Page 76 of Hidden Sacrifice
He followed me around eagerly enough, to the dismay of the guys. Cole whined whenever any of his attention was stolen in the form of me touching anything other than him. Jasper assured me this was normal and would get better soon as the dragon continued to mature. The drop of blood I had given him during his creation had bound his loyalty to me for the rest of his mortal life, which happened to be a millennium.
For now, I greatly appreciated his company as I sat in on mid-day gossip with some of the other demons. Jasper had suggested it was one of the best ways for us to keep an eye on the sins and the elites while I got to play my part as a princess.
This wasn’t exactly the type of princess I wanted to be, but since this shoe was forced on me, I did take time on my appearance. My hair was done up in large curls pinned to the top of my head while the back flowed down in waves. Yvonne had come to my aid when I asked Jasper if he could get ahold of her for me.
Her advice on how to handle the elites during the feast when I first got here is what helped my mind realize that I wasn’t a human anymore. The rules I had lived under as a human were stifling and tedious. I only existed in that life to get here, my true destiny with my mates.
If I hadn’t followed her advice, I never would have sat at the table with Jasper and looked at him through a wider lens. It was nothing more than a small crack in my resolve, but all the mate bond needed was that slight crack. Now I hoped Yvonne’s advice would save me yet again as I forced my eyes not to roll as I heard Jax’s mom talking to a group of other demons on a couch behind me.
I kept my head forward, my hand on top of the dragon’s head as my fingers slowly trailed down his smooth scales. His head pointed behind me as if he instinctively knew to watch my back. Maybe the fragment inside my dragon was a former guard or something.
I needed to listen but not speak. Look busy or boring, Yvonne suggested.
A retro hairstyle might not be the best for looking dull, and neither was the evening dress I wore. Red and of the same period as my hair. I felt fancy as fuck. I was the only princess; boring wasn’t an option for me. Instead, I sat at a table with my dragon across from an empty seat. I held a book in my hands,Dark Moonby N.A. Jameson.Thank you, record hall.I was hoping it looked enough like I was expecting someone. The book was so no one else tried to nominate themselves as a replacement.
When Marlene spoke up, I knew it was time to force my eyes from the page. I kept my gaze on the exact location, but my mind went into the dog sized dragon sitting next to me.
I tried to remember to breathe as I mentally double-checked my shield runes were in place. Jax had personally inked one into my skin in the image of a crown that circled my thigh. He had warned me that his mother was powerful and could trap my mind in a mental prison world. The rune Jax designed specifically blocked Marlene; he inked it himself.
Jumping partially into the dragon’s mind, I opened my new eyes, marveling at the world through the eyes of the dragon. Seeing colors, I could neither name nor describe, my vision was immensely sharper. Vibrancy washed over the world as if we all lived in shimmering notes of neon.
Marlene lounged on a sofa, a demon servant holding a tray in the air where Marlene’s drink sat. The servants volunteered for these jobs, and this one was in high demand. Elite gossip is everything the common demons live on.
“Yes, I am just so proud of my Jax. I wasn’t too sure about-” Marlene gestured at the back of my head with her finger. She wasn’t even bothering to try and keep her voice low. “But she has proved rather powerful, hasn’t she? A wonderful addition to the family.” Marlene gave a smug grin to the other demons lounging near her. Other elites, I would assume.
“Amira just told me she is considering requesting a procreation form,” a woman with long black hair toted.
“Oh, that’s so exciting, Lorelei.” Another one of the demons squealed.
Slowly, I pulled back into my mind, opening my eyes and noticing someone seated in the empty seat with a wide smirk. Tentatively, I put my book down.
The stranger before me was a slight female who didn’t look a day over eighteen. She wore a loose white flowing gown and pale-yellow ribbons in her snow-white hair. Her skin seemed to radiate a youthful glow, highlighted further by the rosy glow of her cheeks. The shape of her curves suggested some age, but she could have been mistaken for a child if you looked at just her face.
“Your shields are powerful. I’m happy my son is taking care of you so well,” she purred out as if she was a cat. I took another more discerning gaze, noticing the green swirls of her eyes and the shadowy black roots of her hair. Looks didn’t have to mean anything in Hell, but in this case, I think one was influenced by the other.
“You’re Justice’s mom,” I said quietly. No one has said a word about Justice’s mother. Frankly, I hadn’t even known she was alive.
“Liberty,” she said, extending her hand over the table for me to shake.
I eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she had a power that required touch.
“Don’t worry, little sparrow; I travel the minds of others. I already tested your shields, as I told you.”
Guess she did. I reached over, taking her hand and giving it a slight shake. Her skin was so smooth and cold in my grasp it almost felt like her body was that of a living doll. She didn’t display any of her runes or spells, choosing to keep them hidden from the world. I had a feeling it wasn’t out of vanity like many of the other demons that hid their marks.
I pulled my hand back as an overwhelming wash of emotions crashed against my mental shields. It clawed at them, wrapping around me, desperate to consume me. My mental shield wrapped tighter around me, thickening and strengthening as I started to sort through the emotions that were so Hell-bent on destroying me.
Fear. Panic. Terror.
My eyes snapped back to Liberty; the familiar swirling green her son must have loved so much he fit them into his appearance. As if sucked up by a giant vacuum, the emotions pulled back into Liberty. The room around us seemed to brighten up as the air thinned enough to breathe. Looking around quickly, no other demons seemed to have noticed the events at our table.
“Wha-” I started, but she quickly shook her head from side to side.
She stumbled in a small circle before her hands came up and smacked herself with every head shake. I started to get up from the table, but a man with light red hair ran up, grasping her from behind and holding her by the wrists so she couldn’t hit herself anymore.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea she escaped. I hope she hasn’t bothered you, Princess Morrigan,” the man apologized.
“Everything is fine; I was just leaving.”
