Chapter 1
Aurora
The demons took me through a tunnel and when we emerged, we were in a dark, hot place. I heard only stories about the Dark Kingdom but there was no mistaking that it was where we were. Everything looked dead here. The trees were so white, I didn't think they were ever alive and the soil was covered in fine sand. I couldn't hear the sound of any animal but I could see demons fly in the sky. The Sun was burning and I wondered how they could withstand the heat.
The demons kept running as if that meant nothing to them. They were agile in the sand, they never lost their footings. At least, mermen couldn't have taken me there. I understood why they had to deliver me to the demons before. It seemed the Demon King got tired and decided to take things into his own hands. That meant I would meet him soon.
After running a while, I finally managed to see a city. It looked normal. I don't know what I was expecting but certainly not a small village with houses made standing tall made out of rocks. Demons weren't so different from us after all.
They entered the town and rushed straight to the huge Castle dominating the city. I tried to brace myself, I would soon need to make the King very aware of the fact that I wasn't pleased to be here. Since he brought me here alive, it meant he wanted something from me. I was going to use this as an advantage.
We entered the Castle and rushed through many halls before arriving in front of a dark double door. The demon carrying me knocked on the door and the doors opened themselves.
The room was huge with a big throne standing at the end. I didn't know the size of the Demon King but he was bigger than Aodhan in his dragon form. Damn it. The man sitting on it though, looked human.
He was beautiful, I had to admit. He had long black hair that fell to his shoulder and a beard that covered his face. They looked shiny and soft even from where I was standing. His eyes were the rich dark color of coffee, just like his skin was the color of caramel. A smile bloomed on his lips as soon as he saw me and he stood up from his throne.
He was tall, I would estimate that he was the same size as Preston. He was just as built as my husband too but there was something about him that I simply didn't like.
"Princess Aurora." He greeted me in a pleasant smooth voice. "Welcome to Dawnstar Castle."
"Your invitations are hard to refuse, Demon King." I frowned.
He laughs and it should have been pleasant but it just made me want to punch him in the face.
"Feisty, I like it." He nodded. "My subordinate was right about you, you would make a great Demon Queen."
"I'm already happily married, thank you for the offer."
"Not just married as I can see."
I was starting to show but it was barely noticeable. It meant that the Demon King's eyes could see more than he was letting. I should be careful.
"Yes, this isn't a secret. Preston and I are very much in love." I admitted.
"This is good thing to be able to find the love of your life." He nodded.
"Why did you make me come here? Surely it wasn't to talk about my husband or my marriage in general." I asked.
His grin widened and he offered me to sit in the throne next to his. Was he really still going to offer me to become his Queen? There was no way it would ever happen. I did as he asked though and he seemed satisfied as he sat back down in his throne.
"I like that you want to get straight to the point but since you went through the desert to reach me, the least I can do is offer you something to drink. Don't worry, it won't be poisoned or binding you hear as some may say."
There was a rumor that if you ate anything from the Dark Kingdom, you could never leave it and you would slowly become a demon yourself. He wasn't lying when he said that it wouldn't bind me to his Kingdom so I decided to believe him. I needed to think about my baby too.
I took the glass he offered me and started drinking. It was normal water so I took the chance to drink it all. Who knew what kind of trick he would want to pull later.
"See? You're not here so I can harm you."
"I figured that since I'm still alive." I said. "The question is, what do you want from me?"
"Your husband's surrender, the Moon Kingdom's loyalty. If he surrenders and acknowledges me as his King, I'll let you get back to him unharmed." He grinned. "I don't want my subjects to suffer."
There was the lie. He didn't care one second about his subjects. All he wanted was to have control over us all. He didn't care about the losses or how many people would suffer from this war. Only his ambition was important.
"Don't lie to me." I glared. "I might not be a shifter capable of smelling a lie but I've been playing the court game long enough. You don't care if people suffer in this war. You only care about yourself. My husband will never surrender to you because he cares about his people and he would never bend the knee to someone who isn't capable of that."
He dropped the pleasant grin at once and I saw fury in his dark eyes. This was a real emotion, something I didn't know he was capable of.
"In that case, I'll guess I'll be usinh you to force him to surrender his Kingdom to me. There's no way a shifter would abandon their family, your husband is the same. Let's see how long he takes to bend the knee. I'll make you watch it all and then, we'll see who the lier is. Guards." He snapped. "Take her to her room. I don't want to see her anymore."
I stood up and followed behind the guards. They didn't seem hostile so I didn't see the point in making a scene. They led me back through corridors until they reached a small bedroom. It was neat and it felt like I was more a guest than a hostage here. What did he truly want? He didn't even tell me his name...
I felt utterly bored in my room but maybe I could try to locate Ryan. He was supposed to come to the Dark Kingdom to retrieve the artefact. If it was inside the Castle, I could help him. I focused hard on the bond that linked me to the shifters and found Ryan. It was weak but maybe he would still be able to hear me.
Ryan? If you can hear me, say something. I was taken by the demons and I'm currently inside the Dawnstar Castle.
I waited a bit until I felt a tug on my mind. Did it work?
Princess? What happened? Is Preston with you?
Ryan answered.
Demons kidnapped me in the Mountain Kingdom and brought me to the Dawnstar Castle. The King wants to use to force Preston to surrender the Moon Kingdom
.
Shit. Preston must have totally lost it by now. I hope he doesn't cause trouble in the Mountain Kingdom.
The dragons were busy fighting already so I don't think they would notice and Eskel is with him. I'm sure he'll manage Preston and they'll find a solution to fight the Demon King.
I hope you're right. Preston can be a pain when his wolf takes over.
I knew it wouldn't be easy on Eskel but I had faith he would manage.
I thought that I could help you locate the artefact while I was here.
I said.
It's too dangerous.
Ryan countered.
The Demon King doesn't seem to want to harm you and let's keep it that way or Preston will kill us all.
That's also a reason why he would never suspect me. I can do this.
No, this is a bad idea, Princess...
I cut the mind-link short when there was a knock on the door. What did they want now?
