BORDER

Chapter Twenty Six

ANAKIN

    I want to light this ugly ass suit on fire.

    It is a pink, floral, suit that no one in their right mind should ever find themselves in. I feel like I am going to puke just looking at it. Gods if she chooses this one, I might just jump off this balcony.

    They pull out a black and orange suit that is bright, and I mean fucking bright, with pearls on the cufflinks. "Say you're kidding right now."

The servant shakes her head. "It is the style in Lani."

    "No. Next." Why is it so bright? If that's what Lani looks like I think I'd prefer to remain in Gehena.

    "What is it that you'd like?" She questions haughtily.

"Something that doesn't look like I am marrying Nani." The mention of the goddess of nature has the servant girl annoyed. I can see she's not liking me using a goddess she must praise as an insult.

She then pulls out an all-black suit with a burgundy red cloth hanging in the pocket.

I stiffen at the sight. The anticipation sinks into the air. The servant in front of me raises an eyebrow but the look on her face is all knowing. It is so present that this was the one I would choose, but will she? The other ones scream Nerissa, but I am not showing up in those.

    "This one." It is more me. I am not so sure that Nerissa picked this one and my intuition is telling me she didn't, but we made it this far. And my intuition is wrong multiple times a day.

    I'm sure she'll find a compromise.

    "Well, Prince Kumar, if you'd like to bathe first we'll move along and do your hair." I nod as an excuse for her. She smiles as she moves to exit. "I'll leave you alone."

    I think she is blushing when she closes the door behind her. I take no time in stripping and jumping into the steaming bath. The dirt from days of travel slushes off of me. This may be my last hot bath, but I can't focus on that. I stay in it for as long as I can.

I don't know how muuch time has passed but much later a knock interrupts my serenity. Wrapping a piece of cloth over my waist, I open the door and she steps back in. Her face is pink as if she likes the sight.

I can bet that she never seen a fallen before. We are known to be extremely muscular. The gods are people we hate, but we appreciated the physique and care for the body they carried. It was rather, fit, to say the very least.

    I cinch the towel at my waist.

    The veins in my hand pop out as I do such a small gesture and she almost faints. I loved a good swooner. I chuckle as she blinks back suggestive thoughts.

"Just do what you need."

    She nods. "Yes sir. Whatever you say."

    She parts my shaggy hair down the middle before cutting some of it off. I had flinched a few times but, she slicks it back, hiding my messed up curls, and trims my facial hair. I catch sight of myself with a clean shave, a smirk finds its way to my lips.

    I put on the suit and glance at myself one more time. I look extremely handsome, right now. My scar makes me feel like I am the toughest in the room. How true that is, where my finger is worn down by hard work, everyone else's are smooth and scar free. Pain and misery do not exist in places like this.

    The servant lays out a few daggers. I observe them all. "What are these for?"

"Evangeline may not seem like it, but she has more tricks up her sleeve than meets the eye."

"She told us what the challenge is-"

"Trust me, Prince Anakin." The serious gaze in her eyes has me rattled. My hand gravitates towards the obsidian one, adorned with black diamonds.

    It is the only good option here.

    The servant woman rolls the daggers back up into their cloth before she guides me to the corridor. We make our way down the long hallway in silence. Except for the music that haunts the palace. I could hear the music begin two hours ago, obviously the festivities of the night began long before Nerissa and I were to arrive.

    At least I hope she is not there all alone amongst vipers who want nothing but entertainment.

    As I descend the stairs, eyes follow me. They pierce into my skin begging for me to show an ounce of weakness, begging me to bleed for them. I do not know if the people in the room are all gods and angels and any other divine but I know that they exude a power that is indescribably.

The servant girl excuses herself while also instructing me to wait for Nerissa at the bottom. I waited at the bottom for her and scoff at they idea that I am less than them. Whispers emerge around me and I set my jaw once I hear the words ugly and scar thrown around. I have hated this scar my entire life, but it is a reminder as to how cruel Gods can be. And how I would never allow one to make me feel weak, again.

Gods are just gods, I can make them bleed too.

I feel powerful right now even though I could lose my life tonight. I like this feeling, it is intoxicating. I could not imagine what it feels like to go your whole life without it. Assurance in myself is what gets me through life, I am a weapon that only I can yield.

The warning in the servant girl's eyes stays with me as I observe the huge ballroom. Then the entire room dies down a little, everyone's attention gets dragged to the top of the stairs. I follow their hungry gaze to see Nerissa standing at the top of the steps, dazzling like a rare, unmined gem. My lips part as I am rendered completely, utterly speechless.

And that is when my birthmark, the throbbing beat in my shoulder, flares and I gasp at the shock. It is both painful and the most sensational feeling I have ever felt. My vision blurs, my heart races, and then everything settles sharply in front of me as I continue to stare at her.