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I should be furious at being spoken to that way. Perhaps in a few moments, I will be. But for the time being, I’m quite honestly dumbfounded. Why does this woman hate me so, and what is it that she thinks I’ve done? I simply came to retrieve my mate, hardly an act worthy of scorn.
“I want to see the prince,” I decide, realizing that there’s no point in arguing with her. Perhaps she’s a bit mad, or touched, or slow in the head. Humans can be fickle, unpredictable, and sensitive creatures.
Whatever is the matter with her, it’s futile to keep wasting my time here when I can speak with the prince directly. He’s a fellow demon, capable of reason. He’ll understand my purpose in coming here, even if she cannot.
Her eyes flash at me furiously, and I furrow my brow. I can not even request an audience with the prince now? Will nothing please this woman?
And then, before I can offer any further argument, the door is slammed abruptly in my face.
I stare at it in shock, feeling the anger swelling inside of me. I’m not a patient sort, and they’re lucky I’ve held my temper as long as I have. This is, without a doubt, a step too far, and I’m tempted to lay waste to the entire damn house for their treatment of me.
My rage simmering below the surface, I try my best to only let it carry me so far. I’ve tried it the polite way, and that hasn’t worked. I know that I can’t go full berserker, no matter how much I would like to.
There must be a middle ground, where I find a way to demand they acknowledge me without losing all control. I am here for Anastasia, and I will not be pushed aside.
I rip the door off the hinges, forcing my way inside. The human woman does not look scared and does not move out of the doorway. Instead, she just stamps her feet as I push my way inside, looking frustrated.
“You can’t be in here!” she shouts. “I sent you out once and I will do it again!” She pushes up the sleeves of her dress, and then places both hands on my arm. Grunting, she pushes with all her strength, as if she believes that she can force me back out the door by herself.
Once again, I find some of my fury seeping away, replaced by an incredulous feeling of disbelief. It’s almost hard to maintain such an intense level of anger, when your main foe is a person so utterly ridiculous and bizarre. What does this woman think she is doing?
“Laura.” A smooth, calm voice overhead interrupts our strange face-off. She lets go of me, her face twisting into a scowl, and we both turn to face the source. Prince Rej’thorek is descending down the same staircase that the woman did moments before.
“Volikan.” He greets me next. His voice is cooler, directed toward me, than it was for her. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for my mate,” I try again, hoping that I’m finally talking to someone with sense. The woman stamps her feet again. “You can’t have her. You don’t even deserve her!” she snaps.
Those words are very nearly the breaking point that pushes me over the edge. My vision begins to cloud, seeing red, and I can feel myself spiraling as the berserker inside yearns to come out. The prince, luckily, puts a stop to it with a firm but demanding call. “Volikan!”
I shake my head, pulling out of it in the nick of time. The prince is not as frightening as his father, but still has a presence and aura that demands respect. He knows how to make a room stop – or a half-crazed warrior, when needed.
I could fight the woman, of course. I’m not sure that I’d feel bad at all for it, the way that she’s been pushing me around. Much like her little servant, she would do well to remember that I am not insignificant. Perhaps she’ll remember to apply some respect to my name, with a bit of physical correction.
But she is the Prince’s human. If I hurt her, I will have to answer to him. And that will be a fight that I cannot win, as he has the power of the entire demon kingdom behind him.
I can’t even cast aspersions on him for that. Because if anyone hurt my Anastasia, they would have to answer to me the same way.
I may not understand why he defends this small, shrill, obnoxious woman, but I understand what it feels like to intertwine yourself so completely with a human’s well-being that you would do anything to protect them.
At least, I do now.
“I am here for an audience with the Prince. I will not leave unrequited.”
“Won’t you?” he answers, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
“No,” I reply forcefully. The tone of my voice leaves no doubt that I am serious.
He eyes me for a moment, considering. Finally, he lets out an annoyed sigh, making no effort to hide it. “Fine. You’ll have your audience.”
The one he called Laura wheels around to look up the stairs, hands on her hips. He matches her expression of frustration with his own, more subtly disgusted one. Then he shrugs his shoulders, as if apologizing.
But I don’t care about any of that, if it means that I’m one step closer to Anastasia.
116
VOLIKAN
The Prince leads me to the veranda himself. His mate Laura follows right at his elbow, inserting herself between us as if to prove that her position here outranks mine.
