Demon Slave by Kiersten Fay Page A

to
meet hers. Nadua answered back in kind, lost to the moment. She’d
never been shy about things like this; her only apprehension was
that Marik wasn’t himself. He was animalistic and
unpredictable.
    And oh, how she loved it.
    Her body arched when his tongue trailed the
line of her jaw to play with that sensitive area of flesh at her
neckline. When he pushed his hips closer to hers, she felt his
budding erection. Her body clenched in anticipation.
    But then his hands grew impatient, roaming
the thick fur of her outfit, he clutched a handful of the material
as though he were ready to rip it from her.
    She gasped, “Marik, no!” If he tore her
furs, she’d have no way of repairing them.
    Body shaking with need, he stilled and his
molten eyes found hers. Their normal color slowly started to bleed
back into the red. After a moment longer, they were once more fully
green.
    He eased back. A shadow of regret lingered
behind his eyes. Letting go of her completely, he crouched a few
feet away. When he looked her over, as though seeing her for the
first time, there was no more heat in his gaze. “Did they hurt you?
Did...I...” He trailed off, his unspoken words lingering between
them.
    “ No. I’m fine, really.” She
reached out for him but he shot to his feet. To avoid her touch?
“Are you okay?”
She noticed a small trail of blood at his shoulder. The Kaiylemi
must have gotten him.
    Instead of answering her question, he said,
“I’m sorry I frightened you. It won’t happen again.” It didn’t
sound like he believed his own words. He looked at his hands then,
as if suddenly remembering something. “Tell me, what kind of animal
can claw a man to death?”
    Besides you?
    “ I...don’t think there are
any on Undewla. Why?”
    At length he said, “Something had gotten to
one of them before me.”
    His concerned expression was alarming.
Whatever a demon feared would not bode well for her.
    “ I’m going to search for
something for us to eat while it’s still light. I don’t sense
anyone else near. Will you be alright here?”
    “ Of course.” She reclaimed
the hilt of the sword.
    He nodded and then hesitated, looking as
though he was contemplating making her tag along with him. “You
won’t run?”
    Nadua tilted her head. “I have nowhere to
run to.”
    “ And if you
did?”
    Her brows drew together as she considered
his question. There was something deeper in it. “I don’t know,” she
finally offered. “This is unlike any situation I’ve ever been in.”
The last few days played back in her mind. “You may think abducting
me was the right thing to do, but can you honestly protect the both
of us out here? What if there had been more than one Kaiylemi just
now? And what if you lose yourself to that madness again? Could you
keep yourself from hurting me next time?”
    His features grew dark, and she feared her
questioning had upset him.
    “ I won’t hurt you,” he
grated. A sliver of uncertainty crossed his face, but was quickly
replaced with determination. “I won’t.”
    “ Are you trying to convince
me? Or yourself?”
    She waited for an answer, but, fists
clenched, he only turned and left without another word. That was
probably the most revealing conversation they’d had thus far. He
was unsure of his level of control, and so was she.
     

Chapter 12
     

     
     
     
    From a window in the palace, Ava watched
with unbridled excitement as the troops marched closer to Sori.
She’d spotted them as they appeared from behind the low hills, just
outside the city. Her loud screech alerted Wren, who entered her
room, weapon drawn, as though to face an army.
    “ We must go meet them!” she
cried, rushing toward the door.
    “ My queen!” Wren caught her
arm.
    Ava bounced with impatience. “What?”
    “ You should not be seen in
this manner.”
    She looked down at herself. “Oops.” She was
dressed in her sleeping gown and slippers. After calling for her
maid, Terina, Ava ransacked her closet,