Chapter 416: The Demon Cousin 2

Grayson slowly lifted his gaze from the phone. The dark glow in his eyes burned bright enough to set the heavy curtains on fire. He turned his head and glared at Chloe, who was currently slouching against a velvet armchair, twirling a long lock of black hair around her manicured finger while typing aggressively on her smartphone.

"Out," Grayson said, his deep voice carrying a coldness that made the room feel ten degrees colder. "Get out of my house before I erase your human existence and throw you into the ocean."

Chloe didn’t even look up from her screen. She snapped her pink chewing gum with a loud pop. "You can’t kick me out, Grayson! Lucson said I get to stay here! Besides, human air is completely terrible for my skin, and your estate smells like old leaves!"

Grayson took one long, intimidating step forward, his broad shoulders tense beneath his dark suit. "This is not a homeless shelter for spoiled royal children! You have five seconds to pick up your ridiculous pink luggage and leave."

"Grayson! Stop it right now!" Mailah called out from the sofa, her voice stern and clear.

Grayson froze mid-step. He turned his head slowly to look at Mailah, a look of pure, heart-wrenching betrayal covering his handsome face. He looked like an ancient god who had just been slapped by his favorite worshiper.

"Mailah," Grayson rasped out, pointing a long, pale finger at Chloe. "She called our home hideous. She called you tiny. She is a menace!"

"She is your cousin," Mailah said firmly, setting her book down on the coffee table. "She is family, Grayson. You can’t just throw her out into the cold rain!"

"She is not normal family!" Grayson argued dramatically, tossing his hands into the air. "She was banished! Just like the rest of us, except my brothers and I were cast down to the human realm centuries ago after great wars! She seems to have managed to get kicked out of the upper realms recently!"

Grayson turned his sharp gaze back to Chloe, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Speaking of which... why were you banished, Chloe? What did a spoiled girl like you do to get cast out?"

Chloe’s long fingers went completely still on her phone screen. For a split second, a look of sharp, defensive panic flashed across her youthful face. Her cheeks flushed a bright, embarrassing red. But in less than a second, she slammed her phone face-down on the armchair, crossed her arms over her sparkling gold dress, and pouted like an angry high school student who had just been grounded.

"It was a total misunderstanding! The elders have zero taste, and so do you!", Chloe yelled, her voice high and sharp.

"A misunderstanding?" Grayson scoffed haughtily, crossing his broad arms over his chest. "You burned down a sacred palace, didn’t you? Or did you accidentally ruin an elder’s ancient robe with your cheap makeup?"

"I said shut up!" Chloe shrieked, kicking her designer sneaker against the leg of the antique table. "I’m not telling you! I’m not telling anyone! Now tell your boring human servants to bring my bags to the master suite!"

"You will sleep in the garden shed!" Grayson barked.

"Grayson Ashford!" Mailah scolded loudly, giving him a hard, warning look. "That is enough!"

Grayson went dead silent. His broad chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he stared at Mailah. His jaw twitched, his mind clearly screaming to throw his cousin over the nearest wall, but under Mailah’s calm, unyielding gaze, his dark pride completely crumbled.

He lowered his hands, looking down at his dark polished shoes like a giant, sulking dog that had just been yelled at for chewing a couch cushion.

"She is very rude to you," Grayson muttered defensively under his breath, his deep voice full of quiet pouting. "I am only trying to protect your peace."

"I know you are," Mailah said gently, her expression softening as she reached out her hand toward him. "Come here."

Grayson didn’t hesitate. He walked back over to the couch, dropping down onto his knees right beside her. He rested his hands on the velvet cushions, looking up at Mailah with dark, soulful eyes that begged for comfort.

"She can stay in the east wing guest room," Mailah said softly, smoothing back a lock of dark hair from Grayson’s forehead. "It has a large bed, a balcony, and great sunlight. Right, Grayson?"

Grayson’s eyes twitched with agony. He wanted to strangle Chloe. He wanted to pack her into a wooden box and mail her back to his brothers. But Mailah was running her soft, warm fingers through his hair, and the sweet touch was making his brain go completely soft.

"If... if that is what you wish, my queen," Grayson rasped out tightly, every word sounding like physical torture to his aristocratic ego. He turned his head slightly and glared over his shoulder at Chloe. "You hear that? You get the east wing. If you break a single vase, I will personally throw your phone into a blender."

Chloe rolled her dark eyes so hard it looked painful. "Whatever." She turned around, grabbing one of her pink bags herself while shoving two others toward poor, sweating Thomas. "Lead the way, human boy! And make sure my room has extra pillows!"

As Chloe dragged her heels down the long hallway, her loud complaints slowly fading into the distance, Grayson buried his face directly into Mailah’s lap with a deep, dramatic groan.

"She is going to ruin my life," Grayson mumbled into the soft fabric of Mailah’s dress. "She is four hundred years old, yet she acts like a wild seventeen-year-old human child. Why must my family bring such chaos into our quiet paradise?"

Mailah laughed softly, running her hand gently down his broad, tense back. "She’s just young and defensive, Grayson. Being exiled must be hard on her, especially since it happened so recently. Give her a chance."

Grayson lifted his head slowly, resting his chin on her knee. His dark charcoal eyes looked up at her with a mix of intense, possessive love and deep frustration.

"I do not care about her feelings," Grayson murmured softly, his long fingers gently wrapping around Mailah’s small wrist. "I only care about yours. You are recovering from a leg injury, Mailah. You should be resting in my arms, not dealing with a spoiled teenage demon who snaps her gum in your face."

"My leg barely hurts today," Mailah smiled, leaning down to press a warm kiss onto his sharp cheekbone. "And besides, I think having her here might be fun. It makes the estate feel alive."

Grayson leaned into her kiss, his eyes fluttering shut for a brief second as a soft, swoon-worthy sigh escaped his lips. "You are far too kind for this world, Mailah. It makes me want to lock you away in a tower made of gold so no one else can ever bother you."

"Don’t start with the tower talk again," Mailah warned playfully, pinching his ear gently.

"I am merely stating my dark desires," Grayson smirked, his sharp lips curving into that impossibly handsome grin that always made Mailah’s heart skip a beat.

By two o’clock that afternoon, the quiet peace of the Ashford estate had been completely destroyed once again.

Mailah was sitting at the long mahogany dining table, enjoying a quiet lunch of fresh soup and warm bread prepared by Mrs. Baker. Grayson was sitting at the head of the table, looking every bit like a royal king in his dark tailored vest and white dress shirt, carefully slicing a piece of steak for Mailah.

Suddenly, the heavy double doors swung open.

Chloe strutted into the dining room, wearing an absurdly oversized pink hoodie over her gold dress, fuzzy slippers on her feet, and her sunglasses still resting on top of her head. She looked completely miserable.

Dinner had been a chaotic, hilarious event. Chloe had tried to complain about the dessert, but Mrs. Baker had handed her a second slice of warm apple pie, which Chloe had devoured in silent bliss. Mailah had spent the entire meal kicking Grayson’s leg under the table every time he tried to make a cold comment to his cousin, forcing the grand demon lord to hand Chloe the bread basket with a stiff, terrifying smile.

"This house is a nightmare," Chloe declared loudly, dropping into a chair across from Mailah without asking. "There are no good shops nearby! The internet took three full seconds to load my video! And your butler refused to make me iced coffee with oat milk!"

Grayson set his silver steak knife down on his plate with a sharp, terrifying CLACK.

"Her name is Mrs. Baker," Grayson said, his deep voice dangerously quiet. "And she is a butler, not a barista. If you speak to my staff like that again, I will have Mrs. Baker take away your pink hoodie."

Chloe gasped, pulling the oversized hoodie tightly around herself. "You wouldn’t dare! This is designer!"

"Try me," Grayson smirked coldly.

"Grayson, stop," Mailah said softly, placing a comforting hand over his wrist before looking over at Chloe with a gentle smile. "Chloe, if you need clothes or human supplies, we can go into the city boutique this afternoon. The local shops have wonderful things."

Chloe paused, her sharp dark eyes blinking in surprise. She looked at Mailah like she was trying to figure out a complex puzzle. "You... want to take me shopping? Really?"

"Of course," Mailah nodded warmly. "I can walk short distances now, and fresh air would be nice. We can get you whatever you need."

"Absolutely not!" Grayson declared loudly, standing up so fast his chair scraped violently against the floor. "I am not allowing my wife to wander around a crowded human mall with a feral demon child!"

Mailah looked up at Grayson, raising one single eyebrow. "Grayson."

"I am coming with you," Grayson stated flatly, his dark eyes burning with fierce determination. "I shall act as your personal guard. If any human steps within three feet of you, or if this child attempts to annoy you, I will handle it."

"You’re going to come to a women’s clothing shop?" Chloe asked, snickering loudly. "In your serious dark suit? You’re going to look like an underpaid bodyguard!"

Grayson glared down his sharp nose at her. "Eat your lunch in silence before I change my mind."

Mrs. Baker stepped into the dining room, placing a bowl of warm vegetable stew in front of Chloe.

Chloe looked down at the bowl, wrinkling her nose in total disgust. "Ew! What is this brown water? Where is the raw demon fruit? Where are the golden berries?!"

"It is house stew, young lady," Mrs. Baker said smoothly, folding her hands in front of her apron. "Eat it, or you can go pick berries in the backyard rain."

Chloe pouted, picking up her silver spoon with absolute dramatic flair. She dipped it into the soup, took a tiny, cautious bite—and went completely still.

Her dark eyes widened. Her jaw worked slowly as she chewed the tender vegetables.

"It’s... fine," Chloe muttered stiffly, trying desperately to hide the fact that her face had lit up with delight. "It’s totally basic human food. I’m only eating it because I’m starving."

She then proceeded to devour the entire bowl in less than two minutes, scraping the bottom with her spoon.

Mailah bit her lip to keep from laughing, while Grayson simply shook his head in absolute disdain.