The moment Malvoria let go, Elysia felt her knees weaken, her body sagging slightly against the cold stone wall.
The heat of Malvoria's hands still lingered on her wrists, the ghost of her touch branded into her skin like an unspoken challenge.
Her heart pounded, her breath coming in uneven gasps as she tried to reorient herself—to remember where she was, who she was.
The Demon Queen stood just a few steps away now, watching her with a lazy, predatory amusement.
Malvoria's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, the corners of her mouth curving into that maddening smirk that Elysia was starting to associate with the slow erosion of her sanity.
Why does she look like she just won?
As if reading her thoughts, Malvoria's gaze flicked to her wrists before returning to her face.
"Let's go eat before you eat your own furniture."
Elysia froze.
"What?" she spluttered, pushing herself off the wall.
"Your stomach's making more noise than a dying wyvern," Malvoria said, tone so casual it sent a fresh wave of irritation through Elysia's veins. "Unless you plan to gnaw on the corner of your bed, I suggest we find you something edible."
Heat rushed to Elysia's face. "I wasn't going to eat the furniture!"
Malvoria arched an eyebrow. "I'm not convinced."
Elysia let out a sharp, frustrated sound and crossed her arms over her stomach, willing it to stay quiet. "You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
The shift in atmosphere was so sudden that it left Elysia disoriented.
Moments ago, Malvoria had pinned her to the wall, voice low and possessive, the air thick with tension and something darker.
And now—now she was casually teasing her about her stomach like they were… what? Acquaintances? Friendly adversaries?
Is she playing with me, or is this just who she is?
Elysia narrowed her eyes, studying the woman before her.
The Demon Queen. Ruthless. Cold. The woman who had destroyed her kingdom without flinching, who was feared across every continent, who had pinned her here like she was nothing more than a moth caught beneath a predator's claws.
But now—
She was laughing at her stomach.
She was standing in her room, casually leaning against the dresser like she belonged there, like this wasn't the same person who had been burning cities to ash only weeks before.
Who the fuck is she really?
Elysia's eyes dropped to Malvoria's posture. Relaxed, one hand resting on her hip, the other tapping a gloved finger against the dresser's polished surface.
Cold?
That word didn't fit. Not now.
Malvoria could be cold, certainly—Elysia had seen it in the throne room, in the calculated ease with which she'd broken her father's defenses. But this Malvoria?
The one making jokes about eating furniture? The one who smirked as if she'd already won the game even though Elysia hadn't even realized they were playing one?
This Malvoria wasn't just cold.
She was chaotic.
Unpredictable.
A wildfire wrapped in silk.
"Aren't you supposed to be cold?" Elysia blurted.
Malvoria's eyes sharpened. "What?"
"You heard me." Elysia gestured toward her, vaguely indicating the relaxed posture, the teasing grin, the general not-Demon-Queen demeanor. "I thought you were supposed to be some cold-hearted warlord. Ruthless. Unfeeling. Dead inside. You know, the usual villain stuff."
Malvoria's smirk vanished.
For a moment, Elysia thought she'd gone too far.
Then—
The queen's laugh rumbled through the room, low and dark, sending a shiver down Elysia's spine.
"Dead inside?" Malvoria repeated, voice dripping with amusement. "Is that what they told you back in Arvandor?"
"That—and a few other things."
Malvoria's gaze slid over her, slow and assessing. "Let me guess." She tapped her chin mockingly. "That I eat children? Drown kittens? Flay prisoners alive?"
Elysia crossed her arms. "I mean... you did invade my kingdom."
"True." Malvoria shrugged one shoulder. "But the kittens are safe."
Elysia's lips twitched despite herself. "Good to know."
Silence stretched between them again.
Malvoria's amusement remained, but the edge in her gaze sharpened.
Elysia could feel it—the shift back to something heavier, something dangerous.
The teasing had been a mask. A distraction.
And now that mask was slipping away.
Malvoria pushed off the dresser and closed the distance between them in two measured steps.
Elysia didn't move.
Her body screamed at her to retreat, to create space, but her pride kept her rooted to the spot.
Malvoria stopped just close enough that Elysia could feel the heat radiating from her skin.
Her eyes locked onto hers, all traces of humor gone now, replaced by that raw, predatory stillness that made Elysia's stomach twist in ways she didn't want to name.
The queen leaned in slightly, her breath brushing against Elysia's cheek.
"You think I'm not cold?" she whispered.
Elysia swallowed hard. "I... don't know what you are."
"Good." Malvoria's lips curved into a smile, sharp as a blade. "That means I'm doing it right."
Elysia's heart slammed against her chest.
The closeness, the heat, the scent of scorched cedar that clung to Malvoria like a second skin—it was too much. Too overwhelming.
And yet she didn't move.
Didn't want to move.
Malvoria's gaze flickered downward—just for a moment, just enough to send a pulse of awareness through Elysia's body—before returning to her eyes.
The queen's next words were quiet, but they hit with the force of a dagger to the ribs.
"I hope for your sake it was only a hug."
Malvoria lingered for a moment longer, her gaze still locked on Elysia's. The tension between them stretched, thick and unyielding, like a wire pulled too tight.
Then, without a word, Malvoria's lips twitched into a faint, almost mocking smile. She stepped back, releasing the invisible grip she seemed to have on the room.
The shift in energy was palpable.
Elysia exhaled slowly, her body only now realizing how tense it had been. Her heart was still racing, and her wrists still tingled where Malvoria had pinned them moments ago.
Malvoria straightened, rolling her shoulders as if brushing off whatever had just passed between them. "Let's go to the dining room," she said, voice cool and detached, like the entire encounter hadn't happened.
Elysia blinked. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Malvoria said, already turning toward the door. "Unless you'd prefer to stand here until lunch turns cold."
Elysia gritted her teeth but followed, her steps slightly more hesitant. The walk through the castle was silent, every echo of their footsteps bouncing off the obsidian walls.
Finally, they reached the massive double doors of the dining hall.
The guards opened them without a word.
Inside, a tall woman with long, red hair and sharp grey eyes stood waiting.
Her gaze settled on Elysia, and she smiled faintly.
"It's nice to meet you, Elysia."