Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels #3)(116)
Author: Anne Bishop

She stared at him. "How… It isn’t possible."

"I think we’ve just proved that’s a lie," Daemon crooned. "I punish women who lie to me."

"Do you?" Hekatah whispered, swaying. She couldn’t look away from the cruel pleasure in his eyes. "I’ll take care of Dorothea."

He kissed her again. This time she felt the mockery in the gentleness. There was nothing gentle about him. Nothing.

"I’ll take care of Dorothea," she said again. "And then we’ll be partners."

"And I promise you, darling," Daemon purred, "you’re going to get everything you deserve."

9 / Terreille

Dorothea woke up late in the morning and groaned at the pain in her belly. It felt like a year’s worth of moontime cramps had settled in her gut. She couldn’t get sick now.Couldn’t. Maybe a cup of herbal tea or some broth. Hell’s fire, she was cold. Why was she so damn cold?

Shivering, she dragged herself out of bed—and fell.

After the shock came fear as she remembered the brew Hekatah had made for her last night. To help her sleep. What had she been thinking of not to test something that came from Hekatah’s hand?

She hadn’t been thinking. Hadn’t…

That bitch. That walking piece of carrion must have used a compulsion spell on her to get her to drink it—and then to forget that she’d beenordered to drink it.

Her muscles constricted, twisted.

Not sick. Poisoned.

She needed help. She needed…

Her cabin door opened and closed.

Gasping from the effort, she rolled onto her side and stared at Daemon Sadi.

"Daemon," she whimpered, trying to hold out a hand toward him. "Daemon… help…"

He just stood there, studying her. Then he smiled. "Looks like witchblood was part of last night’s little brew," he said pleasantly.

She couldn’t draw a full breath. "You did this.You did this."

"You were becoming a problem, darling. It’s nothing personal."

She felt the pain of the insult even through the physical pain. "Hekatah…"

"Yes," Daemon purred, "Hekatah. Now, don’t worry, darling. I’ve put an aural and a protective shield around your cabin, so you’ll be quite undisturbed for the rest of the day."

He walked out of the cabin.

She tried to crawl to the door, tried to scream for help. Couldn’t do either.

It didn’t take long for her world to become nothing but pain.

Daemon closed the door of the prison hut he’d been using whenever he needed to stay somewhere for a little while. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew the Jewels he’d gone to Dorothea’s cabin to retrieve—Saetan’s Black ring; Lucivar’s pendant, ring, and Ring of Honor. He knew her well, knew exactly where to probe for a hiding place. It hadn’t taken him more than a minute to slip around her guard spells and lift the Jewels while he stood there and talked to her.

He studied the Jewels and sighed with relief. Both men had put strong shields around the jewelry before handing them over to those bitches, so there was no way the pieces could have been tampered with or tainted. Still…

Setting the Jewels into the washbasin, he poured water over them, added some astringent herbs for cleansing, then let them soak.

This would be the last day, the last night. He could endure it that much longer.Had to endure it.

He closed his eyes.Soon, sweetheart. A few more hours and I’ll be on my way home, on my way back to you. And then we’ll be married.

Picturing Jaenelle slipping the plain gold wedding ring onto his finger, he smiled.

And then he remembered the seduction spell Hekatah had woven around him. Oh, he’d been aware of it, could have easily broken it—but he had let his body respond to it while he touched Hekatah. Kissed Hekatah. Hated Hekatah.

Just a game. A nasty, vicious game.

He barely made it to the chamber pot before he was quietly, but thoroughly, sick.

10 / Terreille

"It’s your turn, Prick."

Because he was looking for it, because he knewwhat to look for, Lucivar saw the sick desperation in Daemon’s eyes.

So he remained passive while Daemon unchained him and led him into the other prison hut, the one closest to them. And he stayed impassive while Daemon feverishly rumpled the small bed.

Then he let out an anguished Eyrien war cry that startled Daemon badly enough to fall onto the bed.

"Hell’s fire, Prick," Daemon muttered as he stood up.

"Convincing enough?" Lucivar asked mildly.

Daemon froze.

All the masks dropped away. Lucivar saw a man physically and emotionally exhausted, a man barely able to stay on his feet.

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"I had to buy Jaenelle some time. I needed your hate to do it."

That simple. That painful. Daemon would regret it, deeply regret it, but he wouldn’t hesitate to rip out his brother’s heart if that’s what Jaenelle needed from him. Which was exactly what he had done.

"You’re here with Jaenelle’s consent," Lucivar said, wanting the confirmation.

"I’m here at her command."

"To play out this game."

"To play out this game," Daemon agreed quietly.

Lucivar nodded, let out a bitter laugh. "Well, Bastard, you’ve played a good game." He paused, then said coldly, "Where are Marian and Daemonar?"

Daemon’s hand shook a little as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Since Surreal didn’t have to blast anyone with the Gray to get away from here, I have to assume she safely reached the hiding place where I had left them. They’re all at the Keep by now."

Lucivar let that sink in, allowed himself a moment’s relief and joy. "So now what happens?"

"Now I create a shadow of you, and you head for the Keep. Stay on the Red Wind. The darker ones are unstable."

Shadows. Daemon never could have created shadows that convincing. Not by himself. And Jaenelle… Jaenelle, having grown up around Andulvar and Prothvar, would have expected an Eyrien warrior to be able to accept the pain of the battlefield, no matter what that battlefield looked like.

"What do you need?" Lucivar asked.

Daemon hesitated. "Some hair, skin, and blood."

"Then let’s play the game through."

They worked together in silence. The only sound Lucivar made during that time was a sigh of relief when Daemon slipped the Ring of Honor over his c**k and used it to remove the Ring of Obedience in a way that wouldn’t be detected.

Putting on the Ebon-gray Jewels Daemon had returned to him, he watched the final steps to the spell that would create a shadow of himself. And shuddered when he saw the tormented, anguished creature whose lips were pulled back in a rictus grin.