Free The First Book of Demons (The Book of Demons Saga) by Raquel Dove

council.” 
    “Why has this council summoned me?” Balthazar asked shifting his gaze onto the other members.  Arastoo’s jaw hung slightly ajar at the blatant disrespect.  Even a fully anointed Lord Sultan had to answer to the Council.  Balthazar knew precisely why he was summoned, and his feigned ignorance was a jab at their legitimacy. 
    “We are owed an explanation,” Arastoo said, lifting his pointed nose into the air.
    “I owe you nothing,” Balthazar said coldly, his eyes narrowing at Arastoo. 
    “How dare you!” Arastoo snapped, his face turning red. “We are the Council, and you are still but a prince. We are owed an explanation.” 
    “ Baal believed he was owed something,” Balthazar said, “and he is no more.  Raise your voice to me in disrespect again, and a far worse fate will befall you.”
    Arastoo shrank back onto his cushion at the darkness in the young princes eyes.  Silence hung in the room, and Jahan tried his best to blend into the furniture.  The last thing he wanted to do was catch the wrath of Balthazar.
    “Lord Balthazar,” Darius spoke in an attempt to soothe the tensions in the room, “I believe what the Lord Enchanter is trying to say is that we are all merely concerned.  Rumors spread quickly, and we have heard disturbing things.”
    “There is no need for such feelings,” Balthazar said. “This council is dismissed.”
    Jahan passed a glance at the other council members.  He had expected so much more.  He needed to know what happened, and more importantly what this girl was they had brought back.  He had his suspicions about this creature, and if it turned out to be right, it did not bode well for him. 
    The Council members filed out of the room, their shoulders slumped in defeat .  They were not happy about the events that had just transpired.  Balthazar was making very clear the type of ruler he intended to be.
    “You know they were expecting more information than that,” Tavi said once the other members had left the room.  He would never speak in such a casual manner in the presence of anyone else, but in private he knew he could always be frank with his elder brother.
    “Of course,” Balthazar re plied, “They always expect more. It does not mean they shall receive it.”
    “What of Hasan?”  Tavi asked, reaching for a piece of the cut fruit that was on the table.  What Hasan did was unthinkable, and stupid.  He actually believed that Baal was going to make him the new Lord Sultan, as if Baal alone had any power to do so.  But, since Hasan was a prince, it seriously complicated matters.  The ideal would be to simply execute the brat, but aside from in open combat, it was unlawful to kill a prince. 
    “I have a special punishment in mind for him,” Balthazar said, the chill of his words cutting into Tavi. 
    “ And what about the human,” Tavi said popping the red fleshy piece of fruit in his mouth.  They both knew what was being left unsaid.  The human defeated Raza.  Granted, he left himself open underestimating her, but she killed him.  Raza was a powerful demon, and would have posed a great threat, even to Balthazar. 
    “ I have use for her,” Balthazar said, a troubled look in his eyes.

Chapter Nineteen
     
    Balthazar sat behind his father’s desk, eyes closed and hands wresting on the knees of his crossed legs.  His face was serene, but beneath that calm exterior lurked turmoil.  Time was running out.  He needed the human’s cooperation.  But she was so damned defiant.  He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind.  His concentration had become increasingly difficult to maintain over the past few days, ever since the human had come into his life.  She was supposed to make his task easier, but instead she was beginning to complicate things.  Her scent lingered in his mind.  A hint of Anouri fruit tinged her smell.  It was peculiar, but he found it pleasing, the Anouri fruit being among his favorite foods.  The