“You can’t just go around killing dark souls,” I muttered. “We have cleanup protocols for a reason, so humans don’t discover the existence of demons.” Technically, the mortals called my kind vampires. An adorable little nickname brought on by one too many entertainment films.
And totally beside the point.
“Do you have any idea what would have happened had I not been there to save your ass tonight?” I asked her, arching a brow. “Hell, did you even notice I was there, Zay?”
She swallowed, finally displaying a semblance of unease.
I wasn’t trying to beat her down. I understood and respected her need for vengeance, but there was a time and a place for revenge, and tonight had not been it. Not by a long shot.
“I told you I would help you,” I reminded her softly. “Let me help you.”
“I don’t want your help,” she replied, her voice chilling the air. “You’ve done enough.”
This time I let her stalk off, too exhausted to fight with her tonight. Guarding her had turned into a full-time job—one I’d never desired.
“Fucking Adrik,” I muttered to myself.
He got me into this the night he met me in the forest with a broken pixie in his arms. I’d been within my rights to tell him to fuck right off with that bullshit, but he’d demanded I help him. Some bullshit about the girl meaning everything to Valora. Which, yeah, it was true. They were best friends, and Valora probably would have shattered a little inside had Zaya died that night.
But when I accepted the task of bringing the fiery pixie back to life, I had no idea what I was in for with her.
And while part of me thrived on the challenge, another part of me was too tired to continue this dance. I had a damn kingdom to think about and an ascension floating on the horizon.
Oh, and a wedding.
To Napia, Princess of Neptune.
This time I filled the glass for myself, chugging half the contents of my decanter in a matter of minutes.
I didn’t want to marry anyone, let alone a female with snakes for hair. I shuddered at the thought of the vile hiss that underlined her voice whenever she spoke. Something about the female disturbed me, and it wasn’t just the thought of the serpents sprouting off her head.
Fuck, having her in my bed would be a nightmare. I’d never let her mouth near my cock. Hell, she probably had miniature snakes in her nether regions, and that was a hard pass.
Why my mother had agreed to this absurd arrangement was beyond me. Some bullshit about joining our kingdoms.
Yeah, I preferred playing the role of Zaya’s babysitter for the next hundred years to the fate of marrying Napia.
At least Zaya was fuckable. Well, sort of. She seemed a bit broken in that department. Although, she reacted to me on occasion when we sparred.
Just as I reacted to her.
And fuck, her dreams… I groaned out loud just thinking of all the fantasies she’d pulled me into. I deserved a Lucifer-damned medal for not taking advantage of those situations. Instead, I always woke up hard as a fucking bat.
I suspected I’d be pulled into another dream later, mostly because it seemed to be the way Zaya dealt with her pain.
Maybe she’d wear that skirt from tonight, too. Mmm, that tight little scrap of fabric was pure sin, revealing far too much leg for my liking around a crowd of hungry males. Her target hadn’t stood a chance. Of course, had she not killed him, I would have, because the thoughts in his head had infuriated me.
He had planned to carve his initials into her fleshy breasts, then lick the blood off her like some damn leech.
Sure, I’d thought about sticking my fangs into her countless times, but for mutual pleasure.
That sick fuck just cared about himself and had wanted to destroy her flesh—permanently.
“You’re brooding,” my mother said from the shadows as she seemingly appeared in the main hall. This area tended to be quiet, as we weren’t keen on parties in this kingdom. Zaya and I had essentially turned it into a gymnasium for our workouts, but the new crystal fixtures hanging on the otherwise bland black walls confirmed this entire room was about to undergo a reformation.
For my wedding.
Joy.