Demon Slave (Shadow Quest Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

fanged grin. Her blue eyes flared with disdain, which only worked to encourage him. “Tell me, do all the females dress like you and Eddie here? It must be hard for the men to decipher between the two. I can imagine the awkward morning when they’ve found they’d been fucking the wrong species.”
    After casting him a look of unmitigated hatred that seemed out of place in those blue depths, the woman rode away.
     
    * * *
     
    Nadua mentally scolded herself for letting him get to her so easily. The lying bastard was her prisoner, yet he was the one having fun. He must expect that his friends will come back for him. And perhaps they would, but her people would be ready. They were but two days from home.
    “ Your Highness,” a voice called. Nadua slowed her speed to let Tamir catch up with her. “One of our sentries has spotted a rebel, just south of us.”
    Nadua pulled back on the lead and Sweetie obediently stopped. The rest of the party did as well. “I want to find the rebels too, but don’t you think the threat of a demon invasion is more important right now?”
    Tamir bowed his head. “Of course, Your Highness, whatever you think is best, but this could be our last chance to find the rebels. Surely they will move again with us being so close. And the demon is secure for the moment. I hardly think an extra day would hurt. Plus, I have already sent a messenger to the castle. They should already be prepared by the time we arrive.”
    Nadua supposed he was right. Wren would have everything taken care of before they even set foot into town. “How many were spotted?”
    “ Just one, but he could be a scout, not too far from the others.”
    Nadua’s eyes followed the horizon. It was already midday. With a sigh, she pointed to a high bluff. “We’ll make camp there. After everything is set up, I’ll take half the men with me to search while the other half stays with our prisoner.”
    “ I’ll go with you, Your Highness.”
    “ No, I’ll need a leader to stay behind, in case the rebels attack.”
    “ Of course. I’ll relay your wishes to the others.” Tamir bowed and rode ahead.
    It took about an hour to reach the high ground. While Tamir supervised construction, Nadua gathered her group and headed out in search of the rebel outpost.
    Silently, she prayed for Lidian’s safety.
     

Chapter 4
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Nadua sat in her warm tent waiting for a pot of ice chunks and packed snow to melt over the hot coals so she could wash away the grime from the day’s journey.
    The firelight illuminated her red locks, staining them gold. If she were home at the castle, Ava would be fawning over it while they sipped warm tea. As with Ava, Cyrellians only had hair as pale as the world around them.
    Nadua could relate to Ava’s envy. Back on Evlon, any gathering, no matter how minuscule, was always a spectacular feast for the eyes. Back then, she often thought her color dull and her curls wildly out of control compared to the elegant hairdos of the noblewomen.
    Now, after four hundred years on Undewla, it was disconcerting every time she walked into a ballroom and her fiery curls stood out in a crowd of a thousand shades of white. By coincidence, Nadua’s eyes were the only aspect she shared with the Cyrellians. Icy blue. But Ava would still comment on their uniqueness.
    The expedition had turned up nothing. If there had been rebels nearby, they were certainly gone now.
    Nadua sighed heavily. They were no closer to finding Lidian, and she was battling a strong sense of failure. Once they returned to the palace, she would send Wren to continue the search. The only redeeming factor about the trip so far was the discovery of the demon presence. But she hadn’t been able to procure much information from their tight-lipped captive.
    She knew he held important information about the coming invasion. And because of this, she was about to do something that would cause her great embarrassment—unless her plan