Page 11 of Inheritance
Anger at the Dark Elf monarchs for their brutality and greed.
Anger at Luce for not listening to me and realizing I would never give him what he wanted.
And worst of all, anger at myself for not being strong enough to escape this place.
I couldn't help the small scream that burst from me as mounting frustration brewed within me over this bullshit situation. I had an immortal being—intended to be my fated mate—who was so fucking obsessed with the idea of having a mate that it didn't even matter to him what I wanted. That I’d had a life before I met him. That I had other people I cared about.
How rude of me to not just bow down at his feet and profess my undying love for a practical stranger, I know.
This wasn't just about my men, though… This was about being able to save my dad and Zurie and live my life the way I wanted to. I would never let someone else control my thoughts or actions. Not even the Fates could control me by telling me who I was destined to live my life with romantically.
As I had reiterated to Luce multiple times, while Ihadfallen for multiple men who were all my mates, it didn't mean they just got a free-for-all pass into my heart. They’d had to earn my respect and love through their actions.
While I couldn't say I was there with all of them just yet, I still found myself wanting to get there with them.
Damien, Adrien, Finias, and Dray all firmly held my heart in the palms of their hands, and Colt had recently found his way into a similar position. I was proud of the man he was becoming in spite of the trauma and grief he'd been working through since losing his parents. While he might not have reacted perfectly at first, and he had said a few things that had wounded me, I would be the first to admit that none of us was perfect. No one. Not even me. Colt had deserved a chance to redeem himself, and he had—tenfold.
Jace had shown recently that he was capable of adapting to accept the others, and he had always treated me with the utmost respect, even taking the time to apologize when he had brought up something that had hurt me. I looked forward to having more time with him to dive deeper into who he was at his core—what his dreams were, what his fears were...all of it.
My brows furrowed, and I brought my hands up to rub my face roughly as I thought of Nico. My broken and lost Incubus prince. Dropping my hands down into my lap on top of my crossed legs, I reflected on our last conversation together.
Recently, he had consistently hurt me with his actions and words, despite being given countless opportunities to correct himself. I’d understood his not wanting to share me. It stemmed from seeing his parents—and his kingdom in general—having open relationships. He wanted monogamy deep down, and that just wasn't in the cards for me.
It was an odd twist of fate that I had abhorred my mother for leaving us and seeking what we couldn't provide but then had been given seven—no, eight—mates, if I included Luce.
I hadn't figured out how I would tackle so many relationships after the war was over, as the war had held my full focus up until Luce had captured me. But what I did know was that I could never narrow it down to just one of them.
Was it possible my mom had felt the same way but had attempted to settle down for a few brief years when I was born? Perhaps she’d tried but had felt an aching in her heart she couldn't rid herself of.
I was turning into such a sap, giving my mother excuses for leaving us. Maybe it was because, at the core of my heart, I wanted to forgive. I wanted just one good reason to let go of all this resentment and hatred towards her. I knew it wasn't healthy to carry around these feelings, but I couldn't let go yet.
"Mistress!" the maid from earlier exclaimed as she entered once more and saw that I hadn't moved an inch in hours.
The devil and his dinner plans could go to Hell.Ohwait, we already were in Hell.
I chuckled darkly at my joke, but then I sighed heavily, completely at a loss on how to proceed. I didn't want to go to dinner—that much I knew.
I ignored her as I yawned and stretched my arms languidly. Maybe, if I ignored her, she would fuck off. Unfortunately, I had a feeling the woman took her job extremely seriously.
She tutted loudly as she stomped towards me, door closing with a loud thud behind her, "You cannot go to dinner looking like that! What are you doing?"
Rolling my eyes, I turned to look at her as she stopped next to my bed. Glancing up and down, I took her in. It really was hard to guess what age a supernatural creature was, but she seemed to be around the same age as Eryx.
Her dark chestnut hair was swept into loose curls styled on top of her head in an elegant updo. Her lips were thin, but it was hard to tell whether that was their natural state or they were thinned because of her displeased expression. She asked once more, "What are you doing? Get out of bed at once so I can help you get ready and avoid being ridiculously late."
Her grey eyes weren't cold, but they also weren't kind. It was obvious she just saw me as a job to do rather than an actual being with a soul and a life. Maybe that was how she justified allowing her boss to kidnap and imprison me.
I caught her off guard by turning around, cocking my head to the side, and asking, "How long have you worked here? For Luce?"
Her head recoiled like I'd slapped her before she blinked furiously and stammered, "I...I have...why are you asking such things? We don't have time for this!"
Shrugging, I answered with a bemused quirk of my lips, "I have all the time in the world, or haven't you heard? I'll be kept here, against my will, for eternity...or at least until I die because the devil himself has decided he owns my life. Apparently, being an immortal turns you into a bit of an over-controlling prick. Who knew?"
A soft gasp of horror came from her in response before she raised her hand to her chest in offense and countered, "You can't really feel that way about him.”
Her denial made me smile even wider. She turned, almost flustered, as she insisted, “He is a kind person with a huge heart."
The scoff that came from me was loud, and she paused briefly to scowl at me before continuing, "He has awaited the love of his life, his soul mate, for centuries. He's seen thousands of citizens of his realm find their other halves while laying his own head down on his pillow alone every night, wishing he could have what they did. Sure, he may be a bit new to all of this, but to call him names like that when he is trying his best is low."
