“Because I haven’t won the Trials yet,” I reply, petting Dragon again. He’s curled up on his back with his tail wagging between his legs. So cute. “The only way to protect our family is to win.”
“And to defeat the Stormfire alpha.”
I snap my gaze to him. “How do you know Rizer is hunting me?”
He shrugs. “You talk in your sleep. I listen.”
I bite my lower lip, then smile at him. “You’re a good listener, Knight.”
The demon gnome puffs his chest proudly. “It’s a knight’s job to listen and to protect his family.”
My heart swells. “You’re the only family I’ve got left that I know is alive.”
Wordlessly, Knight reaches out a tiny hand and touches my leg. It’s the most affection he’s shown me, and it brings tears to my eyes.
I set Dragon back into his fort of blankets and make my way back to the living room. Just as I enter, a crouched, shadowy creature climbs up the wall and disappears through the window. Demonic magic lingers in its absence.
“Who was that?”
Caspian stands from the sofa and sheathis his blade. Fresh blood permeates the air, and I catch sight of a fresh wound on Caspian’s palm.
“A messenger of my father,” he says.
He notices me looking at his injury, but doesn’t elaborate. So I decide to pry a proper explanation out of him with subtle probing.
“Did you just make a freaking deal with a demon?”
He laughs at that and heads into the kitchen. “Demons can’t make deals with other demons.”
I follow him and lean against the countertop while he makes something to eat.
“But you drew your own blood,” I point out, nodding to his palm; the wound has already healed. “You dealt with something if not for your own blood.”
He’s silent while he prepares sandwiches. Passing me a plate with two of them on it, he then moves back into the living room and drops on the sofa. I hang back and study him from the kitchen while slowly eating my sandwich.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Songbird. Just know that I’m going to protect you no matter what happens.” He takes a large bite of his food. “Oh, and it’s Rizer who’s shut down Hell. But we already knew that.”
I open my mouth to speak, to once more probe him about his cut palm, but there’s a knock on the door. I set the food down and open it, surprised to find Eziel standing there. His eyes have turned into a deep, dark onyx and he looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks.
“Hey.” The word is just above a whisper.
He inclines his head, saying a polite, “Hey” back to me. Then his gaze cuts over my shoulder to Caspian. Just when I think his eyes can’t darken anymore, they do. I thought he was friends with Caspian? “I need to speak to you. In private.”
I open the door and step back with a nod. “We can chat in my room.” I lead the way, pausing briefly outside the door. “By the way, I have a pet dragon and a gnome.”
He chuckles and follows me inside. Knight is nowhere to be seen. He must’ve gone outside judging by my slightly opened bedroom window. Dragon’s luckily too big to fit through. He wakes upon our entry, but the moment he looks at Eziel, he flaps his wings and flies over to him, landing firmly on top of the prince’s head.
“Oh, my gosh! He’s never flown before!”
Eziel couldn’t look more smug even if he tried. “I’ve always had a particular way with fledglings.”
“Is that what you call baby demons?” I sit down on the bed and draw my legs up underneath me. “I’ve been calling them fur babies.”
“But they don’t have—“
“—fur. Believe me, I know.”
Eziel reaches up and pries Dragon off his head. “Do you know how rare this female girl is?”
She’s a girl? Aww!
“I figured she’s pretty rare since I found her at the illegal demon market,” I say, and a shudder rakes through me at the memory. I quickly push it to the back of my mind. “Anyway, what is it you’d like to talk about?”
The brief smile that threatens the prince’s lips dies when I utter the question. He puts Dragon on the floor and approaches the opposite end of my bed. Slowly he sits down, his hands splayed over his lap.
“I think you know why, Lilith.”
Goosebumps break out over me at the sound of my name on his lips. There’s just something about the way he says it that makes me shiver—in a good way.
I wait for him to go on, not wanting to give away my secret unless I know we’re on the exact same page.
He turns his dark eyes on me. “My father has increased his hunting parties, which I know are searching for you.” Before I can ask, he holds up a hand to preempt me. “Your secret is safe because you and I share something in common. We both want my father dead.”
“You do?” I whisper, drawing my brows together in confusion. “But… he’s your alpha.”
“And you saw what he did to my back,” the prince counters. “It was nothing compared to what he did to my mother. Trust me, there’s no love lost between us. I despise my father as much as you do, and I want to help.”
My pulse spikes and my palms turn sweaty in my lap. “The only way you can help is to ensure I win the trials, but since that might require cheating, it’d risk getting us both kicked out.”
“True, I can’t help you win but I can give you power, and with power you can do almost anything.” He removes the emerald ring on his finger and holds it out to me. “This will make sure I
