The carriage slowed.
And with it---
So did Seraphina's breathing...
Pull it together!
She chanted to herself, trying – and failing – to not look in obvious distress.
Why?
You'd think it was because she was headed to her ex-fiancé's engagement party. But she'd had three lives to make peace with the fact that he loved her best friend more than her. In fact, she now knew that they were perfect together and hoped that they'd one day have a fairy-tale wedding with a romantic "and they lived happily ever after" attached in some footnote…
So why the discomfort?
Because across from her sat the Demon Lord, Kael'tharion Virex!
Calm.
Composed...
Infuriatingly unaffected!
Lord Kael'tharion Virex looked like he had stepped straight out of a fairy tale --- if those allowed for creatures that could destroy kingdoms before breakfast.
And looked like they were made for sin!
His horns were gone, and his wings were once more hidden, giving him that strange human-like appearance. His white, golden hair framed a face that was too sharp – too perfect! – to belong to something monstrous. The rings on his fingers caught the light from the lampposts, and while they were numerous, they didn't look out of place on him.
And his clothes---
God!
They fit him...
Dark, yet elegant and effortless. His cloak was embroidered with gold and gems that matched his hair and eyes perfectly. The leather-like material shaped his arms and legs in a way that allowed just enough for the imagination to desire more. A golden crested red vest clung to his body like a second skin over a formal white blouse that made him look dangerous, yet alluring.
They were not modern human clothes, as some might put it, but they weren't out of place either. They made him stand out, yet blend in perfectly. Like you might look at him directly but your brain wouldn't realize he was there.
He didn't just blend in...
He elevated everything around him!
… and Sera caught herself staring.
Again!
Ah--- but one more second wouldn't hurt?
Maybe two.
…Okay, longer!
Man, if this kept up, she might drool all over him...
"If you keep looking at me like that," Lord Virex suddenly said, his tone lazy and not even glancing up at her. "People might think you're impressed."
Her head snapped toward the window.
"I am not staring!"
She totally was...
"You are."
"No," she snapped, her spine bouncing straight. Because the last thing this man needed was an ego boost. "I was just thinking!"
"About me!"
He said that as if it were a fact!
True, but still...
"I was not thinking about you!"
She kept up the lie.
A pause...
Did he yield?
"Liar!"
Her eye twitched.
How did he read her so easily?
Was he part lie-detector or something?
"I won't dignify that with an answer," she said calmly, before she said something stupid.
Like how unfairly attractive he was!
She refused to give him that satisfaction…
Instead, she forced her eyes to the passing streets outside, trying to mentally prepare herself as much as possible for what tonight was going to bring.
Other than disaster, Sera didn't have high hopes for tonight...
Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress, just thinking about it. What she was about to do was basically social suicide. Not only would no one ever want to associate with her again – which, honestly, was fine by her after the lives she had lived---
But she would lose everything!
Her name, her reputation…
Which – again, fine! She didn't care much about those things anyway. But what did feel like a real loss to her was the fact that after tonight---
She would lose her friendship with Elena.
Forever!
Her chest tightened. Even if it wasn't a reality in this life, Sera still remembered their friendship in her second life. Their first awkward encounters after the failed engagement with Leo. Sera had held out an olive branch, and Elena had happily accepted it.
And that all started with this engagement party…
Their friendship has gone from zero to one hundred in just a couple of sentences.
They laughed.
Had late-night conversations.
Shared secrets...
A friendship that had come so easily once she stopped fighting it.
And now...
It would be gone before it could even begin...
Because Elena was deathly afraid of demons. And Leo would never allow someone like Virex near her. He was too protective of her, loved her too deeply to ever see her sad or hurting…
Their love really was the stuff of romance legends.
And Sera would never witness it in this life...
Because in this life, she would choose this!
She was going to stop the war…
No matter the cost!
I'm sorry…
Her gaze dropped.
Maybe--- once this is over…
Once I stop the war…
Maybe then…
But even she didn't believe that.
Some choices---
Couldn't be undone...
"…You're tense!"
Her head snapped up.
She blinked.
Lord Virex was watching her now, his golden eyes taking in every inch of her, as if he was able to see her soul. But his lips had that crooked tilt to them that made him look equal parts infuriating and irresistible...
"Are you worried they'll burn you at the stake?"
He snickered.
She scoffed.
"There's no law against our engagement," she huffed--- because while that hadn't even crossed her mind, she was now mildly panicking and mentally going over every inch of law that she knew to see if anything in the law was against them getting married.
"That wasn't a no," he replied, sounding as confident and lax as ever. His eyes met hers again--- and she couldn't hold his gaze.
"I'm fine," she repeated, but neither of them believed it.
The Demon Lord didn't push it – for now!
But something in his gaze shifted...
Oh, he wasn't buying her bull-crap for a second! And while he wasn't about to admit it or even show it, a part of him also dreaded the outcome of tonight. After all, demons and humans didn't mingle, and when they did, they usually only saw the worst parts of each other. And in some corners of the country, they were even considered to be enemies.
But another part of him was curious.
What kind of person was the woman he was betrothed to?
And how would she handle tonight?
How fast was she going to betray him?
The carriage arrived at its destination all too soon in Sera's opinion. The footmen arrived instantly and opened the door for us, the cool air hitting her instantly.
A shiver ran down her spine…
This was it!
Lord Virex stepped out before her, acting like the perfect fiancé. She put her hand in his and--- stunned, she realized that his hand was surprisingly warm. His fingers curled effortlessly around hers, and he effortlessly helped her down, his strength overwhelming her.
He pulled her into him, looking at her like she was the only person in the room. It had her heart fluttering in her chest, and a part of her just about forgot that this was all just for show...
Dang!
He was taking this "looking like a real couple" to a whole other level…
Sera swallowed thickly, hoping she wasn't blushing as badly as she felt. She forced a smile, ignoring the way he made her heart feel.
It's all just pretend…
She kept telling herself that, hoping that her body would eventually obey.
But Lrod Virex did notice---
And he found that it amused him…
They started up the stairs, and without thinking, Sera grabbed his arms, holding on to him as if he were about to fly away and leave her behind.
She shouldn't be this nervous.
She'd walked these stairs a million times before, been to events that were just as grand and as significant as this one. She'd stormed fortresses, rescued hostages, and challenged the most dangerous people in the country---
And yet, this somehow felt like she was walking to her death!
They moved forward, the guards on each side of the gate and doors not even blinking as we moved forward. Well, actually, some of them gave me the side-eye. Probably an order from Leo. But all of them completely ignored the man next to me.
Of course they didn't...
To them, he was just a man. Probably someone playing a part of the scorned and jealous ex, who just got dumped. They didn't realize that the creature next to me stood at the top of the food chain...
"…This castle is larger than it appears," Lord Virex remarked casually, his voice low enough so that the conversation was private.
Sera blinked.
"You're--- interested in architecture?" She asked, surprised.
"No," He replied flatly, smirking down at her with that gleam in the eye (you know the one!). He then moved, his lips brushing against her air as he spoke, sending heat all over her face.
"I would like my arm to survive the evening."
His--- arm?!
Sera looked down---
And instantly realized that she was clutching his arms to the point her hand might be permanently marked on his skin!
"Oh---!"
She let go immediately--- but he was faster, keeping her arm in place.
"Relax," he whispered low. A quiet chuckle brushed against her skin again, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "I'm not going anywhere."
That felt---
More comforting than she'd felt since she was a child.
She hesitated.
Then – carefully…
She took the arm again.
Softer this time...
"...Better?" She muttered, embarrassed that her voice sounded so flustered and meek.
He winked down at her...
"Marginally!"
He pulled her forward, and they started walking again---
"Besides," he grinned, his eyes flickering with the powers that hummed under his skin like a second pulse.
"If anyone tries anything, I'll just kill them."
...Huh?!
Wait---!
"...You will do no such thing---!"
She hissed, ignoring how heads turned her way. Because all she caught was that crooked tilt of his lips, which she'd seen before.
He was messing with her!
Seriously?!
At a time like this!
She glared at him, wishing she could openly rip him a new one. But that would break a condition of their contract, and she didn't want to see what would happen if she died before the war this time around…
"You look cute when you're angry."
She blinked---
And then her breath hitched.
"What?!"
The word slipped between her lips before she had even realized that she was talking. But she never heard his answer. Before them, the huge double doors opened and everything else---
Disappeared…