PROLOGUE
NYX
Being called out of an important briefing by the intractable heir apparent was the last thing I needed this morning. But as I’m not permitted to deny the crown, which sadly included the King's self-indulgent prick of an heir, I stomped across the palace to get it over with. Steeling myself to have to wait for the guards to announce my presence once I reached the door and waste even more of my valuable time, I was surprised when, instead, they just opened the doors and waved me into the prince’s wing.
No announcement of my presence. No escort. The guards almost seemed like they didn’t want to be in the room. How odd. But it only took two more steps before I learned why.
I stopped short, just feet into the overly opulent space, and stared. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting to find, but it wasn’t a hundred naked bodies writhing together like I’d been transported into a damn brothel.
“What in the Goddess’ name?” I muttered to myself.
“It’s a bit early to have so many balls thrust in your face, isn’t it?” A voice said from beside me.
I glanced over to find Alaric, the younger prince, sipping a coffee like it was just a normal Tuesday morning, and the scenebefore us was just a bit of annoyance. Like Kol and I, they were twins, born minutes apart. Blessed or cursed into being the heir by mere minutes, but unlike Kol and I, they were years apart in maturity and scruples. Unfortunately for me and the Twelve Kingdoms as a whole, the better prince was not the heir.
I returned my gaze to the orgy and sighed. “Why am I here?”I didn’t want to have to dig through the bodies to try and find his brother, if at all possible.
“Don’t ask me the mind of my brother. We are not like you and Kol. The only similarity we share is the blood in our veins.” He winced after the words were out. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
My mood darkened. Not because he’d brought up Kol, but because this was yet another exasperating task taking me away from my brother’s bedside. “It’s fine. But I’d like to get this over with so I can return to him.”
The worst part of my job was catering to the whims of the royals. Not even so much the King, who at least respected me as his general, but his heir didn’t seem to notice that I now had a ryder and a lot of work that came along with my title. He still seemed to think of me as a spare part with no direction and treated me as his personal errand fae.
“I’d love to be able to tell you why we are party to this thrilling spectacle so early in the day, but I am as in the dark as you are, my friend,” Alaric said dryly.
“He summoned you too?” I frowned. averting my gaze. “Why would he want us both to see this?”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Not a clue. Why does my brother do anything? At first, I thought this was some kind of punishment, but perhaps not since you’re here.”
I lifted a brow, but didn’t ask. I had no interest in knowing what exactly this would be a punishment for.
Alaric just shrugged. “But your guess is as good as mine. I don’t even see him. Want to split up and look for him, or wait it out?”
“I don’t have all morning,” I replied flatly.
“Then we best be working our way into the muck.” Alaric gestured for us to move deeper into the room.
My upper lip curled, already feeling a phantom stickiness on my shoes. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m not digging him out of the bodies.”
“If not, it may be all day. Sometimes he goes on a real bender.” Alaric gingerly stepped over an oblivious couple rolling around on the floor, like he’d get something on his boot if he wasn’t careful.
I should have left, but I threw my hands up and followed, muttering under my breath. “Who the fuck summons someone when they are in the middle of a damn orgy? Waste of my fucking time.”
It was a good ten minutes before we found him balls deep in some female’s mouth.
“Ah, good. I was hoping you weren’t too busy,” Arkyn said when he lifted his gaze from watching his cock disappear between plump lips, like he wasn’t fully naked and working on shooting his load.
I wasn’t sure where to look but finally settled on the tapestries around the room like they were fascinating works of art, just to have something else to focus on. “I’m quite busy, actually,” I said through my teeth. “But I’m sure your needs were urgent, Your Highness.”
“Very.” He grunted. “I need you to do me a quick favor.”
My gaze flicked back to him. “What kind of favor?”
“It’s just a little thing.” Arkyn waved his fingers. “It will be nothing for you to accomplish.”
“And it is?” I learned long ago not to agree to anything among the higher classes without knowing all the details.
“I need you to escort Alaric to pick up our brides. I would go myself, but it’s so much time away. I’m quite busy these days. Besides, my duties—” he says like he’s the most important person on the planet. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. His ‘duties’ were laughable at best, and they certainly didn’t seem to prevent him from having damn orgies at all hours of the night and day “—and this needs to be done rather quietly, with the utmost security. With the current political climate, the King and I really think it’s best to get the weddings out of the way. Strengthen alliances and what not. But with the ongoing…troubles, it’s too risky for me to go. You understand.”
