Kyla

I want to reach for Diedrek's hand in this very moment, but I don't want to show any kind of weakness while in the same room as this monster. I lift my head high in the air, walk past Diedrek entirely, beating him to the chairs by his father. I take my seat at the chair right next to the monster himself. I can feel the tension in Diedrek's body as he takes a seat at the chair beside me. In the corner of my eye, I see him giving his father the evil eye.

He pays him no mind; all his attention is on me. He has one eyebrow raised and is rubbing his bottom lip with one of his thumbs. He is sitting so pompously, with his arms together placed on top of the table.

His gaze holds interest. Causing me to take my water in hand and take a desperate sip. I count to five in my head before finally bringing my eyes to his. Staring him down with just as much ferocity as he is giving me.

A full-blown smile grows along his lip's moments later, just before boisterous laughter comes up from his throat. His head falls back against his chair as his entire body shakes with mirth. Mendrick, both Alaric and Rowland, as well as my father Tristan all join in, filling the room with the chilliest of laughter I have ever heard in my life. It doesn't make me lose my cool though, instead I copy his previous sitting position and wait for him to compose himself.

Once he does all laughter dies down. We watch carefully as he wipes tears from his eyes. "You are quite a character. I can already tell." He looks past me towards his oldest son. "You have your hands full for sure there my boy." He clears his throat and sits up once again in his seat.

"I have to say I didn't know what to expect with meeting you tonight." He drinks the red liquid in his glass, I can only assume is blood, and snaps his fingers in the air. Within seconds, two maidens of the mansion come with food. They fill up the table, keeping their heads down the entire time. I don't miss the way Alaric glares at the blond-haired woman. When she gets close to him to place down his plate her entire body shakes even more. I'm afraid she may break the porcelain plate with how badly she cannot keep still.

To my utter surprise she doesn't, not even when Alaric grabs her wrist in a death grip. Her entire body coils within itself as she looks down at the floor. "Alaric," the sound of his father's booming voice causes him to drop the poor girls' wrist hard on the table. In an instant she scurries away as fast as she can. "Not tonight."

Alaric nods his head, his jaw set in tension. I can tell by the look on his face he is pissed off that his father stopped him from having his fun, but he doesn't say a word. An icy feel of a hand along my chin pulls me from my thoughts as my face is pulled towards the deep-sea green eyes of the devil once more.

"Father." I hear Diedrek's growl from beside me as I hear his chair pull out from the table.

His father drops his hand from my skin, causing heat to replace where the cold once was. He holds up his hand causing Diedrek to take a seat once again.

"Eyes' on me sweet." He looks towards the table full of exquisite choices of food.

"Everyone may begin eating." He claps his hands once and all at once the vampires begin filling their plates.

He must see the curve of my brows from the confusion I feel because he answers my silent question. "We can eat just like normal human beings sweet. We just prefer blood." When my eyes make their way to his he gives me a blinding white smile.

"But I wanted you to feel more comfortable this evening, hence this exquisite meal." I know he is trying to make me let down my guard, but it'll be a frigid day in hell before that happens.

"So, father did you get everything finished that you needed?" Diedrek not one to beat around the bush questions the man that for some reason hasn't taken his attention away from me. "I mean you weren't gone long at all, only a few days."

His eyes move to his oldest son. "Don't worry about what I was doing son. I got everything I needed."

"Cryptic much." I hear Darius whisper from the other side of the table.

Causing all heads to turn his way. All besides the devil himself. "When I feel it necessary for you all to know I will share, but for this evening I want nothing more than to get to know this little treat sitting beside me."

I haven't moved an inch, which is why the sound of my plate being set in front of me causes me to jump in surprise. Looking down I see Diedrek filled my plate with all my favorite foods. Well, what used to be my favorite foods. Will they still taste good now that I'm no longer human?

"They will taste even better." The sound of the devil's voice causes my head to whip up to meet his eyes.

"Can you hear what I'm thinking?" I once again go back to previous nervous habits and find myself biting my bottom lip with my teeth.

"So, she can speak. At least she isn't mute. That's a start." He ignores my question entirely as he mutters these words to himself.

Diedrek grabs my hand on top of the table urging me to eat. I could use the reprieve, so I grab my fork and dig in. Well one thing I can give his father he doesn't lie about mundane things. The food is even more delicious than when I was a human. Everything I place in my mouth bursts with flavor.

"If that is what she looks like when she comes you must thoroughly enjoy fucking her son." My eyes pop open as I glare in the direction of the devil.

I hadn't even realized my eyes had closed. I can feel Diedrek about ready to burst with anger, so I place my free hand along his knee under the table to do what I can to calm him down. It seems to work as he places his free hand on top of mine and rubs his thumb along my fingers.

"Sweets, what is it like to find your mate?" All eyes focus on me as I ponder how to answer the devil's question. I hadn't expected him to start with something like that.

"It's wonderful. I felt an instant connection to Diedrek the moment we met." I can see him nodding at me as he takes a bite of food and swishes it around his mouth. Thinking about my answer.

"Yes, I have heard that is what happens. Fate can be a real bitch though can it not?" I lift my brow at him causing him to laugh once more.

"Feisty I love it!" He winks at me before continuing, "what I mean is it must have been extremely difficult for you to accept my son as you were born a rebel and he a vampire. The world works in mysterious ways for sure, doesn't it?" He lifts his glass once more to his lips and takes a sip all without breaking eye contact with me over the top of his glass.

The familiarity of this man is nauseating. I feel as though I have seen him once before in my life, but I cannot place him. I put down my fork and sit back in my chair eyeing him skeptically. Once he puts his glass back down on the tabletop, he mirrors my position in his own chair. I make up my mind and decide to go for it. What do I have to lose?

"Do I know you?" He studies me looking from eye to eye as a full-blown smile grows along his lips once more.

"Aw, it's in the back of your mind, but you can't quite remember." He rubs his pointer finger along his lips before coming to a decision. I can see it in his eyes.

He sits up, places his hand beside mine, "My name is Mortis." I look at our hands on the tabletop thinking about his name. It doesn't sound familiar at all.

"You may know me as Peter." My eyes make their way to him the instant those words come out of his mouth.

"Now she remembers." He sits back once more.

"You look just like your mother. She has always been quite a beauty too." His words bring fear into my blood, causing my backbone to go ice cold, as a shiver makes its way through my entire body.

"You once tried to help me when I was thirteen years old. There was a vampire raid, and you saved me. You hid me behind the bushes as they went on a drinking binge." He studies me with the same red eyes as that day. "You were going to drink me dry that day, weren't you?" He licks his lips.

"I was tempted, but then I touched your hand. I saw it. I saw who you really were, and I knew I could play this to my advantage." His arms lay along the arms of his chair. He looks like the devil himself sitting along his throne.

"How? How is letting me survive working to your advantage?" I see no one else in this room at this moment. No, it's just me and the devil conversing.

"I would think that would be quite obvious." His eyebrow raises as his head tilts to the side. He's waiting for me to put together the pieces of the puzzle. I look at Diedrek, and it comes to me. The answer is so simple, he allowed me to live so he could control his wayward son. With me here and him as a threat to me he can keep his oldest son in line, who will become even more powerful than the man studying me now in only three more days.

I look back to the devil. "So, you use me to have all the power in this world. Don't you have enough already?" He sighs as though I'm boring him now. "You can never have enough dear girl."