Page 11 of The Coveted
The King was flanked by five guards dressed like Daelon, with six elites gathered who had all stopped talking to study me.
“You lived in the human realm your whole life, completely unaware of your true nature?” a large, bearded man with dark brown skin asked, his eyes warm and genuine. He was wearing a delicately patterned red suit. “What an incredible story. It’s unusual to come into one’s power so late. And to not even remember how you ended up in the wrong realm? How curious.”
Aware Lucius was glaring at me expectantly, I opened my mouth to respond. However, I was soon cut off by the woman who seemed utterly spellbound by Lucius, despite how easily he cast her aside. Her blond hair was in perfect ringlets, her black gown sparkling in the candlelight.
Her slender fingers brushed across the arm of the throne. “I feel so bad for you,” she purred, her eyes catlike, but hauntingly empty. “Living with humans for so long… those silly, frail little things. I don’t know how you stood it.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with so much attention on me, especially when I was expected to keep up with the narrative Lucius had constructed for me without my knowledge. He clearly didn’t want a single soul to know any part of the truth about my existence, which meant he was still just as threatened as the moment he found me. That fact was actually reassuring. The glimmer of hope in my stomach lit up.
I took a breath, launching into the charade. “I didn’t mind, really. I had friends and a good life. It’s hard to be dissatisfied with an existence you have nothing to compare to.”
The blonde went silent, cocking her head and stepping back toward Lucius like she was his lap dog.
“A good point, well made,” the bearded man said. “It’s good Daelon found you, then. Now you will understand just how much you’ve missed out on.”
“Exactly what I’ve been attempting to convey to her,” Lucius said, grinning devilishly. He would’ve been quite striking if he wasn’t the literal embodiment of evil. But I could see straight through his lighthearted façade. He was still looking for ways to neutralize me. To make me feel stupid and weak.
“How long will you be staying with us?” another man asked. He was young and handsome, with a dimpled smile and wavy blond hair. He wore a lovely lavender suit, accented with a darker purple pattern of creeping vines that gleamed under the light. His eyes, along with the more telling red aura of infatuation, sent an added message.
Curious, I glanced at Daelon, whose jaw tightened in response. His eyes wouldn’t move from mine, a flash of something fierce flitting across his features.
“As long as she behaves,” Lucius answered for me, balancing the hard edge of his tone with a jovial laugh.
After a pause, the others laughed too. But I knew it was no joke.
“I sort of hope you don’t,” the young man flirted. He stepped forward, taking my hand and lifting it to place a kiss gently on my skin. “I’m Sebastian Earle.”
The bearded man in the red suit stepped forward next. “And I’m Abraham Weathers.”
“Christine,” the blonde said without moving from Lucius’s side.
The rest of them introduced themselves, and I managed to make it through more small talk without any hiccups. They were all so strangely curious about mundane facets of human culture, and I got the impression that they saw humans as very much inferior to themselves. It was unnerving.
A server came over with more drinks, and I noticed that Lucius barely even glanced at the offerings. The guards didn’t take any either. Sebastian took two, flashing me a suggestive smile as he handed one to me.
“Yes, do enjoy yourself, Áine,” Lucius purred, his eyes dancing—which was off-putting to say the least. Especially when the blonde was back to publicly thirsting after him even as he ignored her.
Daelon shot me a warning look, his features growing more and more tense. I raised the glass to him before taking a huge pull, putting an exclamation point on the fact that he no longer had the privilege of telling me what to do.
The group dispersed into different pockets of conversation, and I found myself isolated with Sebastian.
“What’s going on with you and the Commander?” he asked, his smile mischievous. His aura may have been reeking of desire, and possibly greed, but it wasn’t particularly dark or threatening. Bright flares of color stirred in its depths, typical of creative types.
“Nothing,” I said dryly. “What’s in these drinks?” I asked, adding more softness into my tone. I started to feel the shimmering liquid’s effects broaden and deepen.
He laughed, took a sip of his own, then leaned in close to my ear and whispered, “Magick.”
I couldn’t help but smile back as his breath tickled my ear. I was just so warm. So happy. I looked up at the ceiling, delighted once more with the nude faeries’ spiral dance. Why wasn’t everyone else checking this out? It was so beautiful. This whole place was breathtaking, and the people were too. My power swirled around me with all-consuming pleasure and joy. It felt like the whole universe was tuned into the same frequency—the frequency of pure euphoria.
“Forgive me, Sebastian, I need to borrow Áine for a moment,” I heard Daelon say as I struggled to tear my eyes away from the dancing faeries above, and soon I was being dragged away from the throne. I didn’t much mind. Nothing could take away this feeling blooming in my heart.
“Where are we going?” I asked, giggling.
“Somewhere where you won’t accidentally start spilling secrets or showing everyone how powerful you are,” he said.
I let out a sigh. “I feel really nice.”
“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled, moving his hand to my lower back as we left the throne room. We walked in the opposite direction of where Taryn and I lived, in the direction of the area where I had visited Amos.
