I pulled back, my expression smoothing into a mask of regal indifference.
I didn't care if the demons heard that part. Let them know the Dragon Prince was on my leash. It only made my standing in the Spire more formidable.
"Go back to the Capital," I commanded, my voice regaining its melodic tone. "Tell the King the treaty is signed. Tell the Duke the 'catalyst' is doing what she was taken in to do—and that I am currently saving the kingdom. And when the blight is gone, I expect you to be waiting at the border to receive me."
Maegel's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He looked at our interlocked fingers, then at Jerome, who was watching us with a mocking tilt of his black glass horns. The Prince knew he was losing ground, but my promise—that cruel, possessive claim—seemed to be the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
