In this fucked up universe of possibilities there is always an act of kindness that was done with evil intent...
" What do you mean by reunion? I'm perfectly fine with the way we have been doing this whole responsibility thing. I do the work you gave me and you pass them along in those boring meetings of yours. "
Ceraëas couldn't believe what he was asking as well. It initially was his plan to lift his responsibilities and take a break from time to time like his alphas ordered but he didn't know that would have come to ask the lad to partake in this farce.
Sure the demon has quickly gotten accustomed to his role of future queen and performs his duties. Well, the paperwork part that is.
Yet, the idea that he would meet the other high ranks... That thought tickled him.
Arson, on the other hand, hated meetings and wanted to avoid them like the plague.
The funny thing was every morning he would taunt Ciel's shitty face when he had to prepare for those excruciating business reunions with other supernatural leaders while comforting the needy Cal who always cried buckets before bidding him goodbye.
Accepting to go to those conferences will be like shooting himself in the legs.
Yet, those mornings became less uncomfortable as time passed by but of course, he didn't sleep with them every night. He was slowly getting used to their presence after all.
Taking it slow was the key.
" Before you are crowned, you have to meet the officials— "
" Crowned? " Arson didn't think highly of the word. Which in his head was a synonym of staying. " Who said I wanted to be crowned? I am doing you an act of charity and I'm helping you because you asked me. "
Ceraëas was struck. What could bring more honor to someone like Arson to become queen? Who would say no to a throne and loving mates? Does sluts dream of something else than dildos?
Arson smirked at him, " I love the face you're giving me right now. It's like I crushed your world and you learning a new universal rule... Keep doing that, it won't be the last time your face moves like that. "
Arson was feeling humourous today. This morning he had to drag Marracissa out of bed to interact with the wolf.
This woman couldn't get out of her precious bed without a fight. It was like she was glued to it by some invisible lazy force.
Afterward, they had to wait for the wolf to make his grand entrance. They had to wait at least two hours and Maracissa even threatened to roll back to her bed when Arson said if she wanted to leave, he wasn't going to lift her back in her wheelchair.
Why was she on the ground to begin with, you ask?
Because they wanted to hide under a bush but the wheelchair would give away their location.
Which honestly was stupid.
The wheelchair was just moved two meters away behind in plain sight. Visible to the guards who questioned them after catching them in their more than suspicious spot.
After being warned by the guards that they had to be back in their room before sunlight. Ceraëas finally showed the tip of his snout.
His slow pace to Maracissa's window had her fuming for the wrong reasons. Like what was he thinking he was right now? A normal tiger?
Those lazy gorgeous filines that walk slowly because they have nothing better to do than hunt. Oh lord, how she wished she could just teleport back to her bed.
All of these thoughts passed through her mouth without any filter for the insults and couldn't come out of Arson's mouth because he struggling to not laugh and get them caught.
Fate has funny plans because the wolf is more afraid of her than she is afraid of him. The now renamed pup, the pup because the nickname puppy was already taken by a silver-haired crybaby alpha.
The wolf had one sniff at her, whimpered, froze, and scouted away.
Maracissa let out a loud curse watching the wolf run away with its tail between his legs.
After all this hilarious bullshit, he carried her back to her hospital room as the succubus sulked.
" Why are you laughing like that? " Arson calmed down and breathed out. Yet, every time he glanced at Ceraëas's face, he exploded again.
" God bless you, Cereas. " The said wolf shifted in his seat in response to the suspicious blessing.
" A demon saying that to me is not a good sign. "
" Exactly. " With that, Arson left the beta's office. His cheerful mood only intensified when he encountered Sapphirian on his route.
" Young queen, it's a delight to see you so full of life this fine afternoon. Would you like to accompany this old wolf on his morning walk around the estate? "
Arson smiled and accepted Glady. Ever since he's here, the old man has been nothing more than nice to him.
For some unknown reason, Sapphirian reminds him of the shadows back home. Just more facially expressive and much less heartless.
The old man walked slowly, one step at a time and a long one with his cane. Which in Arson's experience was a well thought ruse.
" So you've been having this bad leg for how long? I suppose it had to be a really bad one for you to need a cane to walk. " Sapphirian smiled under his beard.
" Oh you know, old wolves like me don't take count of this kind of thing. " He repeatedly slaps the side of his thigh, raises it a few centimeters above the ground, and puts it back.
Arson hummed while watching him with skepticism, " And what about you, young queen? How have you been this past month? Have you talked to your mother? I heard that you had an accident not too long ago. "
" Ah..." Awkward, he suddenly felt the need to scratch a nonexistent itch under his jaw.
" So... you've heard about that...? " Sapphirian features harden, his feral features accentuating his hard expression.
" My deepest apologies for the behavior of those young ones. I would like to say that they are nice kids and that I don't know what took over them but it's not an excuse for all they've put you through. "
Arson suddenly felt uncomfortable. Sapphirian was a nice old man, who was wise beyond his years. Truly the exemplary progenitor that he thrives to be.
" It's not your fault, sir. " What could he say else than this?
The aged advisor wasn't at fault? He had been one of the only ones who had treated him with respect and as a fellow human.
Beside him was his personal maid. That definitely said something about this place.
Arson wanted to thank him for that effort. That significant and yet simple effort to act human to another human. " Child, would you look this old man in the face and pretend that everything that had happened to you was a breeze?"
" I wouldn't say that...I'm just used to it, that's all. " He pauses. " I mean sometimes, it's easy to endure something that had happened to you before. The shock disappears and before you know it, it becomes standard. "
" Expect it isn't. " Sapphirian hit his cane on the floor in fury. Overstate his emotions.
" I know. "They glanced at each other.
The old men observed the boy with pity in his used pupils, the young boy stared back the reflect his own pity to himself.
A surprisingly relaxing silence installed between them. There was an understatement and a consensus.
• • •
Maracissa stared at the food put there in front of her. Other patients walked by and front of her and glanced at her place.
This was the hardest part of the day, the judgment from people who didn't know a single thing about her and the disgusted glare when they caught her throwing all this up in the bathroom.
They knew exactly why she couldn't digest normal food and now that she was finally eating someone fit for her stomach, they were calling her ungrateful for it.
Weren't their loved ones sending them treats from time to time?
Well, this was the same thing... Instead, it was a kind thought from a friend, a good one.
She swallowed all that was on her plate regardless of the dirty look that was given by the passers-by because that was what they all were, passers-by.
After digesting all of this good meal, she put her plates on her thighs, rolled back a few meters away from the table, and drove to the cafeteria.
" Oh hell no, I ain't cleaning your plate, missy! " She stared at the cook as if she had grown two heads.
The attention of all the patients present was now on her as if this mess had been pre-rehearsal to make this moment more humiliating than it was already. She sighed, " Nevermind, I'll just go to the bathroom. "
Rolling to the bathroom, she washed her plate in the sink with some hand soap. Scrubbing the dirt that fought with her nails.
When she was done, she sat the clean plates beside the sink and washed her own hands.
She breathed in, the air was humid and had a bitter taste. If she closed her eyes, she could hear the silent hiss of a snake flapping inside a shut mouth. " You have something to say to me?"
The bathroom door behind her opened wide, showing a heeled leg whose kick propelled the door to the wall so strong it bounced twice.
A tall redhead sat on the toilet, a black pencil skirt and a white blouse. " Dear mother, we stopped talking ages ago. I don't know what you want me to say. "
" The reason you bully this poor Arson by example? I thought I raised you better than that. " Maracissa stared at her reflection in the mirror daring the girl behind her to light the cigarette in her mouth.
" Funny thing... " She rose to her feet. " You left before teaching that bullying was bad mother. "
Her steps were elegant and refined. Hard and noisy on the ceramic tiles. The heels accentuated her long unending legs clothed with tight black pantyhose.
Standing in front of the mirror she rearranged her low-cut shirt. Grabbing her breasts in her bra so that her nipples were straight and huddled together.
" And Arson is mine." She shook the pair sensuality as she applied red lipstick to her lips and popped.
Maracissa's tail whipped the ground and with an authoritative voice shouted at the woman the obvious truth. " He already has mates! "
She clicked her tongue on the roof of her pallet.
" Who cares? He's an incubus, the concept of mates doesn't matter to you, folks... That's what you always used to say. Mother. " She glanced at the woman and smirked when she saw her anger was deflated.
She pivoted on her heels, jumped on the counter, and leaned onto the glass behind her. " He's so cute, wouldn't you agree? And god, the way he whimpers when I lick him. "
She closed her thighs shut, grabbed her breast to probe, and bit her lower lip to perform the defile scene of lust.
Maracissa looked at her, disgusted with what she was witnessing right now. " I'm going to say it again, leave the boy alone. "
She halts and suddenly jumps off the counter, " And what are you gonna do, Mother? Punish me? Forbid me from going out? "
She bent over until she was at eye level from her. " Who are you to teach me how to act when you abandoned us to go back to sucking dicks in hell? The other may have forgiven you... But I don't. "
" I did this for your own good and look how that turned you all. Michael became a singer in the human world and uses his siren song for his art. Rebecca—"
" I don't care! " She sighed and straightened up to flip her hair behind her shoulder. " You still abandoned us and never came back. When I sent you an invitation for my graduation day, you didn't even respond. "
Her heels clicked as she opened the exit door. " You and I are going see each other a lot from time to time. Consider us strangers, like that time at the mail office. I don't know you and you don't know me. Point." She promptly on the rhythm of her heels.
Maracissa sighed in exhaustion and ran a hand in her hair. Who knew that the sweet little snake that she raised had become so wicked?
When she came across her at the mail office, she nearly didn't recognize her voice. She couldn't believe her ears. The shy little reptile that would drag her "s " for dramatic effects.
" What could have I done wrong? "