Chapter 40
Chapter
Forty
Louis
Everyone had a good thing going, except me.
Killian and Rowan rode off into the sunset with their gorgeous women. Oh, and let’s not forget they were both kings now! Even Silas was a king, swinging his once-frozen cock around like a peacock strutting through a garden.
We still spent time at Shades Academy, since officially we hadn’t graduated.
I’d used that excuse more than the others to hide out here instead of returning to court to hear my father list all the ways I was a disappointment.
That old fucker had no idea how lucky he was I hadn’t used my wartime popularity to rally the other heirs and overthrow him.
I’d been a fucking war hero.
And now?
“Life sucks,” I grumbled as I played cards with the other heirs, or kings, in the common room, slumping deeper into the armchair.
Barbie, who was her usual “charming” self and didn’t have a single empathetic bone in her body—whether because of her terrible childhood or her goddess nature—rolled her eyes at me.
“You aren’t the only one who isn’t a king yet,” she said, her cheeks bulging with half a cake. “Look at Cade. He’s also single, and he doesn’t fuck around like you do.”
“I don’t fuck around anymore,” I snapped, sitting up straighter.
“I’m seeking a meaningful relationship now.
As for Cade, he could be king anytime he wants.
His parents are actually amazing people who support him.
And haven’t you noticed how much he flirts these days?
Who knew the mage prince would become the new bad boy? ”
I shook my head in disgust.
“I like this new version of him, though,” Sy said from her perch on the arm of Rowan’s chair. “He might have replaced you as the center of attention, but don’t pout, Louis. You occupied the stage for too long. New blood keeps things interesting.”
“Interesting for you!” I shot back. “Life is darker without the Brides Selection.”
“Yeah, you big boys with big cocks just used the Selection to sleep around,” Barbie retorted, not even looking up from her cake.
I used to force her to watch me in threesomes, but I hadn’t known she was a girl back then.
Barbie and Sy were no longer my favorite people.
They weren’t fun to be around anymore. Just listening to their judgment made me more depressed.
And Barbie going around saying things like, “It’s all about giving back.
It’s about the community,” and pressuring everyone to donate made my stomach churn.
Their presence was also a constant reminder that I’d never get another sip from either of them if I valued my continued existence.
I still secretly craved Barbie’s blood, and I tried hard not to stare at the veins in her neck with longing.
Killian and she wouldn’t understand, let alone appreciate it.
They had no clue what her blood had done to me once I’d had a taste.
Everyone else’s blood paled in comparison; it was like contrasting the finest wine with dirty water.
A small comfort was that neither Rowan nor Killian had claimed the High King’s throne, even though they had every right. The five of us had vowed to remain equals, to be brothers for as long as we reigned.
Other than that, the entire realm was holding its breath, waiting to see which of them would be the first to get knocked up—Sy, the last drop of the old magic, or Barbie, the only goddess roaming the Earth.
But they both insisted they had no plans for kids anytime soon, declaring to the dismay of every royal court that they wouldn’t even consider it for another century.
For now, the girls just wanted to have all the fun they could get, to make up for the terrible childhood they had suffered at the cruel hands of the void god.
The realm had changed after the war. The balance of power had shifted.
Mist of Cinder now brimmed with magic, the very air humming with it.
As a result, the house magics had gone wild.
They could now cross the boundaries of their own houses, and they often visited other house magics to throw raucous parties. And they were all horrible gossips!
Even the magics had a life, while I sat here feeling like yesterday’s leftovers.
So when the invitation from the Titan princess and her demigods finally arrived, I grabbed my travel bag and headed for the door. It was time to write my own story instead of watching everyone else live theirs.
Fuck all the regrets.
Fuck the vampire court and my sire.
And fuck the stock market and inflation for eating away my profits.