Free Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2) by Kiersten Fay Page B

sight, he grabbed them and placed them high on a ledge where she could not reach. Then he turned his attention back to the jumble of items, ignoring her nasty glare.
    He retrieved a carefully wrapped package. Her stomach grumbled when she caught the sweet scent of roasted meat. The demon took on a mischievous grin.
    “ Acta ,” she grumbled. If he really did understand the Cyrellian language, then he should know she’d just called him an asshole.
    By the disapproving look he gave her, he did, but his only response was to tear off a piece of meat and pop it into his mouth, making a show of enjoying himself.
    “ Your men have stopped looking for you.” He took another bite.
    Nadua rolled her eyes. “You expect me to believe that? They wouldn’t stop searching after so short a time.”
    “ They would if they’ve been told you’re dead.”
    “ And who would tell them that? I suppose they let you stroll into camp to give them the news.”
    “ I overheard your friend Tamir claim to have seen me kill you with his own eyes.”
    “ Whatever you say, demon.” Tamir wouldn’t betray her like that.
    They sat in silence for a long while. The demon enjoyed his meal as the fire grew dimmer and dimmer. She assumed he wasn’t going to give her any food until she called him by name.
    Ha!
    There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction. She wasn’t that hungry, anyway. Her stomach made a sound in disagreement.
    “ Hungry?” He smirked.
    “ Not at all.”
    When the fire grew dangerously low, a chill ran through her. He didn’t look as though he had any intention of adding logs to the flame and she wondered if he was about to demand she call him by name or freeze to death.
    Pulling herself off the ground, she reached for a log, but he stopped her. “Come on, demon, are you really going to let me freeze?”
    Eyes sparkling with amusement, he teetered the meat between two fingers. The smell made her stomach grumble. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat before bed?”
    “ So you’re going to make me starve, as well as freeze?”
    “ Food is here for the taking, if you really wanted it. I’d willingly give it to you—”
    She reached for it, knowing he would just snatch it away. She was right.
    “ Do you have something you’d like to say?”
    “ No.”
    “ Ah, well.” He took another bite and added, while chewing, “I promise you won’t freeze, but there will be no fire tonight.”
    “ If there’s no fire then how...oh, no. There’s no need for that. We have plenty of wood for a fire to last all night. I...I only allowed that last night out of necessity. You can’t expect me to cuddle up to you for warmth again!”
    “ You brought this on yourself, luv. Fire is just another weapon for your scheming mind to use against me. And I plan on getting a good night’s sleep.” He held up the meat in one last attempt, but all he received was an indignant glare. With a shrug, he wrapped the meat and placed it with her furs on the high ledge.
    Her stomach rebelled, as if angered by her refusal to submit. She knew the demon could hear every ireful grumble. When he turned back to her there was something new in his grip, but it wasn’t an offering of food.
    Nadua backed away from him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
    “ I told you.” He caught one of her wrists and snugly wrapped the rope around it. “I plan on getting a good night’s sleep tonight.” As he reached for her other wrist, she jerked it away, along with the rest of her body. He easily used her captured arm to pull her back and subdue her, wrapping both wrists tightly together.
    “ You son of a bitch! Release me!”
    “ I won’t have you slipping away in the night and bashing me with more rocks.”
    Nadua thrashed her body, trying to land a kick; she was usually skillful at kicking. In an embarrassingly easy maneuver, he lifted her entire body off the ground and deposited it on the pallet. Her back met the soft fur of the