Page 30 of Insurrection
A droplet of rain landed on my face as I looked up at the slightly cloudy skies, hoping for my sake it didn’t decide to storm this morning. I would desperately need to shift after this, and I knew shifting inside of the Summit grounds wasn’t exactly considered a ‘good move’ when it came to politics.
After all, while they might not admit it, most people were terrified of Hellhounds—and for good reason. In that form, it was all too easy to massacre an entire room of people in seconds flat, regardless of their powers.
Muttering under my breath, I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of wings in the air. My head snapped up and my chest seized momentarily, my heart nearly stopping, as a dark, stunning, almost angelic figure landed a few feet away.
Gorgeous black wings shifted against the wind as their elegant owner folded them in, making them all but disappear.Holy hell.I had seen Succubus wings before, but none like that. My eyes ran over every inch of the woman in front of me as my mouth nearly dropped, my cock hardening uncomfortably.
What the fuck was going on with me? I clenched my fists to avoid shifting, but a low growl must have escaped because the woman’s head snapped up and she met my gaze head on. I expected her to look away as most people did, but instead, she tilted her head and offered me a smile.
“You look like you don’t want to be here anymore than I do.” Her voice had chills running up my skin, and my body tensed as she drew closer. At the same time, my brain seemed to slow, my thoughts turning hazy, as I examined every inch of her gorgeous face. The predator inside of me curled up like a pup as I fought the urge to tug this woman close and run my nose along her neck. I wanted to memorize her scent and then cover her in my own.
Fuck. This could not be normal.
“Who are you?” My voice was raspy and curious.
Her smile grew as she thrust out a hand, “Ama, heir to the House of Death. Lover of all food and hater of all stuffy political engagements, such as the one we are about to attend.”
I chuckled, unable to help smiling at the quirky woman, whose cheeks were now stained by a blush. She seemed almost embarrassed, as if she hadn’t meant to introduce herself that way, but I absolutely loved it. I found myself almost desperately wanting her to be comfortable with me—while I was painfully attracted to the woman, I would also take any ally I could get when it came to surviving this bullshit.
“Well, Ama, I’m Damien,” I grasped her soft and delicate outstretched hand, holding it longer than necessary, “heir to the House of Hellfire.”
“I figured as much, what with the crown and the growling.” She flashed a dangerous smile that had my own growing. Damn it. Why was this woman so appealing?
“Growling?” I mused. I knew I did it, but usually it was when I was angry—or, in this case, turned on. Hopefully, she couldn’t tell that, although she was a Succubus...I arched my brow, suddenly realizing what it was about this woman that was so unique. I tried to keep my jaw from unhinging and hitting the floor with my shock.
Holy hell...she was a hybrid. Reaper and Succubus.It was something I should have found unappealing, but instead, it only made her that much more attractive. My parents’ advisors would have said her hybrid nature made her “lesser” and that she wasn’t as dominant or powerful as we were.
I could tell you that was about as far from the truth as possible. Her magic felt radical and dangerous against my skin, but instead of working me up like the magic of those outside my own house usually did, I felt calmer than I had in ages. The contrast was absolutely intoxicating.
“Oh, totally.” She nodded earnestly before offering a sweet smile, “I liked it though.”
And oddly, that made me preen like a damn peacock. She liked my growls.
“Ama!” The deep voice calling her name in a frustrated tone instantly had me on edge. A rumble started in my chest as I tugged her behind me, watching the entrance to the courtyard with apprehension.
My action elicited a surprised sound from the woman, but she pressed a hand to my back, leaning into me and almost causing me to turn around. That wouldn’t be good though. No, I needed to avoid physical touch with this woman as much as possible. She made my skin feel like it was on fire—in a completely different way than I was used to.
“Dray,” she chided, seemingly amused at the Reaper who rounded the corner. “Stop using that tone. You make people think you’re mad at me or going to hurt me.”
The Reaper’s eyes narrowed on me briefly before jumping to hers, a frown on his face, “I am mad at you, though. You can’t take off like that. Especially when there are members of houses around here who aren’t nearly as friendly to ours as Hellfire.”
He wasn’t wrong. My parents wouldn’t want me to be aggressive toward the girl. The same, however, couldn’t be said for the other houses.
“Drayven.” He introduced himself, and I shook his hand, not bothering to give him my name since he’d already surmised I was from Hellfire. I had a feeling he was well aware of who I was. In fact, I had a feeling that this man knew everything and everyone at the Summit. He had a calculating and slightly cold demeanor that gave off a “don’t fuck with me unless you want me to expose your weakness and kill you” vibe.
Was he her bodyguard? While that might be his job and official reason for being here, it definitely wasn’t the only one. There was a possessiveness in his gaze when he looked at her that revealed deeper motives.
If he was in charge of Ama’s safety, I wouldn’t blame him for getting worked up about her running off.
There weren’t many individuals bold enough to outright threaten one of the other houses, especially not their heirs, but somehow, I think exceptions might be made for Ama. Not only was she a hybrid, which would cause a lot of controversy by itself, but she was also the House of Death’s heir.
A house that had continuously held the Supreme position for several cycles.
A position that was envied by even my parents, who usually didn’t make a large bid for it.
Why had her father sent her with only one guard if he wasn’t here to represent their house? I found myself getting pissed at her father for putting her in such a precarious situation.
My jaw clenched imagining the scenario if she had instead run into the rulers from the House of Fallen. They were a prideful group who weren’t secretive about their extreme dislike for hybrids. They were also deadly. I would have to keep an eye on Ama. There were too many threats, and with the way she was flying around alone, I had a feeling that she wasn’t well aware of them.
