Chapter 14
I rushed to the bathroom before I went to dinner. Luckily, I managed not to smudge my makeup too much and I fixed some of the splotchy parts with the emergency kit Olivia had supplied.
I smiled when I found a handful of cherry-flavored candies inside. I popped one into my mouth. It gave me a few moments to pull myself together. I rolled it across my tongue until it finally dissolved into sugary sweetness that made me miss Azra.
Which only resulted in a few more tears and another venture into my emergency makeup kit.
So much for pulling myself together. Gods. I’m so raw.
After reapplying my lipstick and taking a few steady breaths, I forced my way to the border of the west wing where a guard waited for me.
I raised a brow at the extremely handsome male. He was probably one of my brothers based on the sharpness of his cheekbones. I’d cut myself on those things. Plus, I knew that my father had produced many sons with my mother in an attempt to conceive me.
Although, I hadn’t seen any of my brothers with dark curls like that. Perhaps we didn’t share the same mother. Either way, the sexual energy wafting off of him made me both interested and appalled.
He’s probably at least your half-brother. Don’t be gross.
“Hello,” he said.
I smiled at him, grateful for the distraction no matter who he was. I needed to think of something else besides my emotional turmoil. As for my sexual appetite and uncomfortable interest in him, I wrote it off as a side effect from my mates.
“Hello,” I said, “are you my escort for the evening?” I imagined that my father wouldn’t allow me out of the west wing alone, so an escort didn’t surprise me.
He grinned, his gray-slate eyes giving him a startling and beautiful impact. It made me just want to stare at him. “I am. The name’s Asher.” He held out his hand.
His firm but cordial handshake put me at ease.
Then the hit of his scent rushed over me.
Whisky and spice.
I narrowed my eyes. “Nice to meet you, Asher. I’m Lily, but I suppose you already knew that, given your penchant for stalking me.”
He chuckled. “And here I thought I was being sneaky. Sorry about that.” He shrugged. “I’ve been your escort since you arrived. Derek calls you Lilith or ‘my daughter,’ since you’re the only one he’s ever had.” He leaned in as if to tell me a secret. “He loves to remind his sons of that.”
That news gave me mixed feelings. Why did my father put me up on some kind of pedestal like he was responsible for everything I achieved?
Which, so far, wasn’t much except to sow chaos throughout the realms. Go me.
Asher led me through the extravagant central halls that led deeper into the Incubus King’s mansion.
It was hard not to be in awe of the sheer behemoth scale of the place. It was more like a palace on the interior rather than a modern estate in Seattle.
Suitable on the inside for a king, I realized. And acceptable to mortal expectations on the outside and in the entertainment areas, most likely.
Perhaps it bothered my father that he had to hide his true power. His grandeur and role as king over an entire species was certainly muted while living among humans who probably had no idea who he was. Maybe some recluse who only happened to host the best orgy parties in the country.
I could only imagine what kind of limitations living in secrecy played out for my father and the species of Incubi and Succubi.
I was only a third part-succubus, which meant I had an easier time controlling the dangerous side of my sexual appetite. But for a full-blood? I could only imagine what my mother had gone through during her teen years.
Asher continued to wow me as he took the scenic route that displayed the full grandeur of the Incubus King. Everywhere I looked I was met with opulent decor, from crystal chandeliers to expensive tapestries and paintings adorning every wall.
I appreciated the variety of angelic paintings and sensual artistic works. It felt like a physical manifestation of power. And since the Incubus King had a muse for an ally, perhaps they were.
The deeper Asher took me into the palace, the more I realized that all of this was how Derek reminded those who served him of his hierarchy.
As we continued through the winding hallways and spiraling staircases, Asher pointed out various works that he said my father had collected over the years.
“This one is a thousand years old,” Asher said, indicating an aged piece behind glass.
An undeniable portrait of my father posing with two naked females made me pause.
The age didn’t surprise me. My father was king based on his age. The Incubi crown fell to the oldest among the species. Which meant my father had to easily be a few thousand years old.
The race was old-fashioned, though. There was only a queen if he decided to take one. Perhaps destiny had planned for that queen to be my mother—because she had indeed come to wear a crown—but it was to rule alone over an entire realm. Not just a single species.
It was the fact that this art piece still hung here, protected, displaying my father with two other females.
“Who are those women with him?” I asked.
Asher shrugged. “Those were his wives, at the time. He’s had many over the years before he met your mother.”
I glanced at him at the mention of my mother. I didn’t know how long my father had been with Silvia.
More so, he’d said “your mother” and not “our mother.”
“She wasn’t your mother?” I asked.
He winced as if he hadn’t meant to slip that information. “Well, I’m actually one of the Incubus King’s lieutenants. My mother was a succubus and dropped me off on the King’s doorstep when I was born. He took me in to work in his household alongside his sons.”
I stared at him.
So, we weren’t actually related.
And if his mother was a succubus, that meant he was a freaking incubus.
All of my sensual interest in him now made sense—and was validated.
But fuck. I did not need the distraction.
“Where are they now?” I asked, eyeing the painting as I cleared my throat.
He shifted uncomfortably, likely because I’d just realized we weren’t related and he had to supply the unsavory answer to my question.
“Dead, of course.”
The information made me flinch. “Because they died of old age?” I asked hopefully.
He released a long sigh and crossed his arms, making his silky shirt tighten over strong muscles.
“No. Being the Incubus King’s wife means a short life.
Derek was looking for a queen. He only took succubus wives for most of his years, but it always ended the same.
He’s old. He’s powerful. Eventually, he would drown his partner with more power than she could handle. ”
I blinked, returning my gaze back to the painting. “That’s why he had two wives,” I surmised.
Asher nodded. “Yes, he hoped by taking multiple wives at the same time it would level out the power-sharing. It worked. Until it didn’t.”
My jaw clenched when I came to the solution that my father had never figured out.
He didn’t need to take multiple wives to protect them. What he needed was to give his destined wife a link to ground her.
Meaning, she needed multiple mates. Not him.
Of course, I doubted the arrogant idiot had ever even considered that.
That’s why my mother, Sonya, would have made a suitable queen if he had been willing to share her, and share power.
But he’d already been trying to write his own destiny as he saw fit.
He’d been married to Silvia, and even when I had supplied her death, his actions had left him on the outside of Sonya’s circle.
I wondered if those two would ever figure it out. Not that he deserved it.
“You should give him a chance,” Asher said, surprising me from my thoughts.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He smiled. “I mean your dad. I know he’s not the best father in the world, but he does love his children and his people. He’s been keeping it from you because you already have enough to deal with, but he has succubi and incubi at his door every day screaming about starvation.”
“Starvation?” I echoed like an idiot.
“Yes. The changes Lucifer has done to humanity has almost wiped out mortals. Leaving the races who prey on them in an awkward situation.”
“There’s no one left to feed on,” I surmised. I’d known it, but I hadn’t really seen the aftermath for myself.
Because my father had hidden it from me.
To protect me.
After silence draped over us, I nodded that I was ready to move on.
I might not be ready to accept my father, or forgive him for all of his unresolved sins, but little by little I was coming to understand him more.
After a few more portraits, we finally arrived at the grand dining hall with a large table fit for a royal court.
Lush tapestries that depicted erotic scenes adorned the walls while two enormous fireplaces flanked either side of the room. Blazing logs burned with bright reds and oranges that offered a pleasant glow to the atmosphere.
A lavish meal awaited us on top of an intricately carved wooden table with gold trim.
All around us were servants—some clearly my brothers, others of a witch or other supernatural variety—waited to fulfill our every need.
Only one person sat at the indulgent spread. Logan was at the end of the table and gave me an encouraging wink.
Asher led me to join my mate, then he vanished into the group of servants.
But I still sensed his watchful eye.
Who was Asher, really?
As I took my seat, Logan leaned over to whisper in my ear. “You’re stunning,” he said with a smile that made my heart flutter.
Heat warmed my cheeks. “Thank you,” I whispered back. “You’re very handsome yourself. I love the suit,” I said with a wry smile. “I think it’s the first time in my life I’ve seen your abs covered. It makes me want to rip it off of you just so I can see them again.”
He chuckled. “I’ll have to wear a suit more often, then.”
Our flirtatious banter was cut short when Derek entered the room.