The Demon Duke and I (14 page)

          “I want to ask a question, little chick,” one of the wolves said.

          George turned to him. “What is it?”

          “Why don’t you seem afraid of us?” He looked at her intently. “You do not even seem disgusted. I have seen my share of human pets, and all of them were in it for the money. But mark my words. They thought we were disgusting and evil.” His voice dropped a notch. “You do not think we are
monsters
?”

          She thought of Lady Beyotch, whose beautiful face hid the ruthlessness of a killer, the way she had so easily locked George and Desire in the attic.

          Looking back at the wolf, George sniffed. “You are all a bunch of softies, if you ask me. Those fangs and horns and, umm, sharp fins don’t scare me. The human race has far worse monsters than you do.”

          The crowd laughed at her.

          “Puny humans,” another man hissed in disgust, and by his lisping voice she would make a safe guess that he shapeshifted into a snake.

          “Yeah, so puny we created A-bombs that can destroy cities in the blink of an eye.”

          “She has a point, lads,” a wizened man at the other end of the room cackled.

          Ilie raised his hand, seeing that the questions would never end. “Enough, everyone. My pet has to eat as she still has another
tiring
night with me.”

          “Showoff,” the vampire muttered.

          Ilie looked at the crowd with a smug smile. “You all had your time with her. Now it’s my turn.”

         
Spoilsport. Selfish bastard. Damn marquis.
Those were just few of the words thrown good-naturedly at him, making George smile as she sipped her soup. She had
never
been this popular with human folks before. But with this crowd, it almost felt like she belonged, making her wish she was non-human, too.

          Maybe, maybe now that she was heartkeeper to a half-demon, she would finally belong.

          “Are the others half-demons, too?” George blurted out, unable to stop herself from asking once again as her mind recalled Silviu’s two other companions.

          Choosing his words with caution, he said, “The Galeré are all half-demons, yes.” He made no mention of Silviu being the Duke of Brimstone, knowing it was imperative that she remained unaware of exactly who Silviu was. There was always the danger of her being kidnapped before Silviu obtained her guardian’s blessing and in the event that she was forced to drink a truth serum, the girl would not be able to reveal just who she was heartkeeper for.

          “So you will all need heartkeepers as well?”

          He nodded.

          “Have you found yours?”

          He looked at her, just looked at her.

          She froze.

          He said harshly, “I hope not.”

****

          Leaving behind the crowd, whose whistles and well wishes had George’s cheeks burning, Ilie escorted her all the way to the fifth story of the inn, pausing in front of the last door at the end of the hallway.

          As she reached for the knob, she stopped, turning to look at him with a discomfited look on her face. “My name is…George, by the way. Just in case you didn’t know.” It was the best she could do as a peace offering, a way to make things
less
awkward between them.

          Ilie said evenly, “Let’s go in.” It was clear that he did not want to talk about what he had just revealed in the dining hall.

          She nodded, determined to follow his example.

          Ilie opened the door, saw Silviu inside, and moved aside to let George enter.

          Tension was etched on Georgina’s face, and Silviu knew exactly what it was about. He did not need to eavesdrop on their conversations, did not need to be a fly on the wall to know how his heartkeeper felt or how one of his closest friends struggled.

          But for now – neither of them needed to know that he was aware of
exactly
what was going on.

          Ilie Marcovici would never betray him, and neither would his beautiful Georgina. But even knowing that, it did not mean Silviu was impervious to the jealousy that raged in his blood. If he had a choice, he would never have let his heartkeeper spend the evening alone with another man – especially one who so clearly desired her.

          George finally glanced up at him, her eyes unconsciously pleading for him to fix things.

          Silviu calmed himself with that look, and his voice was pleasant as he said, “You had a pleasant dinner with Ilie,
ma threa
?” While George had her dinner below with Ilie, Silviu had used the time to spell-proof the room and ensure that even the smallest sound wouldn’t be able to escape its walls.

          Seeing her hesitant look, Silviu said gently, “It is okay to speak now, milady. Nothing will escape this room.”

          She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the fuck.”

          Ilie and Silviu’s glances met, the tension in the room breaking as they shared a moment of sheer exasperation.

          “I don’t envy you with this stubborn little piece of baggage, Silviu.” Ilie’s words were half meant. “You’d have to wash her mouth with soap every second.”

          “Werewolf humor is so not fucking funny,” she retorted.

          He winced at her words. “You can just refer to me as a
wolf
, milady.”

          “Werewolf is a term that’s derogative to their kind,” Silviu explained. “It’s similar to…calling a purebred a mongrel.”

          Her eyes lit up and she said to Ilie with unholy glee, “
Werewoooooolf.
”

          Ilie scowled. “Are you sure this brat is someone you want to be your heartkeeper for eternity?”

          Silviu sighed. “Ilie---”

          She scowled right back. “I am not a brat! You’re the one who’s being all bratty! Just because you’re a marquis and he’s not doesn’t mean you can
pressure
him into not making me his heartkeeper!”

          He sighed again. “Georgina---” 

          “I’m over 900 years old, little girl.
You
are the brat here.”

          George opened and closed her mouth several times.

         
Fuck
, Ilie thought, seeing the shock that leeched the color off George’s face.

          Silviu said grimly, “That is your cue to leave, milord.”

         
I am sorry, Your Grace.

          It is my fault. I did not broach it with her in fear of how she would react.

         
Ilie opened the window, turned into a wolf, and jumped out.

          Silviu walked towards the window and as he reached to pull it shut, he heard Georgina ask in a halting voice from behind, “Are you as old as he is?”

          “Yes.” He turned to her.

          Instead of fear in her eyes, there was…
excitement.

         
“When you told me you didn’t want me staying mortal, I thought it meant you just wanted me to have some kickass powers like those wings and that sword and my own Granite.”

          “Granite is the only one of his kind in the world,” Silviu said heavily.

          Her eyes widened. “For real?”

          He nodded.

          “I’m sorry to hear that.” She bit her lip. “But going back to what I said…does that mean I’ll live as long as you guys when you get Lady Beyotch’s blessing?”

          “Yes.”

          “Do only heartkeepers get turned?”

          Silviu frowned, seeing where this was going. “Georgina, it is not---”

          “I lost
my parents
and that almost killed me, Silviu. There are people…who depend on me and I don’t want to lose them, too.” She sat on the bed, feeling like her knees were about to give out on her. She hadn’t liked thinking of her family back home because the thought of them without her
hurt.
 

“When my father died, he left me an inheritance that was unfortunately tied by Chalysian laws. It means I can’t inherit until I turn 25.”

          “And that would be?”

          “Still a few months away. The thing is, if Lady Beyotch marries me off to someone with the right pedigree, she would be entirely within her right to do so and the court won’t challenge it. But I know she’s going to choose someone she can control, and that means I won’t ever get to touch my money.”

          “What do you need the money for?”

          “For the rest of my family. There are four of them - Rage, Knife, Dark, and Storm.”

          Silviu’s brows shot up. “Those are their names?”

          She shrugged. “It’s what my mom calls them. They’re very old and weak, but they’ve been with me since forever and when I was forced by Chalysian law to return here, I told them to stay in the States and wait for me. I wasn’t sure how they’d be treated here, how I could help them if I was under someone’s rule so...” George laughed painfully. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

She looked up at Silviu pleadingly. “They’re my family. I want to care for them the way they cared for me when I was young.” She swallowed. “If you can turn them, too…”

“It is not done that way,
ma threa
. I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean? Can’t you just bite them or something?”

“No. Only demons and angels are immortals, Georgina. And we can only make immortals those whom we mate. Of course, in the past, there were also the nymphs and satyrs, but their lines were purged and all that’s left of them are the Woods.”

“So when you say the Woods of the Wraiths, you mean it literally?” she whispered.

“Yes. The trees there contain the souls of the nymphs that had perished and the bones of the satyrs that had been buried in its grounds. They are the first line of defense of Brimstone against attackers.”

That basically meant a forest full of vengeful ghosts – not to mention being the hunting ground of the good “civilized” non-human citizens of the kingdom. And she had actually risked her neck to take photos of it?

George, George, sometimes your stupidity amazes me,
her know-it-all conscience said.

Silviu crouched down in front her. “Have your family come to Chalys. Write them a letter and once they are here, I will keep them under…our protection.” He almost said his, but chose not to since Georgina still did not know the truth about him.

“Are you sure?”She tried not to sound so hopeful. “You know that…” She swallowed. “I’m not exactly the marquis’ favorite person right now.”

“Do not think of that. Just write and I will make sure they will be safe with us. Trust me,
ma threa
. I always have your best interests in mind because you are my heartkeeper.”

The words were bittersweet, but she refused to dwell on why it was so.