like they do everything else.
I know the drill by now, so I wait, not wanting to give them an excuse to punish me. He strolls down the empty aisle of chairs. There is no court or ceremony today, so the space is empty save for the council members who sit at the end of the way too fucking long room filled with candelabras, chandeliers, and golden chairs like they are kings of old.
Pretentious bastards.
Veyo sweeps into a low bow, almost scraping the floor. “My lords and ladies, our esteemed council, may I present, as your humble servant, the fallen they call Griffin.” He stands and turns, and everyone does the same to see me standing at the door.
I hesitate. If I cross over this threshold, I’m giving them power over me even if they don’t know it. I’m giving them everything, my very life...for her.
It’s worth it, after all, like my mother said, if I’m not fighting for love...what am I fighting for? I step through the doorway, my head held high, and storm down the aisle towards them. They get no theatrics from me, and they don’t expect me to beg and scrape, they know me too well, know that I hate them, so if I started to act otherwise they would suspect me as a mole or a spy straightaway. No, I need to play this right.
This time my fight is with words and intelligence, not my swords and wings.
I don’t bow. Instead, I tilt my head back, letting my eyes run across all five council members.
To the left and in the first seat is the least powerful of all the council. At only four hundred years old, the vampire, Harald, is practically a baby, but he’s known for his mean streak and made his way to the council by carving a bloody path to the position and clambering for power.
Next to him is the second least powerful, an incubus named Derrin. No one knows where he originally comes from, but I know better than to get on his bad side. He can be kind when he needs to be, but don’t let that angelic smile and charm fool you, he’s one mean bastard. They have to be to sit on the council.
In the middle is Amos, the head of the council and the man who ordered my mother’s and father’s deaths. His eyes gleam in triumph as he watches me, thinking he has finally broken me, finally got what he wanted. He is the worst of them all. The others pity me, see me as amusement, a servant, but Amos? He wants to crush me, rebuild me in his image, and own me as his own personal fucking dog. He plays games the way others breathe, his every word a move on the chessboard, and I just stepped onto the checker opposite him.
Next to him is Gina, a shifter, and the only female to sit on the council, but she is the biggest snake of them all. She spies for the men, using her sexuality and charm to get what she needs. I’m pretty sure she’s fucking both Amos and Derrin. Her icy eyes lock on me in hunger, not for my body but for the secrets I hold and the surrender she wants from me. She is one ice-cold bitch.
On the very right is the last member of the council. No one knows what or who he is. All we have is a name—Titus. There are rumours that he was sent from the sleeping council as their spy, and it could be true. No one can get close enough to him to even know his true name or what he is or capable of. His seat was empty up until about six hundred years ago when he suddenly appeared and took the chair overnight. The council did not explain why, but you could see they were unhappy about it. Even now he’s leaning to the side, reclined and relaxed, watching everything happen with sharp eyes while distancing himself from the council pigs...he appears almost angry. Well, me fucking too. He catches me staring, and his lips turn down in a frown for a moment as he takes me in before he blanks his face into one of disinterest, and then leans back like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Amos speaks first, as always. “Fallen, this is a highly unusual occurrence. We did not call for your...services, did we?” His tone is mocking as he