A Cursed Throne by D.M. Simmons
Prologue
Nev
English Countryside
18 Years After Luke’s Vanquishing
I pick up the skirt of my gown and dash across the terrace, hurrying down the stone steps as fast as my feet will take me. Pressing one tentative heel on the grass, I test its softness, and feeling it hard underfoot, take off running.
I know every inch of this estate like the back of my hand and make it to where I’m headed in record time. After taking a moment to catch my breath, I let go of my skirt, grip the barn door handle, and yank it open.
After stepping inside, I reach along the wall and flip up the switch closest to me. The light overhead flickers to life and I make my way down the row of stalls to the end, lifting the latch on the gate of Beauty’s stall and stepping inside.
The dark bay Thoroughbred nickers when she sees me, and I smile softly as I make my way over to her. “Hey girl,” I place my hand on her neck and bring it down in slow, smooth strokes.
She nudges my back, and that’s all it takes. One tear breaks free and then another, until the floodgates open, and I’m sobbing uncontrollably.
The noble mare doesn’t pick up her foot impatiently, or swish her long, dark tail as I rest my head against her shoulder. She stands strong and patient, nose close to me, sending warm reassuring breath down my back.
In many ways she is my soulmate; our spirits connected on a level beyond definition. I can’t imagine my existence without her, but I know that day will come, because unlike me, she will not live forever. Even though that day is years away, it hurts to even think about it because it reminds me of just how alone I am now, and never believed I would be.
I wipe away my tears with the back of my hand, then kiss the dark star on her forehead, and make my way out of the stall, closing the gate behind me.
Sinking down onto a fresh pile of hay in the corner, I pull my legs up to my chest, and look up through one of the skylights lining the roof’s pitch. From this vantage I can see both the moon, and stars, and can’t help but laugh at the irony. No matter where I go, nor the passage of time, they will forever be a reminder of why I exist.
Sometimes I still can’t believe the story my parents used to tell me at bedtime is real. That once upon a time my mother was the stars, and my father the moon, and it was their love that led to the angels and the Fall, and Luke’s creation of Hell. But it was. Only that existence was before time itself began, and in this one, my parents were legends.
My mother is leader of the legion, the group of Fallen angels that divided Heaven, and on the night she vanquished Luke–AKA The Devil–she claimed his power, making her the Queen of Hell. Then, as if that act of greatness wasn’t enough, hours later she gave birth to me.
My father, whom she calls her king, is the most respected among our kind. Once a daemon, he now considers himself, as all the Fallen who revoked their loyalty to Luke do–loyal to my mother, and an enforcer of her will.
If living in the shadow of my illustrious parents was my only burden, then this existence wouldn’t be so bad. But not only am I their daughter, but the only one of my kind, with a destiny that rivals even theirs.
When I was conceived, my mother was still an angel and my father’s blood possessed mortal DNA–an effect of being shot by a bullet laced with Stardust, the only element that could turn the blood of the Fallen mortal for a spell.Add in the infusion of hellfire my mother drew into herself when she eliminated Luke, and you have me–a child born with the blood of man, spirit of Heaven, and fires of Hell.
In me is a power greater than that which created the universe, and my very existence’s purpose is to either unite or destroy those kingdoms. But while I can feel its pull, I don’t know how to access this power, or wield it; every search my parents have conducted for answers, coming up woefully empty-handed.
But tonight is my eighteenth birthday, and I, like every child sired by the Fallen, have assumed my birthright. I am now immortal and can do whatever it takes to find the power that lies within me, and starting tomorrow, that is exactly what I am going to do. I just need to get past this miserable night, first.
“Well, what do we have here?” An all too familiar voice cuts into the night. “Cinderella hiding from her ball?”
I whip my head up and scowl, watching as a tall figure with broad shoulders approaches from the unlit part of the stables. “What do you want?”
“Hey,” he raises his hands. “I come in peace.”
I straighten my back and stare into the dark, icily. “You never come in peace anymore.”
When he finally steps into the light, I can’t stop the surge of warmth that shoots through me. Declan Draven. One of my former best friends, and the boy I’ve had a crush on for longer than I can remember, has always had that effect on me.
I narrow my eyes, hoping the look I’m giving him defies the way he makes me feel. “Since when?”
He stops in front of me and looks down with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Since always.”
I want to crush the butterflies I’m feeling and grind them to dust. Then they wouldn’t exist, and I can believe how much I tell myself that I hate him. But even they are stronger than I am and know I’m lying.
With dark auburn hair that’s almost black, gray eyes, and pink lips, Declan is so beautiful it’s almost painful, and only gets better looking, the older he gets. It’s particularly noticeable tonight, in his custom-made tuxedo, and million-dollar smile.
“Don’t use words you don’t mean,” I reply crisply. Always, is a lie, and it hurts.
“Hey,” he sits down next to me. “What’s up?”
The cool confidence in his voice has been replaced by a modicum of concern as he looks at me, curious.
“Nothing,” I look away, not wanting to talk to him right now. “Go back to your date.”
“Nah,” he reaches for a piece of hay. “I’m done with that for the night.”
I roll my eyes and turn back to him, shaking my head. “Does she know that?”
“Sure,” he shrugs. “She knew the deal. Arm candy for the night. Nothing more.”
“No?” I arch a brow. “Fake boobs not your thing?”
He barks out a laugh and smiles. “Nope.”
His answer pleases me, but I glance down, so he can’t tell. “Is that new?” I nod to what looks like fresh ink on his right hand.
“Yup,” he holds it out in front of him, fingers splayed. He’s no longer wearing his tux jacket and the sleeves of his white dress shirt are rolled up, revealing a strong forearm.
“Tibi Omnia,” I read aloud. “What does it mean?”
“For you, everything,” he says simply.
I nod, knowing it’s likely another tattoo for his parents. When Declan was six, his mother died, and a week later his father, a notorious kingpin, dropped him with my parent’s to look after him, and never returned.
I was three years old, and don’t remember that day. Just as I don’t remember a time Declan wasn’t in our lives because he’s been a part of our family ever since.
But I do remember every tattoo Declan has ever gotten, because he’s honored the memory of his parents by etching them into his skin. The fact that I didn’t know he even had a new one, was a painful reminder of just how far apart we’d grown.
“So,” he nudges my shoulder, hair falling over one eye. “Shouldn’t you be inside? Tonight is your night.”
I ball my hands into tiny fists, fighting the urge to push his hair off his face. “It’s supposed to be.”
“But…” He studies the piece of hay in his hand, waiting for me to elaborate.
I want to tell him what sent me running out of my own party. But if I do, he’ll leave, and I don’t want that, no matter how angry I am. It’s the first time we’ve talked in months, and it’s nice to pretend things are like they used to be, even if they’re not.
“Is it the whole, immortal thing?” he asks.
“No,” I shake my head gently.
Only attendants–humans that gave up their mortality to serve the Fallen–were allowed to know about our world and live among us. It was a law that had not been broken for five thousand years.
But when Declan came to live with us, he became the exception. My father told him everything about who we were, and the power I was born with because it was necessary.
There was no way Declan could live in our world without knowing, and no way he could not be a part of our world, because of a promise my father made to his father that he would watch over him should anything happen.
“Well then,” Declan presses. “Spill it, princess. Something is clearly bothering you.”
I take a deep breath and debate whether I should tell him the truth–that he was the reason I was upset. Well, all three of them–he, Kai, and Luca.
Once, it had been the four of us. Bound by an unconventional childhood, we were best friends, and that friendship had been my world.
We were inseparable as kids, despite their being three years older than me, and remained close when they headed to Locksley before me, the private academy every child of the Fallen attended when they turned fourteen. We even remained close when they graduated and moved to the city, even though I still had three more years.
But a few months ago, just before I started my last year at Locksley, everything changed. Declan, Kai, and Luca became ghosts in my life, without explanation. My calls and texts went unreturned, and they stopped coming by my parent’s house in the city. Then tonight, suddenly, there they were, with smiles on their faces, and dates on their arms.
Their absence in my life hurt, but it was nothing compared to the anger I felt when not one of them could bring themselves to talk to me tonight. Not even to say happy birthday.
That’s what sent me running from my own party. They could stare at me all night, but not one of them could bring themselves to talk to me.
“You know what tonight means,” I exhale, ignoring the weight of the truth. “From here on out, I am literally going to hear forever, how I am a copy of them.”
It was one thing to be the child of legends, but it was another to be reminded of your notorious parents every time you looked in the mirror. With my mother’s black hair and father’s cobalt blue eyes, I am a perfect blend of the two.
Not a day goes by, where I don’t hear this, and now I get the privilege of hearing it for all eternity. Declan knew how much I hated this, and it was easier to let him think that’s what was bothering me, than the truth.
“Princess,” Declan tosses the piece of hay he’s been playing with and looks up. “You are no one’s copy.”
“Whatever,” I shake my head and look away.
“I’m serious.” He grabs my chin with his thumb and forefinger and turns my head back to him. “You are extraordinary.”
His touch sends fire down my jaw and my heart racing. “If that’s true,” I swallow, “then why did you three abandon me?”
He drops his hand and shakes his head. “We didn’t—”
“You did,” I insist, cutting him off. “It’s like you’ve forgotten I exist. You’re here, but it’s like you don’t even know what tonight is.”
“I know you exist. In fact, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all night. And for the record,” he continues, eyes burning into me, “I know well what tonight is because I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
“You…what?” I stammer, his response catching me off guard. “Why?”
He leans forward, closing the space between us, then runs a finger under my chin and tips it up. “So I can do this.”
He presses his lips to mine, and I inhale, not sure if what’s happening is real. Then he moves his mouth gently, yet expertly, over mine, and I know that it is.
He tastes like apples and honey, and I lean in, wanting more. But as fast as the kiss begins, it ends, and he pulls back, and smiles. “Happy birthday, princess.”
I bring my hand to my mouth and try to catch my breath and stop the flutter in my chest. But the way he is looking at me, only speeds it up.
“If you’ve been wanting to do that,” I ask, head spinning, “then how come you never have?”
“Well,” he smiles wider. “First, there’s the whole age thing. A twenty-year-old, kissing a seventeen-year-old,” he clicks his tongue. “Not exactly smart.”
His confession surprises me. “You’ve wanted to kiss me since last year?”
He rolls his lower lip between his teeth and looks at me with so much heat, it sends a shiver through me. “Longer, much longer.”
“And the second?” I lick my lips, still able to taste him. “You said first, so I assume there’s another reason.”
“There is,” he nods with confirmation. “A big one. Your father.”
Now that I understand. Overprotective, didn’t begin to describe my father. He was never too careful where my safety was concerned. But Declan, Kai, and Luca had always been the exception. My father saw the three of them as protective older brothers.
Only, brothers didn’t look at sisters the way Declan was looking at me now. And sisters most definitely didn’t have the kind of thoughts about their brother, like I’d had about Declan for years.
“How can you want to kiss me, and hate me?” I ask, totally confused.
“Hate you?” Declan looks at me like I’m crazy. “Are you serious?”
I turn and square my shoulders so I’m facing him. “The three of you disappeared from my life months ago without a word. Not a call, or a text. Nothing. You just…vanished. Then you show up tonight and don’t say one word to me. What else am I supposed to think?”
“Well, we don’t hate you. I don’t hate you. I could never, in a million years, hate you. You’re the best thing about my world, princess. I’ve never met anyone who makes me laugh one moment, and the next…”
“The next, what?” I whisper when his words trail off and his eyes stay locked on mine.
He leans in and kisses me again. Only this time, it’s harder, and deeper, and I kiss him back with the same intensity.
Cupping my face with both hands, he angles my head and slips his tongue into my mouth, and when I greet it with my own, he wraps one arm around my waist and pulls me closer.
I climb onto his lap, wanting to close the space between us, and the layers of my gown’s skirt puff up between us. He laughs and I can’t help but laugh, too, as he pushes it down.
We stare at one another, breathing heavily. “Is this, okay?” he asks, eyes searching mine.
I bite my lip and nod. Yes, it’s okay. It’s better than okay. It’s perfect. I’ve dreamed of kissing Declan longer than I would ever admit.
His mouth crashes down onto mine again, and I can’t stop the moan that curls up my throat when he pulls me flush against the wall of his chest. His lips are confident as they travel from my mouth to my neck, and my stomach tumbles in eager anticipation.
I know Declan is experienced. I’ve heard conversations between him, Kai, and Luca, and even heard the rumor mill that year we were together at Locksley.
But while my experience ends with kissing, I can’t stop myself from wanting more. “Take it off,” I whisper.
He pulls back and looks at me, and when I see him hesitate, I place my hand on his chest. What’s happening may only be a stolen moment, but it feels right.
“I know you don’t want me in your life anymore, but I want this,” I insist. “I want you.”
“I do want you in my life.” He presses his forehead to mine. “You have no idea.”
“You do?” I ask, my voice cracking. “Then why did you push me away?”
“It’s complicated,” he looks up, eyes heavy. “But I never stopped caring about you. Not for a second.”
My heart swells and the ache in my heart that’s been there for months, starts to ease. “You didn’t?”
“Never.” He brushes my cheek, then pulls me to him again and kisses me.
“Please,” I whisper against his lips, as he runs one hand down my back, and grips my neck with the other. “Be my first, Declan.”
This time he doesn’t hesitate. He unzips the back of my dress, pulls it down to my waist, then brushes the back of his hand across the swell of my breasts.
His touch is electric and sends goosebumps down my arms. But when I unhook my corset and toss it onto the hay, his eyes fill with hunger and heat stirs in my core.
Grabbing my breast tenderly, my head falls back, as he lowers his mouth and flicks the hard bead of my nipple with his tongue. The sensation is exquisite as he moves from one breast to the other and I want more. I need it.
Pulling him down with me into the hay, we kiss and explore one another, mouths hungry, hands eager, and when he reaches for the waistband of my panty, he looks up. “If you want me to stop, tell me now.”
“Don’t stop,” I rasp, wanting him more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
He pulls them down, and I kick off my heels, admiring his body as he undresses.
His chest is hard and sculpted and I want to feel it pressed against mine. But then he wraps his hands around my ankles and spreads my legs, and all I can think about is having his mouth on me.
He kisses my foot, then my leg, followed by my inner thigh. Then his mouth finds its way between my legs and a surge of electricity shoots through me.
My hips buck as he pierces me with his tongue, and I run my hand through his hair, and grab a fistful.
“Fuck princess,” he moans. “You taste like a dream.”
What he’s doing with his mouth feels amazing, but when he shoves a finger inside me, a whole new sensation hits.
He sucks my clit, while pumping his finger in and out of me, and my body grows warm, and my nerves start to tingle. “If you keep that up, I’m going to…”
“Come?” He slips another finger inside me, thrumming me with both. “Good.”
My breathing quickens as he picks up the pace, and when I clench my thighs around his head, he groans with approval. Blood whooshes in my ears as the pressure builds, and when I come, I cry out.
While riding the high of my climax, he pushes up between my legs and kisses me. I taste the sweetness of myself on his tongue and my mind spins with euphoria as he nudges his cock against my entrance.
Now I know why he wanted me warm and wet and blissfully high. As he eases into me, it feels like I’m being ripped open, and I can only imagine what it would feel like if I weren’t.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks softly, cradling my head in his hands.
I dig my nails into his lower back and ignore the burn. “Don’t you dare.”
He continues inching into me and when he’s finally in all the way, pulls out. Just when I’m about to ask what’s wrong, he thrusts into me again, filling me. I whimper at the burn of being stretched, but then he brings a hand down between us and rubs my clit, and the pain starts to ease.
“Promise me no one will ever have you like this,” he sighs as we move together, as if we’ve done this a hundred times before.
“I promise,” I whisper, while running my hands down his back. This moment will forever belong to him. Declan will always be my first.
He wraps an arm around my waist, and pulls me close, and after bringing me to climax again, he reaches his own. In this moment, I’ve never felt closer to another, and it is everything I wanted it to be.
After we get dressed and make our way out of the stables, Declan tucks me against his side as we head back to the house. The weight I’ve been carrying starts to lift, and it feels like everything is going to be okay. But just before we reach the terrace, he grabs my hand and pulls me into the shadows.
“Princess, I need you to remember something,” he says urgently.
I look up at him with a confused smile. “Okay.”
“I need you to remember the truth isn’t what you think it is.” I shake my head, not understanding. “Just, promise me,” he cups my face and stares intently into my eyes. “I need to know you’ll remember this, no matter what.”
“I promise,” my eyes search his, not sure what’s happening.
For a moment, it looks like he is going to say something. But then without a word, he kisses me, steps back, and walks away.
I watch in stunned silence as he makes his way into the house, then follow numbly, wondering what is going on. When I finally make it back to the great room, I see Declan having what appears to be an intense conversation with Luca and Kai.
The three turn and watch me uneasily as I head towards them. But when I’m only a few feet away, they turn their backs on me, and it stuns me.
In one night, Declan had both opened my heart, and broken it, and the hurt is so deep, I don’t know what else to do, but run.
By the time I reach the stairs, my eyes are so filled with tears, I can barely see. Declan is wrong. Sometimes the truth is exactly what you think. I’d be wise to remember this, and not let anyone fool me again. Not Kai, or Luca, and especially, Declan Draven.