Page 11 of The Reluctant Heir

I turn in my seat so that I can face him. “I’m ahybrid—not beautiful like a full succubus—”

He makes a choking noise. “Not beautiful? You’re joking, right?”

I ignore him and continue talking. “Incubi men don’t make great dates and I couldn’t date a human.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “And it’s pointless to date other supernaturals because they’re waiting on their soulmates.”

Dad nods. “I can see where that would be a problem.”

I let out a long breath. “Yeah.”

“Why do I feel like there is a story behind incubi not making great dates?” he asks.

“Ah, well… I was sixteen at the time. I was the only girl in my school who didn’t have a boyfriend. So when this incubus asked me out, I said yes.” I shake my head. “I didn’t even like the guy. I thought he was arrogant, but I was so excited a boy was paying attention to me. They usually ignored me or made fun of me.”

“Your mother allowed you to go to a school where other kids bullied you?” His eyes grow darker.

I quickly continue my story, not wanting to upset him. “The guy took me to this expensive restaurant. He ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. I was fully prepared to pay for myself—”

He cuts me off. “Madeline, sweetie, if a guy takes you out, you don’t pay for yourself. Especially not on the first date.”

I shrug. “I was sixteen and it was my first date. But what I didn’t realize was that the guy expectedmeto pay. I didn’t even bring enough money, so I had to have the waiter call my mom and ask for her credit card number.”

“Please tell me that was your last date,” Dad says.

I nod. “He wanted to go to a movie after that, but I pretended to have a headache. He had the nerve to try to kiss me so I punched him. I’m pretty sure he told all the guys in our class because nobody asked me out after that.”

“Good. You deserve better.”

The driver pulls off the main road and onto what I assume is a smaller road until we pull up to a set of gates. They open automatically and I see a guard wave as we drive past.

Right. My father is a king—it makes sense that he has guards and a gate. I was too far down the line of succession to need guards. Besides, incubi and succubi aren’t exactly known fortheir political coups. Nope, they’re far too worried about their looks for anything like that.

“Your life here is going to be vastly different,” Dad says, as the car comes to a stop in front of a large estate. My jaw drops open as I look at the mansion. I’ve never seen such a big home before. Even my grandfather’s home isn’t this grand.

I turn away from the mansion to look at my dad. “I am okay with different.”

He grins. “Good. Now let’s go inside. I can’t wait to introduce you to everybody.”

I swallow the lump in my throat as I watch my dad get out of the vehicle.

By everybody, does he include his wife? Because somehow I doubt she’s going to like me. My very existence is proof of his unfaithfulness all those years ago. I wouldn’t even blame her if she hated me, I’d probably hate me in her position.

When my door opens abruptly, I jump. The driver offers me his hand to assist me in getting out. I take it, just because I don’t want to be rude. My father comes up beside me and offers me his arm before leading me toward the front door. Just as we approach the door, a man in a butler uniform walks out, holding the door open for us. He bows at my father as we walk past, his gaze only lingers on me for a moment.

“Welcome home, King Scott. Welcome, Princess Scott.”

“It’s Madeline,” I correct, but my father doesn’t stop long enough for me to see if the butler even heard me.

“You’re a princess,” Dad says.

“Yes, but Scott isn’t my last name,” I tell him.

“I have my lawyer legally changing it. By this time tomorrow, your last name will be Scott,” he informs me, leading me through the foyer. “But if you prefer, I can ask the staff to refer to you as Princess Madeline. Lucien and Julien both prefer to be called by their first name.”

“That would be nice, please,” I say.

“Very well.” He leads me through a set of archways, and down a short hallway, and eventually, we end up in a sitting room.

I’m not sure what I expected a vampire king’s house to look like, but this isn’t it. The house is so… bright. The walls are an off white color and the floors are a light gray hardwood. The furniture is gray leather and the side tables are all a rustic white that matches the walls. There is a large, plush rug in the middle of the floor. But soon my attention is turned away from the decor and to the two people sitting on the couch. When they see us walk inside, they both stand.

---