City of Thorns by C.N. Crawford

Chapter 28

In the Tower of Baal, we stepped into the elevator to ride up to the penthouse floor. I wore a dress made of a sheer material that showed off my legs, but with strategically placed blue filigrees to allow a bit of modesty.

As soon as the elevator started, Orion turned his piercing blue eyes to me. “I’m curious what you and Shai were talking about. You said you don’t trust me, which makes sense, because I’m a dick. But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there? There’s something specific.”

I crossed my arms. “Fine. You want revenge, and I do, too. I want to find my mom’s killer. Someone killed her with fire magic in the Osborne Woods, and I want to know who it was.”

His eyes went wide. “Ah.” He turned and pressed the emergency button, stopping the elevator. “There we are. You think I could have killed your mother.”

I shot an irritated glance at the door. “Do we have to have this conversation trapped in an elevator?”

“I’m afraid so.”

I crossed my arms, looking impatiently at the door. “You have fire magic, so yes, you’re on my short list of suspects.”

He slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m ruthless, lethal, lacking in empathy. I don’t hide my flaws or lie about what I am, so that’s no secret. I’d murder a mortal woman if it got me what I wanted.” He met my gaze. “But I didn’t burn a mortal woman to death in the Osborne Woods. I’m not morally against the concept, it’s just that it wasn’t me.”

Either he was really good at lying, or that was the truth. As I stared at him, I felt my chest unclench. “Okay.”

His eyebrows rose. “I take it Shai told you that I can’t kill her.”

“It did come up. She’s not actually a psychopath, by the way. She just used that to get you to agree to the blood oath.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. Finding another person you care about that I could kill would be the easiest way to bargain…”

“That’s not really what a bargain is. That’s a threat, Orion.”

He shrugged, his expression cold. “Well, clearly, it would be the easiest option, but it won’t work. From what I understand, you don’t actually care about anyone else. Shai is your only friend, and your family is dead.”

I swallowed hard. “That’s a depressing summary.”

“How about a new bargain, then? You get me what I want, the truth about what makes the king weak, and I’ll help you find your mother’s killer. Once I get what I need, you’ll get what you need.”

I bit my lip, staring at him. This all came down to a single question—did I actually believe him? It was hard to say. But since I didn’t have many offers of help here in the City of Thorns, I’d accept for now. “Fine. I’ll take this deal before you come up with something worse.”

“And then you’ll need to leave the City of Thorns as soon as we are finished. Every hour that you’re here is another hour that you risk ending up in the fire pit.”

He turned and pushed a button to make the elevator move again. We started rising, and within moments, the elevator doors opened into the penthouse apartment.

Holy moly… It was like nothing I’d ever seen—a pool inset into a marble floor and towering glass windows that opened onto a balcony. Beyond the balcony, the sea glittered under the stars. A balmy breeze rushed into the apartment, toying with the demons’ long, silky gowns.

The king stood on the other side of the pool, martini in hand. Subtly, people swarmed around him like moths to a flame, eyes flitting to him, fingers reaching out to touch his arm. But his attention was locked on Lydia and one of the dukes.

When my eyes met Nama’s, my pulse started to race. She wore a long white gown that matched her wavy hair, plus earrings that looked like dripping icicles. But despite the delicate beauty of her outfit, her lip was curled, exposing her teeth like an animal about to attack. She pulled her gaze from mine, then smiled at Orion. When he didn’t seem to notice her, she stalked over to him. “Hello, my duke.” Her voice sounded shaky, angry.

Orion seemed to be looking right past her. “You again, is it?”

When a server crossed to us with a tray of cloudy purple cocktails, I plucked one off for myself and took a sip. This one was gin, lemon, and the faint hint of violets.

And as I surveyed the room again, trying to catch anyone’s eye, I was starting to get the impression that people were ignoring me on purpose. This was a demonic cold shoulder.

No one wanted a succubus duchess here. The demons had tried killing me in the woods, and when that didn’t work, they’d try a social freeze.

I pretended I wasn’t listening as Nama started talking to Orion again, but I absolutely was.

“Your new succubus friend reminds me of a mortal sometimes,” she said, as though I weren’t standing right there. “The way she moves. Her slowness.” Her jaw tightened. “You know the fear that mortals have, since they were our prey for so long? I sense that in her. She was wearing something strange in the woods, and she smelled like animal piss. What’s she so afraid of?”

Nama was a twat, but she was a perceptive twat.

Orion flashed her a taunting smile. “She’s afraid of me, I should think. And you should be, too.”

Nama pouted at him, then lifted her chin. “But we’re going to be great friends, you and I. We are alike. Do you believe in a soul bond?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have a soul, Nama,” said Orion. “I’m divine on the outside, I know. But I’m absolutely empty inside.”

I was starting to think this was the mask he wore—cold and uncaring, devoid of emotions. Underneath his sarcasm, under the sensual smile, was a well of buried pain.

Nama’s smile looked twisted and strained at his comments. “I don’t believe that for a moment. We’re fated to marry. You can pretend to deny it all you want, but I’ve foreseen it.” Only now did she shoot me a withering look to acknowledge my presence. “And if you’re not going to look into the truth about this one, then I will. She looks…fidgety. Anxious. Mortal.”

My stomach clenched. What if she started asking around about me in Osborne?

I couldn’t worry about that now while Nama was scrutinizing me for signs of anxiety, so I tried to summon my dark side—which, as it turned out, involved finishing the cocktail fast.

I closed my eyes as I drank it down.

I’m not Rowan. I am Mortana, succubus, seductress, devourer of souls. I will eat the weak for breakfast.

When I’d finished the drink, I had a nice little buzz. Despite my new anxieties, I had to keep up the seductive charade while I was here in front of the demon crowd. With a little smile on my face, I started walking toward the king, crossing alongside the pool. I imagined the trickles of water running down my body as I walked, my eyes locked on him. The warm lights of the room cast a flattering light over his masculine features and sharp jaw.

He slid me a curious look as I approached, and I could see Lydia tensing, her eyes going dark.

I wanted him alone. If I were going to learn his weakness, it would have to be away from the others.

When I was standing next to him, I leaned in to whisper, “There’s only one thing you could do to turn my attention from Orion to you.”

Then, with that catlike walk. I headed onto the balcony. Out there, the briny sea air rushed over me, and I stared out at the sparkling sea. I’d feel fairly stupid if I did all that and the king failed to join me, but I supposed I had to stand there with the confidence of my shadow-self.

And when I turned to look back, I found that the king was stalking outside to join me, a cocktail in hand. The salty air toyed with his blond hair. “As always,” he said quietly, “you intrigue me, Mortana.”

I leaned back with my elbows over the railing and smiled at him. I was tempted to look inside to see what Orion was doing, but that wasn’t my job here. Jealousy was a game I was playing with the king; it wasn’t for me to indulge in.

I sipped my drink. “You know, this city is even more beautiful than I remember. They say a king is tied to his land, so I’m sure you’ve only enhanced its appeal.”

“I think the City of Thorns has been missing its last Lilu. We can’t be whole without your kind. We’re a city of seven wards, seven gods. We made a promise to the mortals, and you are the single living exception.” He raised his glass. “Exactly how did you extract such a deal from my father?”

I shrugged and let the strap of my gown fall just a little. “I made him happy. You know, I always thought I should be queen.”

“So did I.” There was something fierce in his voice, a desperate edge to it. “Maybe I still do.”

“Well, it’s not too late.” I sipped my drink. “But if our relationship is going to progress, I need to know the real you.”

He put his drink down on the railing, then moved closer and planted his hands on either side of me. The wind whipped at his pale hair. “In what way do you want to know me?”

I reached out to stroke his jawline. “The thing is, Your Majesty, everyone has a weakness. Even a king like you.”

“I’m not sure that’s actually the case, Mortana.”

“Everyone,”I repeated. “If we’re going to be equals, then I need to know what makes you vulnerable. If you only know someone’s strong side, you don’t really know them at all.”

“And what makes you vulnerable, Duchess? Is there anything that you fear?”

Dammit. A deflection. It’s like he’d been studying with Dr. Omer.

Maybe I could answer. What made my shadow-self feel vulnerable? I closed my eyes, trying to tune in to what Mortana would feel. If I were answering the question for myself, there’d be a wide array of fears to choose from, spanning the gamut of likely to nearly impossible: fire, dying alone, childbirth, imprisonment in North Korea, choking on a stray zipper that got into my cereal, bug infestations, making selfish choices, getting trampled by a moose…the list was pretty much endless. But Mortana? She was different. She was a survivor. She didn’t agonize about being selfish or flawed—she just survived.

“Being hunted and trapped.” I opened my eyes. “For obvious reasons. I’m the only one left. And you?”

“I fear nothing, because I have been blessed by Lucifer as his true leader.” His tone was silky, deep.

Alarm bells rang in my mind. Did he have the five-pointed star, then?

He stepped back from me and pulled a knife from his pocket. The blade glinted in the moonlight, and he drew it across his palm. For just a moment, his skin flashed with bright red—but then the cut was gone again in an instant. Demons healed quickly, but this was different, almost immediate. Like an arrow bouncing off a dragon’s hide.

He held up his palm. “I’m afraid to disappoint you, Mortana, but nothing about me is vulnerable. That is what it means to be blessed by Lucifer.”

Shit. Was that actually true? If so, why was Orion so convinced otherwise?

“Well, that’s disappointing,” I said. “I like to leave my mark on a man. Drag my claws down his back.” I bared my teeth. “Or mark him as mine with my fangs. I like to deliver pain with pleasure. If you can’t be hurt, I’m not sure we’d be well suited.”

He moved in again, pressing his hands on either side of my hips. “Maybe we could find a way to work past that.”

I arched an eyebrow. “But how?”

The sea wind whipped over us, and my red hair tangled with his. Over his shoulder, I saw Orion standing in the doorway. His eyes looked dark, and darkness seemed to stain the air around him. That was how he looked when he was pissed off.

Why was he annoyed now? I was doing exactly what he wanted. In fact, I think the king was actually about to tell me something.

I turned my attention back to the king and licked my lips. “How could we arrange that? If Lucifer protects you all the time, how can I leave my claw marks on you like I did on the duke?”

The king’s eyes raked down my body. “No. You won’t see him anymore.” His voice had a desperate edge. “I’ve watched you for too long to let you go to another man again. When you were with my father, the jealousy ate at me, like it did at my mother. You were the goddess of envy, inspiring it like no one else before. I vowed to have you as my own.” He dragged his eyes up to mine again. “But I don’t trust you.”

Damn. I’d have to play on his desperation to override the sensible side. I shrugged. “Well, perhaps we’re not suited to each other. I’m sure there’s another demon female who would make a wonderful queen for you. And as for me? Orion can satisfy me like no other male ever has. You can see how all the females look at him, can’t you? Everyone wants him.”

He reached up and grabbed me by the neck. “No.” Ice-cold rage laced his tone, and his fury tightened his jaw. “I will have what he has. I’m the king, and I deserve what I want.”

Fear was starting to climb up my throat now. Panic clanged in the hollows of my mind, sharpened by my species’ thousands of years as prey. My amygdala was telling me to get the fuck out right now—that was a very, very powerful demon was about to rip my throat out or take what he wanted from me. But I could also tell I was close to getting the information I needed. He seemed out of control, ready to do anything to have me.

“You know what I want,” I whispered. “I want to know all of you. Not just the powerful side.”

“I want you now.” His eyes gleamed, midnight dark, and he gripped my waist like he was about to rip the fabric. “There is one way—”

“King Cambriel.” Orion’s voice cut through the tension like a knife. “Do not touch what’s mine.”

To my surprise, the king simply dropped his grip on me. His eyes glinted with darkness as he slowly stepped away.

I looked beyond the king to see Lydia stepping outside next to Orion. The king pivoted to find the two of them standing behind him.

Lydia was seething, and fury burned in her eyes. Was the king attracted to the jealousy of others, too? If so, he had a feast right here.

I exhaled, trying to hide my frustration. I’d been so close to learning what Orion wanted. But the king had been out of control. And maybe—just maybe—Orion actually cared for me.

My one burning question was why the fuck the king was so scared of Orion.