Rae awoke halfway out of bed. A blade glinted naked in her right hand. The left rested over Carmen's chest, protective.

There was an intruder at their door.

Rae slipped from the Carmen's embrace. Carmen's brows furrowed in displeasure. The man burrowed into the blankets where Rae had just been, still fast asleep. Rae smiled fondly.

A burst of magic tore Rae from Carmen's side. She closed the bedroom door quietly, then strode through a comfortably furnished sitting room in a hurry. Pale crystals blinked from the walls and ceiling. They followed in Rae's wake in pairs, crowding close at the entrance to the Queen's quarters. The door shuddered minutely when Rae parted it open. Magic crackled over the outer walls in rolling waves, more turbulent by the moment. Outside, the air burned green-blue and smelled of lightning.

Rae dismissed her silent guards with a flick of her hand. Xiang Yi's eyes followed the motion, gaze absent. The advisor's jaw was clenched tight.

Rae stepped aside in wordless welcome. "What has he done now?" she asked.

Xiang Yi worked his mouth, but no words made it through. The storm of power entered with him. It billowed out to fill the room, the advisor as its eye. The walls bowed outward like the sails of a ship. Had the building not been reinforced in blood and bone Rae would have worried it would give in under the onslaught. As it were, she was far more concerned with Carmen's proximity to what promised to be a highly temperamental conversation.

Xiang Yi paced the length of the room and back. The advisor's hair was unbound and free of its usual accessories. A sickly pallor lay over his skin, the angry flush that reddened his cheeks the sole source of color.

Rae's gaze lingered at the man's clenched hand. "You have brought me something," she noted.

Xiang Yi stilled mid-step. A terrible sound hissed out of his chest. Rae could not name it laughter, although that was what it must be.

Xiang Yi turned to face his host. The robes he wore appeared black at first; they gleamed olive now, the color of a turbulent sea. Xiang Yi thrust out his hand. Rae stared at the red gem clutched between clawed fingers. Her mind rebelled at the sight, but no amount of blinking altered the truth.

"He did not," she said flatly, even as she wondered how in the name of Hel she had not seen this coming.

"Gabriel Todd left his House in my care," Xiang Yi confirmed.

A broken sound passed Rae's lips; a bubble of mirth, dark but true. Xiang Yi's answering glare was fit to fly off a man's skin.

"Who delivered the message?" Rae asked.

"A Shadow-guard," Xiang Yi answered.

"He did not lose his mind entirely, then," Rae muttered. Shadow-guards were discrete; they had some time to plan, before news of Gabriel's abdication inevitably reached ears they should not. "And Gabriel?"

Xiang Yi's expression hardened. Rae contained a sigh. She was quite aware of what Gabriel Todd was up to, and where he had likely gone – and the man must be gone, or Xiang Yi would have dragged him back to Rae by his hair to account for his actions. Neither she nor Xiang Yi could speak of the matter openly. Gabriel had no proper business in the lands Above, and as such was barred from crossing at the threat of death. Willful ignorance was the only aid Rae could offer her friend in his quest.

It appeared that Xiang Yi was tasked with quite heavier a burden.

"Dominus will protest," Rae said. Dominus Todd had long contended for Gabriel's title as head of the House. The man would likely storm the Todd estate once he learned of his nephew's disappearance.

Xiang Yi snorted, the noise accompanied by a burst of smoke. "Dominus? The entire Kingdom will, and with good reason."

"The House of Todd could do much worse than you as its head. And it has." Rae met Xiang Yi's incredulous eyes with a flat look of her own. "Come, Xiang Yi. I love Gabriel like a brother, but we both know he makes a poor Master and an even worse consul."

Xiang Yi's lips twisted in a contained wince. He said nothing to refute Rae's words – there was nothing he could say without painting himself a hypocrite, given how often he and Gabriel clashed heads over policy decisions. Advisor Yi's vocal denouncement of Lord Todd's drastic and often cruel manner of governing was what had initially drawn Gabriel's attention. Rae suspected it was also the reason that Gabriel had chosen to entrust his lands in Xiang Yi's care.

"You are fit for the position. I know you do not truly care for the opinion of Dominus and his ilk. Tell me what pains you," Rae bid.

Xing Yi hesitated. He averted his eyes, but spoke at last, voicing his fear. "He will not return."

Rae's gaze slipped beyond the advisor. She wondered if Carmen slept still. The urge to check on the man was strong, and motivated by something much uglier than concern.

"I did not wish for this," Xiang Yi said.

The quiet misery in his voice called back Rae's attention. "Love is not a choice. Least of all for our kind."

Xiang Yi's smile was bitter. "I am aware."

"His love for the mortal troubles you," Rae guessed.

"No," Xiang Yi said.

"Then, what is it?" Rae asked.

"I was never meant to love him."

Xiang Yi spoke haltingly. His eyes were trained at nothing, gaze turned inward.

"I did not love Gabriel Todd, Rae. I enjoyed his company and liked him well above anyone else, but I did not love him. Not like – not like I do now."

"He was not whole when he pursued you," Rae said quietly. "You could not love him, for he was incapable of love himself."

Xiang Yi nodded. His expression was lost; it was difficult to tell whether he heard Rae's words at all, or took any comfort from them. "It felt like a play," the man said. "We moved through the parts, and it was good. It was safe. Then he changed, and changed me."

"What am I to do with his love, now that he is gone?"

The heart-gem glowed scarlet. It painted Xiang Yi's trembling hand red. Rae held the man's eyes and slowly, gently, covered his hand with her own.

"You will do exactly as you please. That is a demon's prerogative," she said.

Xiang Yi laughed wetly. "I am not a demon."

"You are however very much in Hel."

Xiang Yi and Rae turned to the familiar voice. Carmen smiled in greeting, steps audible now that he had chosen to reveal his presence. Shadows scattered from his path. The thin robes he wore to bed glowed pearl-white, not a part of him touched by the darkness that smothered the room. The amused glint in his eyes was visible even at distance.

"If you cannot defeat them, join them. As the saying goes," the man said.

Xiang Yi bowed his head in greeting, or perhaps in acknowledgement. Rae offered Carmen her hand. Carmen nestled into her side with a contented sigh.

"I hope we did not wake you," Rae murmured.

"You did not," Carmen said.

Rae followed Carmen's eyes to a clump of shadows. Two crystal eyes blinked into being, managing to look abashed without the aid of other facial features. Rae crooked her finger. The shadow-guard stepped forward, body gaining contour.

"Speak," Rae bid.

Laurent in attendance. Demands to be seen.

Rae saw the throne room from a perch on its crystal ceiling, peeking through the shadow-guard's eyes. A demon stood far below. The onyx horns were distinctive and easy to identify as belonging to one Laurent Duvall. Rae waved the shadow-guard away. It melted through the floor, flitting back to its post.

"They ought not bother you," Rae said.

Carmen shrugged. "You were busy, and I do not mind. More to the point: We must arrange a celebration fit for the occasion. Ascension of this kind is rare."

"Xiang Yi has not yet given his answer," Rae reminded.

Carmen smiled. "Has he not?"

Rae looked to Xiang Yi for a reply. The man averted his eyes, but Rae caught the hungry glint in their depths. She knew this madness well, as it was one shared by all her kind. Lust for power ran deep in a demon's veins. It appeared that dragons were not much different, in that aspect.

Xiang Yi exhaled slowly. "I confess, I do not know what to do. Gabriel is a fool in many things, but he has maintained pragmatism when dealing with matters of his House. There must be a reason he has chosen as he did."

"There are many, chief among them your competence and loyalty to the present order," Rae said, then added, "I trust I do not need to remind you who stands to inherit if you refuse."

Xiang Yi's lips curled in displeasure. "Gabriel does not play fair."

"Demons rarely do," Carmen agreed. To Rae, he said, "A moment. I must change, if we are to entertain guests."

Rae trailed her eyes down her lover's body. "No one would mind the sight."

"Rather appropriate, given the occasion," Xiang Yi muttered.

Rae smirked. "Not quite. He will need to be entirely nude, if we are to pay Gabriel proper respect."

Carmen laughed, but left to dress nonetheless. Rae and Xiang Yi waited in silence. The gravity of the situation gripped them anew, and each was lost to their own thoughts. Carmen's return was greeted by a somber mood. Rae did not comment on the cloak Carmen wore over a stiff-collared coat. Her eyes did linger, however. It was a fine garment. Rae had presented it to Carmen herself, both for the pleasure of seeing him wear it as well as to keep her lover warm beyond the warded walls of their home. Carmen had no need of the thick cloak within the castle.

Carmen paused to draw a fur-lined hood over his feathery hair. The sight had Rae clenching her teeth in helpless anger. She avoided Carmen's questioning gaze and kept her dark thoughts to herself. If Carmen still felt unwelcome in her kingdom, if he felt the need to hide – however symbolically – then Rae had no one to blame but herself and those like her.

The passage they followed opened to a large archway that disappeared as soon as Rae's party entered the throne room. The lanterns that hung from the walls ignited one by one. At the center of the room, Laurent Duvall bowed his head.

Rae's throne was cast from wood and iron. It rose like the crown of a tree, uneven and coarse. Red rubies studded the wood – a purposeful inverse of the pale gems that gleamed in the silver arch of Carmen's seat. The elegant, geometric patterns fit Rae's lover well. So did the sword slotted in a hidden compartment within the throne's design.

Xiang Yi took a seat last. His own chair was but that – an ordinary, hard-backed thing Rae suspected had come from the advisor's own rooms. Xiang Yi had dragged the chair in himself one day, tired of Rae's constant grumbling about his hovering over her head during meetings. By the time Rae had gotten around to commissioning a proper seat for her Chief Advisor, the chair had become a permanent fixture. Rae rather liked how it looked.

There had been but one throne in the Court before Rae. It lay in a grave now, as proper of something built from bone and skin.

"Your purpose," Rae bid.

Duvall straightened his back. His eyes fell to Rae's chin. They would go no higher, as proper of his station. The Duvall clan had served the House of Todd for as long as the records remembered. Laurent Duvall himself was among the last of his kind, his servitude one of choice and pride. Rae wondered if the man blamed Gabriel for his family's ruin. It would be easy to do so, and not quite unfair. The demon certainly had a cause for grief with Gabriel at present.

Duvall spoke, choosing his words carefully. "The House of Todd has changed Masters. I seek counsel on behalf of myself and those in attendance."

Rae feigned surprise. "What of Lord Todd?" she asked, tone sharp.

Duvall's eyes glinted under his lashes. "Lord Todd has departed."

"Where has he gone?" Rae pressed.

"I do not know, Your Highness. Please punish this servant for his ignorance."

Carmen smiled, obvious in his pleasure at Duvall's continual loyalty. Rae shared her mate's sentiment. Duvall was far too shrewd for his vague answers to be anything but purposeful.

Rae caught Xiang Yi's eyes. She inclines her head.

Xiang Yi rose from his seat. His presence filled the room, carrying but a hint of his power. Duvall hunched into himself defensively. Rae felt her own hackles rise, an instinctual reaction to a perceived threat. Xiang Yi did not display his strength often. He did not spare others his sharp tongue, nor did he back down from disagreements in Court. His magic, however, he guarded as jealously as his kind did treasure.

"Do you recognize the significance of what I hold?" Xiang Yi asked. In his hand, the heart-gem pulsed like a living thing.

"I do," Duvall agreed. The man's expression betrayed nothing, but there was no surprise in his eyes. Rae was not certain that she liked the quiet resignation that weighed the demon's gaze.

"And your answer?" Xiang Yi demanded.

"My apologies," Duvall said after a beat of silence, "Would your Lordship repeat the question?"

Xiang Yi glared down at the man, eyes haughty. "A House is not an object to be sold. If you have disagreement with my claim, you are entitled to a voice."

Duvall seemed to think the words over, and answered only after a long moment. "Is your Lordship the new Master of the House of Todd?" he asked in the end.

Xiang Yi's lips thinned. Likely fighting a smile, Rae thought. The man did enjoy putting on a show.

"I am," Xiang Yi said. The heart-gem in his hand flared briefly, turning the words into an oath.

Duvall bowed his head. The black curl of his horns glistened in the light, a misshapen halo.

"I am at your service, Lord Todd," the demon said. His shoulders relaxed, as if relieved of a burden.

"Your loyalty is noted, Laurent Duvall," Rae said.

Duvall bowed to his Queen in gratitude. "I cannot speak for the rest of the House," he demurred, "but I will relate the situation and raise their spirits."

"No need to coddle them. You have my permission to purge the household of any that pose a threat to its name," Xiang Yi said.

Duvall blinked in astonishment. He seemed only too pleased to agree. "Lord Todd, are there any instructions you wish me to take back?" the demon asked, sounding in much better spirits himself.

Xiang Yi hid his momentary discomfort well, but not well enough to fool Rae. It would take the advisor some time to grow used to his new title.

"None are to enter Gabriel Todd's quarters. That is all at present," Xiang Yi said.

"It shall be done. When shall we expect your Lordship home?" Duvall asked.

"In the morrow," Xiang Yi answered after a short pause.

Rae caught the rasp in the man's voice. She had once wondered whether Xiang Yi missed his home and the lands Above. The worry had slowly left her mind over the many years Xiang Yi shared her Court. It lived again now, a reminder of a more devastating fear. Rae glanced at Carmen. The man gazed straight ahead, eyes blank.

Duvall bowed deeply. "As you say. My Lord. My Queen. My King."

Rae gave the demon leave. Duvall went, taking the distraction of his company with him. Xiang Yi stared after the man. So did Carmen. Neither sees the demon, or the doors once they closed behind him.

Rae opened her mouth. Fear stayed her tongue, and she bid a hollow, "Let us rest," in the end. The morning promised to bear yet more excitement.

Xiang Yi retired with a murmur of parting. Carmen rose to follow suit. Rae caught his hand. Carmen looked at her, and she almost recoiled. The man's eyes were cold and distant.

"Are you well, my love?" Rae asked.

Carmen watched her. A rueful smile pulled at his lips.

"Let us go," he said.

Rae allowed herself to be urged up, guided back to their bed, kissed and embraced. She held Carmen close in turn. When the man fell asleep, she trailed trembling fingers down the jut of his shoulder blades. Twin stumps rose there; broken bone, carved smooth as not to snag clothes or skin. Rae curled her hands into fists. She imagined the softness of feathers against Carmen's back, over her own body.

Rae had never seen Carmen's wings as they were, before he was dragged into Hel. Her only memories of them were tarnished by soot and blood and Carmen's broken screams. She heard them anew now. Heard, too, her own response.

She had laughed. By Hel, she had laughed.

Rae buried her head in Carmen's chest. Morning could not come soon enough.