Page 1 of Wicked Heirs

Prologue

~Alena~

Three Months Ago

Nobody knew me here.

Nobody could see the shadow that followed me.

In fact, it didn’t even exist here.

It was just me.

I could fool myself into being one of them.

And the bucket load of booze I’d basically drowned myself in tonight had really helped to facilitate that.

Because of what I was, it took a lot for me to even feel a buzz.

A lot of human alcohol, anyway.

The supernatural kind was another deal, with a whole other kick.

But I didn’t want anything to do with that.

I was fine just leaning into my human side.

I threw my head back, closing my eyes and raising my arms as I swayed to the seductive beat of the song blaring from the speakers of the packed nightclub.

The strobe lights added another immersive element, an otherworldly effect.

Just what I needed.

To let go.

To feel some semblance of peace.

Unfortunately, I knew it would just be fleeting like always.

I could hear the song coming to an end all too soon, the threat looming of the thrall breaking, of the accompanying stillness, even brief before the next song started up, bringing with it a jolt of reality.

And reality would be as brutal as ever.

Stopping even for a moment was pain.

Sure enough, it happened, and that nasty, toxic feeling engulfed me.

The fact that it was affecting me so much meant it was time to call it night, time to sleep and escape it all for a few hours.

I made my way off the dance floor, stumbling a little in my inebriated state.

Good thing it was only a ten-minute walk to my apartment.

Plus, the cool night air would help sober me up.

It seemed to take an age to make my way past the bright lights, the cacophony all around, the blurry surroundings of the bustling nightclub at the height of a busy night.

I ended up staggering into the door rather than actually actively pushing it open to step outside.