All of that was true, but vague enough that it didn't break my bargain.

  “He's not exactly a normal demon. It's a miracle no one commented on his wings and crystals today…”

  I smiled, surprised she hadn't already figured it out. “It wasn't a miracle. He has all the gifts, including hallucikinesis. He was using an illusion to hide his wings, horns, and crystals from everyone but us.”

  “All the gifts?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she took that in.

  I nodded again. “Every last one. And as far as I can tell, every sub-caste as well. He's like a mega-demon on steroids.”

  Lilith's eyes fluttered closed, then opened again on a sigh.

  “And he's going to be content with just ruling this house in the middle of nowhere?”

  The skepticism in her tone was understandable. To be honest, I didn't know if Neo would be content with just his fortress in the long run. The one hope I had was that I could get through to him if things got to that point. I touched our bond lightly with my mind.

  He didn't feel like a power-hungry maniac.

  I couldn't say that, so I went with humour instead.

  “Well, he can't rule anything until he figures out how to use the toaster.”

  “I highly doubt keeping his education limited to kitchen appliances is going to save us.” Her dry response made my smile grow larger.

  “Meh, human men kept women barefoot and in kitchens for centuries. If we manage a couple of decades, that's got to be enough time to sort out a solution.”

  Lilith snorted. “Not if he decides to revolt.”

  I shrugged, trying not to let my relief show. “Do you have a better plan?”

  She shook her head. “So far my only strategy is to hope that he decides it's in his interest not to destroy us all.” She gnawed nervously at her lower lip. “I wish there was something I could do, some way to make him atone for all the damage he's caused, but…”

  So many lives had been lost in Neo's quest for freedom. That alone made the guilt swirl in my gut.

  Neo wasn't responsible for the actions of Vendra, I reminded myself. In the end, she'd chosen to send armies to their death in a quest for power.

  He hadn't killed Matteo either.

  If anything, Neo had caused all the pain Lilith was talking about by being an opportunist who capitalised on the selfishness of others.

  I didn't know if that made him better or worse.

  Was I just defending him because he was my mate? Or because he'd done so much of it for me? Did that make me as much an accomplice to the damage as he was?

  I shook off the maudlin thoughts before they could show on my face.

  There would be plenty of time for me to over-analyse everything when Neo left me in the fortress again tomorrow.

  “Chin up.” I shuffled, sparing a flick of PK to hold my bag open so I could see inside and rifle through it at the same time, “We have time to figure out what comes next. The only thing you should be focusing on at the moment is your mating ceremony.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  It was late when I finally said goodbye to Lilith, watching as Kain drew her into a hug that enveloped her completely before whisking both of them away through the shadow realm.

  “Ready to go?”

  Neo appeared as soon as they'd gone, hand outstretched like a gentleman.

  I took one last look around the courtyard. It was far emptier now than it had been, but a few people hovered, still caught in conversation despite how dark it had become.

  I placed my hand in his and let him tug me up from the bench. “Yes, let's go.”

  I'd barely finished speaking by the time we reappeared in the kitchen of Forteca Ciszy. I gravitated to the fridge before he could say anything, my grumbling stomach pulling me towards the promise of food.

  “Tacos okay?” I asked, pointedly ignoring the new, nearly invisible scorch marks near the coffee machine.

  “It's sustenance.”

  I rolled my eyes. Not exactly the glowing response I'd hoped for, but I could change that.

  The shells were already in the cupboards, so I set about chopping while Neo watched in fascination.

  “You could use PK to help you.”

  “Waste of energy,” I muttered, holding the onion to my chest as I used my one hand to angle the knife around it, peeling away the skin in a practised motion. “Since I lost my arm, I can never guarantee a real hit of power.”

  Though that wasn't exactly true anymore. Ever since Neo had escaped the shadow realm, my power had been a subtle burn inside of me.

  Being a Desire wasn't like being a Succubus or a Promiscuity. That tiny flicker of subconscious want—even if it was just clothes-envy—that people felt when they passed a Desire was like background noise. Tiny wisps of power that didn't really fuel me, but which were noticeable if I was low.

  Then there were those moments when someone looked at you and lusted. The instant that happened, I got a massive hit. Usually, those happened when I was in my best lingerie and making out heavily.

  Not that that had happened in the last month.

  Losing an arm did shit to your body confidence. I hadn't wanted to see the faces of any of my regular hookups when they saw the scars over my breasts from the shrapnel that had taken my limb. Didn't want to know whether they found me lacking.

  And I would know. They'd be unable to hide it when I got less power than usual.

  Not that the amount of power they'd given me was comparable to Neo's response to my glares. Matteo gave me more energy when he saw me blush than they had from a full night of fucking. Even just being around my mates, the wisps of background desire were more potent.

  “If you think I don't desire you, you're mistaken.”

  “You know that's not how it works,” I muttered, putting down the onion. “No one goes around feeling horny for one person all the time. Even you can't give me the ability to constantly generate power like a Pride or an Envy can. But that's not the point. The point is that I can and will do everything I did before I lost my arm.” I hacked at the onion, anger making my cuts harsher than they needed to be. “It might take longer, but I'm not any less...”

  Neo cut me off, stealing the knife from my fingers with a deft movement, then herding me against the counter. “Did I say you were?”

  I gulped. “No.”

  “Have I ever given any indication that I find you incapable?”

  “No...”

  “Then stop putting words in my mouth, Cornelia.”

  “My name is⁠—”

  He swallowed my complaint before I could finish it.

  It was only when I was thoroughly kiss-drunk, my mind completely frazzled and focused on getting more of him, that he pulled away.

  “You were saying?”

  I shook my head a little to clear it. “I said⁠—”

  His lips took mine again, firm and punishing, as he pressed into me.

  Thoughts disappeared. I didn't care about my name any more. I barely cared about anything. Neo took my mouth with the arrogance of a man who was once a god. His tongue stroked and coaxed mine, branding me.

  “Neo.” My hand fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer as I rocked against him wantonly.

  “Good. That's the only name you should care about.”

  I silenced him this time. Biting his lip in retribution.

  He nipped back, then broke the kiss, trailing a line of nibbles down to my jaw, then up to that spot behind my ear.

  I gasped, arching into him as he laved that perfect spot. Stubble grazed the delicate skin there, teasing me with the idea of what it could feel like in other more sensitive places. Warmth pooled in my core as I shuddered beneath him.

  Then his hand found my breast through the fabric of my dress.

  Power and pleasure cascaded as the heat of his palm branded me there. The slow, gentle pressure was nothing like what we both wanted.

  “Tease,” I choked out.

  “You're not ready, Cornelia.”

  “Stick your hand in my panties and tell me that.” They were soaked with the evidence of my arousal.

  I felt his growl. “Don't push me.”

  He didn't mean the words as a dare, but I took them as one. I unclenched my fingers from his shirt and wound them into his hair, angling his head to one side as I sucked on the skin of his neck.

  He groaned, hand tightening reflexively, giving me exactly what I wanted.

  I pulled back as he squeezed my breast again. Harder this time. A warning.

  Too late. I admired the mark I'd left with a satisfied smile. I'd done it. I'd given a god a hickey.

  His revenge was to take my mouth back in a punishing kiss. Bruising my lips with his intensity. But the rush of power and possessiveness down our bond told me that he didn't mind. If anything, he liked wearing my mark.

  When he pulled back, I almost moaned. As it was, I let out a breezy sigh.

  Those dark eyes watched me carefully as I leaned against the counter, catching my breath.

  “You shouldn't push me.”

  “Then you shouldn't make it so fun,” I countered.

  It was all bravado. Part of me still couldn't believe that the tiny strawberry mark on his neck was my doing. I alternated between caution and complete carelessness with this man.

  I slipped from the counter and picked the knife back up with shaking hands.

  How on earth was I supposed to keep cooking tacos after that? My body had swapped from one hunger to a more carnal one. My breast still tingled, demanding more.

  It wasn't until we were halfway through eating that my heartbeat had returned to normal. I would feel bad about how lost I was in that kiss, except every now and again another spark of power fluttered through me and I knew Neo was thinking about it too.

  Whatever he might argue about my not being ready, I was curious. I spent the full night tossing and turning in frustrated dreams.

  But by the next morning, he was gone.

  “Good morning, Mistress,” Rasz greeted me as I entered the kitchen.

  “Morning,” I muttered, grabbing the coffee he'd already made.

  “I thought you'd like to know that renovations to the fortress have been completed, and the contractors have been paid and removed from the estate.”

  Why was he so awake so early in the morning? “That's good.”

  I took my first sip of caffeine and sighed.

  “The Master also wanted you to know he might not be back for several days.”

  I sighed. “Oh.”

  Rasz didn't know how to respond to that, and he hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I've taken the liberty of having a system wired throughout the fortress. Simply press the call button in any of the major rooms and I will come as fast as I can to assist you.”

  “Thank you.” I genuinely did appreciate his offer, but now that Neo was gone, I was faced with an awful sense of loneliness.

  “Is there anything that you will require for the day?”

  I shook my head. “I'm sure I'll be fine. I've got lots of planning to do. If I need anything, I'll ring for you.”

  “As you wish, Mistress.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  A week later, I was ready to kill my mate.

  Two weeks, and I was ready to have his head mounted on a pike on the walls outside.

  I'd been left in the fortress with no one but Rasz to keep me company and the stress of being Lilith's long distance PA. Her mating ceremony was proving stressful as hell. The number of people who didn't even know my best friend but believed they should have an input on how the 'mating ceremony of the year' should go down was ridiculous.

  At one point, I'd outright screamed down the phone at a very pushy Lord of the Assembly who wanted to know why he hadn't been invited, despite never even having spoken to her.

  Then there was the other problem.

  Lilith's mum.

  Astoria Braxion was a menace. Demanding to speak to her daughter every day, telling me how the ceremony should go. Instructing me on what would and wouldn't make a good reception.

  Most of the time, I hung up with a sickly sweet reminder that she’d cut Lilith off from her family. Sometimes my reply was slightly less even tempered.

  Lilith needed to give me a raise for not setting Neo on the bitch.

  If I wasn't shouting down the entitled lords and ladies or hanging up on Astoria, I was fielding endless calls of gratitude from the ex-unshown.

  Some of them were over a thousand years old and in tears because they never believed they'd be free.

  Lilith had become the saviour of hundreds of people she'd never meet overnight. It made me smile just thinking of how uncomfortable that would make her feel.

  Nascia had all but disappeared, and whenever I did run into her, she looked so fed up and grumpy that I didn't dare attempt to engage her. Rasz was so formal I felt awkward being in a room with him for any long period of time. Most of my contact with the outside world came from video calling my twin and Lilith.

  The only good thing about the situation was that in my free time, I'd been able to explore the fortress. It was a huge place. I thought I'd seen the full scale of it on my first day, but the rooms actually went deep into the mountain. There were so many rooms that stood completely empty, with nothing in them but crates or covered up furniture.

  There was also evidence that this place was supposed to have more than the four—five?—of us living here.

  I'd found an armoury that looked ready to outfit a full medieval army and taken a small dagger as a souvenir. I'd found a barracks filled with bed frames, ready for a garrison. Then there were the servants’ quarters, deep in the bowels of the place, over a dozen rooms, empty and waiting to be filled.

  The first time I'd set foot in the ballroom, I'd been completely awestruck.

  Obviously the Chosen Marek, whoever he was, hadn't gotten the memo that Neo was a loner.

  A loner who disappeared for a fortnight without even popping in to ask if I was okay.

  So I was rightfully mad and ready to give him a piece of my mind when a hand tapped gently on my shoulder as I bent over my laptop in the library one night.

  I turned, only to lose all of my indignation at the sight of Matteo.

  “Hey,” he mumbled, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other.

  I frowned at him. “He let you greet me so I won't be mad at him when he shows his face, didn't he?”

  Matteo's sheepish grin told me everything I needed to know.

  “That's unfair,” I complained. “I've been stuck, alone, in this place for over two weeks while you two were off doing—whatever it is you were doing. How does this even count as our bargain? We agreed to eat at the same table and sleep in the same bed…” His blush only deepened and my frown grew. “He didn't…” I'd have noticed him in the same room as me, even with hallucikinesis, right?

  “The bargain never specified that you had to do those things at the same time.”

  Why that⁠—

  “I can't believe this! Has he honestly been coming back, eating in the kitchen and then leaving before I notice? Sleeping in our bed while I was gone? Would it have killed him to say hi? Or even have a conversation with me? He went to all that effort to steal kisses, then ignored me for two weeks?”

  Matteo held his hands out in a placating gesture. “He's just concerned for your safety.”

  “That's a shitty excuse for avoiding me,” I muttered. “I thought…”

  I'd thought, after that kiss, we'd been getting somewhere. I'd thought, after the memorial service, we'd begun to trust each other.

  Apparently I was wrong.

  I deflated like a balloon. “Sorry. You're not to blame.”

  “Hey, don't give me that defeated look. He's behaved awfully. You have every right to rant. The moment he wakes up, you should give him hell.”

  I gave him a weak smile. “What about until then?”

  “I think we could spend the time together. We could watch another movie, or do something else?”

  “Could you… Can we leave here for a bit? I'm getting cabin fever. I just need to go somewhere else. You have umbrakinesis like your twin, right? You can travel the shadow realm?”

  Matteo bit his lip. “Technically, yes, but I don't know that we should…”

  “Come on, are you not even a little bit curious to see what the world looks like now? We could go to a cinema, watch a movie like it's supposed to be seen.”

  I almost had him. I could see indecision warring in his eyes.

  “Just a few hours,” he mumbled. “I suppose it couldn't hurt.”

  I grinned. “Let me just go change.”

  I had unashamedly been haunting the fortress in leggings and oversized sweatshirts since day three of my isolation. My bras had been gathering dust, but since there had been no one to impress, I hadn't really cared.

  Yet, somehow, I still felt wisps of power coming from my shy Wrath mate. That alone made me smile.

  Rasz hadn't even given me a drop of power when I was wearing nice clothes—probably for the best, considering how awkward that would make our relationship—so I'd given up trying to impress anyone.

  For a date with Matteo, I wanted to look and feel good.

  So when I stepped out of our room twenty minutes later, I probably looked like a completely different person. Makeup, a low-cut top, and painted-on jeans all combined to give me the hit of desire. Feeling bold, I'd even ignored my scars, pulled my hair into a half-up, half-down style and put on earrings.

  “What do you think?” I did a little twirl.

  “You know you're beautiful,” he accused, smiling.

  The pink that rose to my cheeks earned me another bolt of power.

  “Can you get us to London?”

  “I think so.”

  He held out a hand, and I took it. The warmth of his palm had me tightening my fingers reflexively.