn’t imagine any other male coming close to him? Holy moly, I wasn’t wrong.

Orion started to lower his mouth to mine, eyes black as night—

“That’s enough!” The king’s voice boomed through the hall.

I was horrified at how disappointed I felt at the interruption.

Orion lowered me, and the hem of my gown fell to the floor once more.

I knew my cheeks were flushed and my chest heaving as I pulled my strap up again. It was hard for me to focus. Only the sight of the rising flames, now towering several feet above us, sharpened my senses again. When the flames died down, I could see the king on the other side of them, his jaw clenched and muscles tense.

We’d certainly gotten his attention. The firelight danced over his tan skin and blond hair, making him look like a gilded statue forged from the flames.

My adrenaline was pulsing hard through my body. Had we actually pulled off this act?

The king pulled his gaze from me, surveying the Quorum. Then a smile curled his lips. “I think the City of Thorns could use a succubus.”

A silence fell over the room. Just as I thought, the king would be making the call, regardless of what the others thought. Their faces were grim, furious.

One of the dukes, with platinum blond hair and gold rings on his fingers, stepped forward. “We cannot, of course, disagree with your wisdom.” He looked furious. And as I stared at him, a golden symbol started beaming from his head—something like a crescent moon.

My heart slammed on my chest. That was what I remembered from the night Mom was killed. It was a symbol just like that, shining from a demon’s head. Only it had been a star instead of a moon.

My blood was pumping so hard now I nearly dropped character. I’d actually made progress.

But when I saw Lydia’s eyes on me, the curl of her lip, I made sure my expression looked serene. Mortana wasn’t surprised by anything here. This was all business as usual.

The king steepled his fingers as he stared at his quorum. “Don’t you agree that the city could use a succubus?” His voice rumbled off the marble. “A duchess for the Asmodean Ward?”

He wanted them to agree with him. He knew they didn’t—they’d just said so—but they wouldn’t argue with a king. And as long as they agreed out loud, he would have someone to blame if the succubus turned out to be a complete disaster. Why did you all advise me to allow her in?

The five demons murmured, then nodded.

Only Lydia looked completely stone faced. “We could use a succubus. The king in his infinite wisdom can see this. But any demon who enters the city must be tested in the Infernal Trial, is that not correct? It’s how we know that the gods bless someone’s presence.” Ferocity burned in her eyes as she turned to us. “Orion, you remember your Trial. You killed some good friends of mine, in fact. Now, it must be Mortana’s turn.”

“That’s only for new demons,” he replied. “Mortana lived here once before. She’s returning to her former home.” He was trying to seem casual, but I could tell by the way he’d answered—a little too quickly—that this was bad.

Lydia smiled pleasantly. “Yes, but she never passed the Trial because she lived in the city at its founding. There were no trials in the 1680s. The law says that any demon entering the city must pass the Infernal Trial unless they have passed it before. I think you’ll find that there are no exemptions stated for those who lived here when the city was founded.” Her smile deepened as she looked at me. “You haven’t gone soft in the City of Serpents, have you, Mortana?”

Fear settled in my gut.

The king stood, and warm light danced over his sharp jawline. “It is agreed, then. Mortana will join the City of Thorns as long as she can pass our initiation. Then we will know if even the gods approve of her presence here.” He turned to look at me, his crown gleaming. “Your Trial begins at midnight tonight. You have been formally summoned.”

I couldn’t exactly say no, could I? Mortana would say yes. She would be one hundred percent confident of her ability to get through this.

I could either break character or commit myself to a life-threatening trial.

So I found myself opening my mouth and saying, “I can easily pass an Infernal Trial. Of course the gods want me here.” I chuckled softly. “I think we all know that.”

Lydia was seething at me, her lip curled a little. “But what if Duke Orion tries to help her? Clearly, they have a relationship. We all know how skilled he is at killing. What if they cheat?”

The king cut a sharp glance to Orion. “Well, the duke will remain with me on the other side of the Acheron River, just outside my tower. We will be watching for you to cross over, or listening for the victory cry that would herald your death. We will have cocktails.”

“And no flying,” spat Lydia. “You can’t use your wings.”

Now there was one rule I’d have no problem sticking to. I didn’t have wings, or magic, or really any hope to survive the rest of the night. Not unless I figured out a plan real fast. Maybe a quick, secretive exit from the city before anyone noticed.

Except the king wasn’t dismissing us. No, he was drawing a dagger from his belt. Dread started to bloom in my chest as I realized what was happening now.

The king held out his palm and carved a slash in it. Crimson blood slid down his hand on to the marble dais beneath him. “Good. We will seal this sacred commitment with a blood oath.”

Holy hell. Looks like I’d be working on a plan B.