Prince of Blood | 18+

Chapter 1: Blood Red

PATIENCE

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I was Patience. Not anger or frustration. I was supposed to be able to hold it together in every situation—even when my bastard of a mate was glaring at me.

Wrath leant against the doorway as Greed spoke to him, his eyes unfaltering on me. Hate spewed from him every time he blinked and I felt a shiver roll down my spine.

They said our mating bond would kick in first.

I didn't want it to kick in—ever. The only thing I wanted to kick in was his face until he was—

"Patience!" Diligence snapped her fingers in my face, crossing her arms across her chest. Her pink irises watched me carefully. "Where are you lost? Go get ready, the Nine Muses will be here soon."

A rosy dress clung to her like a glove, adorning her every curve and crevice. Sloth's throat bobbed as he swallowed—but he turned away from his mate just as quickly.

A hiss broke through the air as Envy's claws dug out from beneath her knuckles. She looked away, her blue gaze lowered with shame. We would all be looking away in shame if our jealousy of Beast and Pandora was as obvious as hers.

"I'm going," I said as calmly as I could.

Wrath's red stare seemed to follow my every movement and I felt his head turn as I brushed past him.

His anger was like a pulse. A pulse that got louder as I got closer to him. I no longer bothered trying to keep my Virtue on a leash. It reached out for his Sin, taming his fiery sparks. Our red powers waltzed amongst each other—invisible to everyone else eyes, visible to only ours.

Wrath could punch, break or shatter whatever he wanted. I wouldn't even flinch.

I was too used to the way his fury radiated off him in crimson ribbons—reaching out to me, wrapping around me like a python. His every emotion called to me—begged me to ease its agony.

What disgusted me was his hate.

Wrath hated that I levelled out his rage. He hated that his Sin craved my Virtue and if he could, he'd get rid of me.

He was always fuming about one thing or another and my Virtue would thump restlessly against my bones, pleading to be released; pleading to go and tame the beast.

I zipped up my red gown, smoothing my palms down the lacy fabric. My snowy braid flowed down my back, clashing with the shade I was wearing. Where I was white he was black.

He had the hair of a raven; dark and unforgiving.

He had the moods of a monster; merciless and torturous.

And he had the glare of an eagle; relentless and predatorial.

I would always be the prey that his eagle sought out. Because everything about Wrath was red. A bright blood red.

But his heart was black.

Stone black.

I rubbed my lips together, wiping the smudge of red lipstick off the corner of my mouth. It was Pandora and Beast's mating ceremony and the Nine Muses would finally bless them, finally allow them to be together.

Wrath and I had already been blessed by the Nine Muses and every vow had been fake. Every word that left their lips was carefully created to fool the rest of the Unholy Court and I had had to listen to every single syllable.

I had to listen to it knowing that it was the only mating ceremony I'd ever get.

Because Wrath and Patience would never be one. Never.

WRATH

She hated me. And if hate was what she wanted then hate was what she'd get.

My Sin relied on her Virtue like a man dying of thirst. I found myself near her no matter how much I tried to get away—as if there was an inner compass in me, forcing me towards her.

It was like she was my final destination. A destination I didn't want to reach.

I wanted nothing to do with her—just like she wanted nothing to do with me.

Patience. My sweet, sweet mate. You're not going to know what hit you.

PATIENCE

The Nine Muses came and left. But Wrath's glare never left me.

Beast turned, the cloak the Nine Muses had gifted him hanging off his shoulders in glistening gold. Pandora fit in his arms like the missing piece of a puzzle and the air left my lungs when he placed a delicate kiss on her cheek.

I had to stop dreaming. Wrath wasn't like Beast and I—I wasn't Pandora.

"Wrath and Patience," Beast called, his eyes still intertwined with his mates. I caught a strange glimmer of emotion on Wrath's face as he watched the new couple, but the feeling was gone as soon as I spotted it. "I'm assigning the two of you a season of training at Althea and Penum. King Candour and Queen Crook are waiting to welcome you."

His word was final and bespoke. No one dared to lift a finger against Beast's command.

Not that any of us wanted to.

Before the rule of the Seraphics, all the beings in the Unholy court would engage in a ruthless competition of powers and abilities. Every year brought a new city, a new winner and a new trophy. This year was supposed to be a more gentle easing back into the routine of things—but I doubted it would be gentle or easy.

"The rest of us won't be able to make it to camp this year," he continued, turning his attention to his brother. "And Wrath," he said slowly, "stop glaring at her."

I could almost hear the grinding of Wrath's jaw as he locked his hands behind his back, moving his sights off me. "It's all she deserves."

I kept my face impassive. Wrath's comments meant nothing to me. But the shock on the rest of the Sins' and Virtues' faces was clear. Just moments before Wrath and I had seemed like the perfect couple - so close to finally finding our happing ending, so close to finding our mates, so close to finding each other.

But Wrath had played his siblings like a sick joke.

He needed me. He needed me to tame the unruly and angry Sin in him. And so he kept me close.

I didn't mean anything to Wrath. And Wrath didn't mean anything to me.

Wrath's comments shouldn't mean anything to me either.

Althea was the City of Truth. It was the land of clear skies and endless lights. It was a land where everything was visible and easy like the open pages of a book.

And King Candour was exactly the same. Truthful, honest and patient.

Althea was bordered by Penum: the City of Deceit. Penum was the land of fog and endless darkness. It was a land where everything was cloaked over in secrecy and lies.

Queen Crook was everything that King Candour wasn't. She was mystery, silence and deception.

And in the middle of Althea and Penum was a training centre. The Seraphics used to use it as what the naughty corner is to children and jail is to criminals.

Punishment.

A devilish grin curled through Wrath's lips and I knew then that he had known about Beast's plans all along.

And the big bad bully couldn't wait to get his filthy paws on me.

•••

I'm so excited for you guys to read POB! New setting, new perspectives but the same fire and passion as before.

Quick question: would you guys read Prince of Blood if I moved it to a different platform?

( Wattpad is a little unreliable for writers, especially for a book series. )

Leave a vote if you enjoyed!

Love,
Laila.