Beauty & Rage (Broken Crowns Book 1)

by Natalie Bennett

  ~3~

  The architecture from the building's exterior continued inside. Dark tiled marble floors and iron banisters gleamed, and the dramatically dimmed chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceilings had an immaculate sparkle to them.

  Tall, flickering candles sat on pedestals and equally dimmed wall sconces helped brighten our surroundings. There was only a slight reprieve; the air was cool and not near roasting as outside.

  The strong scent of powerful depires permeated everything else around us. The aggressive synthetic supes seemed to be everywhere, some allotted as guards but the majority simply part of the king's loyal followers.

  Multiple heads swiveled around to watch the small procession of royal demis in the grand hall. I worked on keeping my face impassive, desperately trying not to let my emotions show.

  We were led straight through without stopping, starting up one of the long grand staircases. Before reaching the top, we had no choice but to stop. Two groups of demis who had been brought in by other tradesmen stood in front of us. It seemed we would be treated like the rest, after all—not a good sign.

  No one spoke to us aside from a passing fae sent to retrieve Jacinda’s jacket. Once gone, I took a careful look at her, my worry deepening.

  She looked utterly ill.

  I was almost surprised she was standing so tall and resolute. It had to be the smilodon in her, too dignified to wilt or show weakness.

  Fumbling with my dirty skirt, I watched as guards divided the other demis into smaller batches and led each one through a set of elaborate, arched doors. Every so often, screams emanated from the rooms beyond. Sometimes, begging and sobbing followed suit. Each time the doors swung open, more disappeared inside. It was impossible not to notice that those taken in were not coming back out.

  It was increasingly difficult to stand silently and witness. Those demis didn’t belong to him. Up until now, they were granted immediate protection under my father’s rule when coming to Zenith or claiming proper citizenship there when traveling abroad.

  With him gone, it had turned to open season.

  It was sickening.

  We were being treated like sheep, herded into the King’s personal abattoir.

  “Bring the rest in,” a stocky lycan called down for us what felt like an eternity later.

  We were taken up the remaining stairs the others had just walked, my nerves wound so tight I could barely breathe. Keep your head...you can do this, I chanted to myself, self-soothing my mind.

  The room we entered was large with a cathedral-like ceiling. Four horizontal chandeliers cast white luminescent rays down like beacons, all aimed at the center. The rest of the room sat in inky darkness, ready to swallow whoever set foot within its depths.

  My eyes went straight to the front, where they sat on giant thrones made of bone and lycan pelts turned to leather. I swallowed when I spotted the severed heads impaled upon spikes atop their chairs.

  It was morbidly grotesque.

  Worse was them preserving them somehow. Each eyeless face was branded right across the forehead to let others know just who they had been when living.

  All belonged to the first generation vampires, the ones responsible for creating the lethal war machines that overthrew the government.

  Taking a glance around the room, I noticed for the first time glowing orbs of various colors shining in the darkness surrounding them. We were trapped with monsters. I and eleven others stood crowded together between four guards. Jacinda was to my left, and Scarlett was on my right.

  The selection began with a blonde lycan and a red-headed vampire being forced to step forward. As they did, I made out the three large shapes of the sovereign, but it was impossible for me to see the tyrannical king himself.

  When one of the depires finally spoke from the darkness straight ahead of them, his voice was cold, brisk, and firm.

  “We'll keep the vampire; send the blonde to the auction.” At once, two different guards came forward to lead the young women off in separate directions.

  Auction? This was the first I’d heard of such a thing. What the hell did that mean? Was it literal?

  It went on like this for a while; some they kept while others they discarded. All of them lost their dignity and self-worth. Hot anger and shame for my fellow demis burned through me, but I knew to keep my mouth shut for the time being. A bold demi had spoken out, telling the sovereign that they were all pathetically disgusting, and her tongue was taken from her mouth by a vampire servitor all too willing to do the honors.

  She was discarded but her severed organ remained on the ground.

  Two lycans were led forward next. They were small, clearly runts as Jacinda was. While one stood tall and showed courage, the other looked as if she were going to faint from abject terror at any second.

  “Kill the left; take the right,” that same cold voice ordered lazily.

  Kill? I was certain I had misheard that. The verdict was unjust and asinine. Did they expect the woman to be calm? The braver of the two screamed and cried for her twin, but was inevitably dragged from the room.

  Her sister remained solemn, as if resigned to her fate. She did not beg or fall apart as her executioner approached, and she did not flinch when her throat was slit. The room remained silent as her body slumped to the floor and the bloodied gurgling noises died away.

  When only six of us remained it took every ounce of self-control I could harness to remain quiet.

  I could not bear the thought of anything happening to my friends, my sisters unrelated by blood. We had been together for years, our families intertwined as one.

  “And the wayward queen decided to get herself caught.”

  His voice was different now, narrative but not as cold. Strangely more gentle. For only a few seconds, I contemplated how he knew I’d been purposely brought in. Then, I remembered he was said to be as intelligent as he was cunning.

  Cognizant Toby would still be on the grounds. I found my voice and chose my words carefully.

  “My options were slim.”

  “Options.” He said the word as if its meaning were lost to him.

  “I need your help.”

  “Help?” he parroted in what sounded like amusement.

  Teeth grinding together, my fear battled with frustration. It bothered me for some unknown reason that I couldn’t see his face. I hated that it had come to this, me standing under glaring light surely illuminating my fall from grace, forcibly pushing my plea through reluctant lips.

  Help was the last thing I wanted from this creature. Dragging him from his throne and doing to him what had been done to my kind was much more pleasing.

  “You seem angry, my queen.”

  My objection was swift and stern. “I am not your queen.”

  “Didn’t you just request my help?”

  I wasn’t sure what one had to with the other.

  “Rodrick, remove their chains,” he suddenly commanded with harshness.

  As with his other orders, it was carried out immediately. A thin man stepped from the shadows.

  Using what had to be a universal key, he rushed forward and removed the restraints binding my wrists, moving on to do the same with Jacinda’s and Scarlett’s.

  “Come forward,” the king commanded me, his tone softening once more.

  Resisting the urge to massage my aching wrists, I calmly stepped into the darkness where he sat. The filthy gown of a stranger swept over the immaculate marbled floor, braid a mess of wild hair, and alabaster skin coated in grime…I looked far more a peasant than a royal.

  Behind me came the soft wheezing of Jacinda. I knew it was audible to every kind of supe in the room. I wanted to wrap her up and send the sweet girl far, far away from here to safety and healing.

  “Stop.”

  I did so after one extra minuscule step, my small rebellion to his command. I swear a faint chuckle or two came in response.

  “Turn in a circle, slowly.”

  “What will that acc
omplish?”

  “Turn,” he repeated, harsher.

  With rigid limbs, I did as instructed, wondering what he got from this.

  “You want my help to repair your region and bring the one responsible for the betrayal to heel,” he began, denouncing himself of guilt in the same breath. The word ‘betrayal’ stood out most. Did he already know who was behind this?

  I believed now just as before that it wasn’t him. This wasn’t his method. He’d already taken one region quite brutally, but it wasn’t a surprise attack.

  “I can have an army to your border in two days. The betrayer may take a bit longer to find,” he continued, answering my silent question.

  Finishing my circle, I stood ramrod straight with bated breath, dreading what he would require of me for his assistance.

  I’d foolishly hoped all along that an alliance and trading of goods would be enough. Now standing in his palace, being in Purgatory, it was plain to see he needed neither. Vile as his legion was, they were thriving.

  “What do you want?” I asked what he wanted me to.

  “A bride. You’ll remain regent, as will I.”

  It took my shocked brain a moment to compute his terms.

  “I think the fuck not,” Scarlett’s voice carried from the back of the room.

  He wanted to rule Zenith…together. It was absurd, pure insanity to think I would ever agree to this for a laundry list of reasons. I could not willingly give this man power over my region.

  Staring into the darkness and seeing failure glaring back, I spoke my next words knowing death would be inevitable for me.

  “She’s right. Absolutely not,” I said as firmly as I could, voice threatening to crack.

  “Dose her,” came before I’d even finished my sentence.

  “Dose me?” I spoke to myself. What the hell did that mean?

  Without warning, a bald lycan appeared at my side. My arm was firmly grasped, a needle poking into a vein.

  I muffled a yelp as an immediate burning rifled beneath the skin, and a heavy wave of nausea hit. Within seconds, the darkness rushed forward and consumed me.

  It was quiet.

  There was a cool metal table beneath me. Cold air skated over my body, causing goose bumps to spread across the skin and my nipples to harden.

  Realizing I was naked, my eyes flew open; revealing a room barren of any light except for a dim blue bulb. It smelled so strongly of disinfectant, my nose began to burn.

  My arm was sore; I looked down and followed the thin cord attaching it to a half-empty drip with an odd green liquid in it. Body feeling stiff as cardboard, I forced myself to sit up. Everything about me felt different somehow.

  Eyes scanning the contents of the stone-walled room, I saw nothing of use, taking notice of a catheter and a bucket with a sponge in it.

  I took hold of the cord and tugged the metal IV pole to where I sat. After powering it off so it wouldn’t beep, I gently pulled the taped down needle from my arm, allowing it to swing aimlessly. The sticky tape left residue behind, letting me know it had been in for a while.

  Ignoring the bead of blood welling up, I painstakingly climbed down from the table, using its surface to support my trembling legs.

  There nothing to cover my naked body, but I shrugged it off and slowly began to move towards a door with peeling blue paint.

  There were more important things than my modesty at that moment.

  Upon reaching it, I cautiously peered through its glass window. Nothing was in sight but a long bare hallway with a few dim bulbs overhead.

  I gripped the door's cool metal knob and twisted. It made a low groaning sound, and I froze. After waiting a few minutes and not hearing anything, I slipped out into the hall.

  The cool linoleum floor felt slick against my bare feet. I had to place a hand on the rough coated wall to move them along, making my pace tortoise slow. Jacinda. Scarlett. My mind went to my friends, wondering where they were and if they were okay.

  When I came to another door like the one I had been behind, I peeked in and saw a naked demi laid out on another metal table. Finding the door was unlocked, I cautiously entered the room. The girl did not stir as I hobbled closer.

  Peering down at the demi's body, I realized she wasn’t breathing. I placed a hand on her arm; it was cold to the touch.

  I backed away as fast as I could, bumping an IV pole in the process and sending it clattering to the floor.

  Darting from the room, I peered through door after door.

  It just got worse.

  All the demis were dead. Every single one of them. Some had blood dripping down their pale, limp arms as if they had rejected whatever the hell the colorful liquid in the drips was.

  With each room I peered into, a sense of dread built in my stomach. I kept expecting to see Scarlett or Jacinda lying on one of the tables.

  However, the succubus and shifter were nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

  Reaching the end of the hall, I came to yet another door. This one was solid metal with a push-down handle. I proceeded to open it, being met with a heavily wooded area. The celestial above was a pitch-black canvas, empty of a single star but enveloping a solitary moon.

  With my only options to try to get away for real help or to explore the building, I chose the latter.

  If I did find my friends in the condition I was in, I’d be as useful as a paper bag. A sob rose in my chest, but I quickly swallowed it. The despair of leaving them behind and how wrong everything was threatened to consume me.

  I got out and into the thick of trees before any guards realized I was missing or leaving. However, I made it no further than this.

  The pain started to set in after ten minutes of dragging myself along. My tongue felt glued to the bottom of my mouth. My throat ached, it was so dry. Everything began to throb from head to toe. It was as if someone had run me over with a truck and then reversed.

  I wasn’t sure how long I hobbled before I couldn’t walk anymore, my legs simply refusing to hold up the rest of me. Pain was radiating through my entire body and getting stronger.

  Refusing to sit there pathetically, I started to crawl, digging my hands into the dirt of the forest floor and pulling myself along.

  I had never felt so small and weak; my vision became obscured by the tears streaming down my face. Surely I was well on my way to meeting the same fate all the other demis had.

  Still, I persevered, determination making me stubborn. I was not going to wilt away like a flower, naked in the middle of the woods.

  I pushed my body beyond its breaking, breathing heavily, skin coated in sweat, dirt caked beneath my nails.

  Soon I had no choice but to stop so I could try to draw a true breath. I sat on my knees and pressed my forehead to the ground.

  I learned at that moment that death was an unfair opponent. It had zero tact and little consideration for timing. In short, death was a fucking asshole.

  ~4~

  I watched the small smilodon on the monitor. She’d been pacing back and forth since I’d had her locked in the holding cell.

  “Shall we go in?” I asked my brothers.

  “Why not?” Cassimere replied with a shrug.

  Hades remained silent, as per usual. He’d go along with whatever I wanted.

  I tracked time internally; Duvessa would wake to transition soon, and I intended to be there.

  Exiting the control room, I walked straight across the hall and pushed open the heavy steel door. It was only accessible from the outside.

  Almost immediately, the small female stopped her pacing and placed her back to the wall. It was done defensively, her pupils shifting even though she could not.

  Fascinating, this one. Being able to do even that was something no other stunted runt could manage.

  Her tired eyes swept over the three of us, not at all intimidated by our size. She seemed more confused that we were triplets. We had obvious differences and many similarities.


  “The beautiful Princess Faud. How pleased we are to finally meet you,” Cassimere announced, smirking when she reacted with obvious discomfort.

  The wheezing in her chest was the only sound she made. She needed to be examined and treated.

  “What are we going to do with her?” Cassimere asked.

  “Keep her. She’s too invaluable to auction, even with her handicaps. It would be far more benefitting for one of you to fuck her through oestrus.”

  Her pretty face screwed up at my words, resistance already sparking in her eyes.

  I knew which one of my brothers would take the offer before I said it. Hades had a penchant for broken things, making pets of them. He didn’t have a desire to fix them; he simply liked to watch them shatter at his feet.

  A mute, beautiful and untouched smilodon was just the kind of challenge he needed, as he’d been bored with everything else lately. He couldn’t take her until she came into full maturity, but I knew he’d enjoy toying with her in the meantime.

  “Then she is mine,” Hades said nonchalantly , studying the angry young woman.

  His words were followed by the blaring of the alarm, the melody announcing a perimeter breach.

  “It’s been less than two hours, and they’ve already fucked something up,” Cassimere sighed.

  I turned on my heel and left the holding cell, going to find out what—or who—had triggered the alarm.

  To say I was genuinely surprised that Duvessa had managed to walk out of the damn infirmary would be an understatement. Those too fucking incompetent to lock a door were being beheaded this very moment.

  I found her myself, ensuring she came back to me and didn’t get snatched to the other side.

  She now lay draped across my bed, her tempting little body hidden beneath a pale chemise and burgundy duvet. I’d been watching her sleep for the past hour, specifically the rise and fall of her chest. Even resting, she was one of the most stunning creatures I had ever seen.

  I had been searching for the demi-demon and her comrades since Zenith fell to chaos. Those Duvessa would interact with never gave her up, even when they hung from a torture contraption, their limbs torn from them. Soon, I found her though, as I always did.