I chuckle to myself. I’ve been patient with Nasiah. The day I stood over that incubator, and she looked at me, I knew she was mine. Something inside me sparked to life when I stared down into her little face. Since the day I fell from heaven, I’ve never felt a connection like I did with her that day.
I’ve stayed away from my obsession. I wanted her to mature and experience life. I’ve kept a close eye on her, but I’ve never interfered in her life. However, if she thinks I’m about to let her marry that lame motherfucker, she has another thing coming.
“You ready, boss man?” Conah, my right hand and ambassador, asks over his shoulder from the front seat.
Clearing my mind of my sweet little obsession, I prepare myself for this meeting. Today was the meeting of the Domini. Our king and leader was in town making sure we were running our territories up to par. And trust me, nobody wanted to piss off King Amir Khalid.
Our world consisted of the fallen, the forsaken, and demons. At the top of the power chain is Amir Khalid. He is the king of this earthly realm. There is no one more powerful than him on earth.
Next in line are the dukes. There are five dukes in total. Each duke runs their own continent under Khalid’s command.They make up the Fallen Council. The council sets rules and regulations for all of us.
Next up on the totem pole of power are the counts. Each duke has anywhere from six to twelve counts under them. Counts control countries in the territories of the dukes.
Under the counts, you have the domini. Domini run the counts’ districts. They make sure that shit runs smoothly. They are the hands that keep our world running. The domini control their own set of foot soldiers called Knights. I’m a dominus.
“I’m ready,” I say to Conah.
He steps out of the SUV and comes around to my door, opening it for me. I tug at my long sleeves as I get out of the truck.
The early morning sun beams down on me. I slip my shades down from the top of my head and cover my eyes. Standing on the curb waiting for me are Erazel and Hamon, my guards.
It’s laughable that I had bodyguards, but every domini had guards. It was part of the job. Besides, Era and Ham were more like my friends than actual employees.
“Everything is clear,” Era says, giving me the run down. “As you planned, all the other domini are here already.”
“The Knights have made sure there is plenty of food and nourishment for them,” Ham says in his deep voice.
I nod my head. “Good. That gives them less to bitch about.”
“Trust me, they’ve still been complaining,” Era snorts.
You could never get them all in the same room and they not complain.
“We should go in before they kill each other.”
Conah chuckles. “Like you would stop them.”
“Absolutely not. I just don’t want to miss it.” I smirk as I make my way inside the building.
The front doorman greets me before opening the door to the elaborate hotel. We have these meetings every few years.Each time it’s in a new district. This time, it’s in mine. I am the dominus of the southwest. I rule under Count Rojun. I run everything in the lower half of the US. I have twelve knights who report to me. There has never been a time when Rojun has had to step to me about my area. And I’ve been running this region for a long time.
Conah opens the doors to the meeting room. The moment I walk in, the arguing ceases. The men in the room stop and look at me. Their contempt and hatred brush across my skin like a furnace.
Every one of the men in here fell from heaven after the great war. The only difference between myself and them is they fell to the earthly realm; I fell a little further.
There are eight of us domini that run the US. Seven of them are fallen angels. They still have pieces of their soul light in them. Ain’t shit left in me but darkness. I am a forsaken. Not a demon, but close. I come from the same place as the fallen. I was just on the wrong side of the war when it ended.
They all despise me because they don’t believe I should be here. But Khalid pulled me from the underworld himself and gave me the role. And these motherfuckers hate it.
Pulling my shades off, I place them on top of my head. With a smile, I greet them all casually. “Greetings, colleagues, and welcome to my district. I hope you have found everything to your liking?”
Grumbles go around the room. I notice everyone has food and refreshments. You would think these assholes would be happy.
I take my seat at one end of the large rectangular table. Because the meeting is in my district, I get to sit near the head of the table. The head spot is reserved for Khalid. And the other end is for Rojun.
As soon as I sit down, the server sets a tumbler of bourbon in front of me.
Balis, one of the few domini I tolerate, nods his head in my direction. “I like what you’re doing in your red-light district. Keeping all portals in one area is smart. I’d like to talk to you afterwards, see how you set that up.”
