Chapter Twenty-Five #2
My mother nodded happily and squeezed my forearm.
I knew how he felt about hybrids, but because we were so private, it was clear that no one else had known.
King Marcelo practically vibrated with anger, and the House of Runes seemed shell shocked by my father’s words.
I was so distracted by both of their reactions that I didn’t get a chance to gauge where House of Fallen and House of Hellfire stood.
“House of Fallen, go ahead with your speech.” Drayven’s face was impassive, and I had to admit, despite being sort of a dick, the man was good at staying expressionless.
I imagined that was a skill honed by constantly lying to Ama about how he felt about her.
Something I could never do, even on threat of death.
Colt’s father stood, and Colt watched him with narrowed eyes.
I wasn’t exactly positive how the man was going to play this.
I thought that he was far more upset about last night than he was letting on, and I had a feeling he didn’t plan on letting this entire scenario just sit.
Then again, he hadn’t been there when we’d planned, so I had no idea.
“The House of Fallen has preserved our purist ideals for centuries now,” Colt’s father looked around the room.
“We continue to believe that the best way through is by preserving our culture as well as making sure our leadership in the Supreme position is level-headed. I’ll admit that, for the longest time, the House of Death has served their purpose well enough, despite the fact that we’ve never voted for them.
It is clear, however, in King Alaric’s inability to show up, as well as in his daughter’s long-hidden hybrid status, that is no longer a viable option.
I implore you, therefore, to vote for the House of Fallen.
I will ensure that we continue to maintain our realm’s pristine nature and reputation. ”
Bastard made it sound like hybrids were polluting our realm. What a dumbass.
Colt stood up then and spoke, “You’re wrong.”
My eyebrows arched as Colt’s father frowned at him, “Sit down, boy.”
“No.” Colt shook his head, “I thought, after this Summit and everything that has occurred, that you would have seen the truth, but instead, you are leading this entire realm down a path that will take us back in time rather than into the future. I am not against our house leading, Father, but not if those are your ideals.”
“Control your son,” Finias’ father suggested, sneering, as Colt’s father narrowed his eyes.
“Do not speak about or to my son, Marcelo. You are worse than any hybrid. Your entire house is made up of delinquents. Even your own son.” Damn.
King Celorn looked back at Colt. “I heard you earlier, Colt, and I can concede that hybrids are not born innately bad…but there is something to be said about preserving history and culture. There is a social structure for a reason, and we are not the ones to change that. Besides, even outside of her hybrid status, I truly don’t believe Princess Amare is the right option. ”
“You can’t vote for our own house,” Colt ground out, clearly frustrated that his father hadn’t listened to him earlier “Who will you vote for?”
Colt’s father looked around the room and then at my father, “The House of Shadows will have our vote.”
“Bullshit,” Nico’s father growled, pounding his fist on the table. “This is bullshit.”
I watched his emotional explosion with pleasure as the House of Fallen sat. Drayven continued as if nothing had happened. “House of Hellfire?”
Damien’s father stood and walked towards the podium, eyeing the entire room. “It is clear to me that there has been tension since the start of this Summit. However, as always, Hellfire plans to vote for the most dominant and powerful house. That has been, and continues to be, the House of Death.”
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?!” Nico’s father demanded.
“Sit,” my father snapped, “Unless you are speaking, Marcelo, you do not interrupt.”
“It is my turn,” the man snarled, rounding the table to stand in front of us. “Is this the realm we’ve become? A realm where we accept dirty, tainted hybrids as a viable power option? It’s fucking disgusting and disappointing.”
“You didn’t seem to find it disgusting when you were trying to fuck her the other night,” Colt growled, causing everyone to stare at him as King Marcelo’s face turned nearly purple.
“I was just proving what a whore she is, which is something your own father has claimed,” he pointed out, following up with a slimy smile, “Besides, just because she’s a whore doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have fucked her.
Here in the House of Sin, we don’t judge who you take to bed. But as a leader? Absolutely not.”
Colt’s father stood and responded, one hand resting on his son’s shoulder, “While it’s true that I don’t approve of Ama’s choices, that is not why I am not voting for her.
Outside of being a hybrid, the young woman is the future of her house but does not show the ability to lead.
She doesn’t even show up, except to parties and dinners. ”
I so badly wanted to disagree.
“Have you fallen under her spell as well?!” Nico’s father demanded. “She has managed to seduce all our sons, attempting to mix the blood lines and ruin the purity. How can any of you stand for that? Stand for the idea of that piece of trash running—”
I stood then, my chair screeching, and everyone looked at me as I put my fists down on the table and leaned forward, meeting King Marcelo’s gaze dead on and trying to convey how close he was to death.
“I highly suggest you stop talking about Ama like that.
You are threatening any alliances you have that support her because of how you are handling this.
I suppose it's something we should expect from you, but your plea for attention is disgusting. If you continue to speak about her in a disrespectful manner, I will kill you.”
“You threaten him?” Finias’ father demanded.
“It’s not a threat,” I leveled and then looked back at Nico’s father. “You’ve been warned.”
“How can we trust your word when you have become one of her lovers?!” the bastard demanded, looking a bit more shaken than before. Good. I wasn’t trying to be scary, but apparently I was doing something right.
“Because not all of us think with our dicks,” Nico growled finally, and his father stared at him in shock. I couldn’t help but smile at him calling his father out.
“You as well?” He looked at his son with disgust, “When we told you to seduce the woman, I didn’t expect you to become such a pussy over her.”
I put a pin in the ‘Nico was told to seduce Ama and I may have to kill him if his feelings were not authentic and he hurts her’ concept. I spoke up again.
“Not only is it archaic and sexist to shame someone for the amount of lovers they have—similar to the ridiculous notion of purity of the bloodlines—but before the devil went into eternal rest, it was done all the time. Only in this new age has the notion of being ‘pure’ become important, and it is because of all of you. We created this toxic environment. There is no heritage or culture associated with it. Just hate. It ends now.”
“It does not!” the King of Runes interrupted, standing. “The mixing of blood lines is disgusting.”
“No, it's not,” Finias said, softly but firmly. His mother shot him a look that was loaded with malice, but Finias didn’t react, continuing to look at the rest of the room as if he’d never spoken.
“You have no proof she has taken them as lovers, anyway,” Colt’s father stated evenly to the House of Runes, not meeting the gaze of his son, who was looking at him with frustration. “Don’t go around accusing our sons of something when your own is practically painted in blood.”
“Because he knows his place,” Finias’ mother hissed.
I didn’t know Finias well, but from the way he was staring at King Marcelo, mixed with his reputation, I seriously felt like warning Nico’s father that he might not survive the night. Not that it would be a loss in any way, shape, or form.
It was then that Ama made the decision she had heard enough.
I felt her before I saw her, my entire body shifting forward as she darted down from where she’d been waiting and watching, landing silently as King Marcelo continued to rant and rave.
Something I was no longer listening to. She stretched to her full height from crouching, snapping her wings shut as she offered the man a disgusted look and strode towards him.
It was obvious how upset she was about everything she’d heard and, in part, I wished she hadn’t been able to hear the vile shit they had spewed.
The room had gone quiet except for Nico’s father.
She circled the man, watching him with a predatorial energy and causing him to jolt and go silent.
I couldn’t lie, the woman looked deadly right now, dressed completely in black with heeled boots that were absolutely lethal looking.
Beneath the tough exterior, though, I saw vulnerability and hurt.
Her bruised neck was on display, as she’d boldly chosen to wear a tank top instead of the turtle neck she had been debating over. But the downlighting cast a shadow from her chin over her neck. That, in combination with her dark locks pulled to the front, concealed the bruising ever so slightly.