Chapter 2

ChapterTwo

Varya wasn’t insane, she just had very little self preservation.

That was precisely why she’d taken this job, stealing from the fucking Horde, and getting a map that would lead them to more of the magical artifacts hidden throughout the sands in this kingdom. The map was important. She would use it for the betterment of others, rather than what the Horde was likely planning. It wasn’t like she was trying to find some mystical blade or an orb that could see the future. Yet.

She’d known it would be difficult. The Horde was notoriously hard to find unless they were attacking some poor settlement, and it had taken her three months following in their tracks before they made a big mistake.

They settled here for the night. A cave with a wide open mouth where anyone could see their campfire flickering in the distance.

The Horde was crazy. They didn’t recruit anyone who had a lick of sense to them, and they’d kill a child if one stood in their way. But she hadn’t realized just how insane they really were.

Until she walked into the cave and saw who was in that cage.

Greed himself. The demon king who ruled their kingdom with idiocy and lies, sitting in the middle of a makeshift cage with his eyes seeing everything. Seeing her.

And then she’d been stuck locking eyes with the most dangerous man who ruled their kingdom, and hiding behind the most dangerous men who ruled its underbelly.

She had a death wish. Probably. Everyone knew Varya didn’t take care of herself at all. She would throw her body into the most insane situations because she didn’t care if she lived or died. Taking care of others? She was good at that. Taking care of herself?

Less so.

Still, she’d completed her mission. Somehow she had shoved that scroll deep between her thighs so it definitely wouldn’t move and then snuck to the exit of the cave. She’d tilted her head back, taken a deep breath of the chilly desert air, and then...

He screamed.

Greed roared like a lion, and her mind flickered back to those gold coin eyes staring at her. He’d definitely distracted the wall of man meat that would have torn her head off her shoulders if they saw her. And then he let her steal the scroll. He’d let her go.

Why?

That fit nothing she knew about him. And that roar? She knew the sound of pain when she heard it.

Swallowing hard, Varya told herself to keep moving. This scroll would save so many people. There were artifacts out there that could grow food, create an oasis out of nothing, draw water out of the desert until all her people could drink clean, fresh water whenever they wanted. All she had to do was run.

But her feet turned back toward the cave, and she could hear them talking. The Horde taunted the demon king.

“This is the great Greed? When we’re done with you, you’ll be little more than an animal.”

Maybe she would have left it at that if she didn’t hear Greed reply, “I still don’t know who any of you are. At least I’ll be remembered.”

And her heart twisted in her chest. Because he didn’t know who they were. He didn’t know that the Horde had been plaguing his kingdom for centuries now. They lived in the sands. They moved throughout the kingdom without fear of anyone harming them. They were the problem. And he was meant to be the solution.

She turned her gaze up to the stars and glared at them as though the gods themselves were playing a trick on her. They knew she wouldn’t leave someone in pain or torment. They knew she couldn’t take another step when someone needed her help.

Even if that meant risking her own neck. Again.

Swearing under her breath, she spun on her heel and ducked into the shadows of the stones one more time. The Horde was still invested in their torture. They traded a knife between hands, each one reaching through the bars of the cave with a sharp jab at Greed’s sides.

And he didn’t look like himself. She’d gotten a good look sitting at the fire, risking everything to stay quiet. He was a handsome man with sharp features and a close-cropped beard. His red hair billowed around his head like flames, unruly and clearly meant to be tied back so the shaved sides were visible. But his long, lean body was like a lion. The muscles bunched underneath him, as though tensing even when he was sitting.

Right now, his eyes were entirely gold. No whites, no black, just gold. His bared fangs and claws slashed at anyone who tried to touch him. That tail whipped behind him until one of the Horde grabbed it and yanked hard.

She winced at the sound of a crack and the answering scream of an enraged demon who was well and truly trapped.

Think, Varya, she told herself. Think.

Her eyes wildly scanned the cave, and there they were. The jugs that the Horde were so well known for, because their whiskey would burn through your stomach in a second.

And they always drank after they won.

Biting her lip, she looked back to the cage and knew she had very little time. They were enjoying harassing their new pet, but they would not kill him tonight. Which meant soon they would drink.

She tried to remember which bag she’d seen the dust in. She had no idea what it was, but it had no smell and she knew the Horde well enough to assume the pale lavender powder was a drug. Enough of any drug would make people sleep.

If they died, ah well. It wasn’t her fault. They didn’t have to drink.

She dove for the bag, ripped it open, and tugged the powder out. Funneling it into the jugs as quickly as possible, she gave each of them a tiny shake for good measure. At least the Horde was making so much noise that they weren’t likely to hear the swish of liquid.

And then she sank back into the shadows, like the good thief she was.

Varya stayed there for what felt like hours. They toyed with Greed like cats with a mouse, circling him, stabbing, splashing blood on the walls. And the sound the demon king made... She’d never forget the horrible noise as they sliced and diced to their hearts’ content. He healed too quickly for them to stop their play any time soon, even though she knew he had to be weak from the loss of blood.

She watched the first one go back to the alcohol and her heartbeat kicked up a notch. If only one of them drank, then that would be a problem. One would pass out, the others would realize the alcohol was spiked, and...

Fuck.

She skittered down from her place on the stones and counted to ten. The Horde member near her drank deeply, closing his eyes as he swallowed mouthfuls, and she rolled another one of the jugs toward the others. Gently, but hard enough to bump against one of their ankles.

The man glanced back suspiciously, and she froze, hoping that she was still hidden enough behind the rock.

“Garm, you fool!” another shouted, then laughed and picked up the jug she’d rolled. “You’ll waste it all on yourself!”

If she wasn’t worried about being caught, Varya would have sighed in relief. She pressed the back of her head to the rock and counted again, to twenty this time, just to be sure. Then she bolted for her shadows between the rock crevices and watched her plan unfold. The Horde members all seemed to realize that they hadn’t been drinking. They tucked into the jugs with more gusto than she’d expected, draining them quickly, like it was a race to see who finished first.

And then it really was.

They all started dropping to the ground, one after the other. The Horde leader was the last of them to remain standing, but she’d known he would be. The man had survived more poisoning attempts than any other person alive. But even he eventually slumped against a rock, the jug falling from his hand and thudding hard in the sand.

Good? Good. She thought they were all passed out by now.

Varya took a few light steps into the fire light, waiting for one of them to groan or make a noise. None of them did, though.

“Keys,” she muttered. “Which one of you bastards has keys?”

Because surely they hadn’t welded the demon king into that cage. They weren’t going to carry him out of here. They’d all be far too close to his claws.

She didn’t even look at the demon king as she rummaged through the Horde members’ pockets. As long as it wasn’t the big one, she didn’t care who had the keys.

Thankfully, she found them rather quickly in the fourth bandit’s pants. Making a face at the smell of the man, she darted over to the cage and started running her hands over the bars. One of them had to be the opening, but damn it, this was so crudely made. She was impressed they’d even installed a keyhole.

“There,” she muttered before unlocking the door and yanking it open. The damn thing creaked like it wanted her to be caught. She flinched, glancing over her shoulder at the piles of bodies before counting to twenty again. No one moved.

Good enough.

She stepped into the cage with a deep, brave breath, and then turned her gaze back to Greed.

He laid out on the floor like an ancient god, as though he’d been waiting for her. Blood streaked all over his body, long slices decorating his skin where apparently his healing capabilities had failed. His tail was kinked in three places, making it look more like a lightning bolt than a smooth line. There were bruises all over him, but his gold eyes still flashed when he saw her looking.

Did he... Flex? He lifted his arm over his head and she swore his bicep twitched like he was flexing.

How was she supposed to focus when all that golden skin was bared before her? He still wore pants, of course, but they weren’t exactly made to hide anything. She could see every twitch and flex of his muscle.

“The thief in the night,” he said, his voice far too loud. “You’ve finally come for me.”

“Shh,” she muttered, kneeling on her knees at his side to look him over. “I need you to move.”

He did, but not to get up. Instead, he reached out and wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. “Gold,” he muttered. “You are so golden. Why can I not see your face?”

Varya slapped his hand away. “Get up.”

“What did you steal, my thief?”

“I’ll tell you later.” She pressed her lips into a thin line, then slapped his hand away again when he tried to touch her mask. “Get up.”

“What if I wish to bask in your beauty?”

“Then I will tell you to shut up and then get up. They’re not going to stay like that forever.” Varya pointed at the Horde, as if that would explain why she was rushing. And it should.

Except he sat up on his elbow, looked them over, and then returned a wide-eyed gaze to hers. “Did you kill them?”

Why did he sound so impressed by that? “No,” she snarled, then wedged her shoulder underneath his at the opportunity. If she had to haul him to his feet, then so be it. “I did not kill them. They are asleep. And if you keep insisting on booming like that, then they will wake up and we will both die.”

He tried to lie down again, nearly dragging her with him. “The cage is open. I will kill them all when they are awake enough to see me coming.”

Varya grunted and pulled him upright again. He looked surprised, perhaps at her strength, before she wrapped her hands around his wrists and tugged even harder. “I will pull your arms out of their sockets. Get up.”

His gaze narrowed on her, but at least he started moving. He stood and for a second, she thought he would be all right. But then he listed to the side, and she had to shove herself back underneath his arm.

At least he looked frustrated about how weak he was. Frowning, he stared down at his flexing hand and watched it for a little too long.

“We have to go,” she hissed.

“Yes, little thief, we do.” He was still staring at that clawed hand, though.

Why? Why was he taking... so...

Ah.

His claws slid back into his hands as though he’d retracted them. That wasn’t entirely right, she didn’t think, because there were still nails on his hands that now looked very human. But...

No, she would not look too much into it. She was getting him out of here, dropping him off where he needed to go, and that was it. Good deed done. Her soul saved from all the stealing and lying and general thievery.

“Come on,” she grunted, shouldering far more of his weight than she wanted as they moved through the cave.

They had to pause a few times so Greed could step over the bodies lying about. She swore she saw a flash of gold in his eyes as he looked down at the Horde leader, and she really thought he was going to ruin everything by kicking the man.

Not that she wouldn’t like to give a good swift kick to his ribs herself, but a woman had to know when to pick her battles. And right now? The battle was getting outside and running like a demon king was on her heels.

Too bad she was holding the demon king upright. Otherwise, that thought might have had a little more punch to it.

They passed by the last Horde member, the one who still held that horrible knife in his hands, and she felt a shudder go through Greed. He straightened and then pulled away from her.

Before she could stop him, he’d snapped the man’s neck. So easily. Just a quick flick of his wrists and a dead man laid on the floor with his head at a wrong angle.

She flinched. Varya was embarrassed to admit it. She’d seen countless dead bodies in her time, had even killed people to stay alive. But… she’d never killed a sleeping man.

Greed picked up the blood stained blade. His own blood dripped from the metal, and he wiped it on his pant leg before sticking the naked blade into the belt loop at his waist.

“What did you do that for?” she hissed, grabbing onto him when he almost fell on top of the dead body.

“I wanted to leave a message.”

“What does that say?” She was dead. If the Horde knew she’d been here, she was so dead.

“That I survived,” he grumbled, then hooked his arm over her shoulders again. “And that I won’t forget.”

They stumbled out onto the sands together and she dragged him up over the nearest dune before they both slid down the other side on their butts. Varya helped him stand, made sure he was stable, and then wiped her hands off on her hips.

“All right,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “You’re welcome.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, beautiful thief. When we return to my castle, you will be rewarded.” He nodded, his eyes going slightly cross-eyed and unfocused, before he found her again. “Whatever you wish, I will let you take.”

“I’m not bringing you anywhere. I saved your ass. Now you’re on your own.” And that was that. She wouldn’t help him any further. He was Greed! The man could probably whistle and have a thousand guards descend across the sands. “Good luck.”

“You’re... what?”

She didn’t stop to look at the disappointment or whatever else was on his face. She turned and started off. The journey ahead of her was long, tiresome, and if she didn’t get started, she’d be walking in the heat of the day and that was never a good idea. Never.

But the sun was already coming up on the horizon, the hazy waves of heat wriggling in the distance, and she knew traveling was a terrible idea.

She needed shelter. She needed... A cave.

Damn it.

Grinding her teeth, she turned to look back at Greed who was still standing in the same spot. His crinkly tail barely waved behind him, his hands limp at his sides as he stared at her as though he couldn’t understand what she was doing. Or why she was doing it.

Stomping back to him, she shoved her finger in his face. “You’re the king of this kingdom, right? So you better damn well know where there is a hidden oasis or something similar where we can wait out the day. Yes?”

He blinked at her, focusing far too much on her finger and going cross-eyed again. “Yes.”

“Are you just saying that?”

“No. I know everywhere in this kingdom.”

“And you know where we are now?” For some reason, she highly doubted that he did.

A snarl ripped out of his chest and he looked like an actual demon king for a moment. “I know where we are, thief. And I can get us somewhere safe.”

“Good,” she hissed. “I didn’t save your sorry ass for nothing, then.”

He turned and stomped away from her, giving her a rather impressive view of his tail. There was a small hole in the back of his pants for it, and she wondered if all his pants were like that.

Why was she thinking about his tail? She had a map in her pants, a three week walk ahead of her, and the demon king was now her reluctant companion!

Varya glanced up at the clear sky and glared at the gods. They were laughing at her predicament, she just knew it.

“I don’t find this funny,” she hissed at them before stomping after the demon, who looked like he was about to fall over.