"Well, well, well. I see my attitude isn't the only trait of mine that you inherited." A deep timbre of a voice booms into the room, and following behind it is a man that looks like me. He has the same facial bone structure and the exact same birthmark on his neck as I do. A wave of heat fills my cheeks, making me disoriented. Falling back into the chair, I take a few breaths and look back at the man who is claiming to be my father. "I know what you're thinking child, but you feel it inside of you. What I say is true. You are my one and only daughter, the Princess of Demons.”
Chapter Five
"Now wait a hot minute!" Princess of DEMONS?! I didn't sign up for that. I don't want it and I won't take it. I’m Zerenity Rian Alinsky, a seventeen-year-old girl who is just a server at the only diner in this tiny town.
"You can say whatever you want, but that darkness inside of you that you keep hiding away, that’s me. You want to get rid of it, but you can't. You are the rightful heir of the throne."
"I can't even grasp what you’re telling me right now. I mean, how the hell did you even find me? These are the questions I want answered." Panicked, I turn towards Paul for some help but he keeps staring at 'my father' like he's going to skin him alive.
Sneering with disdain, my ‘Father’ eyes me up and down and says, "Finding you is a simple task and as I just informed you, your magic marks who you are. If you would stop acting like such a human, you would be able to sense the truth in what I'm telling you."
Even in my denial, his words ring with truth and with that I become enraged. "So you could find me that easy, yet you left me with that woman my whole life?"
Dismissing my question, he turns and starts to leave from the room. "If you don't want to be put into the system until you turn eighteen, then I suggest you follow me, child." Even with him out of sight, I can feel the annoyance in his voice. The rebellious teen inside of me wants to defy him and tough it out in the foster system, but my brain knows that following him is the wisest option of the two.
Stomping my foot like the child I am, I let out an annoyed shriek and chase after him. By the time I catch up, he is standing in the middle of a circle charred onto the cheap linoleum in the center of the police station. I eyeball the mark on the ground with disdain and approach it with caution. Looking up at my proclaimed father, I notice his shit-eating grin. Rolling my eyes, I pull my book bag higher on my shoulder and start to step into the circle. As I walk into the circle, I can feel myself crossing through a barrier and once I’m fully inside, the stench of a thousand rotten eggs hits me causing me to gag.
Noticing my grimace, he snorts and snaps his fingers causing the smell to vanish. "The smell is only this bad on the topside, down below, it is well contained and neutralized. Now, step closer. I need to take you home for you to gather all your things and then we must return to the infernal regions. I have other matters to attend to besides these trivial things."
Shuffling closer, I let out a hmph. "It's...." Before I can even finish my sentence, A black cloud and violent blue flames engulf us. On the outside of the flames, I notice Paul pacing back and forth as if he's trying to find a way in and his mouth is moving as if he's yelling. The other police are looking at him and me as if they are concerned and all their hands are resting on their holstered gun. Letting out a sigh of defeat, I lock eyes with Paul and shake my head. There no use. This man... my father is right. If I don't go with him, I'll be lost in the system. I've heard stories of what happens in there, so if going to hell means I can avoid that, then it's worth it. Paul sees my resignation and stops in his tracks. Anger laces his babyface and the last thing I see before we portal is him mouthing 'I will find you'.
Within a blink of an eye, we land inside my living room and just like that, the black cloud and flames are gone. Looking to the ground, I notice there isn't a black ring like in the police department and when I glance over to my father, he just shrugs and begins strolling around the tin box I call home. Waving him off, I take in the destruction that was caused by all the police and investigators. Yellow tape, boot prints, and cigarette butts litter the carpet as if no one lives here. Exhaling, I let all my frustration out and make my way to my room. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.
As I approach my room, I notice my door ajar. I shoulda known they were going to go in there. Rolling my eyes, I push the door open and take in the disaster. All my drawers are open with clothes thrown about, one of my thongs is draped over the lamp on my stand, the curtains are ripped from the window, my bed is thrown against the wall, and my clothes from my closet litter the floor. Trudging through the chaos, I walk into my closet and grab my enchanted tote bag and begin to throw all my stuff into it.
"Nice room." The sound of my fathers’ sarcastic voice startles me out of my racing thoughts causing me to let out a shriek.
My free hand flies up to rest over my racing heart and once my brain registers who it is, all I can manage to do is reply in a snarky tone. "It's not nice to scare people and before you judge, my room isn't usually like this, Karen."
Scrunching his face in confusion, he responds, "Who is this Karen that you speak of?" I want to laugh at how lost he looks, but then I remember that this man isn’t a patron at the diner, no this is my father, a man who abandoned me.
Shaking my head, I shove more clothes into my tote and with a dead expression, I say, "You."
Taken aback from my snark, he runs his hands over his all-black suit and looks me dead in the eye. "Well for your information, my name is Asreal and you will address me as so. Now hurry up, we need to leave." A wave of his magic hits me like a Mac truck, making me purse my lips, and when he sees my grimace, he turns and starts to leave my room.
"Okay, Boomer." Even though my words are a mumble to myself, a shoe comes flying toward the closet nearly hitting me. Shaking my head, I block out everything else, I squat down and dig out my sealed box that holds all my valuables and place it in my bag. Looking around at the rest of my stuff, I just shrug my shoulders and snap my fingers, releasing a cloud of magic into the air. With a simple command, the cloud disperses throughout my room and all my stuff starts flying at me. Locking my feet into place, I spread the tote wide open and let everything fly inside.
Once my room is completely barren of any personal items, I close the door for the last time and make my way out to the living room where Asreal stands with his foot tapping away. "It took you long enough. Now get over here."
"What is your issue FATHER! I followed you out of the jail, I packed everything I own, and when you told me to hurry, I used my magic to speed up the process. I've literally done everything you asked, so why are you treating me like crap?!”
"Because I am the King of Demons, child! I have things I need to do and being topside only places me at a disadvantage. These humans don't like our kind and they see to it that we suffer."
"Like you have any right to worry about suffering. You got my mother pregnant and left! On top of that, when I turned six, my magic manifested and she completely changed, turning into a monster. This whole time you knew where I was and you didn’t come for me!" Angry tears threaten to spill over but I know that will show him a sign of weakness so I blink them away before they can fall.
"I LIVE IN HELL ZERENITY! LEAVING YOU HERE WAS BETTER FOR YOU!" His hands fly to his hair where he runs them through his salt and pepper locks that are already disheveled from all the other times he became frustrated with me.
"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! I SUFFERED EVERY DAY HERE AND I WANTED TO DIE!" Asreal’s face morphs from anger to shock and his mouth begins to move like a fish, almost like he's at a loss for words. Throwing my hand up at him, I walk into the circle close to him clinging to my tote bag. "Let’s just go." With that, another black cloud with blue flames engulfs us.
Chapter Six
Sulfur. Make that sulfur and brimstone. That's all I can use to describe the desolate place where we have ended up. The heat, however, is like the Sahara desert dry and the temperature reminds me of a summer day
back in Georgia. Looking around, I take in the desolate surroundings while following after Asreal, who’s already five steps ahead of me. The path we are taking is a wide walkway with a river of lava on both sides and scattered throughout the lava are little islands of brimstone, slowly breaking away. Up in the sky, large bat-like creatures fly around, swooping through rock pillars and fighting each other. Their screech is so high pitched it makes me cover my ears to block the noise out. Thinking quickly, I alter my pearl earrings to block out the sound.
I follow behind Asreal in silence as he leads me down the winding path, that is until we make a turn around a large mountain and come face to face with a glorious castle that is carved into the side of it. I can't help but stop and stare at the intricate metalwork that is welded into the stone, the glistening from the glass windows, and all the high arches that almost defy the law of gravity.
"It's sublime isn't it." I can't do anything but nod my head in agreement for the fact I'm at a complete loss for words. But when he turns to me and sighs, I look at him in confusion. "Look Zerenity, I know we haven't gotten off on a good foot and we probably will never see eye to eye. But I want you to know, I never stopped loving you, even if it was from afar. I know you probably hate me and I understand that, but when we walk through those gates, I need your respect. There's more at play here than you could even fathom and doing the wrong thing can make the feeble empire that I have, crumble."
The sincerity and emotion pouring from Asreal hits me in a way I never felt before. My mother hasn't mentioned those words to me since my magic appeared and hearing it from the man I craved to hear it from hits like a wrecking ball. Every girl always dreams of being a daddy's girl, I never had that, and now, I have him in front of me and he doesn't want anything to do with me. To hide my conflicting emotions, I cross my arms over my chest and focus on all the years of abstinence. "Nice to know you admit that you actually care when you need something from me. However, since you ever so kindly took me in, I think I can put on a front for everyone."
Pursing his lips, he turns from me with a frown and starts to pace. "Take what I said however you want. I won't speak of it again. Regardless of how you feel, I appreciate you doing this for me. Be known, once you turn eighteen you may return to the humans if you so please. However, time does move slower here, making your two human months into nearly six months."
My head starts to drop in disappointment, but a lightbulb goes off. "What about emancipation? You could legally sign the papers and I will be off your hands as soon as they are cleared from the courts. I have a job and the trailer I lived in has my name on the lease, so technically, I meet all the requirements." Anticipation runs through me with the hopes he will find my option appealing, but the longer he ponders on what I said to him, the less likely I think he will agree.
"Okay. I will agree to this.." I start to jump with glee, but he interrupts me. "But. I have some rules. You will attend the formal ball announcing you as my daughter and the rightful heir to the throne." I don't even think about what he is saying, I just nod my head in agreement. Anything is better than staying down here in the foul egged hot hole. "I'm not done yet. I also require you to attend a school dedicated to the Draiochta. I will of course pick which one and you will attend there for the full three years. If this is not done, I will bring you back to hell against your will and you will be banned from leaving ever again and you will serve in your rightful spot on the throne. Is that clear?"
The joy from earlier is now just a glimmer of hope, but it's one I will hang on to with all that's in me. I'm in my last year of high school so I can just tell myself its college. No big deal and if this drai-whata college is in the 'human" realm then I can reach out to Paul so he doesn't worry anymore. "I will accept your terms, I just request that the ball be sooner than later. I want to get the process started and over with."
"Eager to get away from me I see. That’s fine with me, now to seal the deal, we must clasp each other’s arms and you need to repeat after me." Hesitantly, I grasp his thick forearm and try my best to repeat the Latin words that spew from his mouth. I must have done something right because as soon as we are done speaking, a burning sensation starts to creep up my wrist and along my arm. Looking down at it, I notice a black shape starting to appear. As the black spreads higher on my forearm, the burn intensifies. So much so that I nearly drop to the ground screaming, but the grip Asreal has on me is holding me up. Dropping my tote, I start to claw at his hand but before I can do any damage, the pain disappears. With his hand no longer gripping me, the black marks become clear to see. Now taking nearly my whole upper forearm is an intricate black dahlia that’s beauty compares to the castle looming ahead of us.
"If making a deal with the demon king hurts this bad, I would hate to make a deal with the devil." My humor doesn't go far, but I did notice the corner of Asreal’s mouth tilting up as if he wanted to smile. We stand in comfortable silence, one I don't want to be in, so to break it, I clap my hands together and say, "So Asreal, let's get this over with. We got an emancipation paper waiting for us to fill out." Arching a brow, he turns from me and starts down the path that leads to my new temporary home. With one last look at the stunning design of the castle, I follow after him to start this new adventure.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read the prelude to a new series I am starting! I truly hope you enjoyed it and that I piqued your interest to find out more about Zerenity and her nearing challenges.
As always, I appreciate y’all. Stay tuned for more on the Metamorphosis Series.
About the Author
Yo.
I’m Darcy Ray & I write books.
I'm a recent graduate from Nursing School, a stay-at-home fur baby mama, and take care of my pain in the ass husband. I’ve been married to my soulmate since February of 2011 & plan to spend forever with him. We have three fur babies named Moe, Ninja (my kitties), Buster ( my pit-mix), and three fish. In my free time, I like playing PC games and reading, or hell annoying my wifeys. I'm a Virgo and my favorite color is grey… Oh wait, this isnt tinder lmao. Sorry, it’s been a long year for me,. so to wrap this up, stalk me with all my links, ask me anything in my group, and stay up to date!
xoxo
Amazon: amazon.com/author/darcyray
Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/darcysdarlings
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authordray/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Darcy_Ray
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/darcy-ray
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darcy_ray_author/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuthorDarcyRay
Newsletter:https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/d4m0q4
Also by Darcy Ray
Lethal Beauty & Smoking Steel Series
Mafias Kiss:getbook.at/MafiasKiss
Mafias Embrace: getbook.at/MafiasKiss
Mafias Revenge: TBD
Metamorphosis Series
Stay tuned!
Anthologies
Land of Nightmares: books2read.com/LandofNightmare
White Christmas Wishes: books2read.com/WhiteChristmasWishes
Assassin Society: books2read.com/u/m0rLG0
A Potion of Envy
An Academy of Order & Chaos Prequel
By
Arden M. Ward
Chapter One
“Ms. Zelt, the headmaster would like to see you.”
A chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” rang out I as slowly slid from my desk. “Uh-oh, Miss Perfect is in trouble!” a shrill voice rang out from the back, followed by snickering. Smoothing out the plaid skirt of my school uniform, I chose to ignore my classmates and straightened my shoulders against the onslaught of venomous comments and gleeful stares.
“More like, Mr. Foster is looking to get his ass kissed,” a voice hissed as I walked by, succeeded by smooching noises. Unable to stop myself, my eyes flicked over the source—a platinum-haired beauty named Vanessa
Costas. My usual response would be to ignore her, after all, to engage would put me on a fast track to an even worse social status than my current head of the class, teacher’s pet moniker.
Graduation was right around the corner, so why did I still care what these people thought? Watching Ms. Pomeroy adjust her glasses and turn to pull down the white screen for the projector, I flicked my long chestnut locks over my shoulder. My hair was a point of pride for me, by far my finest physical attribute. The action hid my face from Ms. Pomeroy, but gave Vanessa and her cronies a clear view. Lowering my voice to a hushed whisper dripping in snark, I raised my eyebrows at her. “Geez, Nessa, jealous much?”
Puckering my lips and blowing a kiss in her stunned face, a rush of pride and confidence flooded my body. “Oh burn!” a deep voice from the back called out, as I shrugged innocently at Ms. Pomeroy’s perplexed expression when she turned back to face the classroom. Vanessa’s fists were clenched as her dark eyes shot daggers at me. With a smile, I fixed the strap on my bag and slipped out the door, leaving my Advanced Metaphysics class behind.
I can’t wait to get out of this damn school, I thought as my footsteps echoed down the empty hall. Draiochta Academy itself was a wonderful place. Located in the middle of the city, it always surprised me how the school was able to secure the sprawling, ancient, well-kept cluster of baroque buildings. To most of the public, it was a boarding school for the elite and wealthy, with a specialized curriculum to foster the strengths of its select students. While that was true, what the general public didn’t realize was that every student at Draiochta Academy has a supernatural skill or talent.
Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology Page 13