A Demon's Wrath (8 page)

Somehow, she knew she must find a way to get
that pearl. The thought of her mother was at the forefront of her
mind as she drifted off into a slumber.

Not long afterward, Adam heard the thunder
of hooves approaching them. He didn’t slow down, for he knew they
would catch up to him soon enough. Then three stallions were riding
alongside him. Adam slowed his stallion to a slower pace. Gerick
took the lead, while Leon took the rear as guard.

“How is he?” Drake asked, looking at his
nephew.

“Doing fine,” Adam said, gazing down at his
son. “Brave boy,” he said, glancing at Cecelia sleeping behind
him.

“Must be tired,” Drake said. “Here, let me
take him.”

They moved their stallions closer and Drake
lifted Cecelia and laid her on his lap. She snuggled against his
large chest, sleeping in contentment. Drake wrapped one arm around
her and then kicked his stallion to gallop faster.

CECELIA WOKE UP TO THE sound of laughter.
She turned her head toward the window as a gentle breeze caressed
her face. She sat up and looked about her surroundings. The sun was
starting to set. How long had she been sleeping? She was about to
get up when she saw a woman standing at the opened doorway. Her
blond hair floated all the way down to her waist. Her blue eyes and
fair skin made Cecelia catch her breath. Never before had she seen
such beauty.

Both Lady Rosanna and Lady Juliet could
never compare to this one,
she thought.

“I apologize if I bother you,” the woman
said.

“Nay, you did not bother me at all,” Cecelia
said, blushing, for she knew she was staring. She couldn’t help
herself, of course. “’Tis me who should apologize. I’m ogling at
you,” she admitted.

“I am used to it,” Vera said and laughed.
She came to Cecelia and touched her arm. “I thank you for saving my
son.”

Cecelia widened her eyes. “You’re Lucifer’s
mother?”

The woman smiled. “Aye, I was told by the
king that I should not be here disturbing your rest, but I cannot
wait. You see, Lucifer is very dear to me.” Her eyes softened.

“I understand,” Cecelia said, thinking about
her mother and Brian. Her heart suddenly constricted. It had been
three full weeks now.

“Oh Lord,” Vera said, “do forgive me, but I
am a bad hostess indeed.”

For a moment, Cecelia forgot she was
supposed to be her brother. She quickly nodded at the woman who was
now curtsying to her as to a king.

“Welcome, Brian, to the Demon Kingdom.”

Cecelia’s heart kicked in her chest. She
blinked and stared wide-eyed at the woman. “Demon what?”

Vera looked up to her then and repeated,
“Demon Kingdom.”

“You are?” Cecelia stared at the woman.

“Lady Vera McNamara, wife of Lord Adam
McNamara who is a cousin of the king,” she provided.

“But… but,” Cecelia stammered, shaking her
head in disbelief.

Vera raised her brows. “But what?”

“But you are not… demon-like, hideous,”
Cecelia finished, blushing, for she knew she sounded stupid even in
her own confused mind.

Vera laughed. She couldn’t help herself, for
she too had once thought of demons as hideous, monstrous creatures
who merely lived to kill. That, however, changed when she had met
Adam.

“My dear boy, what did you expect? Demons
looking like monster?”

“Well, yes, I saw demons. They have
beastlike bodies and faces like wolves.”

“Do stop there, Brian. But if those are the
demons you have just described, they are child’s play,” Vera said,
though she didn’t at all sound very concerned or put off because
Cecelia had just looked down on her husband’s kind.

“I didn’t expect demons to look like
humans,” Cecelia said.

“Oh, do not be surprised, my dear boy.
Demons are much the same as human.” She smiled. “Now enough talk.
’Tis getting late. Dinner is on soon. Would you like me to help you
clean up?”

Cecelia clamped her lips and her cheeks
turned crimson. “Nay, but thank you,” she said quickly.

“Very well, then. Those are your clothing
for now. I do hope they will fit your small frame. Do you always
keep your hair so long?”

Cecelia touched her messy hair that was
still tied at the nape of her neck with a black ribbon. “Aye, ’tis
our fashion at the moment where I come from,” she lied.

“Our men like to keep their hair short. It
is a fashion led by Gerick. You could say he is the handsomest
demon in our kingdom. The females fall for him no matter their age.
Drake, our king, he is different. He likes his hair long. It
reminds him of freedom, like when he was a prince. He likes sailing
his own ship and does as he pleases. He has been to many kingdoms.
But no matter, here I am muttering about things you must find very
boring. I will leave you to your bathing now,” she said, thanked
Cecelia once again for saving her son, and then left.

Not long afterward, two maids brought in a
hot tub, which they placed near the brightly lit hearth. Cecelia
was able to bathe in peace once they had left. She stayed in the
tub for half an hour, enjoying the lovely scent of herbs and rose
petals and the warm water. She closed her eyes and relaxed her
tense, tired body. When the water had gotten cold, she climbed out
and got dressed in the breeches, shirt, and coat provided by Vera.
Once her dark hair was slightly dried by the fire, she tied it at
the nape of her neck with her black ribbon.

She was walking out into the corridor when
Lucifer rushed from the corner and wrapped his arms around her
waist. “Brian!” he squealed.

“Lucifer!”

“Come, come,” the boy said, pulling her by
the hand. “Dinner is starting. This way. I get the honor of showing
you to the dining chamber.”

“Oh!” she said, allowing the young demon to
drag her across the great hallway.

Without Lucifer’s aid, she was sure she
would get lost indeed, for the castle was a maze of a place. There
were so many doors that she couldn’t keep count. The castle was
beautifully furnished and artfully designed. Numerous gigantic
paintings of demons in generations past were hung on the walls.
Many were males and a few were females. Their hair colors were all
different, but their features, to Cecelia’s interest, were all very
similar.

Lucifer turned to the right, and before she
knew it, she was walking along a very high-ceilinged corridor with
huge red drapes hanging against enormous glass windows. She looked
about her in fascination, for there were more interesting
paintings. One caught her eyes. She couldn’t help but stare at it
as she walked.

The eyes in the painting gazed down at her
as if perceiving deep into her soul. The dark-gray color seemed, to
her very imaginative mind, to be burning with smoke. The
shoulder-length, dark-chestnut hair, strong, prominent jaws, and
high cheekbones quickened her beating heart. Surely, she had never
seen a more darkly handsome man in her life. But then, she reasoned
with herself, this was no man; this was a demon. But demons were
supposed to be ugly, not so pleasing to look at that it set her
heart to jumping hazardously. And it wasn’t even the real demon she
was looking at. It was merely a painting.

“We’re almost there,” Lucifer said.

“’Tis rather a long way,” she said, tearing
her gaze from the painting and concentrating on trying not to get
lost the next time she was to come to the dining room. But then,
she thought, there would be no next time, for she planned to get
the pearl as soon as possible and leave. She knew her mother was
getting weaker by the day, and it was wise not to waste more
time.

They were turning another corner when she
heard the humming of laughter and buzzing of conversation.

“We’re here,” Lucifer announced, leading her
toward the huge open double door.

She hesitated. She wasn’t used to barging
into a room full of people she didn’t know.

“Come on.” Lucifer pulled her hand.

She stood rooted to her spot. “I…” She
wanted to turn back.

“There you are,” Vera called, appearing at
the door. She glided toward them. “Come along, Brian. Do not be
bashful.” She laughed, and Cecelia blushed.

Vera took her hand and led her into the
dining room. Cecelia stared fixedly at the polished floor the whole
time she was being dragged in. They stopped behind a huge mahogany
dining table.

“Brian, ’tis a pleasure to have you here. We
wanted to thank you for helping our son,” Vera started. “Brian, may
I introduce you to our king?”

Cecelia didn’t turn her face to look at the
demon king. She fixed her gaze on the beautifully designed cutlery
and plates on the table. She was about to curtsy when she
hesitated, remembering she was not Lady Cecelia Van Zandt right
then, but young Lord Brian Van Zandt. She bowed her head
instead.

“Lift your face, boy. I am not pleased to
look at your head when I am addressing to you.”

Cecelia’s heart kicked in her chest. The
deep timber turned her stomach hollow. She took a deep breath, and
summoning all her courage, she lifted her head. Her dark-brown eyes
met a pair of stormy-gray ones. Her heart drummed in her chest. The
sound was so loud in her own ears she was surprised no one was
complaining about it.

“That’s better,” Drake said, a hint of a
smile on his lips.

Cecelia couldn’t stop staring at him. He was
the demon she had seen in the painting. He was the demon king.

“How do you find yourself in such a
situation, boy?” he asked.

Cecelia blinked. She didn’t know how to
reply, and the room turned silent. Everyone was watching her and
waiting for her answer. Her throat became dry and her cheeks
reddened with embarrassment.

Vera saw this and said, “This is not the
time to ask young Brian questions, Drake. Now, Brian.” She touched
Cecelia’s arm and turned her toward her husband. “This is my
husband, Lord Adam McNamara. That’s Lord Julius Falkland, the wise
wizard.”

Cecelia turned to the long, blond-haired
male with pale blue eyes nodding his head at her.

“Lord Gerick McNamara, the king’s cousin and
my husband’s younger brother.” Vera introduced her to a very
handsome young demon with pale gray eyes and ash-blond hair.

“And that is Commander Leon. He’s a distant
relation to the king.”

Cecelia nodded toward the dark haired demon
with hazel green eyes. He nodded back.

“Well, that’s everybody.” Vera sighed.
“Let’s dine, shall we?”

They all took their places along the table.
Drake took the head, while Adam took the other end. Everyone else
took the side chairs. Cecelia found herself facing Commander Leon.
On her left was Lucifer and to her right, Vera.

“’Tis great this night I get to dine with
everyone,” Lucifer whispered to her.

She raised her brows. “You do not dine with
them daily?”

“No.” The boy shook his head. “I am too
young to dine with everyone yet, but tonight, it’s different. It’s
a feast.” He giggled.

The first course arrived. Footmen with fine
velvet uniforms of black and purple carried trays into the room.
One placed a small round and deep plate of fairy-embossed design in
front of her. She looked into the bowl. It was soup of a thick,
creamy color.

“It’s seafood soup,” Lucifer whispered.

“Oh!” She nodded.

“How did you meet Lucifer?” Leon asked.

Cecelia turned to look at the demon. “In the
ship,” she replied.

“How in the ship?”

“Err…”

“He saved me from those men’s beating,”
Lucifer put in.

Everyone turned to look at Cecelia,
including the stormy-gray eyes of the king. She blushed and lowered
her eyes for receiving so much attention.

“Did those humans beat you, Lucifer?” Gerick
asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

“Aye.” The boy nodded.

“What did he look like?” Gerick prompted. He
needed to know which of those bastards they had killed that morning
was responsible for Lucifer’s beating so he could throw his body
into the wild and allow the beasts to eat his flesh. The rest he
would be kind enough to bury in the forest near the cave, and maybe
he’d consider carving their names on headstones, too, to warn off
other stupid human intruders.

Lucifer cocked his little head to one side
and said, “He has dark hair and he’s not that big, not like you,
Uncle Gerick. You could beat him easily.”

Gerick smiled pleasantly at the
compliment.

“Lucifer is a brave boy,” Cecelia said,
looking at the cute boy smiling up at her.

“Of course he is. He’s my son,” Adam said,
matter-of-fact.

“I don’t think I could have handled the
situation as well as he did if I were five years old,” Cecelia
said.

Drake looked at Cecelia. She caught his gaze
for a split second and quickly lowered her eyes. She tried to
concentrate on her food, but she couldn’t seem to do so because she
could still feel his intense gaze on her person.

“I’m not five years old,” Lucifer
announced.

Cecelia frowned and said, “Oh, I apologize.
Six, then?”

Lucifer looked at her rather
disappointedly.

“Lucifer, do not be rude,” Vera put in. “He
didn’t mean to offend you in any way, Brian.”

“Aye, I’m six and a half,” Lucifer said
proudly. “And I’m learning how to wield a sword.”

“Really?” Cecelia widened her eyes in
surprise. “At six years old?” She turned to Vera. “But Lucifer is
so young.”

“Brian, he’s a demon,” Gerick chimed in, as
if that would explain everything.

Cecelia turned to Gerick even though she
didn’t want to because she had to look at the king too, who was
staring at her most intensely.

“And you, Brian?” Drake’s deep voice caused
Cecelia to jump in her seat. “How many summers have you seen?”