Chapter One #2
I passed one of the castle servants, and she offered me a hesitant smile, which I returned. I knew my friendliness towards the individuals who worked here always surprised people, especially considering my position as princess.
When they asked why I didn’t act like a typical royal, as in treating the individuals who worked here with distaste, I made it pretty simple for them…I wasn’t a dick. Unless someone deserved it, of course.
Was it that hard to be nice to people? The answer was yes, if you were dealing with literally anyone in this damn kingdom.
Dramatic? No. Okay, it was possible I was currently more than a little bitter after being battered in the storm and harassed.
To be fair, it wasn’t just Lily who was a problem.
No. The problem was much larger than a single person, and as I entered the main foyer, I was reminded of why exactly that was.
Besides attracting attention for currently looking like a drowned rat, I also physically looked very different from the other citizens of the House of Death.
Mainly because of the massive, dark, leathery wings and horns I was sporting, which no one else in this house had.
I was also shorter and curvier than most of the women here—House of Death was known for having tall and lithe citizens.
Top it all off with my crimson-highlighted ebony hair and pink and silver eyes, and I had exactly zero chance of blending in amongst the silver-haired, black-eyed House of Death members.
Now that I thought about it, maybe that was why I’d been yearning for a bit more color around here: I was tired of being the only color in an otherwise almost oppressively dark setting. I wanted something else to stand out, other than me.
“Ama!” A friendly voice had me smiling almost immediately as Zurie appeared at my side, her silver head of lavender-streaked curls bouncing along with her as she offered me a massive smile.
Alright, I wasn’t the only one who stood out a bit here.
Zurie, with her natural lavender highlights—a match to her Reaper power—and silver eyes that almost blended with her pale skin, stood out like me.
But unlike me, she was more than accepted here.
She was more ‘dead’ than she was alive, and that was prized here in the House of Death. Shocking, right?
Apparently, her mother—a Reaper who was currently part of the court here—had screwed a ghost. No, I have absolutely no idea how that was possible. Yes, I totally wanted an explanation.
Unfortunately, her mother was fairly intimidating, so I couldn’t just walk up to her and ask how she’d managed to fuck a ghost and get pregnant with my friend.
I also had a feeling that Zurie didn’t want to think much on the matter of her conception.
Plus, it was just nice to have someone around who wanted to be my friend in the first place.
I probably shouldn’t scare her off with my questions.
“Hey.” I offered her a head nod as I squeezed more water out of my hair, trying to untangle it from my horns.
They were twisted at the top, so it was a pain in the ass when my hair was dry and a nightmare when it was wet.
Don’t even get me started on what happened when I ran out of conditioner.
I usually considered just shaving my head at that point.
“Got caught in the storm?” Zurie asked curiously, her eyes reflecting a hint of suspicion that there was more to the story than that.
“No, it was totally on purpose. I figured I’d just bathe in the sky to save some hot water in the castle,” I answered sarcastically, a fake smile plastered on my face.
She pinned me with a stare, quietly demanding the real answer.
“I wish it was that simple,” I grumbled, finally relenting under the power of her laser eyes. “Lily realized I was out flying and was waiting for me on the ledge with her stupid cronies when I got back.”
“What a bitch.” Zurie scowled as if she was plotting Lily’s death as we spoke, her protectiveness of me bringing a true smile to my face. “You know, you could probably get her kicked out of court along with the rest of her family if you told your father.”
I sighed wistfully at her suggestion and then shook my head, “That would make it look like I couldn’t handle her myself. She’s really just an annoying gnat that I have to swat down occasionally.”
“You’re too easy on her and everyone else who bullies you. Tell your father,” she advised, but while I didn’t completely disagree with her, I wanted to handle it myself. My father was already aware of it, and I’d continued to refuse his help.
As we made our way up another set of stairs, I felt my cheeks heat slightly as I met the intense gaze of the only man in this damn territory, literally the only one, that I purposefully avoided at all costs.
But because I’m me—and completely unlucky—I happened to not only run into him on an already shitty day, but while looking like an angry wet cat.
Drayven. Fucking Drayven.
The man was walking down the steps—towards the throne room, if I had to guess—with all of the dangerous predatory energy you would expect from a man that large.
No wonder everyone seemed to love him. The man just looked like a leader and someone you didn’t want to mess with.
Plus, it was no secret that the rest of the royals in our territory were grooming him to take over the throne if my father died.
There was no way they would allow me to claim my birthright of the throne if my father wasn’t around to back me up.
Drayven was powerful and had a strong sense of loyalty to Mortem that had quickly allowed him to rise through the ranks.
His gaze ran over my form before narrowing on my wings in a look of disgust, causing me to nearly let out a growl. The man was such an ass.
A gorgeous one, but still an ass.
My cheeks heated more as we walked past without saying a word to one another, and memories assaulted my brain. Even his friends were smart enough to not bring up the situation I’d still yet to live down to this day.
A moment that I’d promised myself I would never repeat.
Drayven and I had known one another our entire lives, and despite his being three years older than me, I had always had a massive crush on him.
How could I not? He was the most attractive man I’d ever laid eyes on, with his confidence and powerful aura that seeped out of him effortlessly.
People gravitated towards him, and it was so clear that he was a natural born leader.
Something that I was more envious of than you would ever believe.
It didn’t hurt that he was also extremely tall, stacked with muscle, and had a twin set of dimples when he smiled. He might have the typical features of a Reaper—pale skin, silver hair, and black eyes—but there was something unique about him that drew me to him inexplicably, like a moth to a flame.
I was sixteen when I’d decided to tell him that. Publicly, after school. In front of everyone.
I had really thought the feelings were reciprocated, since the man had, you know, fucking kissed me two days before.
But apparently, I’d read that situation wrong because he had not only shot me down but also said, and I quote…
” You nearly sucked my soul from my body the other day.
How could I ever be with a hybrid who can’t control her powers? You are a danger to us all.”
Yeah, you can probably imagine the wonders that did for my teenage confidence levels. I’d also been livid because I’d given my first—and likely last, due to the whole soul sucking thing—kiss to such an insensitive jerk.
Now, two years later, things were still uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to be in a room with him without having the urge to punch him in his ridiculously sharp jawline.
“Ama...” Zurie offered me a pointed look, and I glanced down at my hands, which were surrounded by a reddish-pink swirl of power. My Succubus side coming out to play.
“What?!” I offered in mock defense, “I’m just saying, I don’t think it would hurt the man to take a trip on the wild side. He’s so uptight.”
“You cannot use your powers to create a mass orgy here.” She shook her head, smiling at my most recent idea, as we turned the hall up ahead.
“I still think it’s a great idea.” I grinned in satisfaction at the thought, “He will never see it coming.”
I made a point to almost never use my Succubus powers…
although, this felt like a pretty solid excuse to break my own rule.
He had embarrassed me, so I’d do the same to him.
I also needed to ignore the ridiculous surge of jealousy I felt at even the idea of him being part of said orgy, not only because it made no sense, considering the man was my arch nemesis of sorts, but also because I made a point of trying to feel nothing but hatred for him.
“Sounds like he will see a lot of coming if you do that,” Zurie deadpanned.
“Did you just make a sex joke?!” I exclaimed with a smile, feeling proud of myself. I was clearly converting her to the dark side. If the dark side included my dirty sense of humor, inner grumblings, and extreme lack of experience when it came to sex.
Yeah, I was apparently failing in that area as well. How many adult Succubi or Incubi do you know who are virgins? I can tell you how many I know. One. That one being me.
“Maybe.” She grinned and tugged my hand. “Come on, you have ten minutes until you have to go meet with your dad.”
She was right, which meant I needed to get ready because, while he was my father, no one kept the Grim Reaper waiting.