EREBUS
Her brows furrowed before she snatched her hand from his. She mumbled something under her breath and stalked away. Erebus didn't bother even giving her a second glance.
Kara was nice. Sometimes. But even if he wasn't destined to marry a human, things would have never worked out with her. Kara was a spitting image of what the humans hated so much when it came to the fae. Kara was selfish, materialistic, ignorant, and naive.
Still. Erebus couldn't help but wonder if it was her own fault, or this warped reality they had been living for the past few decades. They sat in this castle pretending nothing else existed outside of it.
Like he said. Ignorant.
Erebus brought his attention back to the food he was searching for.
His father–the king–was standing just a few feet away. He could have turned around, tried to avoid him, but that would no doubt result in some sort of punishment later.
And right now, he needed him on my side.
Especially if Eve was going to survive the night.
"Thank you for all of this," Erebus said, throwing the grateful son smile on his face as he approached his father. "It's a beautiful party."
His companions nodded and found themselves busy with other conversation as Erebus approached.
"It's not every day that your firstborn son gets married! Although, it might be every few years. Perhaps we should keep the decor for next time, yes?"
It was a joke, but his temper flared. Erebus clenched his fists, trying to keep his cool.
"Relax, son. Your wife seems to be a fighter. No doubt this one will be different!" Every word was a lie. "Besides…fourth time's the charm, right?" he said, stumbling over his words and sloshing the liquid from his cup as he leaned toward him.
"You're drunk already?" Erebus asked. "With so much of the night left ahead?"
He took another drink. "It's a party, boy. You should enjoy it while you can."
"Not much to enjoy when my wife is in danger," Erebus admitted through gritted teeth.
His father's face grew serious. "You're married not even an hour and she already has you running around for her own protection!" he laughed. "You really don't think you can trust this room full of your closest friends and family?" he asked.
Erebus looked around the room. Strangers. That's who these people were to him. They weren't friends, and they certainly weren't family.
"I thought I could trust them the last three times, and look where that got us."
His father's eyes darkened. "Your wife is safe, Erebus. Don't be a fool. Not a single person in this room wishes harm on her."
A small slice of anger laced his words. Was he really pissed that Erebus didn't trust this room full of drunk, selfish fae? Or was he more pissed off because he was actually taking a stance and protecting my wife?
Erebus wanted nothing more than to stand up to him. His power was no match for his, and they both knew that.
But his father had leverage. That one piece of information that forced me to obey his every command, his every wish.
Erebus held his gaze until he heard Eve's laugh echo in the room behind him.
"Excuse me, my wife is waiting," Erebus mumbled to his father before turning around, without any food, and returning to the table.
One glimpse of his brother's white hair and he knew exactly what had made Eve so cheerful. His brother Azazel had moved his chair a few feet closer to Eve's, separating himself from the others and leaning in to fill her ear with nothing but nonsense, he was sure.
Eve's demeanor had flipped entirely since He had walked away. She sat at the table with both elbows propping her head up, tossing her chin back and laughing at something Azazel was saying.
Azazel. Certainly the least trustworthy of his brothers. But Eve didn't know that. And Azazel was clever enough to ensure she thought the exact opposite.
"I leave for two minutes and you start having fun without me?" Erebus chirped, sliding back into his seat.
Eve hardly glanced in his direction, her long black hair spilling over her shoulder.
"Your brother here was just filling me in on exactly what type of family I've married myself into," Eve said with a smile still plastered on her face.
"Is that so?" Erebus asked.
Azazel nodded, his dark eyes drinking up every second of her attention. "Nothing too terrible yet, brother. We must ease her into these types of things. But I did inform your beautiful bride here that of all the idiot Caliphate princes, you may be the only one who has managed to set the castle on fire." A wicked grin played on his lips.
Erebus pretended to be amused by the memory, but he knew what Azazel was doing.
He was trying to piss him off.
They both knew that Erebus wasn't the one who set the castle on fire. He was just the one who got blamed.
Like Erebus got blamed for everything else growing up.
Azazel leaned in to whisper into Eve's ear again, now just inches from Eve's face. His eyes flickered over every one of her features.
Erebus draped his arm across Eve's shoulders, squeezing lightly. A clear display to his brothers, to Azazel, to back off.
"I'm sure Eve's heard enough," he interjected, trying his best to sound as bored as possible. Eve whipped her head to me.
"He was just telling me–"
"I said enough!" Erebus boomed. He didn't care that the words came out too strong. He didn't care that she flinched at his voice.
Azazel needed to learn. And frankly, so did Eve.
Azazel held my gaze a second longer before he sat up and returned to his original position at the table.
Erebus didn't take my arm off Eve's shoulders, but did his best to touch as little of her as possible. As if that would help. Any type of relaxation she was displaying just seconds ago was gone now, replaced by the strong look of a woman who wanted to survive.
The thought of Azazel getting so close to Eve with that look on his face made Erebus want to throw him across the ballroom.
But then people would think he cared. Which he didn't.
Erebus had expected the snakes to come out of the swamp at this wedding. He should have expected his brothers to be four of them.
And like He said. Erebus was tired of people touching his things.