Queen of the Underworld | Book 3

• one •

I groaned and mumbled curses as I shifted the bag on my arms.

Steph frowned. "What is an Asmo?"

I raised an eyebrow. I certainly didn't know her well enough to just give up any information. We'd only talked when it had to do about project work.

"You were just mumbling about it. In fact, you bring it up a lot."

I shook my head. "No one. Just this guy I work with."

"Oh, you work already? What do you do?"

I swallowed. I had practiced the lie a hundred times before. "I'm helping out a friend with some operations stuff at his work. Just until he gets better." A half lie.

I was Queen of the Underworld. Queen of the Dark Fae. At least until Damien, the true king recuperated his magic.

I pushed my glasses up the ridge of my nose. When I went back to the human world, I would glamour myself and keep my human features as they were before. At least to humans.

Brown hair, glasses, too skinny to be considered healthy.

I cleared my throat. "I'll send you an email later."

Steph nodded. "Sorry again."

I shrugged. "It happens to us all."

As I began to leave, Mehnit followed. As soon as I rounded the corner and was out of sight from everyone, I crouched down and opened my arms to Mehnit.

She jumped into my arms and purred as I scratched her. "I know," I said sarcastically. "Meetings with the Council are always my favorite too."

Heaving a heavy sigh, I spectered to Blackdown Keep.

Back to my room in the Underworld.

Blackdown Keep, despite it being the place that should have been my home, never quite felt like it.

Even now, when I spectered to my room there, it felt unfamiliar.

Sometimes for appearances, I would stay but it didn't happen too often. I preferred the small apartment downtown near campus in the Human world.

Mehnit jumped from my arms to the bed. I set my bag down near the bed and laptop bag on my desk nearby. I sat in front of my vanity and dropped the human glamour I had when I was in the human world.

My hair paled, turning into the now familiar silver from the dark brown. My skin smoothed reverting to the almost translucent glow that I now had as a fae. My freckles were gone, the scars that I had tried to imitate were gone as well.

I looked perfect again.

And I still wasn't used to it.

I took off my glasses as I sighed, setting them on the table. I rubbed my eyes with both hands in exhaustion. I had to pull an all nighter with the project.

It really wasn't something I was looking forward to.

I needed caffeine. Lots of it.

I fished my phone from my pocket and moved to text Damien.

Hey, I'm back at the Keep. Are you going to this last minute meeting with Asmo?

I didn't have to wait long before I received a response.

Yes, but I might be a little late. Don't let him start without me.

I smiled as my fingers glided over the screen. As if I knew what he would be talking about.

Meetings with Asmo always were about the happenings of the Council. While I was slowly catching on to some of the events lately, there were times where Damien had to explain.