Immortals After Dark 07 - Kiss of a Demon King

made it appear to fade away, revealing the night sky.
    He tensed even more. "Your power is great." His voice was rumbling.
    In the dark, she seemed to feel it. "It is."
    "Is this all illusion or did you make the ceiling disappear?"
    "My vanity tells me that you're impressed with my goddesslike gift and curious about it.
    Experience tells me you want to learn my strengths and weaknesses so you can kill me."
    "I'll spare your life, if you free me now," he said.
    "You've served me ill. But you've done nothing irrevocable yet."
    "Demon, give me time." How could he be so warm? Unbelievably, she felt herself growing relaxed. "To answer your question, all is illusion. Optical and auditory."
    "You can't make others feel things?"
    "I have no tactile illusions. Not yet. Which is a shame because I could decimate an army with anows I imagined. But 1 can make others feel things, just the same."
    "Like what?"
    "I can make you see your worst nightmares or your most coveted dreams. And I can control them."
    "Do you have other abilities?"
    "Dozens," she lied. The only other one was Lanthe's birthday gift from so long ago-communicating with and mesmerizing animals. "I wield many."
    He seemed to take that in. Finally he asked, "Have you thought about what you seek to do?
    What it would be like to bear and raise a demon child?"
    In truth, she hadn't thought much about that whatsoever. She didn't allow herself to imagine her pregnancy, delivery, or the upbringing of a demon prince. If she ever began wondering what their halfling would look like, she forced herself to think of something else.
    The agenda had been set, the plot hatched. The rest was just details.

    But Omort's visit was throwing a kink in her plans.
    She answered the demon's question with one of her own. "How do you know that I don't already have a litter of demon children?"
    "Do you?"
    "No, I have no offspring."
    "What if you bore a female? The kingdom of Rothka-lina is patrilineal."
    "Don't remind me. You know, in the Sorceri sept, females can inherit the crown. Morgana is the current Empress of all Sorceri." Sabine turned on her side, and he did as well, his arms still chained behind his back.
    "The people wouldn't accept a female here. I wonder if I'd be kept alive long enough for another go?" A lock of his thick black hair fell over his forehead, but he could do nothing to move it from his eyes.
    "I'm fated to conceive and deliver a healthy boy for your heir."
    "A son." Had his voice roughened? "One I'll never see if you have your way. Never to teach or protect."
    She fell silent. Contrary to popular belief, Sabine didn't relish hurting those who'd never done anything to her. But she didn't rule the world-yet-and so she couldn't change the outcome of this situation. For her and Lanthe to be safe at last, a demon was going down. This demon beside her.
    He was collateral damage that couldn't be helped.
    "Wait... if you know you're going to have a healthy boy, then you could assassinate me as soon as you find out you're pregnant."
    She'd camouflaged her face and expression with an illusion, so he never saw her glance away.
    "I won't leave behind my child to be raised here, in blood and hatred. I've heard the rumors of depravity going on in Tornin. Blood sacrifices and perversions. In my home."
    "Omort does so enjoy his blood sacrifices."
    The demon's lips parted. "Listen to yourself! You're so inured, you can't even realize how sick your world is."
    She narrowed her eyes. ]ust because 1 don't flinch doesn't mean I'm blind.
    Sabine knew how sick it was all too well. That was why she was determined to get above it.
    "You'll never get my vow, sorceress."
    "I won't stop until 1 do."
    "Are you going to keep me chained the entire time? I know better than most that this cell is inescapable."
    "Security isn't the only reason I'll keep you bound. I want to be certain you don't release any steam we build together, so you'll be in a bad way." When she traced a finger down his chest, the muscles in his torso contracted in response. "But it occurs to me that if you're so adamant about not wanting your offspring here, then you must be accepting that I am yours."
    "Have you ever thought about what that would have meant for you? If you hadn't resorted to this?"

    "You mean if we'd met under different circumstances? Would you have been good to me?
    True to me?" Her tone was amused. "If I hadn't been called to capture you this eve, I'd thought about setting myself up as a waitress at your