Page 52 of Underworld

I secure the crown into my newly-dyed pastel prism hair looking at myself in the mirror with a smirk. I look fucking badass, if I do say so myself. Alec finishes doing up the laces and turns to grab my heels. He kneels on the ground and holds the first one out to me. I smile down at him as I slip my foot into the black heel with vipers that wrap around my ankles.

He looks up at me with a dark smile and asks, “Are you ready, My Queen?”

My smile matches his as I say, “Let’s go have some fun with Daddy dearest.”

My heels click as we make our way back down to the dungeons. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it may beat right out of my chest. The click of my heels echoes around us, and I try to slow my heart to match the sound of my footsteps.

I jerk to a stop right before we get to the door that leads to my father. This . . . this is really happening. A hand settles lightly against the base of my back, and I turn to find Jace looking down at me. “Are you okay, Princess?” he asks, sounding worried.

I nod, looking back at the door. I feel another figure come up beside me. Howe clears his voice, and I turn to find him awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with a slight blush on his cheeks. He huffs a breath and says, “We sorta got you something.”

He pulls out two knives from behind his back, and I arch my brow in question. Where the fuck was he hiding those? I gasp when I look down to find that they aren’t ordinary knives but daggers. They each have a curved blade with a delicate handle. The handles are thick but have a thinner knuckle guard.Each one is decorated with small flowers. The first thing that comes to mind is delicate but deadly. They are perfect.

I reach out slowly, taking them from Howe. I shift the daggers to get a better grip and smile at Howe. “Thank you,” I say quietly.

He shrugs. “We figured you needed a weapon that’s all your own. We also thought the first blood should be your father’s.”

I can’t stop smiling as I nod and turn back to the door. Then, taking a deep breath, I say, “I’m ready.” I jump slightly when Jax and Silas step out of the darkness. My eyes widen when I see that they are covered in blood. Although the first thought that comes to mind isn’t to ask about the blood, instead, I ask, “Are you guys done with Chad already?”

Jax snorts a laugh. “We decided to end it so we could be here with you when you face your biggest demon.”

Silas grumbles, “Like we would let you face your father without us.”

The swell of love I feel for these two men fills my chest, and there’s a burn behind my eyes as I whisper, “Thank you.”

Jax shrugs as he says, “We’re family.”

I grin as Silas swings open the door to the room my father has been held for the last few days. I stand tall as I enter the room with my real family trailing behind. My eyes widen as I take in the man in front of me. He’s tied to a chair in the center of the room but isn’t as bloody as I expected. He has a few bruises on his face, but otherwise, he’s fine.

I look over my shoulder, arching a brow in question.

Jace shrugs. “There are other ways to torture a man. So I figured his blood was yours to take.”

I’m about to ask how the hell he tortured my father when the dim lighting in the room switches to UV lights. My boys' UV tattoos glow bright in the room. I look at Jax and Silas to find their eyes glowing brightly; otherwise, they are dark figures in the room. Fucking . . . creepy.

Turning around, I find that my father has awakened, and his eyes are huge as he looks around the room. Then he screams, causing me to jump at the sound. Fucking hell! I never thought I would hear my father scream, let alone see true panic in his eyes.

Jace comes up to stand beside me with a chuckle as he explains, “If you give a human small doses of hallucinogens, they often see things that aren’t there. Then add horrifying men with skulls for faces, and you make a man break in seconds.”

I look back at my father and watch as a large wet spot grows in the crotch of his pants. I can’t stop myself from giggling. He’s panting hard as his eyes look wildly around the room. Finally, his eyes land on me, and he screams, “Get me out of here! Lady, get me out of this room of demons!”

I arch a brow as I make my way over to him. “What makes you think I will help you?”

His eyes widen at the sound of my voice. “Jane?”

I smirk as I stand in front of him. Jax comes up beside me and stabs my father in the neck with a needle. He pushes down the plunger, then throws it on the ground. My father screams in pain as I watch his pupils dilate. Jax snickers beside me and says, “Give it a moment. He’ll see you for what you are soon.”

Something clicks in my father’s eyes as I watch the drug take effect. His mouth opens as if to say something, but I don’t give him a chance as I slice my new dagger across his bare thigh. He screams, but I don’t pay it any mind as I watch the blood swell from my cut. Hum . . . seems he bleeds red like everyone else.

He pants as he asks, “Why are you doing this, Jane? Do these demons have you under their control?”

I can't help but laugh as I slice across his other thigh. He screams again as I ask, “Did you not realize these demons are mine?”

Tears stream down his face as he huffs out, “Yours?”

I grin darkly as I gesture to the males behind me. “I am their Queen. I am Persephone. My demons and hounds to control.”

His eyes widen at my words, and he starts to beg, “Please, don’t do this, Jane. I’m your father.”

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