Need to catch up? (I don’t know why the links highlighted and went wonky. It’s WordPress. It acts in mysterious ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The moment the crowd closed them off from Marcaeus, Julia grabbed Fiona\u2019s arm in a hold that was anything but friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Fiona whispered, her smile still frozen on her face. \u201cIf someone sees you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll think I\u2019m drunk. And I am.\u201d Julia laughed bitterly. \u201cOur new friend wants to talk to you, Flicka<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour new friend, Damon Scratch. What a clever name.\u201d Fiona rolled her eyes, then remembered to school her expression. She was the happy new trophy bride of a rich, successful centaur. She needed to look like she knew she\u2019d just won the life lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also needed to convincingly pretend not to remember the demon or the mark he\u2019d put on her. The first part was easy; she had no coherent memory of that night. The second, however, proved far more difficult. Being within a few feet of scratch had caused the mark to sting, and then the bond her arm to burn, as if the two fought each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demon appeared out of nothing. One moment, he wasn\u2019t there. The next, he was, and so smoothly that no one around them took notice at all. He sipped from his champagne glass and said, \u201cI was looking for the two of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia smirked and pushed Fiona forward in a gesture that could have been a shove if she\u2019d put just a little more effort into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMs. Starr.\u201d Damon offered his arm. \u201cHave you seen the portrait gallery?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiona put on a warning smile and shook her head. \u201cI haven\u2019t. But I\u2019m sure my husband\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWon\u2019t mind,\u201d Julia interrupted. \u201cDamon, why don\u2019t you show her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The look the demon gave Fiona chilled her. \u201cI promise, I\u2019ll return you in one piece.\u201d He leaned in, inclined his head. \u201cI cannot promise the same for your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She threw an instinctive glance over her shoulder. Just briefly. But the demon saw it, and a smile lifted the corner of his mouth. \u201cCome along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swallowing down her revulsion, Fiona slipped her arm through the infernal being\u2019s elbow and let him lead her away. She tried one last time to seek out Marcaeus with her eyes. He stood head and shoulders above the crowd, but he wasn\u2019t looking in her direction. The dimming of the lights and some movement near the stage had caught his attention. He wouldn\u2019t see her led away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The portrait gallery attached to the main atrium but was closed off from the event with velvet ropes. They parted with a flick of Damon\u2019s fingers. As he led Fiona further from the party, they passed holograms in gilded frames, each one depicting a heroic member of the original compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs it true that you\u2019ve never seen this?\u201d Damon asked, arch amusement scrawled across his handsome mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cConsider my family. Consider who my father is,\u201d she said, pulling away from him. \u201cDo you think we took field trips here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrue. I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll see your father on these walls. Or your brother. Though, that might change tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d There was no chance that Blayde had suddenly accepted defeat. He would die before he lost a penny of profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Damon didn\u2019t answer her. He stopped before a hologram of breathtaking familiarity: Marcaeus, bare chested, in his centaur form, his hair much longer and unbound, stirring in an Elysian breeze. Heat flushed her face and she looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere it is,\u201d Damon said, every pretense of friendliness dropped. \u201cI knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI won\u2019t play games with you,\u201d Fiona said though clenched back teeth. \u201cI don\u2019t like to dance around with words like my brother, because I\u2019m not trying to be clever. Tell me whatever it is that you think you know. Don\u2019t make me spar with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlain speech is a virtue. I loathe virtue.\u201d The demon sighed in disappointment. \u201cYou\u2019re in love with the beast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m playing the role my brother cast me in.\u201d That you cast me in, when you put this sick mark on me.<\/em> The mark that throbbed like a full-body toothache, an exposed nerve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not angry.\u201d Damon held up his hands in a stunningly human gesture. \u201cIt will make it all the more enjoyable for me when I take you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A nervous, involuntary laugh burst from her throat. \u201cTake me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs payment.\u201d He tilted his head. \u201cYou didn\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid I know that you expected to… what? Fuck me? If I had known my pussy was that valuable\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon flinched at the word. \u201cNo, no. Don\u2019t be crude. You\u2019ll ruin it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuin what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuining you.\u201d He stepped closer. Too close. Fiona didn\u2019t want to cede any ground to him, but the urge to run coursed through her muscles like ants crawling beneath her skin, and the pain from the mark increased until she could hear it ringing through her skull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I say I\u2019m going to take you, I don\u2019t mean in a sexual sense. That\u2019s so\u2026boring, compared to what I\u2019ll do to you.\u201d Damon turned away and ran one finger through the surface of the hologram as he walked away from her. \u201cMy services are expensive, Fiona, and money is trivial. Your brother had to find some way to pay me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have no intention of honoring my request for plain speech.\u201d Though she kept her tone even, her stomach and mind fought each other to see who could roil the most. There was no mistaking what the monster meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her brother planned to hand her over to a demon. It wasn\u2019t surprising. He\u2019d already proven himself capable of sacrificing her for his own gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you look so disappointed. Is it because I said my interest in you isn\u2019t sexual?\u201d He snickered. \u201cI\u2019m sure I can find some time for you. If your sister-in-law isn\u2019t keeping me busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re disgusting.\u201d The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. They would only amuse the monster. Encourage him to keep trying to shock and frighten her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re no stranger to depravity,\u201d he said, giving her a long look up and down. \u201cI\u2019ve had great fun imagining how you consummated your union with Marcaeus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t come here with you to be threatened and insulted.\u201d She turned away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The demon\u2019s hand caught her naked arm. His skin scalded her with a touch, and she whimpered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of the things I can do to you,\u201d Damon murmured close to her ear. Fiona writhed in his grasp, trying to dislodge his burning hold as she imagined her skin bubbling and crisping beneath his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you think you\u2019re experiencing pain now, think of how it will feel when I cut into you. Flay this pretty skin from the muscle beneath. Roast bits of you over the coals like meat, meat you can still feel even after it\u2019s been carved away. Meat I\u2019ll serve to you and force you to consume.\u201d The demon breathed harder now, and the scent of sulfur turned her stomach. \u201cThe deal is done, Fiona. You\u2019re mine. I can\u2019t wait to shred you to pieces and stitch you back together to do it all over and over again. Eternally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet me go!\u201d she shouted. If someone heard, it might blow their cover. She might end up in the gossip pages: wife of mogul caught in salacious embrace. It didn\u2019t matter, as long as the pain stopped. As long as he let her go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was what her brother had condemned her to. A lifetime of this, and worse. An eternity, if Damon Scratch could be believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It already felt like an eternity. Her skin must have been blackened by now, the muscle beneath charring, the blood boiling away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She screamed, but the sound cut off before it could exit her throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no. Don\u2019t spoil the surprise. I don\u2019t want to hear it before our first night together.\u201d The demon laughed. His forked tongue touched her ear, and vomit rose in her throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFlicka?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scratch moved quickly aside, putting polite distance between him and Fiona. The demon would report this back to Blayde, and her brother would see it as a victory, to have been caught taking her from his rival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they believe they\u2019re winning, they\u2019ll let their guard down.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment Scratch released her arm, the burning stopped. She looked down in horror at what should have been a charred bone to find the arm looked perfectly uninjured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marcaeus walked slowly toward them, arms crossed over his chest. He studied his hologram and gave it a nod. \u201cWhat do you think, darling? Have they gotten it right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought your wife would want to see this.\u201d Scratch gestured toward the portrait. \u201cTo understand how important her husband has been to the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, I know how dedicated my husband is to peace and cooperation between the realms.\u201d Fiona moved to Marcaeus\u2019s side. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scratch turned his wrist and examined his watch. \u201cWe should go back to the atrium. For the announcement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat announcement?\u201d Marcaeus asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA major donor asked for the opportunity to speak this evening,\u201d Scratch said, and moved for the door. \u201cI think you\u2019ll see a new portrait added to this gallery soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marcaeus\u2019s eyes met hers, and Fiona blinked back tears. She shook her head, barely, to discourage him from asking the questions on his face. Are you all right? What did he do?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n He took her hand and gave it a brief, reassuring squeeze she interpreted as, we\u2019ll talk about it later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n They rejoined the crowd in the atrium. Everyone had concentrated around the stage, where the band put aside their instruments and exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think we can guess who the donor was,\u201d Marcaeus said grimly, nodding toward Blayde standing at the edge of the dais.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An elf glided onto the stage, glowing silver and pearlescent white in a ballgown of gray gossamer. She took the microphone. \u201cGood evening, good friends. May the pact ever be honored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She paused for crowd approval and response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am Virion Xilfir, CFO of the pact council, and it is my deepest pleasure to welcome you tonight. As we\u2019re gathered to celebrate our history, we look toward the future. Toward change and growth. Neither of these are possible without examination of where we\u2019ve failed. It\u2019s easy to choose a path and never waver. It\u2019s more difficult to admit our missteps and atone. The generous donation we have received from Julia Trasket stands as an apology for her past opposition to our cause, and as a promise of support that will last for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI stand corrected,\u201d Marcaeus said under his breath.\u201dThat wasn\u2019t who I was expecting at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is going to hurt her campaign,<\/em> Fiona thought as she watched her sister-in-law ascend the steps to the stage. The party ran on its firm stance against the pact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Julia demurred into the microphone over the confused applause that followed. \u201cI know some of you may be thinking that my support of the council will harm me politically. And it\u2019s true, that my opponents and other detractors might see this donation as a ploy to court the middle vote. Despite what they say, I do not make this donation without acknowledging some simple facts. Fact: the pact inhibits growth in areas of manufacturing and commerce that have been long-cherished human principles. Fact: due to the rising involvement of Astrals in other areas of our\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A crescendo of boos drowned out a few of her words, but she raised her voice. \u201c\u2014infringe on the rights of humans. Fact: none of that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She paused dramatically, and it worked to silence her detractors. The boos turned to murmured conversation as she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe party has it wrong. The pact is vital to the continuation of our way of life. But it is flawed. There is another realm, with untold resources. We\u2019ve neglected relations with them for too long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Four tuxedoed men with long, protective gloves brought a box of glowing metal up the steps at the side of the stage. Another came forward with a pair of pincers and pushed the nearly-molten top of the box back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe energy contained in this one piece of brimstone\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The outrage swelled again. Fiona leaned into Marcaeus so no one would see her grasp his sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was what her brother had sold her for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia was undeterred. \u201c\u2014can power an entire block of this city for three years. But when the pact was made, this clean-burning source of energy\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xilfir returned to the stage as the man with pincers hefted the lump of brimstone into view. A rank, sulfurous smell oozed over the room, and guests covered their noses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was difficult for them to boo and avoid breathing at the same time. Julia held the floor once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was Xilfir who took the microphone. \u201cThe council has voted and agreed. Trasket industries will advance research into the capabilities of brimstone. This is not a permanent alteration of the pact, but an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The World Congress would have to approve any change to the pact, anyway,<\/em> Fiona thought, just a sliver of of a second before remembering that her sister was a part of that congress. This move had to have been approved by her party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were witnessing a coup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re leaving,\u201d Marcaeus said flatly. He offered Fiona his hand and hefted her up, startling people nearby. Once she was safely on his back, he strode from the atrium and out of the building, where reporters clustered around their holopads to watch the announcement continuing inside. They lifted their heads and fumbled for their recording devices, but Marcaeus trotted past them, not bothering to even issue a \u201cno comment\u201d before he pulled a selenite pendant from beneath his shirt and opened a portal that swallowed him and Fiona up in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Need to catch up? (I don’t know why the links highlighted and went wonky. It’s WordPress. It acts in mysterious ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13743"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13743"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13747,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13743\/revisions\/13747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}