Enchantments

Chapter Seventeen

Zarina sat taking a bite of a fruit salad as she watched girls rush around looking excited.

Thaddeus was staring down at some papers with her name on them, they looked like invites.

"What are those?" She asked after swallowing some food.

"Nothing good." He said shaking his head slowly.

A few of the girls were waving out the invites similar to the one Thaddeus had, while others seemed disappointed.

A heavy feeling of anxiousness began descending onto Zarina's back.

"Hello, siblings."

Zarina's head snapped up to see Darius. He was dressed up in an elegant, black suit that brought out his devilish red eyes. His hair and eyes the same color as Thaddeus's, but his facial features were softer, prettier.

"Darius?" Thaddeus asked with a suspicious tone.

Wondering eyes from the girls lingered over Darius as he stood in front of the table. He had a muscular body but still lean. His hands casually rested in his pockets as he looked down at them.

"What are you doing here?" Zarina asked in a low whisper, she leaned forward over the table, pushing away her fruit salad.

"You've been naughty, sister," Darius responded as he pointed a finger at her in a mocking tone.

He placed himself down in front of them and grabbed Zarina's leftover fruit.

"It wasn't her fault, Darius," Thaddeus said sternly as he returned his attention to the invites that gave Zarina a stomach ache. "He publicly declared her."

Darius began chuckling as he threw the fruit into his mouth. "Oh, no, dad is pleased about that."

The words brought Thaddeus's and Zarina's head up to his attention.

Their farther? The Emperor of the Underground? Pleased? With Zarina?

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Thaddeus asked as he put down the invites.

"I believe his exact words were," Darius straightened his back and turned on a brooding face. "That abomination will finally be worth my blood in her veins." He spoke in a low deep voice mocking their father.

None of them liked their father, in fact, Zarina was fairly certain they all despised him. Thaddeus played nice, purely so he could become Emperor.

Zarina narrowed her eyes, unsure how to feel about this information.

Darius began laughing as he finished off the fruit.

A million things were running through Zarina's mind. "He wants me to mate with the King?"

Darius put down the empty fruit bowl and leaned in his close. His eyes were glistening with a type of excitement. "Very much so sister, if you become queen, father will have direct access to Dalustra."

And then it began to make sense.

Thaddeus sat back in his chair now nodding slowly, while Darius continued to widen his wicked grin. "Give him heirs, let our demon blood take the surface."

"I'm a half-breed." She reminded her brothers since Thaddeus seemed to be coming on board with this plan.

"He knows that already sister." Thaddeus sternly, she turned to face him, noticing how his face was calmly composed. "He knew what your blood was before he declared you."

"Which means, he thinks you are worth the risk," Darius said leaning back in his chair, he began tracing his eyes over the Maidens, admiring them.

Some met his eyes, others tried very hard not to. All flushed red.