Page 1 of Bloody Kingdom

“That’s her, sir?” my employee asks from the driver’s seat, sounding skeptical of my choice. “She’s the one you want?”

She’s the only one walking down the street without an umbrella or hiding beneath one of the shop awnings. She doesn’t look remotely fazed or bothered by the sudden downpour. Instead, she lets the rain soak through the strands of her long golden hair and drench through the thin fabric of her revealing tank top.

She tilts her head back, exposing her slender throat as she lets the rain fall on her pretty face. I sit like a piece of stone, forcing myself to stay put at the sight of her easily accessible neck. Centuries of iron-clad control slipping at the sight of her jugular.

“She isn’t what Iwant,” I bite out between clenched teeth. “You know this, I don’t want anything to do with her, but she’s perfect for whatheneeds.”

My driver sits there silently for a minute, but I hear his heart rate pick up the longer he stares at her. He wants her, who can blame him? She’s beautiful. “She’s reckless, walking these streets at night alone like this. She might get herself killed before you’re even able to get your hands on her.”

He’s right, why she’d be walking the streets of New Orleans alone is beyond me. I know for a fact she’s smarter than that. Word will get out soon that she is untouchable, under my protection, and no one dares defy me. It’s a death sentence.

“This needs to happen as soon as possible,” I order him, not once able to drag my eyes away from her. She pauses beside a man slouched against a wall with his head bowed dejectedly. Most people would have walked right past him, but not her. She digs in her bag and hands him what looks to be a granola bar of some kind. Her expression holds no judgment or distaste. Just a soft smile and kind eyes, a warmth I swear I can feel from almost a block away radiates off her.

This unyielding kindness is what made him choose her.

“I want her brought to me by the end of the week.” My voice sounds stiff even to me. “Make it happen.”

“I’m on it.”

She comes to a stop at the street corner, checking both ways before crossing the dark road. Before she steps off the sidewalk, her eyes glance at my dark car and hold. As if she can see me sitting in the back seat, she stares directly at me. If I had a heartbeat, I wonder if it’d be pounding loudly right now.

Grinding my teeth and scowling at the woman I know will end up being more trouble than she’s worth, I nod my head at my driver in the rearview mirror. “I’ve seen enough.” Finally, I tear my eyes off of her. “Let’s go.”

It won’t be long before my control is really tested, and she’s standing before me. She may have run from her past life, but I’m dragging her into mine.

Welcome to my bloody kingdom, Quincey Page.

Ithrive in chaos.

Chaotic energy and bustling noise invigorate my soul and keep my mind occupied. When it’s quiet and still, that’s when the demons I’ve avoided start creeping out of the cages I’ve trapped them in. Too much time spent pondering my thoughts, and life is never a good thing. If I do that, I’ll fully grasp what anepicdumpster fire my life has become. And I don’t need that kind of self-realization, regardless of what those self-help bullshit books my friend Lucy buys but never reads say.

I’m more than happy living in my beautiful la-la land, thank you very much.

Is it the healthiest way of coping with things? No.

Am I going to keep doing it? You bet.

Until the shambles of my life fully implode and I have nothing left, I’m going to keep moving forward and continue to find peace in the chaos.

“I don’t care what life event is happening, I will never wear a tiara and a tacky, glittery sash,” Lucy declares as she pours another pitcher of beer for the rowdy group of frat boys that scream ‘tourists’.

The customer across from me takes her freshly made gin and tonic before handing me a few bills in return. “What are you talking about?” I ask my best friend as I turn around, not understanding her left-field comment.

“I’m talking about the gaggle of bleach blonde airheads that just took up residence at the other end of my bar.” She rolls her eyes, jutting her thumb in the direction of the girls I’m just now noticing. Sure enough, the one in the middle is wearing a sash that says it’s her twenty-first birthday, and a cheap plastic tiara sits lopsided on her head. All the girls wear beads around their necks, even though Mardi Gras was over two months ago. “I’m embarrassed for them.”

Smiling, I shake my head at Lucy. “Come on, can’t you remember a time when we saw the magic of this city?”

“No, I always thought it was a dirty shithole full of drunks and bad drivers.” Lucy snatches a credit card out of a man’s hand when he waves it obnoxiously at her from across the counter. She shoots him a dirty look but closes his tab anyway.

“When did you become so jaded, Luce?”

“I turned twenty-one and decided pretending everything was sunshine and rainbows was exhausting.” Lucy smirks at me over her shoulder. “I’m much happier since I’ve taken on the role of bitter bitch.”

“I could add some sunshine to your life, sweet cheeks,” a voice slurs from the other side of the bar. Turning, I find one of the frat boys standing across the bar top, a sloppy grin on his face.

Flicking her dark hair over her shoulder, she smiles slyly at him. To anyone else, the smile would come across as inviting, sultry even. But I know Lucy too well. I know that smile means she’s about to ruin this guy’s night.

“Walk away now, dude.” I grimace at him. “You’ve been warned.”

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