Page 63 of Insurrection
“Bullshit,” Nico’s father growled, pounding his fist on the table. “This is bullshit.”
I watched his emotional explosion with pleasure as the House of Fallen sat. Drayven continued as if nothing had happened. “House of Hellfire?”
Damien’s father stood and walked towards the podium, eyeing the entire room. “It is clear to me that there has been tension since the start of this Summit. However, as always, Hellfire plans to vote for the most dominant and powerful house. That has been, and continues to be, the House of Death.”
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?!” Nico’s father demanded.
“Sit,” my father snapped, “Unless you are speaking, Marcelo, you do not interrupt.”
“It ismyturn,” the man snarled, rounding the table to stand in front of us. “Is this the realm we’ve become? A realm where we accept dirty, tainted hybrids as a viable power option? It’s fucking disgusting and disappointing.”
“You didn’t seem to find it disgusting when you were trying to fuck her the other night,” Colt growled, causing everyone to stare at him as King Marcelo’s face turned nearly purple.
“I was just proving what a whore she is, which is something your own father has claimed,” he pointed out, following up with a slimy smile, “Besides, just because she’s a whore doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have fucked her. Here in the House of Sin, we don’t judge who you take to bed. But as a leader? Absolutely not.”
Colt’s father stood and responded, one hand resting on his son’s shoulder, “While it’s true that I don’t approve of Ama’s choices, that is not why I am not voting for her. Outside of being a hybrid, the young woman is the future of her house but does not show the ability to lead. She doesn’t even show up, except to parties and dinners.”
I so badly wanted to disagree.
“Have you fallen under her spell as well?!” Nico’s father demanded. “She has managed to seduce all our sons, attempting to mix the blood lines and ruin the purity. How can any of you stand for that? Stand for the idea of that piece of trash running—”
I stood then, my chair screeching, and everyone looked at me as I put my fists down on the table and leaned forward, meeting King Marcelo’s gaze dead on and trying to convey how close he was to death. “I highly suggest you stop talking about Ama like that. You are threatening any alliances you have that support her because of how you are handling this. I suppose it's something we should expect from you, but your plea for attention is disgusting. If you continue to speak about her in a disrespectful manner, I will kill you.”
“You threaten him?” Finias’ father demanded.
“It’s not a threat,” I leveled and then looked back at Nico’s father. “You’ve been warned.”
“How can we trust your word when you have become one of her lovers?!” the bastard demanded, looking a bit more shaken than before. Good. I wasn’t trying to be scary, but apparently I was doing something right.
“Because not all of us think with our dicks,” Nico growled finally, and his father stared at him in shock. I couldn’t help but smile at him calling his father out.
“You as well?” He looked at his son with disgust, “When we told you to seduce the woman, I didn’t expect you to become such a pussy over her.”
I put a pin in the‘Nico was told to seduce Ama and I may have to kill him if his feelings were not authentic and he hurts her’concept. I spoke up again.
“Not only is it archaic and sexist to shame someone for the amount of lovers they have—similar to the ridiculous notion of purity of the bloodlines—but before the devil went into eternal rest, it was done all the time. Only in this new age has the notion of being ‘pure’ become important, and it is because of all of you. We created this toxic environment. There is no heritage or culture associated with it. Just hate. It ends now.”
“It does not!” the King of Runes interrupted, standing. “The mixing of blood lines is disgusting.”
“No, it's not,” Finias said, softly but firmly. His mother shot him a look that was loaded with malice, but Finias didn’t react, continuing to look at the rest of the room as if he’d never spoken.
“You have no proof she has taken them as lovers, anyway,” Colt’s father stated evenly to the House of Runes, not meeting the gaze of his son, who was looking at him with frustration. “Don’t go around accusing our sons of something when your own is practically painted in blood.”
“Because he knows his place,” Finias’ mother hissed.
I didn’t know Finias well, but from the way he was staring at King Marcelo, mixed with his reputation, I seriously felt like warning Nico’s father that he might not survive the night. Not that it would be a loss in any way, shape, or form.
It was then that Ama made the decision she had heard enough. I felt her before I saw her, my entire body shifting forward as she darted down from where she’d been waiting and watching, landing silently as King Marcelo continued to rant and rave. Something I was no longer listening to. She stretched to her full height from crouching, snapping her wings shut as she offered the man a disgusted look and strode towards him.
It was obvious how upset she was about everything she’d heard and, in part, I wished she hadn’t been able to hear the vile shit they had spewed. The room had gone quiet except for Nico’s father. She circled the man, watching him with a predatorial energy and causing him to jolt and go silent. I couldn’t lie, the woman looked deadly right now, dressed completely in black with heeled boots that were absolutely lethal looking. Beneath the tough exterior, though, I saw vulnerability and hurt.
Her bruised neck was on display, as she’d boldly chosen to wear a tank top instead of the turtle neck she had been debating over. But the downlighting cast a shadow from her chin over her neck. That, in combination with her dark locks pulled to the front, concealed the bruising ever so slightly.
When Ama pointed to the King of Sin’s seat, he practically sprinted away from her. She looked around the room, pausing on Nico for a minute, before addressing all of us. I didn’t miss the hurt in her eyes when she’d looked at the Incubus. Yeah, he was going to suffer for that admission that he had been told to seduce her.
“If you don’t mind, House of Runes, I would like to speak before you do,” she said emotionlessly as everyone watched her with equal measures of fear and awe. The awe might have been from the six of us men, to be fair. When they didn’t respond, she nodded sharply and stood in front of the podium, clearly trying to sort through what to say. Or, at least appearing to—I knew Ama knew exactly what to say.
“I had mulled quite some time over who to vote for, since I can’t vote for our own house,” she stated softly before looking at the House of Fallen. “My first thought was the House of Fallen because, despite their clear distaste for me, I can’t deny that they are fantastic leaders. I had also considered the House of Hellfire, as their military capabilities and strategy far outweigh any of the other houses. Then, of course, there was the House of Shadows, which is made up of some of the most level-headed and calm individuals I know.”
