Elora
Lucifer drove slowly as if prolonging our arrival. I bit my lip. “A few guys were asking about you this morning,” I informed.
He looked annoyed as he nodded. “Most of them think I’m dead.” “Why would they think that?” I rushed out, concern filling me.
“The clans never see me. When I go on missions, I only speak to the clan leaders,” he explained.
It sounded like he was more of a rumor than an actual person, which made me sad. I bet they all wanted to see him; I knew I would. Despite his confident, carefree attitude, I think there was a deeper reason he stayed away. He went out of his way to not be seen, even though he clearly ranked highly in his world. “Do they make you nervous?” I asked cautiously.
Lucifer smirked. “No, Baby, they don’t make me nervous. They irritate and exhaust me,” he admitted.
I let out a small giggle. It was worth asking, but I doubted it in the first place. Eugene once used a word to describe Quin, but I think it was better used on Lucifer. Unfuckwithable, was what he said.
“Felix wants to introduce you to the clans when we arrive,” Lucifer informed.
So soon? I just got out of school. I didn’t know what to say. Did I have to say anything? Felix said I wouldn’t have to, but I didn’t want everyone to think I was weird if I just stood there like an airhead. I bit my lip. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked.
“Tell them to go fuck themselves,” he smirked.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” I squeezed his hand in mine. “I don’t want to look weak or shy in front of your followers,” I pleaded.
His eyes roamed the road as he thought. “You won’t be alone on that stage, Kitten. You’ll have all of us with you. The clans already fear you–”
“Fear me?” I scoffed. “I’m about as intimidating as a teddy bear.”
Lucifer raised his eyebrows, nodding in agreement. “Yes, but if any of them even look at you in a disrespectful manner, they know they’ll be answering to us.”
Oh. Well, I didn’t want anyone to be scared of me either… Although, it was nice to have a safety cushion from my guys. Still, I wanted to make a good genuine impression. I’d be offended if the clans sucked up to me because they wanted to make a good impression on my guys. I was the master of sucking up and kissing ass to get what I wanted, and I knew it when I saw it.
Lucifer let go of my hand and touched my thigh, sliding his hand under my skirt. I raised my eyebrows, feeling cautious with how casually he moved. He didn’t move his hand from my thigh; I took it as a warning. “There will be rules for the next few days. If you break them, you won’t walk for a week, am I clear?” He gave me a stern look.
I quickly nodded. “I know I’m not supposed to be alone.”
“No, you’re not. Unless you’re with one of the others, you will be at my side,” he ordered. “If you try to toy with us like you did to Dane this morning, I’ll fuck you in front of the clans,” he threatened.
Averting my eyes, I felt my cheeks heat. “You wouldn’t–” I quickly took note of the warning glance he gave me and covered my mouth in shock. “You would!”
“If a vampire speaks to you, don’t respond unless we give you permission. It sounds harsh, but because of your rank, most of them aren’t permitted to speak to you unless spoken to. If they do, it’s a sign of disrespect towards you and us,” he explained.
“Most importantly, if you aren’t comfortable, want to leave a room, or something as simple as getting a bad feeling, tell us. This is your home, Kitten, remember that.”
Letting the rules sink in, I nodded. I had no plans on breaking them. Most of them were simple enough, and things I did anyway. There was no scenario where I’d go out of my way to make conversation with a random vampire. I wouldn’t want to leave their sides anyways. Also, I was clearly not in my proper mindset this morning with Dane. I didn’t usually act so… slutty.
Truth be told, I was still petrified and recovering from the last punishment I got. I definitely wouldn’t do anything to get myself punished
again.
Lucifer turned a corner and drove down our driveway. Taking a nervous breath, I began to feel anxious about the clans behind the doors.
He gave my thigh a squeeze as he turned the car off. “Don’t get out yet,” he demanded as he got out. I stayed in the passenger seat, unbuckling my belt as he walked around the car. He put his hood up before opening the door for me.
I bit back a smile. I knew he only opened my door for me because it was safer, but I was going to pretend it was a romantic gesture.
Lucifer looked slightly offended as he pushed his head back. “Pretend?” He repeated.
It wasn’t a bad thing. Lucifer wasn’t the most romantic or loving person, that’s all. He shows affection in different ways. He loved with looks and small gestures. It was special and specific to him and his personality, and I preferred his unique love language over stereotypical romantics.
“Did you get all that, or do you want me to verbalize it?” I joked.
He grabbed my hand, the slightest smile making its way into his lips. “I’ve got it,” he placed a small kiss on the top of my head as he led me inside.
His demeanor changed as we entered the manor. He looked on guard and irritated. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he didn’t like being around the clans.
I was eager for this little meet and greet to be over so we could leave everyone. Not for me, for him. I was sure the only reason he would appear in front of the clans at all was for me.
We stood outside the doors to the ballroom, and I glanced up at Lucifer nervously. He ran his hand through my hair, tidying any wild curls that went rogue throughout the day.
“Ready?” He asked.
Wrapping my other hand around his forearm, I clung to his arm. Staring directly ahead, I nodded.
The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open. I internally cringed as what felt like a million red eyes immediately fell upon us.
Felix said there would be about a few hundred men… there were easily five hundred. I desperately wanted to retreat, to take off running to my room. But I couldn’t act so childish when this meant so much to my guys.
Keeping my eyes locked in front of me, I made it a point not to make eye contact with any of them. It was easier if they were just bodies in a room, not hundreds of people judging my every move. I thought I’d known pressure before, but now, I realize I’d never known true judgment.
I could feel the skepticism radiating off of every wall in the room. My palms got sweaty, and Lucifer ran his thumb over my hand as he walked us deeper into the room. Keeping my posture straight, I walked with him, glued to his arm. I looked ahead of us at the rest of my guys. They looked so handsome! They were all dressed in suits that cost more than most people’s cars. They were sitting on a stage at the front of the ballroom. The chairs weren’t exactly thrones but were ancient and fancy-looking. Where did they get those from?
Duke locked eyes with me and gave me a comforting smile that made me relax a bit. Quin and Eugene were looking around the room, and I didn’t miss the harsh glances they were sending. Theo was grinning at me as he sent a flirty wink my way. Was he trying to make me blush in front of all these people? Dane was lightly tapping his index finger on the armrest of his chair, watching Lucifer and me as we walked through the tables of vampires. Felix was standing at the edge of the stage, giving me a proud look.
Halfway through, I started picking up quiet whispers echoing off the walls.
“I thought he died?” “That’s her?”
“Are they all boning her?”
“This motherfucker disappears for hundreds of years and shows up in a hoodie and sweatpants.”
“I can’t blame them; look at her ass.”
“It’s unnatural. I won’t bow to a teenage human.” “She’s cute, but I doubt they’ll keep her for long.” “Who’s that with her?”
“She looks kind. Give the kid a chance.”
“This must be a joke; she can’t even walk on her own.” “If I join their clan, do I get to fuck her too?”
“I expected more from our king than a five-foot preteen.”
“This is the girl that was begging Dane to fuck her all morning? He certainly has more willpower than me.”
“It looks like she got what she wanted, I can smell him all over her,” someone else added with an icky laugh.
Oh goodness.
I… didn’t think I could do this. I tried to focus on some of the nice things people said, but the bad outweighed the good. Their comments were insulting and rude. I knew I shouldn’t take anything personally, but my feelings were hurt.
Suddenly, I couldn’t hear what anyone was saying anymore. I could hear voices, but it sounded like everyone was speaking in a different room. Huh? I glanced around, looking at a few of them.
They were definitely speaking, but I couldn’t understand a thing. Their voices sounded muffled, like a giant pillow was placed over their faces.
Oh no. Was I sick? My hearing went out! “I’m doing it,” Lucifer said in my mind.
I raised my eyebrows, looking up at him. I didn’t know he could do something like that, but I was grateful. I was nervous enough as it was without the hundreds of vulgar comments.
Seeing movement, I looked at the stage again. Theo was standing up, saying something to the crowd. He looked angry and strangely threatening. I wish I could have heard what he said.
“No, you don’t.”
Theo had never been good about keeping his composure. All my guys were protective, but Theo had no filter, so I could only imagine the threats that spilled from his lips like venom.
We finally got to the stage, walking up the three short steps to the platform. I was grateful to be away from the tables of vampires, but now all their eyes were staring at me from a better angle.
Lucifer gave me my hearing back, and it felt like I was pulled up from underwater. I blinked a few times, noticing how quiet it was. There was no more loud chatter or whispering.
Lucifer walked me over to Felix, where he let go of my hand, giving me a pointed look before he left to lean against the wall in the corner.
I looked at Felix through my lashes as he wrapped his arm around my waist. His features darkened as his gaze shifted to look at the crowd. “If Theo didn’t already, let me make this very clear. If any of you have a comment about Elora–”
“The Princess,” Theo added.
“You can come to Quin, Theo, Eugene, or myself at the end of the day,” Felix finished. I hoped no one was stupid enough to make a comment. I had a sneaking suspicion the conversation would be one-sided and very, very short.
All the men averted their eyes, clearly intimidated. Not so tough now… “Gentlemen, many of you may have heard rumors or speculations of my
clan recently. The truth has gotten twisted and over-complicated,” Felix began. I watched him in awe, admiring how effortlessly confident he was in front of a massive crowd. “The truth is simple; we fell in love with a human.”
He had captured my full attention, and I was unable to look away from him. My heart fluttered at the confidence in his tone.
There were a few hushed mumbles, and it was clear I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by Felix’s openness.
Felix glanced down at me briefly before looking back at the clans. “I don’t expect you to accept her, but you will respect her. You may not like that she’s a human, but over the next couple of days, you’ll quickly see the qualities that she possesses that will make her a great queen.”
Go on…
“Elora is everything that we’re not. She is kind, gentle, and forgiving to a fault. She somehow sees the good in everyone, even the cruelest of vampires,” he said.
Awe, say more nice things.
“She’s our perfect match in every way. As vampires, we all have darkness in us, a lifeless hollow that plagues our chests. After thousands of years, we found our light in the most unexpected person,” he looked down at me with a small smile.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
He looked back at the crowd. “I’ve never failed you. I’ve made decisions and sacrificed many things to keep our kind strong and thriving. I haven’t always been kind or understanding, but with her, I’m learning–we all are,” he glanced at my other guys.
“You may see her as a weakness; you may even be daft enough–” I flicked his arm at the rude remark. He was doing so good. A few chuckles were heard in the crowd, and Felix smirked down at me. “You may be closed-minded enough to think having her as your future queen makes your own clans weaker,” he corrected. Better.
“Trust me when I say there’s nothing weak about her. Under the pink frills and blonde curls, she’s as stubborn as Quin is. She’s as understanding and patient as Duke. She’s intelligent like Dane. Like Eugene, she is cunning and quick-witted. She is as calculating as Lucifer. She even mastered the impossible task of putting Theo in his place–”
Someone in the crowd let out a holler, cheering as they joked. “Finally!” The crowd of men let out their laughs, teasing Theo.
I smirked behind me at Theo, who shook his head with a false bashful smile. He loved the attention; he couldn’t fool me. Theo smirked at the crowd, waving them off. “We get it; I’m obnoxious, shut up,” he chuckled.
Felix and I shared a look before he continued his magnificent speech about how wonderful I was.
“I know she will be a great leader. I’ve always led with hatred, discipline, and a massive appetite for destruction. She will lead with grace, poise, and patience.” He looked around the crowd for a few seconds for emphasis. “Everything has been the same for thousands of years, and it’s time for a change. With Elora by our side, she will be a light amongst all vampires,” he said proudly.
Okay… I knew I couldn’t get pregnant, but I was going to let him try his hardest tonight. The things I was going to let this man do to me were infinite.
I didn’t know he felt that way. I honestly couldn’t believe he said so many nice things about me when his words fell upon deaf ears. They had their minds made up–
There was a sudden noise, and I looked into the crowd. A man, whose eyes held much more wisdom than his young face showed, stood up. He locked his eyes on me as he smiled, “Adelfés psychés,” he said as he raised a glass.
Huh? Everyone in the room looked between my guys and me as if they had just realized something still unbeknownst to me. The faces that intrigued me were the ones of my guys. They also looked at the man in wonder.
I looked up at Felix. “What does that mean?” I asked.
“Dimitri is like me, Kitten. He has a gift. He can see everyone’s aura.” Lucifer said, but even in my mind, his voice sounded far off, like he was thinking about something else.
Felix slowly looked down at me, a calmness in his eyes I didn’t see often. “It means soul mates.”
