Page 34 of Imbalance
Drayven's growl had me reaching over to twine my fingers with his. I answered honestly. "My father. My best friend. My mates’ families. They are all in danger. My people are in danger, and even if they don't want me, I refuse to give up on them."
The minute the words were out of my mouth, I realized how true they were, and it made me feel unsettled—as if I was learning something about myself I hadn't realized. Still, what I was saying to him felt important, as if I was already pleading my case.
Jace's eyes went dark as his lips twisted, "Your father is in danger?"
"Held captive," I whispered.I refused to believe anything else.
He swallowed, looking out the window, "I'm sure we will figure out something."
Trying to ignore the nervous anxiety I felt, I leaned forward, trying to get a view of the castle we were slowly approaching.
It was a bit further away than I had thought, but damn, was the view approaching it gorgeous. It reminded me of something out of a picture. The massive, tan stone walls and billowing light fabrics that seemed to escape the open large windows added a lightness to the fortress I wouldn't have expected.
The purple and gold flags, while standing out, didn't seem formal or stiff, but dancing in the breeze. The faint floral scent that seemed to fill the kingdom grew especially strong as we approached, the workers of the castle all clearly distinguishable in the light blue tops and casual tan pants they wore. I found myself realizing what a drastic contrast this was to even the workers I'd seen at the Summit, all of whom had worn stiff and uncomfortable clothes that had looked itchy to the touch.
Everything here was just...beautiful and soft, like a dream. That was the only way to describe it.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Jace asked, and I nodded, feeling a bit dazed.
Once our carriage came to a stop, Drayven got out first and helped me down, Jace making an annoyed sound from behind but not commenting. When he was next to me and immediately leading me forward with a hand on my lower back, I looked back at my men, who were emerging from the other carriages looking both angry at Jace and a bit panicked at my distance. I offered them a small headshake, not wanting to cause problems when we were this close speaking with the king and queen.
As we stepped through the first arch-way of the grand castle, I was immediately caught off guard by how the soldiers positioned along the entrance saluted us. I only grew more confused as workers from the castle who milled about the hallway we were walking down bowed in passing, the clear formality in contrast to the bright smiles on their faces.
"Hey, Jace..." I looked back at my men, noticing that they all looked tense and uncomfortable. I didn't think it had to do with the looks the guards were offering them, either.
"Almost there, love." He squeezed my hand, which he'd somehow taken hostage as I looked around, examining the high ceilings and every gorgeous element of the palace.
When we reached a set of two-story turquoise doors inlaid with amethyst jewels, nervousness seeped through my system at the realization that we were about to meet royalty—something I'd never had a good experience with.
The doors were opened by guards from the inside, revealing a massive, square throne room with large, open windows to either side and an elevated surface at the back, where two gorgeous thrones sat. The room was essentially empty, except for the guards...and two people I had to assume were the king and queen.
I assumed because I'd never seen royalty like them.
The king was sitting forward on the throne to the left, his gaze completely focused on the woman standing in front of him, telling a story he seemed to find fascinating. His face seemed familiar, his golden skin complimenting his golden eyes, which seemed to spark with amusement at whatever he was being told.
His crown was casually set to the side instead of sitting on top of his caramel and red highlighted brown hair, which lay messily on his head. He was handsome, even for someone who was clearly older, and the black leathery wings lazily shifting behind him had me suspecting that he was an Incubus...and maybe Hellhound? Man, this felt like a fun guessing game every time I met someone new.
Also, I couldn't believe there was someone else with black wings. I swallowed feeling a bit of excitement because, how cool was that? Seriously, I’d never met anyone like me before, it made me feel…not so alone.
The woman standing a step down from the king was almost his complete opposite and stood out in stark contrast to the warm tones around her. She was tall and lithe, and despite being icy pale with dark, almost raven-black hair, she didn't appear unhealthy. Rather, she almost glowed with a silver light that seemed to brighten as she laughed about something, filling the space with a happy sound that had me relaxing. I knew she was part Reaper, but her dark hair had me guessing she was also part Wraith—something that was confirmed when she turned sharply, her loose, light blue gown flowing around her, and her dark eyes landing on us in surprise.
"Jace! You're late," she scolded before flashing a smile that sparked a surge of jealousy at her familiarity with my mate...but trust me, it only lasted a minute.
"Sorry, Mom," he chuckled.
Wait, what?
I froze as Jace looked at me, his smile partly amused while he attempted to keep an innocent expression, as if he hadn't just called this woman,Mom.
"Oh shit." I was almost positive Nico said that, but I was far too focused on what was going on.
"Is this her?!" His mom was suddenly in front of me, her gaze exactly like Jace's.Well shit.This really was his mom. My eyes flicked up to her crown as I realized that Jace's mom was the queen, which made Jace...
I turned sharply towards him, "You're a devildamnedprince?"
Jace's smile grew, and he nodded casually, putting his hands in his pocket. "Sure am, love."
Good. Perfect. Just fucking perfect. Another overbearing prince was exactly what I needed.
