Page 87 of The Magic of Betrayal
"Not as beautiful as you.” He took my hand and pulled me against his body, pressing a kiss to my forehead that triggered a soft sigh from my lips. “Okay, I'm going to jump us there," he warned and I nodded.
We hadn't practiced jumping on my own yet. To be honest, it still freaked me out and I was scared I'd end up somewhere I shouldn't. Bram's hands gripped mine and a blink later, we were standing in the massive throne room that I'd been in a few times before. A string quartet was playing somewhere and the scent of delicious food swirled through the air. There were people everywhere, laughing, drinking, talking. Everyone was dressed to the nines, some had their wings and tails out proudly, and others looked human. I looked around the room in awe, there were so many different horns, too. Some curled, some had two sets, all different colors.
"You okay, princess?" Bram asked and I smiled up at him.
"Yeah, just taking it all in."
"Let's get you a drink, I'm sure people are going to be talking your ear off as soon as they realize you're here," he warned, wrapping an arm around my lower back and ushering me through the crowd.
He wasn't wrong, as soon as the people realized Bram was here, with me on his arm, most discussions cut off and whispers went up in the air. That's the thing about whispering, if it's just a couple of people doing it, it's not noticeable. When it's hundreds of people, well, it kind of loses its purpose of being discreet.
Trumpets sounded and everyone turned to look at the front of the room where the king appeared, moving toward his throne. Clapping and cheering started just as I felt someone move to stand on my other side. Looking over, Khol was staring at the throne, also dressed in a tux. I wasn't sure how old my father was, but he didn't look a day over forty five. His black hair was streaked with silver that made him look more distinguished in a way, and fine lines wrinkled at the corners of his eyes that I imagined were more prominent if he smiled, or scowled.
He was tall, too. Probably six-three. Looking around the room, it appeared that nearly all male demons were tall as hell. Even the women.
"Great people of Besmet, thank you for joining me today for this momentous occasion!" the king boomed and the crowd cheered. "Some of you may have heard rumors that we have a new demon with us tonight, a hybrid." The crowd quieted, hanging onto his words. "It is true, my people. Khol the Merciless has returned home and with him, he brings his daughter!"
It was dead silent for about five seconds and then everyone went crazy. The noise was deafening and I felt a little overwhelmed. What was it about me that was so important? I was one person, was it just the fact that now they knew it was possible to have babies with witches?
“Let us eat and drink, afterward there will be music and dancing. I will introduce you all to the lovely Saige after dinner!”
My face was burning. They wanted me to go up there and get introduced to the hundreds of demons in this room? I was going to need several drinks before that happened.
All at once, people started making their way to a large dining hall that was just off the throne room. There were tables that must’ve been thirty feet long. Serving staff immediately started to bring out plates of salad.
“Come on, Goldie. We have to sit with my father at his table,” he sounded apologetic.
“It’s fine, I kind of figured that would be the case,” I smiled at him and hooked my arm through his.
“May I also escort you?” Khol asked, offering his arm as well. I smiled and Khol took my arm, wrapping it around his. Together, the three of us moved to the dining hall.
Khol surprised me. Going from the villain to the father figure in the blink of an eye, I’d hardly had time to process what I wanted from our new found relationship. He’d been so nervous when he walked into Bram’s home, I could tell by the shine on his forehead that he was sweating a little. Khol did not seem like the kind of man to get nervous, and that softened me toward him immediately. The nervousness he’d shown before was nowhere in sight now, though. He moved us through the crowd with purpose and from the nods he received from others, to the wide berth we were given, I knew he was respected here. Revered, probably. He’d done the impossible, after all.
After years of being rejected by my mother, I was a little taken aback at how quickly I’d warmed up to him. Daddy issues? Probably. But if Khol wanted to genuinely get to know me, I’d take everything he was offering because deep down, I really wanted to know who he was.
I felt so many eyes on me as we walked through the crowd and my body was starting to heat up from the unwanted attention.
"You're doing great, wild one. You look beautiful tonight, that's the main reason they're looking." Khol patted the top of my hand in a reassuring gesture that made my heart squeeze.
"Thank you. You look... well, almost exactly the same as the other times I've seen you," I chuckled and Bram laughed out loud.
"He's kind of obsessed with suits and looking put together all the time. Once, I invited him to the gym and he showed up in dress slacks and a crisp white button down shirt with suspenders. Suspenders, Goldie!" Bram laughed and so did I at the image, because I could totally see it.
"Laugh all you want, children. I still beat your ass, Bram. Didn't get a drop of blood or a wrinkle on my shirt either," Khol reminded him, puffing his chest out.
"Yeah, yeah, old man. You need someone to loosen you up a bit."
Khol stiffened slightly at that comment, but recovered quickly. "Having my daughter around will be sufficient. Anyone beyond her is unnecessary."
Well, that is just plain sad, but I couldn’t deny the warmth that spread in my chest at his declaration. He really wanted to be a part of my life. Before we could say another word, we'd reached the table and it looked like we were getting lucky tonight by sitting right at the head of the table next to King Thane. He was dressed in a tux as well, a crown on his head that was a gold band with words scripted on it.I wonder if I yank it off, will he Gollum out on me?Bram resembled his father only slightly. Thane's hair was black and his eyes were nearly matching. It was the shape of his face that was the same, the arch of the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes. Where as Bram always had this look about him that was a mixture of fun and crazy, Thane just looked... off.
As a woman, I'd lived through a lot. My asshole alarm was going off full blast as I eyed this man. The way he stared too long, like he was trying to make me uncomfortable, the way he didn't initiate any conversation, waiting for one of us to do so first, I knew this man was not a good one. I held his gaze, though. Fuck being intimidated by men who thought they were powerful and could just treat everyone else around them like shit. I recalled all of the little comments Bram had made about his father, and it bothered me that his father didn't treat him better. It bothered me a whole lot.
"Father, may I introduce Miss Saige Wildes, my date this evening," Bram bragged as he added that last part onto my introduction.
King Thane's eyes never left mine and in the awkward moments after Bram had spoken, they narrowed slightly before Bram leaned down and whispered, "You are supposed to greet him now, Goldie."
Fine.
