"Wrong." Finias stepped up close to me, smoothing his fingers up my jaw. “I stand with you.”
“Oh.” I could feel my cheeks heating as Nico shifted, drawing my attention.
“My house is not who I am. I have always thought my parents were bastards…but this is different. Their games have turned ruthless and deadly.”
Was it wrong that I already felt ten times better going into this meeting? I knew their opinions wouldn’t change the votes, but the emotional support really altered my perspective. Plus, while the votes were important, there was a deadly game being played, and support when it came to that was far more essential.
My gaze flew to Adrien, who was watching me with an affection that shouldn’t have been possible in the short time we’d known one another.
“My house stands with you,” Adrien stated without hesitation. “But you don’t ever need to question me, even if that wasn’t the case, beauty.”
Damnit. These men, I swear. How was I not supposed to have feelings for them when they acted like this?
“You should get ready,” Drayven suggested. “The vote starts at noon.”
My gaze met his. It was shadowed with concern, but the normal aggression that existed around the others was extinguished. He just seemed worried. I nodded and moved towards the bathroom right as Damien walked out. I leaned into the hug he gave me, his arms wrapping around and enveloping me.
I had been nervous about the voting ceremony before because I’d felt the need to prove myself. Now, I was cautious and furious because proving myself wasn’t the concern…it was surviving this damn Summit.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Adrien
I had never felt this way before. I wasn’t anxious—that wasn’t the correct word for it. It was a mixture between fury at what had occurred last night and an overall uneasiness about what was going to occur today.
I was on edge, wanting everything to go to plan because, if it didn’t, Ama’s life would continue to be in danger. I didn’t trust these bastards to leave things at the voting ceremony. The House of Runes and House of Sin wanted power too much. That much was clear from the manner in which they’d achieved their status.
They also hated Ama enough that I could see them justifying violence. Easily. As I’d told Ama, where the other house rulers had a secured place appointed by the devil himself, Sin and Runes had taken that into their own hands, and they were still extremely defensive over the fact. They felt as though they had to constantly fight for power, which bred a very dangerous attitude towards anyone they considered a threat.
I should have considered the House of Fallen a threat, but I didn’t. They might have been assholes, but they lived by a code of conduct that was stiff and unyielding. They wouldn’t kill Ama unless she attacked first, even if they despised her. Of course, the House of Shadows and House of Hellfire were no threat to her, so I found myself solely focused on the villains on either end of our u-shaped table.
This entire Summit had thrown me off my normal, calm and collected method of operating. All because of Ama. My stunning beauty.
I could practically feel her nervousness, despite not being within sight of the room and her power being concealed, and it was making me want to go to her. To comfort her. Of course, she had every right to be anxious, considering the circumstances, but I still didn’t like it. The woman deserved to live in the sun and experience every bit of beauty and glory that this realm had to offer her. Not to be stuck inside this estate with shady political dealings and the judgement of the purists who infected our realm.
I could handle that for her. I could handle anything for her. I would live in the shadows for her so that she didn’t have to. I inhaled, realizing that this…draw, a word I wasn’t sure quite described the compulsion I felt towards Ama, was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was so much more than attraction, and the more time I spent with her, the more I realized that there was no escaping it. I didn’t want to, but even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
I wasn’t the only one, either.
Which was why we were here, in this room, without her, waiting and watching for Ama to make her appearance. But not before we confirmed our suspicions about who was to blame for last night. As we waited for voting to begin, I could see certain people growing more surprised that my beauty had yet to show up. The ceremonial voting room was silent, yet screaming with tension, the air thick with a mixture of emotions that were practically rolling over my skin like rain water.
I could feel my mother watching me, and I was surprised she hadn’t asked me if I knew about Ama’s whereabouts. I had made it no secret to them how enamored I was with the woman, and instead of being surprised, they had seemed genuinely happy. Of course, they’d been concerned about her motivations for getting close to me, but I’d explained that Ama wasn’t like that. She didn’t play games. She destroyed them.
The woman was a goddess among men. Unconcerned about trivial political agendas and focused on the quality of life of those around her.
The lights within the room were low and relaxed, as if that would somehow ease the moment, and the front of the room was more brightly lit in the place where a podium stood, vacant and lonely. In a few short minutes, each house would plead their case, explaining why they should be voted in as Supreme. It was a pointless endeavor because I already knew who should be voted in, and now it was just a matter of convincing the others.
Our u-shaped table faced towards the podium, and my parents sat to my left side, the open seat to my right normally reserved for the current Supreme—or in this case, Ama, who was filling the position for her father. We had chosen to get here early to ensure her closest allies were nearest to her. So, on the opposite side of Drayven, who would be sitting next to Ama, were Damien and his parents. Next to them was the House of Fallen, followed by the House of Runes. On my parents' other side was the House of Sin.
“Where is she?” Nico’s father’s voice was filled with malice, and I watched his clear agitation with some measure of enjoyment. I knew he wasn’t directly asking the House of Runes, who had most likely arranged for the failed assassination, but you wouldn’t know that from how prickly and tense Finias’ father seemed to grow.
“Maybe we should just start the process,” Finias’ mother suggested as my father shook his head and let out a sigh. It was a barely noticeable move that let me know he was as frustrated with this process as I was.
I wanted more than anything for this to be over so that I could focus on more important things, like making Ama happy. Unfortunately, knowing this group as I did, it probably wouldn’t be that easy. It never was.
“Drayven is here,” Nico announced, and his parents glared at him for speaking when not spoken to. “I see no reason to put it off.”
That changed their glares to smiles, as if he had just done them a service. I saw Nico’s jaw clench, and I could practically feel the anger at his parents radiating off him. I would have been furious if I found out my parents had tried to do something to Ama, so I didn’t envy him.
Luckily, the House of Shadows was completely in the support of Ama and her father without any of my interference. I’d heard my parents talking about it only a night ago, before everything that had occurred at the ball, and I didn’t think their opinions had changed since then.
“Who else agrees?” Colt’s father asked, looking somewhat agitated. While he didn’t like Ama, and had made that very clear throughout the Summit, he was someone who thrived on order, so he would have likely preferred to wait hours than to break tradition on how to handle this.
“We do,” Finias’ father put his hand up, as did King Marcelo.
Colt’s father eyed my parents, my father shaking his head only once to make it clear where we stood, and then Damien’s parents, who seemed disgusted by the House of Sin’s suggestion.
Colt’s father ran a hand over his face and sighed, “Very well, our house will be the third vote to begin the voting declarations. We waited as lon
g as we could.”
I could barely hold my smile back because this only meant I would get to see Ama sooner. I had been wondering how impatient they would be, and clearly, the answer was extremely. I hadn’t been wrong in my assumption that the House of Sin and House of Runes were trying to rush the votes before Ama could make an appearance. It was almost pathetic how predictable they’d been.
I just wished it had been predictable enough for me to see this potential threat from the start. Then again, until Ama, I wouldn’t have paid any mind to the political tension because, as with anything regarding the House of Shadows, we kept to ourselves. Not anymore. Not when Ama was involved.
“Drayven, since Ama is not here, we will save her speech for last,” Colt’s father stated, clearly trying to appease the Reaper, who looked relatively annoyed but nodded. “Following that, in the normal order, would be the House of Shadows.”
One of the reasons that we had planned on Ama waiting to make her entrance—outside of making the two suspect houses sweat a bit—was to watch their reactions and see what they would say without her around. If pushed in the right direction, I had no doubt they would say something incriminating.
As my father stepped up, I realized I hadn’t given thought to what, exactly, he’d say. My parents had always voted in support of the House of Death, and recently, he’d stated to both my mother and me that he had no intention of fighting Death himself for the Supreme position. It was a fairly reasonable point of view. I suppose I expected him to say just that, but instead, my father spoke more than I had ever heard him say in public.
“The House of Shadows has no intention of trying to convince you to vote for our house,” he began, causing others to shift uncomfortably at how cool and calm his disposition was.
“After experiencing this century's Summit without King Alaric, it has become even more clear to us that the only house level-headed and unbiased enough to continue to push through a reasonable and collected agenda would be the House of Death.”
King Marcelo stood, looking furious, but stayed silent as my father eyed him with distaste. He continued, his voice sharper than before, yet filled with an uncharacteristic amount of passion. “Their heir is young and inexperienced, something we can all relate to because of our own children, but I have no doubt she will bring a fresh perspective to things and will speak for many instead of just a few. This war against hybrids has gone on for a very long time, and I think it is beyond outdated. I know that some of my more level-headed comrades will agree.”
He finally looked right at Drayven, “I can say with finality that our vote will be going to the House of Death.”
My mother nodded happily and squeezed my forearm. I knew how he felt about hybrids, but because we were so private, it was clear that no one else had known. King Marcelo practically vibrated with anger, and the House of Runes seemed shell shocked by my father’s words. I was so distracted by both of their reactions that I didn’t get a chance to gauge where House of Fallen and House of Hellfire stood.
“House of Fallen, go ahead with your speech.” Drayven’s face was impassive, and I had to admit, despite being sort of a dick, the man was good at staying expressionless. I imagined that was a skill honed by constantly lying to Ama about how he felt about her. Something I could never do, even on threat of death.
Colt’s father stood, and Colt watched him with narrowed eyes. I wasn’t exactly positive how the man was going to play this. I thought that he was far more upset about last night than he was letting on, and I had a feeling he didn’t plan on letting this entire scenario just sit. Then again, he hadn’t been there when we’d planned, so I had no idea.
“The House of Fallen has preserved our purist ideals for centuries now,” Colt’s father looked around the room. “We continue to believe that the best way through is by preserving our culture as well as making sure our leadership in the Supreme position is level-headed. I’ll admit that, for the longest time, the House of Death has served their purpose well enough, despite the fact that we’ve never voted for them. It is clear, however, in King Alaric’s inability to show up, as well as in his daughter’s long-hidden hybrid status, that is no longer a viable option. I implore you, therefore, to vote for the House of Fallen. I will ensure that we continue to maintain our realm’s pristine nature and reputation.”
Bastard made it sound like hybrids were polluting our realm. What a dumbass.
Colt stood up then and spoke, “You’re wrong.”
My eyebrows arched as Colt’s father frowned at him, “Sit down, boy.”
“No.” Colt shook his head, “I thought, after this Summit and everything that has occurred, that you would have seen the truth, but instead, you are leading this entire realm down a path that will take us back in time rather than into the future. I am not against our house leading, Father, but not if those are your ideals.”
“Control your son,” Finias’ father suggested, sneering, as Colt’s father narrowed his eyes.
“Do not speak about or to my son, Marcelo. You are worse than any hybrid. Your entire house is made up of delinquents. Even your own son.” Damn.
King Celorn looked back at Colt. “I heard you earlier, Colt, and I can concede that hybrids are not born innately bad…but there is something to be said about preserving history and culture. There is a social structure for a reason, and we are not the ones to change that. Besides, even outside of her hybrid status, I truly don’t believe Princess Amare is the right option.”
“You can’t vote for our own house,” Colt ground out, clearly frustrated that his father hadn’t listened to him earlier “Who will you vote for?”
Colt’s father looked around the room and then at my father, “The House of Shadows will have our vote.”
“Bullshit,” Nico’s father growled, pounding his fist on the table. “This is bullshit.”
I watched his emotional explosion with pleasure as the House of Fallen sat. Drayven continued as if nothing had happened. “House of Hellfire?”
Damien’s father stood and walked towards the podium, eyeing the entire room. “It is clear to me that there has been tension since the start of this Summit. However, as always, Hellfire plans to vote for the most dominant and powerful house. That has been, and continues to be, the House of Death.”
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?!” Nico’s father demanded.
“Sit,” my father snapped, “Unless you are speaking, Marcelo, you do not interrupt.”
“It is my turn,” the man snarled, rounding the table to stand in front of us. “Is this the realm we’ve become? A realm where we accept dirty, tainted hybrids as a viable power option? It’s fucking disgusting and disappointing.”
“You didn’t seem to find it disgusting when you were trying to fuck her the other night,” Colt growled, causing everyone to stare at him as King Marcelo’s face turned nearly purple.
“I was just proving what a whore she is, which is something your own father has claimed,” he pointed out, following up with a slimy smile, “Besides, just because she’s a whore doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have fucked her. Here in the House of Sin, we don’t judge who you take to bed. But as a leader? Absolutely not.”
Colt’s father stood and responded, one hand resting on his son’s shoulder, “While it’s true that I don’t approve of Ama’s choices, that is not why I am not voting for her. Outside of being a hybrid, the young woman is the future of her house but does not show the ability to lead. She doesn’t even show up, except to parties and dinners.”
I so badly wanted to disagree.
“Have you fallen under her spell as well?!” Nico’s father demanded. “She has managed to seduce all our sons, attempting to mix the blood lines and ruin the purity. How can any of you stand for that? Stand for the idea of that piece of trash running—”
I stood then, my chair screeching, and everyone looked at me as I put my fists down on the table and leaned forward, meeting King Marcelo’s gaze dead on and trying to convey how cl
ose he was to death. “I highly suggest you stop talking about Ama like that. You are threatening any alliances you have that support her because of how you are handling this. I suppose it's something we should expect from you, but your plea for attention is disgusting. If you continue to speak about her in a disrespectful manner, I will kill you.”
“You threaten him?” Finias’ father demanded.
“It’s not a threat,” I leveled and then looked back at Nico’s father. “You’ve been warned.”
“How can we trust your word when you have become one of her lovers?!” the bastard demanded, looking a bit more shaken than before. Good. I wasn’t trying to be scary, but apparently I was doing something right.
“Because not all of us think with our dicks,” Nico growled finally, and his father stared at him in shock. I couldn’t help but smile at him calling his father out.
“You as well?” He looked at his son with disgust, “When we told you to seduce the woman, I didn’t expect you to become such a pussy over her.”
I put a pin in the ‘Nico was told to seduce Ama and I may have to kill him if his feelings were not authentic and he hurts her’ concept. I spoke up again.
“Not only is it archaic and sexist to shame someone for the amount of lovers they have—similar to the ridiculous notion of purity of the bloodlines—but before the devil went into eternal rest, it was done all the time. Only in this new age has the notion of being ‘pure’ become important, and it is because of all of you. We created this toxic environment. There is no heritage or culture associated with it. Just hate. It ends now.”
“It does not!” the King of Runes interrupted, standing. “The mixing of blood lines is disgusting.”
“No, it's not,” Finias said, softly but firmly. His mother shot him a look that was loaded with malice, but Finias didn’t react, continuing to look at the rest of the room as if he’d never spoken.
Insurrection (Monarchs of Hell Book 1) Page 22
