Page 124 of Hateful Prince
What in the name of my realm was she talking about? I wasn’t afraid of death; I ruled over it. It was my kingdom. I’m Hades, the god of motherfucking death. Of course it’s in bed with me. It’s my birthright. My blood.
“Fucking succubus.”
The thing about shadows was they were really just a trick of the light. No one noticed a shadow, not until it grabbed hold of you and pulled you under. Mine spread across the ballroom, basically invisible, innocuous, but acting like a microphone transmitting hundreds of conversations in real time. The noise would’ve been overwhelming, save my ability to sift through it like I was panning for gold. All relevant conversations would float to the top while the rest would drift away on the wind. Or if you needed a more modern equivalent, it was like a radio. All the frequencies transmitted at the same time, but I chose which station to tune into.
For my part, I positioned myself at a table, legs spread, posture relaxed, finger toying with the rim of my rocks glass filled with untouched bourbon. No one would bother me. They never did. I exuded enough fuck off energy to ensure it. My only job was to sit back and let my shadows work the room.
“Why isn’t he talking to me? I was good enough to take to his bed last night, and now he’s busy with that fucking mermaid?”
Not quite what I was looking for.
“Ugh, this tie is so tight. How much longer do I have to endure this farce?”
Thank you, next.
“Look at her. She’s so fucking hot. Why is she with that dragon when she could be with me?”
My eyes narrowed on Logan, that asshole shifter, and my fingers tightened on my glass. While not the sort of conversation I was interested in, I couldn’t let his words go unpunished. Giving my shadows a bit more substance, I tripped the stupid fuck, biting back a grin when he fell into a passing server and knocked over the entire tray of drinks.
“She seems to be doing quite well. No one has died thus far, at least.”
Ah, this one should be interesting. What did the good doctors have to say?
“Lizzie, you know as well as I that’s only because nothing has triggered her yet.”
“And it won’t.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Calm down, Nate. There’s no need for you to worry. We’ve taken every precaution. If Dahlia screams tonight, we have people in position to neutralize her before she can do serious damage.”
“Ma’am, your presence is required. Something about the ritual needs your attention.”
“Guess that dance will have to wait. An administrator’s work is never done.”
I’d been hoping for something a bit more illuminating after Lilith’s parting shot, but it was good to know that my little flower had more than just her men looking out for her. Speaking of...
“Are you doing all right, gem?”
“I am, actually. I was pretty anxious before we got down here, and again when I saw all the people, but knowing all of you are here watching out for me has gone a long way to calm me down. Mostly I’m just worried about Tor. Did you see his face when he thought his twin might be here?”
“He’ll be okay.”
“I know he will. We’ll make sure of it. I just hate the thought of him, or any of you, in pain. I think he’s worried his brother won’t accept him.”
“It wouldn’t make sense if he wasn’t worried about that. But you accepted him without question. We can only assume it will be the same with his family. And if it’s not?—”
“We are his family. He will always have a place with us.”
Pride and love washed through me at her words. Dahlia’s concept of family was so different from what I was used to. Hell, it was different from what she was used to. I had the kinds of relatives that would stab you in the back at the first opportunity. But what she was talking about was something different. Something built on trust and support. What a novel concept. I didn’t hate it.
Leaving the two of them be, my shadows continued transmitting as I focused on more of the conversations around me.
“You can’t perform this ritual, Moira. You’ll condemn us all to a lifetime of purgatory.”
“What do you suggest I do, Tor? I have to do it. This is what I was invited here for. I can’t just say, ‘Peace out guys, those runes aren’t the runes I’m looking for.’”
“Can you undo it?”