Chapter
One
Orpheus
Death, fear, and the constant indulgence of my carnal desires.
That is what I represent as king here.
It’s who I was always made to be. The gods made sure of that. As the son of Hades, what could the people do but fear me.I’m created, born of death and life together. Born of God and demon. I’m human, but I’m more than that. I’m immortal and can not be killed. My father made sure of that. I would never die, just as he won’t. He lives and breathes for carnage and chaos, though he balances it out as it should be, considering who he is.
Every life balances out the death that comes. With each breath taken, one is ended. That is what he’s told me all my life. I’ve heard the spell so many times I find myself repeating the same thing to others. I’m sure he’d like for me to join in handling his business, but that’s not my thing. I much prefer to be out here enjoying more than being surrounded by the dead.
I still have to go to the Underworld every so often as required by dear old Dad. He demands it. As does his wife. She didn’t care that I wasn’t hers by blood. To her, I was. She was definitely abetter mother than my own, but I dare not say that to anyone. Let alone the woman who birthed me, thankfully, she’s no longer a part of the living. Doesn’t mean she’s not still around. Father Dearest keeps her in a special cell deep in Tartarus.Mostly because the woman was a trickster of a half-demon, she’d done the unthinkable when she was able to trick my father into her bed.
It’s not that it’s been all bad being who I am. Having this level of power has made things much easier for me. I live for the power and the responsibility. The way a monster will divert their eyes from me to make sure they don’t disrespect me.
Yes, there’s nothing that would make me give up this kind of power. No one would ever be able to strip away what is and always has been my right as my father’s son.
Still, even with all the power and respect in the world, living like this can get a bit . . . boring. In truth, I get bored way too quickly. It takes a lot for someone to amuse me. Then again, considering how old I am, it’s bound to happen more often than not.
Not even the regulars at Dyrk are enough to pull me out of my indifference lately. Usually I can find some type of amusement here, except it seems to be losing its allure to me.
With a sigh, I readjust my position in my seat. The plush leather and wide back of my makeshift throne is supposed to strike fear and respect from anyone who comes to stand before me, but I feel like I’m glued to the fabric. My men know where to find me at all times when I’m here. It’s either here in this spot or the booth that is reserved only to me, Aziz, and Sibley. When one or both of them join me, that’s where we sit. No one else is allowed to sit there, and it’s a known rule.
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees. The small movement is enough to jerk all of my staff and security forward, as if they are waiting on me to give them an order.
If only I could come up with a reason to send them all away. It’s not normal protocol, but I could really use some time on my own. I don’t need them in my space right now.
The constant readiness of everyone around me should put me at ease, but instead, it only makes me more aggravated. A deep growl rumbles in my chest, but I don’t have anywhere to put this frustration. I could always call up one of the workers or maybe find a new sweet little morsel to spend some of my nightly hours with. That would definitely take my mind off the monotony.
I scan the crowd below. Dyrk is a haven for the rough and dark. Those of the supernatural – demons, demi-gods, vampires, shifters, even humans with gifts – that seem to have no place in the world. It’s almost as if they are drawn here to this place. Same with this town. Redwich is known among the supernatural world as a haven. Not that it is.
Two MCs and I run this town. It’s good that those MCs and I are allies and not on bad terms. It would not be in anyone’s favor for me to go against them. Not when the Presidents of both are brothers and both grandsons of Artemis. They don’t know I know this, but you don’t hide life lines from the bloodline of Hades. I can see the connections.
Those who come here come to me for favors and help. They come here to let loose and feel free. All the while, I feel like I’m shackled to this throne.
How I wish I could be as free as they are, but heavy is the head that wears the crown. To be free, I’d have to give up all that I’ve worked for—something I’d never do.
As my eyes continue to scan the crowd below, something deep and unfamiliar pulls at my gut. My intuition screams at me to take notice of a threat that my old eyes haven’t located yet.
“Orpheus, did you hear me?”
My eyes snap to the side only to see Priam, one of my new security details, standing at the door, looking at me with expectation. He must have spoken while I was looking for whatever has me on edge, not listening to anything he has to say.
“If I were paying attention to you, don’t you think I’d have given a response? What do you want?” Clenching my jaw, my gut screams at me to keep searching the crowd. Instead, I stare daggers at Priam. The man is smart enough not to keep holding my gaze and drops his to the floor while folding his arms behind his back in reverence.
Everyone in here knows not to get on my bad side. It’s probably more intimidating for him since he’s new here. The only ones I’ve ever shown a hint of emotion toward are Aziz and Sibley.
“I apologize for the intrusion, but there is a situation going on outside that you need to be aware of.” Finally, his eyes jump back up to mine, but the fear is still locked behind his gaze. I could kill him in an instant, but I don’t want to waste the energy.
“What situation?” I snap at him. Growing more and more frustrated that it’s taking him this long to spit out whatever it is he came in here to say.
“Right. Um . . . well, there is a group of vamps outside. One of the workers found them luring human women to the alley behind the club. They were drinking from them. Assaulting them.”
My eyebrows raise, and I tilt my head in Priam’s direction. This is a development Ididn’t expect today. It’s been several months since I’ve heard of something like this. The last time, a group of vampires was trying to find a way to kill me, not that they could, but they seemed to go into hiding after Aziz was sent after them.
I’m more than aware of vampire needs and desires when it comes to drinking blood, but no one is foolish enough to try todo their dirty work in my territory. Not here or in this town. There are rules in place.
