Free A Demon's Wrath Novella: One Night with the Demon King by Alexia Praks

was about to curtsy when she
hesitated, remembering she was not Lady Cecelia Van Zandt right
then, but young Lord Brian Van Zandt. She bowed her head
instead.
    “Lift your face, boy. I am not pleased to
look at your head when I am addressing to you.”
    Cecelia’s heart kicked in her chest. The
deep timber turned her stomach hollow. She took a deep breath, and
summoning all her courage, she lifted her head. Her dark-brown eyes
met a pair of stormy-gray ones. Her heart drummed in her chest. The
sound was so loud in her own ears she was surprised no one was
complaining about it.
    “That’s better,” Drake said, a hint of a
smile on his lips.
    Cecelia couldn’t stop staring at him. He was
the demon she had seen in the painting. He was the demon king.
    “How do you find yourself in such a
situation, boy?” he asked.
    Cecelia blinked. She didn’t know how to
reply, and the room turned silent. Everyone was watching her and
waiting for her answer. Her throat became dry and her cheeks
reddened with embarrassment.
    Vera saw this and said, “This is not the
time to ask young Brian questions, Drake. Now, Brian.” She touched
Cecelia’s arm and turned her toward her husband. “This is my
husband, Lord Adam McNamara. That’s Lord Julius Falkland, the wise
wizard.”
    Cecelia turned to the long, blond-haired
male with pale blue eyes nodding his head at her.
    “Lord Gerick McNamara, the king’s cousin and
my husband’s younger brother.” Vera introduced her to a very
handsome young demon with pale gray eyes and ash-blond hair.
    “And that is Commander Leon. He’s a distant
relation to the king.”
    Cecelia nodded toward the dark haired demon
with hazel green eyes. He nodded back.
    “Well, that’s everybody.” Vera sighed.
“Let’s dine, shall we?”
    They all took their places along the table.
Drake took the head, while Adam took the other end. Everyone else
took the side chairs. Cecelia found herself facing Commander Leon.
On her left was Lucifer and to her right, Vera.
    “’Tis great this night I get to dine with
everyone,” Lucifer whispered to her.
    She raised her brows. “You do not dine with
them daily?”
    “No.” The boy shook his head. “I am too
young to dine with everyone yet, but tonight, it’s different. It’s
a feast.” He giggled.
    The first course arrived. Footmen with fine
velvet uniforms of black and purple carried trays into the room.
One placed a small round and deep plate of fairy-embossed design in
front of her. She looked into the bowl. It was soup of a thick,
creamy color.
    “It’s seafood soup,” Lucifer whispered.
    “Oh!” She nodded.
    “How did you meet Lucifer?” Leon asked.
    Cecelia turned to look at the demon. “In the
ship,” she replied.
    “How in the ship?”
    “Err…”
    “He saved me from those men’s beating,”
Lucifer put in.
    Everyone turned to look at Cecelia,
including the stormy-gray eyes of the king. She blushed and lowered
her eyes for receiving so much attention.
    “Did those humans beat you, Lucifer?” Gerick
asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
    “Aye.” The boy nodded.
    “What did he look like?” Gerick prompted. He
needed to know which of those bastards they had killed that morning
was responsible for Lucifer’s beating so he could throw his body
into the wild and allow the beasts to eat his flesh. The rest he
would be kind enough to bury in the forest near the cave, and maybe
he’d consider carving their names on headstones, too, to warn off
other stupid human intruders.
    Lucifer cocked his little head to one side
and said, “He has dark hair and he’s not that big, not like you,
Uncle Gerick. You could beat him easily.”
    Gerick smiled pleasantly at the
compliment.
    “Lucifer is a brave boy,” Cecelia said,
looking at the cute boy smiling up at her.
    “Of course he is. He’s my son,” Adam said,
matter-of-fact.
    “I don’t think I could have handled the
situation as well as he did if I were five years old,”