Kiss of a Demon King

which would' I choose-my kingdom or my queen. And you asked for a reason. I can sacrifice all hope for one to save the other.'

'You answered your kingdom so easily back then. I was amused.'

'Whoa, whoa,' Cadeon said. 'What the hell are you two talking about?'

Rydstrom asked Nïx, 'How do I get to Tornin tonight?'

'It's being, uh, taken care of.'

'If you've seen all this, then tell me-will she live?'

Nïx gazed at the ceiling, then back. 'I don't know about her. But you might want to have a talk with your successor here and let him know what's about to hap­pen.'

Rydstrom nodded, accepting death-or worse.

'Yeah, let me know what's going on!'

'I'm going to Omort for the antidote. The sorcerer will likely kill me this time,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Cadeon, you're my heir. Nïx said this was my last chance to claim my crown. She didn't say you had no chance.'

'What-the-fuck?' Cadeon thundered. 'No way! No goddamn way!'

'This will happen, brother,' Rydstrom snapped. 'I wasn't asking you-I was informing you.'

'Okay, then, so we make this a trap,' Cadeon said, plainly wrestling with his temper. 'You can't go there without a battle plan.'

'You told me Groot hit at your mental blocks like a sledgehammer. Omort will demand I open my thoughts to his probes. I have to be utterly free of conspiracy, else I risk her.'

Cadeon ran his hand over his face. 'If you do this, you'll be committing suicide.'

'I understand. If I can save her from this pain . .' Then mine was a life well lived.

'Nïx! Tell Rydstrom this is a suicide mission.'

She sighed. 'If he wants to go all Asian the Lion on us, who are we to stop him ?'

'I won't let you do this!'

'It's done,' Rydstrom said. 'Nïx, tell me how to get to Tornin.'

'The way to get to Tornin is already on her way to New Orleans. And she's pissed.'

45

 So how are things with Mike Rowe?' a woman's voice said.

Consciousness gradually returned to Sabine, and she found herself between waves of pain-in that harrowing lull between remembering agony and anticipating it.

'Mike Rowe? Who exactly are you talking about, Holly?' another female answered. Is that Nïx speaking? Yes. What is she doing in my dream? Or am I waking?

'The actor?' this Holly said slowly. 'From Dirty jobs. Who took out a restraining order against you?'

A pause, then Nïx said, 'Ah! Yes, well, Mikey and I broke up after I finally got him to fool around with me.'

'In the week since I saw you last?'

'Yes, last night if I recall correctly,' Nïx said. 'He was quite adroit for a human, very tempting. But then I had to forget the phone number he pressed on me.'

As if she couldn't help himself, Holly asked, 'Why's that?'

'I remembered I'm a rake.'

Sabine blinked against her hazy sight and spied Nïx in the sitting area of the bedroom. Sabine squinted at the Valkyrie's T-shirt. It read, born to blossom, bloom

TO PERISH-G.S.

The other female, this Holly, had glasses and a prim demeanor. She looked to be folding clothes?

'Besides,' Nïx said, 'I needed to break it off with Mikey, since I'm leaving town.'

'What do you mean you're leaving?' Holly-demanded, folding and refolding the same towel. 'I still don't know my way around this world, and you're taking off-yet again?'

'Cadeon can show you about.'

'Where do you have to go that's so important you can abandon me?'

'Auntie Nixies taking a TO. I'm heading to Buda­pest, to investigate this band of immortal warriors,' she explained. 'They're called the Lords of the Underworld. If that doesn't make you want to mate ...' She growled and clawed at the air. 'Anyway, they're supposed to be excessively hawt.'

'And by investigate, you actually mean do.'

Nïx made a scoffing sound. 'Holly, how else is one supposed to investigate a male? Really?'

Holly sputtered, but Nïx talked over her. 'Just between us-if they can handle what the Nixanator's bringing, I might not ever leave. . . .' Her vacant gaze skittered over to the bed, and her eyes widened. 'She's awake.'

Nïx strolled over to the bed with Holly following. 'Remember me? Nïx, the Ever-Knowing? And this is my niece, Holly.' Nïx indicated the pretty blonde who gave her a weak wave. 'She's Cadeon's wife.'

Nïx put a glass of water to her lips, but Sabine turned away to gasp out the words, 'Where's... Rydstrom?'

'We finally peeled him away from you. We'll be your sitters this eve. Rydstrom, Cadeon, and myriad demons are out searching for your sister, so they can poach her portal.' She laughed abruptly. 'I'm sorry, this is not a funny situation, but 'poach your sister's portal' really sounded raunchy.'

Holly rolled her eyes.

'He's bringing Lanthe back here,' Nïx finally con­tinued. 'And then he intends to take you to Omort and beg for the antidote.'

Sabine's heart stuttered-this time from emotion. 'He can't... go through with this!'

Nïx said, 'He's decided to sacrifice himself for you.'

'Omort will kill him this time . . . will read his mind ... discover any of his plans of attack-'

'There won't be any,' Nïx said quietly. 'Rydstrom's counting this as a one-way trip, sorceress.'

Sabine shook her head sharply. 'You can't let... him do this!'

'You try stopping a nearly seven-foot-tall demon who's hopelessly in love.'

'Nïx,' Holly murmured, 'Sabine needs some clean sheets. They're dirty with all the blood . . . blood-' Her hand flew to her mouth, her face paling even more.

'Are you having morning sickness again?' Nïx asked. When Holly darted from the room, she called, 'My gods, Holly, way to steal Sabine's thunder!'

To Sabine, Nïx said, 'I'll be back shortly. Yell if you need anything.' She heard Nïx mumble at the door, 'Poach her portal. So going on a T-shirt.'

Sabine lay quaking and stunned. Rydstrom planned to sacrifice everything for her.

An idea arose, a plot. Could it work? She had little time before the next wave hit-did she have the

strength?

She would find the strength, because if he was going to save her, she was going to protect him. Or at least give him the means to protect himself.

Gritting her teeth, she rolled off the bed, collaps­ing onto the plush rug. She could hear Holly retching in the guest bathroom and Nïx running water for her. Sabine had no strength to hide herself with illusion, but as