The Chosen Soul by Heather Killough-Walden Page B

When
    do I get to meet her?”
    Astriel turned his gaze upon his sister and the azure irises of his eyes dilated from
    cat-like slits into the black circles that mortals were more familiar with. He returned her cruel smile, effortlessly, and much more effectively, and then looked away once again.
    “Soon. She’ll not escape me a second time.”
    “Oh?” Zeta asked, mockingly. “From what I hear, she is not entirely mortal.” Her
    smile disappeared then, and her tone became serious. “I was told that she called out for
    her father. And that Malphas answered.”
    He righted himself and turned to face her. Their eyes met and held for a moment and
    then he moved to the bookshelf against one wall and appeared to casually peruse the
    titles.
    “If she is the daughter of Lord Malphas, then she will prove a difficult prey, indeed.
    And you must also consider, Astriel, what she was doing in our city. Have you thought
    about what significance her appearance might hold?”
    He waited a moment before answering, his back still turned toward her.
    “It crossed my mind,” he said casually. He pulled out a book, briefly shuffled
    through its pages, and then returned it to the shelf. Finally, he turned to face her. “I care little what plans the dark lords might be hatching. They are not what concerns me.”
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    Heather Killough-Walden
    “No, just one of their daughters.”
    “She will be mine.”
    Zeta’s smile was back. Astriel had never been denied something he wanted before.
    No mortal had dared ever defy him. This woman, this Raven , had to be simply killing his enormous ego.
    “If you are so sure,” she began slowly, “then I propose a wager.”
    This had Astriel’s attention. He gracefully sat in one of the overstuffed chairs
    opposite her, and leaned back, a curious smile on his gorgeous face. “Oh?”
    Zeta’s eyes glittered malevolently. “Indeed.” She leaned forward, drawing out the
    suspense. “I bet you cannot capture this rebellious little prize of yours without resorting to magic. I wager ten of your courtesans that you can not bring her back to the castle as a mortal man would – using no Fey power whatsoever.”
    Astriel stared at her in silence. His expression turned darker, more determined, with
    each passing second. And then, slowly and gracefully, he leaned forward and smiled a
    horrible, beautiful, dangerous smile.
    “I accept.”
    -

    94 -
    The Chosen Soul
    The Chosen Soul – Chapter Nine

    Raven lay in the center of the her giant four-poster bed. She had been given her own
    room in Malphas’s castle. In fact, she had been given an entire quarter, decorated
    lavishly, from the most basic of necessities to the finest of details. Malphas had told her that it had always been there, waiting for her to reside within it.
    After her transformation, Malphas had waved Loki’s sleeping form away to his own
    room. Then, with a second wave of his hand, he had fashioned for her, rich beautiful
    attire, out of thin air and magic.
    Once she was clothed, he called his court before him to introduce her. As the
    demonic members of his court gathered, genuflecting, around them, she had wanted so
    very badly to hide behind her father, especially when she recognized the barely-kept
    looks of hunger that spread across their faces when they laid eyes upon her.
    She had been accosted by a multitude of emotions when surrounded by their
    kneeling forms, and she had to admit to herself that though there were some she was
    certain would never lay a hand on her, there were some she simply did not trust because
    they truly frightened her.
    Being surrounded by so many powerful devils at once was naturally overwhelming.
    Malphas shielded her from the full force of their devastating power, his awesome form
    standing between them on many occasions, as if he could psychically tell when their
    presence was becoming too much for her young mind to handle.
    Her father had gently but firmly guided her through the castle,