Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels #3)(107)
Author: Anne Bishop

He didn’t react. Wouldn’t allow himself to react. Itwas dead meat now—the last part revitalized, the first part to die. He wouldn’t react. And he wouldn’t think of Sylvia. Not now. Not ever again.

With their eyes locked on each other, Hekatah stepped closer, closer. One of her hands stroked him, caressed him, closed around him to hold him for the knife.

An enraged shriek tore through the normal nighttime sounds.

Hekatah jumped back and whirled toward the sound.

Surreal came flying into the camp as if she’d been tossed by a huge hand. Her feet hit the ground first, but she couldn’t stop the forward momentum. She tucked and rolled, coming up on her knees facing the darkness beyond the area illuminated by candle-lights.

"YOU COLD-BLOODED, HEARTLESS BASTARD!" Surreal screamed. "YOU GUTLESS SON OF A WHORING BITCH!"

Dorothea burst out of her cabin, shouting, "Guards! Guards!"

The guards rushed in from three sides of the camp. No one came out of the darkness facing them.

"GUARDS!" Dorothea shouted again.

From out of that darkness, a deep, amused voice said, "They aren’t going to answer you, darling. They’ve been permanently detained."

Daemon Sadi stepped out of the darkness, stopping at the edge of the light. His black hair was a little wind-mussed. His hands were casually tucked in his trouser pockets. His black jacket was open, revealing the white silk shirt that was unbuttoned to the waist. The Black Jewel around his neck glittered with power. His golden eyes glittered, too.

Seeing that queer glitter in Daemon’s eyes, Saetan shivered. Something was wrong here.Very wrong.

Hekatah turned halfway, resting the knife against Saetan’s belly. "Take one more step and I’ll gut him—and kill the Eyrien, too."

"Go ahead," Daemon said pleasantly as he walked into the camp. "It’ll save me the trouble of arranging a couple of careful accidents, which I would have had to have done soon anyway since the Steward and the First Escort were becoming . .. troublesome. So, you kill them, I destroy you— and then I return to Kaeleer to console the grieving Queen. Yes, that will work out quite nicely. You’ll be blamed for their deaths, and Jaenelle will never look at me and wonder why I’m the only male left whom she can depend on."

"You’re forgetting about the Master of the Guard," Hekatah said.

Daemon smiled a gentle, brutal smile. "No, I haven’t. I didn’t forget about Prothvar or Mephis either. They’re no longer a concern."

For a moment, Saetan thought Hekatahhad gutted him. But while the wound wasn’t physical, the painwas. "No," he said. "No. You couldn’t have."

Daemon laughed. "Couldn’t I? Then where are they, old man?"

Because he had wondered the same thing, Saetan couldn’t answer that. But he still found himself denying it. "You couldn’t have.They’re your family."

"My family," Daemon said thoughtfully. "How convenient that they decided to become ‘family’ after I became the Consort to the strongest Queen in the history of the Blood."

"That’s not true," Saetan said, straining forward despite the knife Hekatah still held against his belly. It was mad to be arguing about this, but all his instincts shouted at him that it had to benow, that there might not be another chance to alter that look in Daemon’s eyes.

"Isn’t it?" Daemon said bitterly. "Then where were they 1,700 years ago when I was a child? Where were you? Where wereany of you during all the years between then and now? Don’t talk to me aboutfamily, High Lord."

Saetan sagged against the post. Mother Night, every worry he’d had about Daemon’s loyalty was coming true.

"How very touching," Hekatah sneered. "Do you expect us to believe that? You’re your father’s son."

Daemon’s gold eyes fastened on Hekatah. "I think it’s more accurate to say I’m the man my fathermight have been if he’d had the balls for it."

"Don’t listen to him," Dorothea said suddenly. "It’s a trick, a trap. He’slying."

"It seems to be his day for it," Surreal muttered bitterly.

Giving Surreal a brief, dismissive glance, Daemon shifted his attention to Dorothea. "Hello, darling. You look like a hag. It suits you."

Dorothea hissed.

"I brought you a present," Daemon said, glancing at Surreal again.

Dorothea looked at Surreal’s pointed ears and sneered. "I’ve heard of her. She’s nothing but a whore."

"Yes," Daemon agreed mildly, "she’s a first-class slut who will spread her legs for anything that will pay her. She’s also your granddaughter. Kartane’s child. The only one he’ll ever sire. The only continuation ofyour bloodline."

"No slut ismy granddaughter," Dorothea snarled.

Daemon raised one eyebrow. "Really, darling, I thought that would be the convincing argument. The only difference between you is she’s under a male most of the time while you’re on top of him. But your legs are spread just as wide." He paused. "Well, there isone other difference. Since she was getting paid for it,she had to acquire some skill in bed."

Dorothea shook with rage. "Guards! Seize him!"

Twenty men surged forward, then dropped in their tracks.

Daemon just smiled. "Perhaps I should kill the rest of them now to eliminate further annoyances."

Hekatah carefully lowered the knife. "Why are you here, Sadi?"

"Your little schemes are interfering with my plans, and that annoys me."

"Terreille is going to war with Kaeleer. That’s hardly a ‘little scheme.’ "

"Well, that all depends on whether you have the power to win, doesn’t it?" Daemon crooned. "However, I’m not interested in ruling a Realm that’s been devastated by a war, so I decided it was time we had a little talk." Dorothea jumped forward. "Don’t listen to him!"

"How canyou rule a Realm?" Hekatah asked, ignoring Dorothea.

Daemon’s smile became colder, crueler. "I control the witch who has the strength to kill every living thing in the Realm of Terreille."

"NO!" Saetan shouted. "Youdo not control the Queen." When Daemon’s eyes fixed on him, he started to shiver again.

"Don’t I?" Daemon purred. "Haven’t you wondered why she didn’t respond to the ‘gift,’ High Lord? Oh, she was greatly distressed. Hasn’t done anything but weep since your finger arrived. But she isn’t here—and she isn’t going to be because she values having my c**k inside her more than she values you. Any of you." For the first time, Daemon glanced at Lucivar.

Saetan shook his head. "No. You can’t do this, Daemon."