One of her six online degrees was in structural engineering, and she had a wicked imagination. No prison could hold her. Certainly not with a stupid brute like this demon as jailor.

She crossed her arms over her chest and surveyed her surroundings. She gave her escape a week. Tops.

For now, she told Abyssian, “This heap is your ‘castle’? Why am I not surprised?”

“You dare to provoke me?” His wings flared again.

She’d been left at the mercy of the Møriør. Burned. “After the day I’ve had, I do dare.”

He lunged forward, gripping her upper arm to teleport her again.

She swayed on her feet, getting her bearings as her new bout of dizziness faded. He’d taken her to some kind of darkened cavern. Channels of lava surrounded a pool of steaming water. “This hovel is exactly where I’d expect you to live.”

Those markings on his chest glowed brighter. “Clean the filth from your body.”

“There is no way in this hell I’ll bathe in front of you.”

“Then you just refused my order? You’ll learn who commands you.”

“You can take your fucking commands and shove them up your demonic—”

He lifted her and tossed her into the water.

Prick! She struggled toward the surface, but the hem of her heavy dress caught on something. She kicked, then harder a second time . . . couldn’t get free! She panicked, attacking the zipper, but it stuck.

The demon appeared beside her in the water, ripping the dress away and shoving her to the surface.

She sucked in lungfuls of air. “You asshole! You could’ve killed me.” She’d escaped one danger, but now she had a new one: she wore only a strapless bra and boy-short panties, and the demon’s huge hands circled her waist. “Let me go. Now.”

He traced them to a shallower spot, then released her.

When she stood, his avid gaze dipped to her breasts, their shape outlined in her bra. She ducked down and submerged herself to her neck.

He shook his head hard and flared his wings again, but he’d seemed to put his fury on hold. Could he feel bad about almost killing her? If she was his mate—and that was a big if right now—he should.

With a wave of his hand, he conjured a cloth from thin air. The demon possessed magics too? Not in the godsdamned dossier, Nïx!

He grabbed Lila’s nape and brought the cloth to her face. “Look at me,” he grated.

She raised her chin, but only to glare. While some of his rage was fading, her temper still simmered. “Do you get off on throwing me around like a doll?”

“Shut up.” The beast brushed the cloth over one of her cheekbones, stunning her to silence.

Had she gone into shock? Maybe she was dreaming all this. She could be lying unconscious in a retention pond in the Magic Kingdom.

He lightly pinched her chin to start on the other side of her face, his brows drawn with concentration. He cleaned the tips of her ears, which made them twitch. He even scooped water over her head to rinse her hair.

She watched drops stream down his marked torso, the sight hypnotic. Yes, I’m still in shock. “Are you finished?” she demanded of the Møriør monster.

“Why were you so dirty?” Tending to her like this seemed to extinguish what remained of the demon’s anger. His gaze roamed over her face, lingering on each of her features.

The way he looked at her . . . maybe she was his mate. Maybe that part was true. “Because your lackeys made me bust my ass in the mud.”

“You speak like a human. Did you live among them in the Magic Kingdom?”

Did he think the theme park was a real kingdom? What had those Sorceri told him? “Why should I tell you anything about myself?”

As she spoke the cloth descended to her neck, then lower, his heavy-lidded eyes following the path.

She jerked away. “You’ve got to be kidding! Are you going to try to rape me now?” A male of his size would kill her.

“Hardly.” He dragged his gaze back to hers, his anger rising once more. “Never forget—I am not the villain here.”

“But I am? Because of my alleged past-life crimes? Do you hear how screwed-up that sounds?” She met his onyx eyes. “Understand me, demon: if you release me now, I might be persuaded to leave this pathetic excuse for a castle standing. If not, I’ll bring it down around your ears.”

EIGHT

Why was she not afraid of Sian? In his new form, he terrified most beings. No one had ever naysaid him.

And he’d been fully demonic, bellowing at her as his horns had straightened from lust and anger.

Even the powerful Melanthe had flinched at his appearance. Sian’s mate was threatening him. “Are you deranged in this life? You must be.” Then how would he control her? She’d already refused an order, calling his bluff on his promise to kill her.

And he would never thrash a female, regardless of how much she deserved it. His gut had clenched just to see her struggling in the water, even though an immortal couldn’t drown to death.

“I’m not deranged. I’m pissed off to be treated this way.” Her language might be coarse, but her imperious tone still sounded like a princess’s. With her chin raised, she looked like one too.

Her outrage sat ill with him. There was a possibility—however minuscule—that she had no idea about any of this. Nïx might be using her as an unwitting pawn.

No matter. He’d still punish Kari for the past.

He grabbed her arm to teleport her again. They arrived back in the tower, dripping water. He released his grip on her—only to catch her when her legs buckled.

“Damn it, stop tracing me, demon!”

He stepped away, letting her drop to her knees. He shook his hair out and sluiced water from his skin.

She stayed down, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth to stifle her coughs.

At the sight of his mate in naught but tiny scraps of pink silk, he shuffled his feet apart to keep himself standing.

Though Kari had teased him in the past, allowing him a sliver of hope that she would be his, she’d never offered him a glimpse of her body.

His eyes drank her in, blood pooling in his groin. She was a touch slimmer than she’d been before, but still entrancing.

Her bra molded to her breasts and nipples, highlighting more than concealing. His fists opened and closed, the urge to knead her nigh overwhelming him. Cock gone hard as stone, he raked his gaze down her torso, then lower.