Dark Hunger

Laurel looked scared. She stopped eating and kept her knife and fork down. Her gaze darted between Caleb and Elize. 

Seeing that she was scared, Caleb said, "Speak." 

She gulped the remaining food down her throat and cleared it. She said, "I took the liberty of going and tackling the demon. It took some time to overpower him, but then without magic I did whatever I could. The demon told me that he had come to convey a message to you." 

Caleb's brows furrowed deeply. He threw the twisted spoon on the table and waited for her to speak more with silence as cold as shards of ice. 

"The demon said that he wanted to talk to you and the queen. They are looking for a truce and are willing to stop it if you give them something you possess," said Laurel in a low voice, scared that he would get angry. She hadn't recovered from her wounds after falling on the trees yesterday night when a demon had tossed her over them. The branches that snapped on her way down to crash on the ground, scraped her skin. 

He raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head. "Something I possess?" he said with amusement. "And what would that be?" 

Laurel looked at Elize and then back at him. She shook her head. "I don't know. I asked him to tell me about it, but he refused. He said he would deal with you only and not with anyone else. But he did mention that he wanted to meet both you and the queen, otherwise the talks would fail." 

"How do I know this is not a trap?" said Caleb, his hand going to Elize's hand on her thigh. He clasped it tightly. 

"I don't think it is a trap because there was just one demon out there. I scanned the entire area and there was no other demon. If I can take down one demon, I am sure that we all are going to be heavy for him. He wouldn't dare to go against us or attack us." 

"And who would this demon be?" asked Caleb, still not convinced by her. 

"His name is Vaden. He said that he was king Edyrm's emissary. And that he came here for peace," said Laurel. Then she rubbed her neck as if too tired. "But then I am a little skeptical about him. I don't think the demons have a peace plan. So, you should be careful when meeting with them." 

Caleb stared at her and then his eyes went beyond her towards the floor to ceiling glass wall of the restaurant. Snow had started coming down in large pelts. The naked branches of the pines, and needles of the firs swayed in the cold gusts of wind. After a while of mulling over it, he asked, "Tell him we will meet him tonight, and if he tries to even think of attacking us, I won't stop using my sorcery on him." With that, he got up from the table, pulling Elize to her feet. "Come love, you need to be fed." He looked at her tenderly, locking his gaze with hers and the demon stuff faded in the background. 

When they left, Laurel stared after them till they were out of sight. She looked outside at the surrounding forest which was being filled up by white from the skies and then went back to eating. She had conveyed the message to the king and queen. For the entire day after that, she stayed in her room. There was nothing else to do. She had checked on Auril, but the druid prince was sleeping after an adventurous night yesterday. Laurel waited for the evening, for the time when they had to meet the demon. She was aware of the fact that the demon was lurking around the woods that overlooked her room. But that was fine. She knew he would stay there until the talks. 

By the time it was evening she was too anxious to get over with the talks and get the demon off her back. It's not that she was scared of the demon, but it was mostly because she wanted to know the outcome. Laurel got dressed in red pants and a white silk blouse that she had managed to steal from all the clothes Caleb had bought for Elize. Elize wouldn't even come to know that she had stolen it because the tags were still on and the bag was not even opened. The second flute of wine that she had poured for herself was waiting for her on the bedside table. She wore a silver, high neck, designer cape with bead embellishments that was very warm and fell till her arms. It ended with silver beads on all the sides. Her hair was pinned to one side and she had applied a deep maroon lipstick. Everything was from Elize's bags. She tittered at how foolish the queen was. She took one last look at the mirror to see if she was beautifully dressed for Caleb. Yes, she was dressing for Caleb, because the deal with the demon would seal the fate of the queen. A sense of exhilaration perked her up. She pouted her lips in the mirror and then blew a kiss to herself. She had made a perfect plan for trapping the queen. If Caleb was her mate and he couldn't live if Elize was dead, then how about keeping Elize alive—but not in the same place as him. She would be thrown in the dungeons or caves or who knows where she would become the food of the demon king. 

Laurel laughed nervously and smoothed her hair. She looked like a queen and she would be the queen of Ixoviya. Once Elize disappeared from here, Caleb would eventually fall for her and marry her. And tonight was the first enthralling night of their many days together. She picked up the glass from the table and downed the wine in one go. "This is lovely!" she said and licked her lips. Her gaze went to the red wine in the bucket of ice that she had placed near the bed. Once Elize was gone from his life, Caleb would be extremely depressed and he would need something to down his depression. The wine would be his salvation and of course, a certain drug that she had procured from the demon. It was now well hidden in the pocket of her pants. She was going to use that drug to seduce the mighty sorcerer and force him to have sex with him tonight. Then she will claim that she was breached by the king himself. In the absence of the vampire queen, the king will be compelled to take her as the queen. 

Her plan was so perfect that Laurel glanced at herself in the mirror once again. She looked divine and innocent and gorgeous. With a sigh at her breathtaking beauty, Laurel sat on the dressing stool and wore her red pumps. She took a deep breath and then walked out of her room. This was going to be the start of her new life. 

As she walked through the corridor to the lobby, she heard rustle in the trees of the woods. The demon was there to take his bounty.. And she would collect hers.