Queen of the Darkness

midnight voice.
    "Yes, Lady, it is."
    A long silence. Then Jaenelle wrinkled her nose. "A formal request seems a bit much just to get the boyos off the couches tonight."
    Daemon suppressed a sigh of relief. She was willing to pretend that that's all the request meant. Most likely, she just wanted a few more hours before admitting that Alexandra or one of her entourage had done something serious that would have to be dealt with.
    "Would you like to play another round?" he asked, taking his seat.
    She narrowed her eyes. "Whose deal is it?"
    He smiled at her. "Mine."
    "Why didn't you tell him about the tainted male?" Titian asked.
    "I can't count on Daemon's control right now," Saetan replied after a long pause. "A Warlord Prince who's focused on being accepted as a Consort has an extremely volatile temper."
    After a moment, Titian shook her head. "Even if everyone else didn't sense the spells Dorothea and Hekatah created, I don't understand why Jaenelle didn't notice them."
    "Nor do I. But as I said, Dorothea and Hekatah knew exactly who they had to hide him from," Saetan replied, feeling his heartbeat thicken until he could feel each thump like a blow.
    "Even so, Jaenelle always takes a careful look at the people who intend to stay in Kaeleer."
    "But she would have no reason to look that closely at someone who wasn't intending to stay, especially if emotional and personal issues were being used as a blind to hide a different purpose."
    Titian frowned. "Who else is staying at the Hall?"
    "Jaenelle's Chaillot relatives and their companions." He saw his own hatred reflected in Titian's face.
    "And you haven't done anything about them?"
    "My formal request for execution was denied," Saetan replied, doing his best not to respond to the accusation in her voice. "I'll choke on it, but I'll abide by it. Besides, there will be another time and another place to settle those debts," he added softly.
    Titian nodded. "If I slip into their rooms, maybe I can sense something. Then we could quietly take care of the tainted male tonight."
    Saetan snarled in frustration. "Except for that bitch Vania, no one has done anything yet that justifies an execution." He shook his head. "We've made sure nothing will happen tonight. After breakfast, I'll talk to Jaenelle about getting those... people... out of the Hall and out of Kaeleer."
    "I suppose that's best." They walked in silence for a while. "Are all of Jaenelle's relatives here?"
    "Except for Robert Benedict. He died a few years ago— and was in the Dark Realm for a very brief time."
    Titian stopped walking. Saetan turned to face her. She lifted her hand and pressed it lightly against his face.
    "And, during that time, did he have a private conversation with the High Lord of Hell?" she asked with malevolent sweetness.
    "Yes," Saetan replied too softly, "he did."
----
    Chapter Six
    1 / Kaeleer
    Daemon's nerves were raw when he and Jaenelle walked into the dining room the next morning, and the speculative looks from the other males in the First Circle didn't help. The fact that it was Jaenelle's moontime and he couldn't have done more than warm the bed didn't matter. He knew what was expected of a Consort, and he knew the other men were aware that he wasn't fulfilling those duties.
    He tried to push those thoughts aside. There were reasons to be alert that day.
    Lucivar stood near the sideboard, sipping a mug of coffee, while Khardeen and Aaron filled their plates. Leland and Philip, the only members of Alexandra's entourage who were present, were eating breakfast at one end of the table. Surreal and Karla were at the other end.
    A greedy look filled Jaenelle's eyes when she focused on the mug in Lucivar's hand. "Are you going to share that?"
    Lucivar bared his teeth in a smile. "No."
    She gave him a frigid look but kissed his cheek anyway.
    Daemon could have cheerfully killed Lucivar for being given that kiss. It was a grumpy, habitual kiss, but still a kiss—which was more than he'd gotten that morning. Since killing Lucivar wasn't an option—at that moment, anyway—he watched Jaenelle select two slices of pear and a spoonful of scrambled eggs.
    As she turned away from the sideboard, Lucivar reached over, jabbed a fork into a hunk of steak, and dumped it on her plate. "You need the meat today. Eat it."
    She snarled at him. Lucivar just sipped his coffee.
    "Long night?" Daemon quietly asked Lucivar.
    "I've had longer," Lucivar replied with a smile that turned sharp as he flicked a