I don't know whether to feel relieved to be rid of the task or disappointed that I'm now going to have no choice but to try and sleep as I finish the final housing placements of the Haven vampires. I could offer to help escort them to their new houses, but no doubt the people I have working on this would insist on doing it themselves, telling me not to worry about such a menial task, coupled with the fact that I don't want to endure the socializing solidifying my decision to not bother. It's almost five in the afternoon, and I'm utterly exhausted, so maybe sleep will have mercy on me and let me claim it with no difficulty and no nightmares. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I laugh at it, knowing that's a fool's hope. I grab the stack of files, walking towards the safe house to find whoever Archer left in charge for the day shift so they can bring the vampires to their new houses. When I reach it, I find Archer still there, deep bags under his eyes as he constructs more fil
Any supernatural knows the story of how the mating bond came into play, a fae-tale where Selene fell in love with the song of the wolves as they howled to her moon at night. After centuries of listening to their song, she gifted the wolves a human body so she could choose one to love, eventually finding one that suited her, taking on a human form, going to him, and they lived happily ever after. Only they didn't. The wolf she fell in love with, Malachi, did not know she was the Goddess he sang to every night, and one night when she had taken upon her human form, she found him in bed with another. It was said her wails could be heard and felt throughout all three realms, and after banishing him and his lover to the River Styx with Hades' permission, she created the mating bond. She weaved the mating bond into the most primal and feral of the wolves' DNA, making them incapable of touching one another. If they somehow defied her, the mate would feel physical pain the moment they were
I roll over, pushing my covers off of me and blinking my eyes open. I glance at the bright violet light through the top of my blackout curtains, indicating it's well past noon. I shoot up; how long was I asleep? I didn't go to bed until probably 7pm… Artemis' tits, did I actually sleep for 17 hours? I fly out of bed; holy fucking Hades, I'm going to be so behind; I can't believe Father didn't wake me or Azrael. Even Kalea and Fallon, my personal servants, have woken me on the rare occasion that I overslept. I brush my teeth and dress in record time, not bothering with cosmetics. Quickly, I braid my hair in a crown around my head and then tie the remaining length up in a tight bun. I practically sprint out of my chambers to the throne room, earning a few curious glances from the castle staff. I slow my pace before I open the doors to the throne room and open the doors as I walk in. Over the years, the throne room has become a workroom; Father or I rarely sit on the throne for an
Although I exercised my magic well enough during training, I still feel restless. There's no way sleep will come. I portaled to Amara's to see her for a few minutes, saw the Haven vampires to their new houses, and checked in with the ones I had already placed to ensure everything was going well. The sky has already turned to obsidian, but the full moon illuminates my path well enough. I'm considering seeking out Damon to get started on the vampires, but the emotional drain of being in his presence will probably have the opposite effect on me. "Queen Aylin!" a somewhat familiar voice calls me, making me turn around to find Marie, the one-eyed warrior, running for me. "Yes?" I ask her, pausing my steps so she can catch up with me Marie is beautiful; the scars and missing eyes only seem to add to her beauty. She's dark-skinned, her hair a tamed and beautiful mess of curls that goes down to her shoulders, and she's got the muscular body of a warrior. "I didn't catch you; my friends sa
The following day, I wake at my usual five in the morning, feeling comforted by the fact that I'm back to my routine. As usual, Kalea and Fallon come in, attempting to fuss over me, and I wave them away, telling them I can take care of myself. There's little to do today before the Festival, so I can thankfully focus on presenting the Village of Dreams to the incubi and succubi. Rumors have circulated since I offered the servants relief from their duties, but this will confirm everything. After tonight, I hope that the only sex workers who remain are there of their own free will, as well as the servants. I've also opened up a spot in the army specifically for shapeshifters; they will specialize in spying on enemy territory. To prevent any prejudice, I've passed a law that makes it illegal for someone to not hire any demon due to class. Unfortunately, bosses and owners will still do what they want, so I've also set up an anonymous reporting system. I haven't been this excited abo
I am so going to court the fuck out of her. I was alive back when they did that shit, how hard can it be? Sure, I never actually watched it happen, but that's neither here nor there. What's the worst that could happen? She rejects me? Too late. I'll surely need a more detailed list of things I know she likes, which currently consists of violence, coffee, and secret hiding places. Would it do the trick if I got her a puppy with a note on his collar that says, 'Please love me, I'm desperate.' Who doesn't like puppies? I fully acknowledge that I'm an idiot, probably blatantly showing off my desperation for the most minuscule fleck of her attention, but oh, well. With Silas dead and Samirah handling the reconstruction of the vampire kingdom, my life has become disgustingly pointless. I mean, seriously, I have nothing to do. My current task is exploring the Underworld and memorizing it. I'm so fucking bored, and it's been what? Not even four days? I know why Samirah took the task
I watch as the crowd disperses between the dancing and the drinks, those who already had enough to drink heading for the dance floor. "Everyone loved that ballet, Allie, this will go over well," Azrael says as he watches everyone split up with me. I nod at him. "I hope so. We need some more diversity here. It'll be nice to have options other than sex clubs to go out to at night," I tell him. "You say that like you actually go out," he teases, and I shoot a spear of ice at his face, causing him to shriek and throw up an air shield. "Serves you right," I say before walking away to the bar I go to stand in line, but of course, the second I get behind the last person waiting, everyone steps aside to let me forth "I'm perfectly capable of waiting in line. Stand as you were," I order them all, to which they hesitantly comply I silently wait, spacing out a bit, thinking of this morning's meeting and how I'm going to go about spying on Jeremiel and how Father's announcement
I watch Aylin walk away after she shoves me off of her, and godsdamn, it is a beautiful sight. I mentally punch myself in the face for being a disrespectful shithead, but yeah, she managed to bring my dick back to life, and it's completely fixated on her. Fuck. The way her neck felt under my hand was a sin. The second I scented how turned on she was, I could have died right there and been a happy man. My cock twitches in my pants at the thought, and I reach down to adjust myself, having no desire to walk back to the castle showing off a full-on boner. I'm half-crazed. I have no desire to be around my friends, let alone be around anyone who isn't Aylin. So, I pick myself up and start walking the fuck back to my room while I stay fixated on the last forty minutes of my life. So maybe I got a little jealous, and maybe I'm holding myself back from going out there and grabbing her again so no one else can smell her. A growl rips out of me at the thought, and I grind my jaw. Mi
Damon is still tense as I portal us to the door leading to my room. I hesitate momentarily before remembering I allowed him to be in here before; there's no point in acting territorial now. I let out a breath before I open the door and begin to lead him into the bathing chamber, where I keep my bandages and wound cleaning kits.“Holy hell, I must have been too distracted the last time I was in here to notice the amount of books in here,” he states, looking around at my walls“They’re kind of hard to miss, don’t you think?” I tell him with a raised browThe entire wall behind my bed, from top to bottom, was bookshelves built into the wall, and they were overstuffed, same with the wall adjacent to that, where my oversized reading chair sat. “I suppose I wasn’t entirely focused on your taste in interior design the last time I was here,” he teases with a grin. “although I didn’t know you read,” he adds in as we enter the bathing chamber, and I begin to pull out the needed supplies.
With Damon and my army in tow, I portal immediately to where the wards are weakest to allow demons entry to and from the realm. This is where they'll strike. Father is waiting there for me, his face grave. Whatever he's discovered, it isn't good. He meets my gaze and speaks before I can ask him for an update. "They've deteriorated and taken over one of the villager's minds. They heard the announcement the second we made it. They'll attack at any moment," he says bluntly, his face all business and ice-cold rage. My lips part as I take in his words. That would be Jeremiel's handiwork. The angels' army is like a web, their minds open to one another and constantly sending all information back to their central. Each one of the High Guards serves as said central, commanding a large chunk of each branch, and all the High Guards have the ability to form that pathway in another's mind. At baseline, demon genetics would fight against it like an illness, but if their physical form is weak eno
The announcement of Amara's discovery went as well as could be expected. Some were overjoyed, some were stunned into silence, and most were indifferent, but the blinding anger that few radiated was unsettling. When the anger hit Azrael, he nearly fell to his knees as he absorbed it. He would have if I hadn't kept a mental hand on him during the announcement, anticipating it. I know him well; he's arguably my closest companion, and he does not respond well to feeling others' negative emotions. Perhaps his gift is what makes him so empathetic. I couldn't say we weren't expecting some anger or kickback, but I almost feel like I must have been too out of touch with my people because I wasn't expecting it to be this intense. Maybe I've gotten too laid back, too trusting of my people who have only ever betrayed us because of that one reason. To a point, I understand. Angels are our mortal enemies, and some demons are still alive who were subjected to slavery by their hands. I was the s
An hour and a half ago I can't concentrate on anything. I can't stop thinking about him. There's a dull pain in my chest, and I can only imagine it's my own heart eating itself alive because I want him so badly. Just the idea of him, of my mate. That's the only thing I want. When he's gone, I crave him so badly because I completely forget who he is, what he is, what he's done. I'm reminded of all that when he's in front of me. He wears it in the blazing red of his eyes, his cold touch, and his silent heart. It's not that I don't understand his reasoning. I do. Even if I didn't, I have no room to talk. I'm wretched down to my bones. But I never killed a child, I never allowed my armies to rape anyone or harm children, and the few times it has happened, I didn't look the other way. I killed them all, I let that feral part of me take over, and I melted their brains. I did that even before it was personal. I want to believe he never took part in it and never laid a hand
I watch Aylin walk away after she shoves me off of her, and godsdamn, it is a beautiful sight. I mentally punch myself in the face for being a disrespectful shithead, but yeah, she managed to bring my dick back to life, and it's completely fixated on her. Fuck. The way her neck felt under my hand was a sin. The second I scented how turned on she was, I could have died right there and been a happy man. My cock twitches in my pants at the thought, and I reach down to adjust myself, having no desire to walk back to the castle showing off a full-on boner. I'm half-crazed. I have no desire to be around my friends, let alone be around anyone who isn't Aylin. So, I pick myself up and start walking the fuck back to my room while I stay fixated on the last forty minutes of my life. So maybe I got a little jealous, and maybe I'm holding myself back from going out there and grabbing her again so no one else can smell her. A growl rips out of me at the thought, and I grind my jaw. Mi
I watch as the crowd disperses between the dancing and the drinks, those who already had enough to drink heading for the dance floor. "Everyone loved that ballet, Allie, this will go over well," Azrael says as he watches everyone split up with me. I nod at him. "I hope so. We need some more diversity here. It'll be nice to have options other than sex clubs to go out to at night," I tell him. "You say that like you actually go out," he teases, and I shoot a spear of ice at his face, causing him to shriek and throw up an air shield. "Serves you right," I say before walking away to the bar I go to stand in line, but of course, the second I get behind the last person waiting, everyone steps aside to let me forth "I'm perfectly capable of waiting in line. Stand as you were," I order them all, to which they hesitantly comply I silently wait, spacing out a bit, thinking of this morning's meeting and how I'm going to go about spying on Jeremiel and how Father's announcement
I am so going to court the fuck out of her. I was alive back when they did that shit, how hard can it be? Sure, I never actually watched it happen, but that's neither here nor there. What's the worst that could happen? She rejects me? Too late. I'll surely need a more detailed list of things I know she likes, which currently consists of violence, coffee, and secret hiding places. Would it do the trick if I got her a puppy with a note on his collar that says, 'Please love me, I'm desperate.' Who doesn't like puppies? I fully acknowledge that I'm an idiot, probably blatantly showing off my desperation for the most minuscule fleck of her attention, but oh, well. With Silas dead and Samirah handling the reconstruction of the vampire kingdom, my life has become disgustingly pointless. I mean, seriously, I have nothing to do. My current task is exploring the Underworld and memorizing it. I'm so fucking bored, and it's been what? Not even four days? I know why Samirah took the task
The following day, I wake at my usual five in the morning, feeling comforted by the fact that I'm back to my routine. As usual, Kalea and Fallon come in, attempting to fuss over me, and I wave them away, telling them I can take care of myself. There's little to do today before the Festival, so I can thankfully focus on presenting the Village of Dreams to the incubi and succubi. Rumors have circulated since I offered the servants relief from their duties, but this will confirm everything. After tonight, I hope that the only sex workers who remain are there of their own free will, as well as the servants. I've also opened up a spot in the army specifically for shapeshifters; they will specialize in spying on enemy territory. To prevent any prejudice, I've passed a law that makes it illegal for someone to not hire any demon due to class. Unfortunately, bosses and owners will still do what they want, so I've also set up an anonymous reporting system. I haven't been this excited abo
Although I exercised my magic well enough during training, I still feel restless. There's no way sleep will come. I portaled to Amara's to see her for a few minutes, saw the Haven vampires to their new houses, and checked in with the ones I had already placed to ensure everything was going well. The sky has already turned to obsidian, but the full moon illuminates my path well enough. I'm considering seeking out Damon to get started on the vampires, but the emotional drain of being in his presence will probably have the opposite effect on me. "Queen Aylin!" a somewhat familiar voice calls me, making me turn around to find Marie, the one-eyed warrior, running for me. "Yes?" I ask her, pausing my steps so she can catch up with me Marie is beautiful; the scars and missing eyes only seem to add to her beauty. She's dark-skinned, her hair a tamed and beautiful mess of curls that goes down to her shoulders, and she's got the muscular body of a warrior. "I didn't catch you; my friends sa