laugh. “You think?”
“You freed me. You gave my people—what remains of them—hope. Why would I hurt you?”
Donna clenched her hands. “Maybe because I didn’t mean to set you free. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. Aliette tricked me. I never meant to open the door to your realm.”
“Accident or not, the door opened, and you were the one responsible. Therefore, I owe you a great debt.”
Her throat felt impossibly dry. “You owe me nothing. I intend to put you back where you belong.” If I can, she added to herself.
His lips curved into a wicked smile. “You will fail.”
“But at least I’ll have tried.”
Demian grabbed her hands and pulled her toward him so that they were standing face to face. “I won’t allow you to send us back. Not after two centuries. Not after I have tasted freedom again.”
“Then kill me,” she said, amazed that her voice remained steady.
“No,” he said, his own voice like stone.
Donna looked Demian right in the eye and summoned defiance—she was her father’s daughter, after all, heir to Patrick Underwood, a legend in his time. “So, what is it about me that keeps you from just … snuffing me out?” she asked.
“Do not presume to question me.”
All his charm had disappeared—Demian was as changeable as the night sky above London. It was terrifying, but she wouldn’t let him intimidate her. Donna hated bullies, even Otherworldly bullies who were simply being who they were. Demian only knew how to throw his weight around because he was born a king. And although she couldn’t beat him in any kind of direct confrontation, Donna still had a few surprises up her sleeve. Or, more precisely, hidden beneath her gloves.
She let her whole body go limp, hoping to sucker him into a mistake. As she relaxed, the only thing keeping her upright was Demian’s hold on her.
He reacted to her “fall” instantly, releasing her hands and wrapping his arms around her body in a lightning-fast movement that took her breath away. Donna placed her now free hands against his chest and pushed, with all of the iron-clad strength in her arms. She gritted her teeth and put everything she had into it, gasping with the effort of trying to move what seemed to be an immoveable object.
Releasing her, Demian rocked backward, stumbled on the edge of the sidewalk, and adjusted his balance all in one fluid move. His expression was almost comically shocked.
Donna pulled herself upright. “Don’t touch me again, Majesty.”
“I do as I like,” he said, clearly shaken. “I could destroy your whole pathetic race. Every human being would serve me. I could rule this world!”
All his courtly manners were gone. Fury remained, sharp-edged like a blade.
“You could rule,” Donna replied, feeling the color drain from her face. “But you would be a lonely king. A heartless, pathetic dictator.”
“You will not speak to me this way,” he snarled.
“Why not? What have I got to lose? If you’re going to kill everyone on this planet, there’s not a lot I can do about it. You’ve already made that pretty clear.” She took a step forward, pressing on despite the numb terror that hovered on the edge of her awareness. “And I’m not sure you’ll do it, anyway.”
“And what makes you think you know me so well, young alchemist?”
“I don’t know you. Not even a little.” She took a deep breath. “But if you really were going to destroy everything in a fit of demonic rage—just to get your revenge—I think you would already have done it.”
Demian smiled, but it was a terrible expression. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. Your tiny mind would break under the weight of all I have done. If I told you … ”
He let his voice trail off suggestively, but Donna was getting the picture. Demian might be quick to lose his temper, but he was still a manipulative control freak. She recognized all the signs, after spending a lifetime around creeps like Simon Gaunt.
“Yeah,” she heard herself say in a bored voice she almost didn’t recognize as her own. “I’m so impressed by you. Wow, you’re amazing.”
His lip curled. “Hide behind your human sarcasm if it pleases you. I will see you at the ball, and after we have danced and celebrated my freedom, then we will speak of the future. What remains of it, at least. There is much to be discussed after all these years.”
“You don’t need me for negotiations.”
“On the contrary,”