“Hello, Mother,” I greeted her, pouring myself a third glass of blood wine. “I can’t imagine what I have to brood about. It’s not like my entire life hasn’t been promised to a viper or anything.”
My mother, Lux, Queen of Noxia, stepped into the moonlight illuminating the room through the glass ceiling above. She embodied the darkness, just as I did, with her long, dark hair and equally black eyes. We were products of the literal night, our demonic kind thriving in the shadows unlike any other.
Except maybe my adopted brother, Adrik—he was the only remaining demon from the now dead Shadow Kingdom.
“Napia isn’t a viper. She’s a water demon,” my mother corrected with a stern look only a mother could give. “Tame her snakes and you’ll get on just fine.”
“Tame her snakes,” I repeated. “Right. Do you think I should dangle a tray of mice before them? Or should I set the mi
ce loose in a room and watch her chase them with her head?”
My mother wasn’t amused by my commentary, but it certainly painted an entertaining vision in my mind.
“She’ll be here in four weeks for the engagement party. That’s four weeks for you to fix this outlook before I’m forced to intervene on your behalf.”
“Would that include calling off the agreement?” I mused out loud. “Because if that’s the case, I’m game.”
“Honestly, Grigory, you’re nearly twenty-five. When will you behave like an adult?”
“When my mother stops choosing brides for me?” I suggested, arching a brow. “I’m perfectly capable of picking my own wife.”
“Then present one to me by the date of your nuptials, and I’ll reconsider the arrangement,” she replied as she always did to this argument. “Otherwise, we move forward.”
“Why do I need to marry on my twenty-fifth birthday? You’re not married.”
“It’s what was written into the stars for your ascension. If you disagree, take it up with Lucifer.”
“Oh, you mean your lover?” I countered, still livid about that little affair. “Why don’t you talk to him on my behalf after you finish sucking his cock? I’m sure—”
Her palm cracked across my cheek, jarring me from my sprawled position in my chair and reminding me whom I’d just disrespected. Not just my mother, but the Almighty of the Underworld.
But fuck if I could care.
This entire damn arrangement was ludicrous, and everyone knew it. Even her. Yet she was forcing me to abide by some ridiculous prophecy as if it were the sole reason for my existence.
“Do not speak to me like that again,” she seethed. “I know you’re upset that I kept Valora a secret, but surely you understand by now why it was done.”
“To fulfill a prophecy,” I muttered. “Like everything else in this fucking world.”
“If you hate it so much, you’re welcome to leave.” It was a calmly worded suggestion that she knew I’d never accept.
Noxia was my home.
My future.
My kingdom.
Even if I didn’t agree with the path to ascension. “You’ve met Napia,” I said, taking another route. “She’s a horrible female. Noxia will despise her.”
“You’ll keep her in line.”
“Will I?” I snorted. “There has to be another way, Mother.”
“I’m certain there is,” she agreed. “But if you think I’ll be the one to find that path for you, you’re mistaken. This is your rise to power, son. Stop wasting your time brooding about a future you appear to despise and find a way to fix it.”
“You never spoke to Adrik this way,” I said as she turned to leave.
“Adrik never required the hand-holding,” she returned, disappearing into her trademark red smoke.