Mated (The Queen's War #1)

Chapter 1

Eighteen years later...

Perci looked at the neon green clock that blinked from the microwave for the eighth time in ten minutes, and wondered why she had said yes to her housemate, Amy's, suggestion of throwing a party. Crammed into their modest two bedroom town-house, were a handful of people she was acquaintances with and at least two dozen total strangers that Perci refused to believe Amy knew.

When the rabble had come trickling in over an hour ago, she'd snagged a kitchen stool and plonked herself in a corner out of the way. And there she'd sat the whole time, sipping her first and last vodka lemonade of the night.

"So, you come here often?" A voice jolted her to attention and she looked up into the eyes of an attractive man about her age, who had that relaxing average-guy appeal that Perci usually liked.

"Uh, I actually live here." She smiled.

"Yeah, I know. I was just..." He looked sheepish for a beat, "Nevermind."

"I'm Perci." She laughed off the awkwardness.

"Harry."

They shook hands and Perci scooted over her stool so Harry could lean against the wall next to her. Since the music was pumping away she had to lean close to hear him and to those around them, it probably appeared as if they were much more intimate than they were.

"How do you know Amy?"

"I'm Dale's brother." He jerked his head in the direction of Amy's current squeeze.

Rightly or wrongly, Perci subtly shifted away from Harry. Dale was a total dickhead with a capital D. He treated Amy like crap and she'd caught him wandering around the house in his boxers. Sometimes when he saw her in that state, he'd make lewd remarks and preen in front of her. Since she wasn't especially close to Amy, it wasn't her place to say anything, but it made her growing relationship with her housemate fizzle slightly.

"He's not that bad." Harry laughed at an expression she clearly hadn't wiped off her face fast enough.

"Because you're not biassed at all." Perci scoffed.

"True." He suddenly leaned a lot closer, and her discomfort increased. His face was so close she could smell the beer that wafted from his breath. "It's a bit loud in here, how about you show me your room and we can chat?"

Perci's eyes shot into her hairline at his audacity and a scoff left her mouth before she could stop it. It didn't deter him though, instead of being offended, Harry laughed and leaned closer.

"I know how that sounded, but-" He accompanied with a hand on her knee, but before Perci could shove him away Amy appeared in front of her with a scowl.

"She's not interested, Harry, bugger off."

Perci said nothing as he looked at her and when he saw that she clearly agreed with her housemate, he slid away with a frown.

"Thanks for the save." Perci smiled, setting her drink down on a nearby table.

"No problem." Amy waved her off, bobbing her body to the music. "Harry's a flirt, but when he's had a drink he can be a bit pushy."

"Sounds like it runs in the family." Perci murmured under her breath.

"What was that?" Amy asked, thankfully not hearing her over the bass.

"Nothing." She smiled, getting off her stool. "Shall we start herding people out?"

Thirty minutes later, Perci stood outside locking her front door shivering from the autumnal chill as Amy led the party goers further down the street. Clutching her small bag and tugging her leather jacket a little tighter around her body, she hurried down to catch up with everyone. Their neighbourhood wasn't a particularly unsafe one, but it was unfortunately right around the corner from a popular street filled with bars, nightclubs and restaurants. It made their rent cheap and on nights like tonight it made hosting parties easy, but it also meant that they were a hotspot for demonic activity.