Chapter 1: Hell

I've always heard stories about demons and thought they lived in hell until I met Connor, my husband. He's not just a demon; he's the devil, and he doesn't live in hell; I live in it.

I met the now king of vampires when I was 15 and he was 24, it was love at first sight for me, his lopsided grin and distracting grey eyes made me swoon, I imagined our great love and a beautiful life but being the alpha's first daughter, I had my duties and my father wasn't about to marry me off to the sworn enemy even though for fifty years our clans have agreed and shared a peaceful coexistence.

 The war between the vampires and werewolves broke out three years later and ended five decades of peace and my life. The war claimed my parents and many of the pack members, and just after the war, Connor started a war of his own and dethroned his stepfather, claiming the throne and me. 

The second time I saw Connor, his face was unsmiling and grim, with a priest running behind him. He married me with no explanations nor did he ask for my permission before dragging me off to his palace. My hell. 

It took me months to learn that he had married me because of the mate bond. The bond might have been nature's punishment, but this marriage was his punishment. 

"Are you deaf?" His voice interrupted my thoughts.

My gaze skipped to his face, and I blinked, realizing I'd been standing in front of him for a while. 

I stared at him, thirst for revenge eating away at my soul, I want to stab him in the heart so bad. 

"Get out!" Connor snarled at me, his face etched in dark fury. I turned on my heels and scurried out of the dining room. I heard a snicker, but I didn't bother to check who it was.

I sighed in relief as I got out of the door; he didn't punish me this time; as usual, I messed up breakfast, he had asked for scrambled eggs, but I made bacon and toast. One cannot really blame me. I had another horrible night, and I didn't get any sleep at all; Connor had sex with his new lover till dawn, and by the time her screams died out and I started to doze, he kicked me out of the room. This was a routine; once or twice a week, he makes me sleep in his room when he invites any of his lovers, and the lack of sleep takes its toll on my body for a few days. 

In the first year, I'd cry endlessly till it was over, my husband had all sorts of lovers, lying on the hard floor, he made me listen to their screams over and over again until it didn't bother me anymore but I still couldn't sleep, he had a way with his lovers that made them scream annoyingly. 

To think I once swooned over him, if I knew he was a brute, I would have gorged my eyes out and ran the other way the first time I saw him. Some maids walked past me snickering and mumbling greetings, I knew everyone in the coven mocked me in secret, Connor treats me less than a servant, that is true but nobody really bullies me openly because whatever I am to Connor, I am his mate and wife to the rest of the clan and I've watched him sever a person's hands for slapping me.

"She's mine to torture but she's your fucking queen and don't you ever forget that and if you ever need reminding, come find me!" He had told everyone with a death glare, for a few days after that I actually thought he gave a shit about me but I learned the hard way when he sent me to the dungeon for "speaking out of turn". Since then I learned to keep my eyes glued to the floor and my lips sealed and so far it has gotten me nowhere but humiliated, punished and weakened and I'm done with living worse than a slave. If anyone deserves to be punished, it's him. He has taken so much from me and I burn for revenge. 

I set my shoulders straight and pretended to walk with confidence, I was going to take charge of my life and make my husband pay with his blood. 

"Look who is headed this way? It seems she has fallen from grace again" 

I heard loud whispers as I turned a corner, 

"If I were her, I would throw myself in the river and drown" The second maid sneered in my direction, they weren't really making efforts to hide their remarks, after all what can I do? Connor wasn't around to snap heads off and even if he was what would I tell him? Complain about the same hell he puts me through?

 I walked past them then stopped, if I really wanted to stop feeling pitiful, I need to learn how to be cunning and deceitful to achieve my aim and above all it was time to start standing up for myself. 

I turned and went back to them, the morning sun streaming through the window made the hall glow and the green paint appeared deeper than it really is. 

"Good morning my lady" They said in unison, dipped and bowed their head slightly. 

"You were saying something?" I raised my brows in question. They shuffled on their feet and avoided eye contact. 

"If you're brave enough to side talk about me very early in the morning while you should be out and about tendering to chores then I think you have a lot of free time on your hands and I can assure you useless maids are not needed in the palace so perhaps you would like to be sent back home?" I glared at them, trying to keep my anger under wraps.

"But we weren't talking about you" Fear crept into the first girl's eyes, she was a fair girl with dark, pretty eyes and thin wide lips, tears pooled in her eyelids, the fear of being sent out of the palace slowly gripping her, it is considered a shameful thing and her parents would probably disown her. 

"And if we were? You can't prove it in front of the King and It's not like you can send us out of here, we don't serve you and princess Anne would never let you harm a hair on our heads" The second girl sneered loudly, looking me in the eyes with cockiness as if daring me. I didn't think, I just reacted.

THUMP!

I didn't realize what I had done until after my fingers made contact with her cheek. It was the first time I had ever hit anybody and I was shaken by it. 

I steadied myself on the statue in the corner, my face hot and flushed from anger, it had washed over me in waves, clouding my vision. 

"What the fuck?!" A tiny voice screeched behind me, I took a deep breath and spun to look. I already knew it was Anne but my heart still stopped in its track when I spotted her standing there, shock on her face but it wasn't just shock, anger was there too.

She was staring at her maids and my eyes flickered over to them, they stood there shocked just like their lady. 

"HOW DARE YOU?!" she turned to me and it looked like she would pounce on me any minute now. 

My belly quivered but if I was going to get things done I can't act like a coward. 

"How dare me? How about how dare your maids?!" I gave her a look of anger.

"We did nothing my lady, she attacked us after we greeted her!" The second maid cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"You had no right!" Anne moved towards me and I knew exactly what she had in mind.

"What? Are you kidding? Why don't you guys tell your lady the things you said?" I turned my angry stare in their direction but I could see the confidence on their faces, they had nothing to fear now that Anne was here, 

She got near enough and raised her hand to hit me but I was one step ahead of her, I flung her hand off and would have slapped her in return if I hadn't felt and smelled him, of course he's my mate and I can easily sniff out his scent, I shook my head quietly. 

I need the drama now!

I had a plan greater than getting even with Anne and showing her not to mess with me, I needed to deal with her maids first. 

My eyes widened in an exaggerating glance, 

"What is this? You've turned out more evil than I thought, your maid raised her hands on me and you will too?" I sobbed noisily.

"What? Are you out of your mind?" She glared at me, they might not have noticed Connor even with the vampire hearing but I knew his scent like it was imprinted in my mind. 

"What?? You're hoping to make heirs and get your brother to leave the throne??" If any actor saw me at that moment, they wouldn't think I was acting, I switched from being so angry into so scared I had to grab the statue and lean on it. If anyone saw the look on my face they would think I met with my biggest fear.

"Explain how you stood there listening to your maids talk down on the king and his ability to procreate and when I questioned their behavior they humiliated me and your Bernie slapped me! You stood there grinning and when I tried to defend myself, you tried to hit me." I said with the greatest look of anguish I could muster. I saw the confusion on Anne's face before I lowered my gaze, one look in my eyes and my story wouldn't hold.

What is going on here?" Connor demanded harshly, his voice booming through the hallway.