Demon Untamed by Kiersten Fay Page A

as he took that lip between his own teeth.
    Then he mentally scolded himself. His future bride sat right next to him, for the love of the gods, and he was fantasizing about a lowly demon? What was wrong with him?
    He fixed a blank expression and went back to translating the book. It took a moment to find his place again.
    Moments later, he caught Anya studying him. “You're staring at my ears.”
    She gave a sweet smile. “I've only seen them in the mirror.”
    He allowed her to look as he focused back on the book. He’d already managed to translate parts of it, but some sections confounded him. It was as though he’d need an entirely differed key to decode it. He marked the section for later evaluation and moved on.
    “Ethan?” Anya murmured. “Will you tell me about our home planet?”
    He smiled, even as a wave of sadness flooded him. “It's beautiful,” he replied. “Towering mountains, deep valleys. Some trees are so large they seem to touch the suns. Do you remember anything at all? Our two suns, and the three moons?”
    Anya shrugged. “I get flashes every now and again. Not much to go on. I wish I could remember more.”
    “Most of our people favor the warm regions. Cold disagrees with us, don't you agree?”
    “Yes.” She nodded. “What else?”
    “Our society is a free society. Well, it was, anyway.” He was surprised by how forlorn he suddenly felt. He hadn’t spoken of Evlon in a long time. “Used to be that you could choose your own path in life, whatever that may be.”
    He chuckled to himself. Ironically, Ethan’s path was not his own. The king had drawn it out for him, utilizing his power to project himself over space to guide Ethan’s journey.
    Except, those little visits had ended years ago. Judging by how haggard the king had last looked, Ethan had to accept the real possibility that his liege was now dead. Even before the invasion, Ethan had suspected the king might have been terminally ill.
    He decided to spare Anya those details. Instead, he added, “Our markets were rich with traders and merchants and entertainment. You could walk through our town center on market day and not even see a quarter of what was available. As a princess, you would have attended festivals and parties. Your only care would have been what to wear to each.” He went quiet, yearning for those times himself. “We'll defeat the Kayadon,” he assured, more for his own benefit. “Then, after the wedding, I'll show you everything our planet has to offer.”
    “Wedding?”
    He stilled. He hadn’t intended on revealing his plans straight out, but it was done now.
    He nodded and gazed down at the book, trying to appear nonchalant. “Once we are wed, I'll take you through the forest of lights, which is actually so thick with canopy that it's shadowed in darkness year-round. It's called the forest of light because the creatures that live there have evolved to illuminate parts of their bodies.”
    He peeked at her, noting her sickly expression.
    “Don't worry, it's perfectly safe,” he added, hoping her obvious trepidation was for fear of the dark, rather than of marrying him.
     
     
    Sonya paused in the pub’s doorway, shocked by Ethan’s revelation. Condensation dripped over her fingers from the ice-cold glasses in her hands. She wasn’t going to enjoy telling Sebastian that he was right.
    Ugh, why had she chosen now to bring them water?
    “Excuse me, but…did you just say ‘we’ and ‘wed’?” Anya asked, incredulous.
    Ethan shifted in his chair. “Well, it was agreed upon…by the king…that once I returned with his daughters, I would be rewarded with the privilege to marry one.”
    Sonya leaned in to hear better.
    “Ethan.” Anya sighed. “I love Sebastian. With everything in me, I love him. And I choose him.”
    Sonya couldn’t help but smile.
    “But, he's a demon,” Ethan replied.
    Sonya scoffed and crossed the hall, not bothering to hide her irritation. “I'll take a demon over a