Unchained Empress

Chapter 1

2 Years Later

Steam filled the small bathroom. The heat clinging to her body as she stepped out of the shower. Soft music was playing from a speaker on the counter and it soothed her inner thoughts to a low boil, the day having already ground her last gears. She swiped a hand across the mirror to clear the water that had gathered. Her action did nothing to really clear the image of herself, but she knew what was there. Sad blue eyes and scars. She had never really been pleased with how she looked. She always had this sense that there was something wrong, something off with her features. The thought never settled in her mind. It was as if she had a glamour over her features, never seeing who she really was. It was unsettling.

"SERA!" A pounding on the bathroom door and the loud call from her friend's voice startled her and she quickly opened the door. The cool air sucked the steam out the room and snaked past her legs, causing goosebumps to rise and she resisted the urge to shiver. Standing there in the hallway was her best friend of eight years, Genevieve. The woman before her was ready to topple over from the load of dresses and makeup that she was holding. Dessera quickly reached forward and took the two large dress bags from her and she watched her friend's shoulders sag in relief.

"God I've been calling your name for like ten minutes. I had to let myself in." Gemma huffed as she turned the music down.

"Sorry. I couldn't hear it." She apologized, hanging the dresses on the curtain rod.

"Clearly," Gemma said as she rolled her eyes, "It's fine. I am late anyway. Traffic was a bitch." Dessera could only imagine the amount of cursing the woman had done on her way over here. She had quite a short temper. "Can I set up in the living room?"

"Yea, go for it." She nodded at her friend, as she switched her towel to a robe. She followed her friend after a moment and went to make herself a cup of tea. As she grabbed a cup from the cabinet a small voice in the back of her mind quietly reminded her that she had forgotten something. As she tried to recall the task she had neglected, a loud metallic thunk rang in her ears. She cringed, knowing exactly what it was. She had been hunting the night prior and passed out on the couch, forgetting to put her gun away. She hadn't even given a second thought about the weapon being on the table, seeing as she rarely invited people over. She heard Gemma clear her throat and she slowly turned to face the woman. Gemma was standing there, the gun pinched between two fingers as she held it away from her body in disgust.

"You couldn't have put this away before I came over?"

"I forgot." She was by her friend's side in four long strides, taking the gun from her. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

She checked it over as she walked down the hall, running her slim fingers over the cool metal. At the back of the apartment sat her bedroom. The most notable thing in the room was the large chest that sat at the end of her bed. It was fingerprint locked and with a quick swipe of her middle finger, the lid popped open and bared its contents to her. Inside was a multitude of weapons, most of which Gemma had never seen. Her friends did not approve of her secondary life. Especially Gem. It was a topic best left avoided with her two friends.

She held the gun in her hands sighed. The night prior she'd had a run-in with a nasty mystic. It had been one of her more difficult hunts and she had the bruising to prove it.

"Dessera Ainsley! You better not be avoiding my makeup brush!" She heard Gemma yell from the living room. She chuckled and shook her head. Quickly placing the pistol into its place, she closed the lid and made her way back out to the living room.

Tonight, was the Annual Masquerade Ball at the College of Invercast. Every year the college held a masquerade ball for the students to showcase what they had learned as an opportunity to be recruited. Though she was an art student, she wasn't going to showcasing her work. She had already been recruited in her first year, for reasons still unknown to her, seeing as her patron still hadn't told her. 'I'll tell you once you've graduated.' He had told her. Four years later he still refused to tell her, but her graduation was coming up and she was eager to know.

Instead, tonight she was modeling for Gemma, much to her chagrin. As a fashion student, Gemma took full advantage of her lean figure. And she had hated every moment of the creation process. She had been stuck with the pins too many times to count. She had already tried the dress on once, right after it had been finished, but Gemma had gone home that night to add a final flare to it.

While Gem was doing everything she could to be noticed by any fashion patron, she was going to be working security. The campus itself was fairly secure but she had been approached by the dean to aid in undercover security, given her background with hunting. She was permitted one weapon for the event, and before they left she planned to place a small pistol on her ankle.

"Alright, hurry up! We need to do your hair first, then your makeup, so we can get dressed." Gemma argued her as she finished making her tea in the kitchen. She turned around and for the first time her friend stepped into the apartment she realized that Gen's hair and makeup were already done. She sighed.

"Let's get this over with." She grumbled.

Three hours of pure torture went by and she found herself in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She hardly recognized herself. The floor-length gown both swallowed her body and accentuated her figure. Gemma had made the dress with a corset back and as she had fastened the ties she had, had to hold the material to her chest so it didn't fall. The slim pieces of fabrics swooping down her upper arms did nothing to help the dress stay in place, merely decorative. The deep plunge that revealed most of her cleavage was what left her speechless.

At first, she had felt self-conscious, stepping into the dress nearly naked. Scars littered her entire body and she was very grateful Gem had said nothing as they had pulled the dress up. Once the dress was up over her breasts though the scars were hidden and she had willed the red in her cheeks to subside.

"Alright. Finishing touches." Gemma held up the mask and a rose hairpiece. Gemma had done a wonderful job covering up the scars on her face and the mask only added to the coverup. The mask itself was a custom red metal, that had been molded to her face, and slipped on like a pair of glasses hooking on her ears. Golden curls cascaded just below her shoulders and covered her ears and the edges of the mask. She couldn't help but smile at the woman standing in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself.

"This is amazing Gem." She complimented her friend and Gemma smiled.

"Thank you. If this doesn't find you a man tonight, I don't know what will." Gemma retorted, half-joking with her. Dessera shook her head at her friend and lightly elbowed her for the comment. It was true though. She had never dated. Being a hunter, she had never had time for it, and when she wasn't hunting, she was focused on work and school. Gemma on the other hand had been with the same man for four years now. There were days she felt lonely and longed for the companionship. She just didn't have the time or patience. Most men took one look at the scars on her face and ran in the opposite direction. She could only guess that the scars were a huge turn-off, or she was just intimidating, or both. They never stuck around long enough to tell her. Over the years she had learned to wear her lifestyle on her sleeve, and it had earned her a reputation.

A knock at the door signaled that their ride was there. Gemma went buzzing by her, heels clicking on the wood floor. On the other side of the door was Caleb. Six feet tall, chiseled, and handsome. She took one last look in the mirror and made her way out into the living room where she wasn't surprised to see her friends caught in a lip lock. Caleb broke away though as soon as he heard her. He was in an all-black suit and she laughed. They had dressed to match.

"Girl the plunge on this dress is a crime. Am I meant to stand out?" She asked Gemma pointedly.

"Yes. I need that dress to stand out tonight. This is the third year in a row I haven't been recruited. It's my last chance. Plus if it gets you a suitor then I will consider it an accomplishment, recruitment or not." Gemma told her, wrapping her arms around Caleb's middle section.

"If you don't get recruited tonight I will personally hunt down every patron and threaten them." She argued, collecting her clutch and phone from the table. "But seriously this dress is amazing."

"Shall we get going?" Caleb gestured for her to leave first and she rolled her eyes. She walked out into the hallway and heaved a loud sigh. She didn't feel ready for the world to see her in this way. The mask made it easier for her, but she knew the entire night was going to be weird. 

Alright, this is the official Chapter 1 after....too many rewrites I finally feel confident enough to move on to the next chapter.