“You’re not his wife, yet,” the woman says, narrowing her eyes.
“Forgive me, you are?” My gaze grows cold and hard. I’m not accustomed to being spoken to like this, except by my sisters.
Inez takes my elbow, leaning in conspiratorially. “Scarlet, of the line of the Gods.”
A Demi-goddess then. She would expect my obeisance in the mortal world, but here I’m Kane’s bride. “A pleasure.”
Scarlet smirks cruelly, taking a sip of the spirits in her glass. “Don’t get too comfortable, mortal, your time here will be short.”
“Why is that?” I can’t help but ask, even though my heart is pounding with nerves.
“Kane will grow bored with you soon enough. He always does with these mortal brides.” Scarlet’s eyes are like pools of thorns, muddled brown but sharp. “After all, how could a mortal compare to her?”
I turn, following Scarlet’s red fingernail towards a woman she’s indicating. I feel sick as I study the woman, but I keep my face a mask of calm. Her dark brown hair cascades down her back in waves. Her skin is like ebony and shimmering gold in the soft light of the throne room. She wears a wine-red silk gown, and it hugs her lean figure, tight enough that her breasts almost spill out of it. The woman leans forward a centimeter, laughing. Her teeth are pointed.
“Who is that?” The words slip from my lips before I can stop them.
Cassius sighs, as if bored. “Lilith. A Lady of the Vampire Court.”
“She was Kane’s lover for centuries,” Inez says, her hand slipping from my elbow.
“And he always goes back to her,” Scarlet adds with a smirk.
My head is whirling, and my heart feels too small and tight for my body. I drag my eyes away. “Tell me more about the court. Prince Cassius, to what realm do you belong?”
Inez interrupts as Cassius opens his mouth to reply. “Cassius is a demon. And you don’t have to call him Prince—it only strokes his already enormous ego. I’m a vampire, in case you were wondering.”
“And entirely insane,” Cassius snaps.
Inez grins wickedly. “How else would a thousand years of living be fun?”
I fall silent, listening to Inez and Cassius bicker back and forth. Scarlet drifts away and I can’t say I’m not grateful she’s gone. I take another sip of the wine, letting it fill my head with pleasant humming. My eyes rove over the demons, vampires, dragons, and demigods in the room. Kane’s Court is more powerful than anything I could have ever imagined. The noblemen and women in my Father’s court are nothing in comparison to this. I am nothing compared to this.
Chapter 10
Kane
The night of the ball is at hand and it’s the last thing on my mind; the bottom of my list of priorities. But I shrug on my suit jacket and button it deftly. Outside my windows, the city glows with festive lights, hung in honor of my new bride. Jovial, fast-paced music flows through my closed windows. I pause beside them, tempted to open the stained-glass and let the sound fill my room. But I don’t. I reach for the mask resting on my windowsill.
My door clicks open and I recognize the fresh, sunny perfume of my mother. Desona strides into the room, her pure white gown flowing behind her. I sigh, rubbing at my temples. Ten seconds and I’m already sick of her. Desona hardly glances at the room, making a beeline straight for me. She opens her arms and I step into them dutifully. She clings to me as if I was on my death bed. I give her a few seconds before I pull away, hiding my grimace.
“Mother,” I say.
"Kane, it's good to see you." Her voice is like honey and summer wind. She wrinkles her nose. "Is that what you're wearing?"
“It is,” I quip, settling the black mask on my face. The mask is dyed leather. It covers my face completely and has two horns jutting from the forehead. It suits me.
“And that mask? Darling, I think you wore that to the last masquerade,” Desona says, pursing her lips.
“It’s been a century since the last, mother, I doubt anyone will remember.” I head for the door, ushering her out.
“I remember,” she says curtly.
“Anyone besides you,” I correct. I take her elbow, leading her down the hall towards the throne room. “How have things been in the Lands of Light?”
“Oh, much the same. You know how Basil is.” She rolls her eyes, thinking of the God of Lightning and Storms, and then snaps them towards me accusingly. “Don’t try to distract me with gossip. Tell me about this mortal of yours.”
I close my eyes and inhale deeply. Since my mother sent me the first letter last week, I’ve heard nothing from her. But I know she’s burning with questions and judgments. Briar has been assisting me in my efforts to find the Nephilim. It’s been difficult focusing on the investigation with Briar hovering beside me, smelling like almonds and honey. But we’ve grown closer, little by little, and eliminated all of the recorded Nephilims. I’m certain it’s a rogue, created by another rogue, and so on and so forth. I press my lips into a thin, hard line. I want to be out with the city guard, patrolling the streets. The Nephilim won’t be able to resist all of the festival-goers in the city.
“Kane?” My mother snaps.
“Don’t worry,” I sigh. “You’ll meet the little Princess soon enough.”
We pause outside the door to the throne room. Music filters through the heavy doors, shadows dance below the door. Inside, the entirety of my Court and friends of my mother are dancing. My thoughts wander to Briar and I wonder if she’s up for the intensity of the partygoers. She was quiet after she spent a few hours with my Court. But I refused to ask, and she didn’t tell me.
“Well, where is she?” Desona asks, her voice brittle and sharp.
“She’s coming, mother,” I drawl. Desona has always been
