2. Zain

TWO

zain

C rossing my arms over my chest, I stared down at the group of demons who were supposed to serve as my advisors. Not that they were doing much in the way of advising right now. Instead, they were all telling me what to do, ignoring my thoughts completely.

We were gathered in my study, standing around the large, scaled map I had of the demon realm. With magic, we'd overlaid a map of the human world. Thanks to my brother using his powers to teleport in and out of the place, I knew exactly where to look.

"I'm going to go get her," I declared. "Surely, that would be easier than this nonsense ." Lowering my brow, I waved my hand at the five of them.

I was tired of debating it. Tired of ignoring the pull I felt towards her.

Lilith frowned at me. "And you think that will work?" Her dark hair framed a pair of curved onyx horns, and the pair of leathery wings she used to fly—making her my perfect spy—sat closed on her back .

I'd recruited her two centuries ago, rescuing her when a group of much larger demons had been intent on beating her into a bloody pulp in an alley.

All because she'd been looking for work—and refused their advances.

Sometimes, I still saw her as that small teenager, not the woman she'd become.

The weapon I'd honed her to be.

Lightning cracked outside. "Why wouldn't it?" I tried to temper down my annoyance.

The group didn't even flinch, used to my outbursts by now.

Of course they were. Like Lilith, I'd picked them all up off the streets. They'd all had a fight in their eyes, perseverance that didn't quit. So I'd convinced them each to work for me and earned their loyalty until I knew they would never betray me.

"You really know nothing about women." Asura snorted, picking at a few of the scales on her snakelike skin, her yellow slitted eyes blinking at me. There was venom in her veins, thanks to her heritage, though she hardly ever used it.

"As evident by the two-to-one ratio of men to women in this group," Lilith added on, her tone matter-of-fact and giving no room for argument. As if there wasn't a reason they were all here, by my side. "On second thought, maybe we should encourage him to fetch her faster. Then we wouldn't be put in this position all the time."

Talon shook his head as if amused by the two women's musings but properly kept his mouth shut.

His twin brother, Thorn, stood at his side. The two were practically mirror images of each other, and both served as my guards.

Not that I felt I needed either of them—I was powerful enough on my own to take down any demon in the entire kingdom. Except for one .

And once I had my queen by my side, her power joined with mine? No one stood a chance of overthrowing me or trying to take the crown that was rightfully mine.

But I need her here first. The thought refocused me.

"Look. You all agreed with the plan." I growled, my fist slamming down on the edge of the table. I didn't want any other distractions or diversions from the current topic of conversation. "How is this any different?"

"That was when Damien was going to bring her back," Kairos said, doing his best to appear nonchalant.

"And how long am I supposed to sit around and wait?" Baring my teeth, I did my best not to resort to my base instincts. "How long do you want me to sit here, watching the kingdom fall apart? We need her."

The statement was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. I need her. For more reasons than they even knew.

I was too unstable, my body needing to find its other half.

"Yes, you need her power," Asura remarked, "but you also need her to come willingly. If you are to be united…"

I gritted my teeth, anger pursing through me. "I know ."

The bond would only work with what was freely given. Not taken. Fuck. Shadows darkened the room as I paced across the wooden floor. I needed to get my emotions under control before the power surging in me was set free. Before an outburst of mine led to someone getting seriously hurt.

As if I didn't need more reasons to want her here. But it wasn't an option anymore.

Damien's first mistake was finding her and not immediately surrendering her to me. Not bringing me the witch who the fates had foretold as mine.

Rubbing at my temples, I held back my groan despite no one chiming in again. "I can't wait any longer. Now. I must go now. I'll bring her back kicking and screaming if I have to. She'll understand in time."

She would sit on the throne next to mine, wearing the crown I had made for her, my ring on her finger.

I dared them all to challenge me on that. They could disagree on everything—but not on the fact that she had been made for me.

Lilith's voice was hesitant when she chimed in once again, her red eyes—the most common color amongst demons—flaring. "If I may, Zain." Holding in a growl, ignoring how feral I felt, I nodded at her. Urging her to speak. "You need to woo her."

"What?" I blinked, surprised. That was not what I'd expected.

"Win her over. Make her fall in love with you, and then ask her to come back with you. Her loyalty is just as important as her place by your side."

"But that takes time." I furrowed my eyebrows. "Time we don't have." I waved a hand at the map in front of me. The one that showed all the demons I'd one day rule over. "I don't need her to love me."

No. I didn't need love. I'd learned that a long time ago. Love would only hurt you.

I just needed her to be by my side. Worse case, I could give her a bargain. A demon's deal. It was tricky magic, but it could work.

"But you do need her to agree to come back with you. To not hate you." Lilith shrugged her shoulders as she picked at her pointed fingernails, which were painted a blood red shade. "I'm just saying. It's not the worst plan."

Kairos nodded in agreement. "She has a point."

If it was possible for me to glare daggers at them, that was what I would currently be doing .

As it was, I was trying to decide why I kept these idiots around.

Probably because, despite it all, they were the closest thing I had to friends. Because I trusted them, I'd recruited each one of them to my side for a reason, and I knew they were right.

Muttering, I let loose a curse under my breath. "I'm going tonight," I said, finally, not acknowledging their suggestions. We'd do it my way, and then they'd see.

Everything would be fine once I had her by my side. Once she agreed to be mine.

I waved my hand, dismissing all of them as I studied the map once more, my eyes clouding over with red.

Exhaling deeply, I tried to ignore the pent-up frustration in my veins. How long could I ignore my father's summons? He'd want a report—want to know what I was up to—but I couldn't reveal my plans.

Not yet.

She's here.

The thought struck me as soon as I stepped foot inside the bar. I could sense her before I could see her. The knowledge that the girl I had been waiting for was in the same room as me was almost overwhelming . Every nerve of my body was instantly alert— searching .

The bar was dingy and yet somehow charming. I could sense power and magic in these humans, these witches, but it was faint—nothing like the raw, untapped potential of the demons.

But then I sensed him. The one being I didn't wish to see tonight.

My brother .

Damien was sitting at the bar, nursing a glass of amber liquid, his eyes focused on the dance floor. On the brunette witch dancing beside a blonde, their bodies pressing against each other and laughter spilling from their lips. Laughter I shouldn't be able to hear from this distance away—given I was still just inside the door, shadows cloaked around me, hiding me from view.

He wouldn't be happy to see me, either. To know I'd disrespected his request for more time. Damien had wanted until the end of the month, and this witch was the reason. His mate. He wanted more time with her.

But I needed her . The blonde whose entire being seemed to light up this room, her smile already warming a piece of my cold, dead heart.

She was nothing like what I'd imagined.

Not that I'd allowed myself to imagine her in all the miserable, lonely years of my existence. I'd waited centuries for her, and even in the darkest of days, I'd known that the knowledge of her was too tempting a fantasy to fall into.

To let myself bathe in her light was more than I could ever hope for.

Even if every piece of me wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of here, to sink my teeth into the creamy, tender flesh of her neck and mark her as my own.

I wanted to bury my nose into her hair, to bring her scent into my airway until I could smell nothing but her. Until I'd memorized every piece of her being.

She was real. She was here.

My instincts were on over-drive, my thoughts too muddled with her to think clearly. If anyone got too close to her… I growled, my lips curling over my teeth as the thought occurred to me. No. I couldn't let anyone else touch her or let her go home with anyone else .

She was mine.

So I watched her. Like a predator stalks his prey. Like a feral beast in heat.

Waiting until the time was right to swoop in and claim her as my own.