Page 51 of Tortured Royals

And then all eyes are on me.

My heart pounds as I settle onto the chair.

Luna stares at me. “Are you sure about this, your highness?”

I chew my bottom lip. Truthfully, I’d been all in, but now that I’m sitting here, my stomach is a mess of knots. I hated being powerless and under King Celzar’s control, but I remind myself this is different. “Yes,” I say, steeling myself.

Shade flies from my shoulder, settling onto the table and watching me intently.

Luna swallows, reaching up. No doubt, she’s worried that if I don’t like the result she’ll be punished. It’s what Dad would do. My instincts are telling me this is wrong. That I shouldn’t be letting the demon tamper with me and my power, but it’s the only way for us to attend the meeting in disguise. Or at least, it’s the most reliable way.

Magic flows from Luna’s fingers, making my skin tingle, and it feels like ice passes over my skin, washing over my wings. Seconds blur to minutes, and then Luna leans back, her expression serious but pleased.

For a moment, I don’t move, but then my tail flicks around and my heart nearly stops.

My. Freaking. Tail.

It’s long and black, and the forked tip comes up, resting on my knee. It feels so strange, like another limb, and my mouth goes dry.

“Whoa Blake, you look…”Shade trails off, and I lift my head, peering at Dante. Because out of all my mates, I know he’ll understand.

His midnight blue eyes are soft as he steps forward and takes my hand, lifting me to my feet.

I swallow hard.“I’m…I’m a real demon,”I say to him via our bond, because I can’t seem to say it out loud. Iknowthe words are wrong, but I say it anyway.

He frowns, lifting his hands to cup my face.“Having horns and a tail isn’t what makes someone a demon,”he tells me.“Your heart is here, princess. Your soul is in this land, and no one deserves the throne more than you.”

My heart pounds, and that’s all I allow myself. One moment of vulnerability while Dante holds me. One moment, to let all the crushing slurs from the past weigh me down. That I’m notworthy. That only a true-blood demon should be the one on the throne. And then the moment has passed.

“Thanks,”I whisper.

Taking a deep breath, I close off my emotions, letting indifference flow through me.Never show weakness.This can’t be the thing that defines me. I need to attend this meeting, and this is simply a way to do it.

Besides, I may have gained horns and a tail, but it’s shadowed by the loss I feel for my wings. My back feels incomplete without them.

I pull from Dante’s hold. “We’d better find something suitable to wear and get moving.”

Chapter

Eighteen

~ Princess Blake ~

It’s not long until daybreak when we step outside the house and the forest air greets me. We’re all wearing clothes suitable for the club, and Mason passes me his portal ring.

“Why not take Noah’s car?” Luna asks.

“Hey!” Noah protests. “No one’s taking Jesebel anywhere.”

Mason frowns. “Jesebel?”

“While it would make sense for our pretend Noah to be driving his car,” I say. “I doubt the six of us are going to fit. Besides, we’re running out of time.”

Noah breathes a sigh of relief. “Well thank fuck for that.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrate hard, feeling the build up of energy in front of me. Thankfully, creating a portal uses the magic of the ring, and all I have to do is focus that power. When I open my eyes, a ring of fire flickers before me.

“You know, I’m never goin’ to be able to look at a portal the same. Every time we go through one, we end up in trouble,” Nate comments, staring warily at the gateway. “I still vote for the car.”

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