I Raised the Demon Queen (Now She Won't Leave Me Alone)

Ashvale's open market was a mess of noise, color, and the faint, ever-present scent of roasted onions.

"Can I get the blue one?" Rhea asked, pointing at a very questionable fruit that looked like a lumpy pear dipped in cobalt paint.

Elias frowned. "That's not a fruit. That's a decorative gourd."

"Still looks tasty."

"You said that about a glowing beetle last night."

"It was tasty."

Elias didn't want to think about that.

They'd ventured out with the hope of blending in—something becoming increasingly difficult. Since the incident with Marek, Rhea had been the talk of the town, even if people didn't know the full story. Rumors swirled: a rogue spell, a summoned spirit child, a cursed cabbage.

The last one had stuck a little too well.

He tugged Rhea's hood lower. "Okay, we grab some bread, maybe a little cheese, then we go home. No flaring eyes. No levitating fruit. No dramatic speeches."

"I never make dramatic speeches."