The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
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The Royal Hunting Lodge
Sophie Reese
Luc and Mia's twins had been removed from the lodge and taken to the safety of the main palace in Port Cressida. Casper had escorted them back to the city a few nights ago when Mia's recovery had seemed entirely hopeless. The upper floor of the lodge, where Luc and Mia usually resided, had been closed off to the servants. Laminated signs lined the stairs, warning staff and guests that the upper floor was ultimately out of bounds. I held onto Casper's hand as we ascended the grand staircase. My stomach twisted and tied into knots as we passed each warning sign, which grew increasingly aggressive the closer we got to the top.
Casper felt my uneasiness and lifted my hand to his lips to kiss me briefly against my knuckles. I smiled back at him, thankful I wasn't approaching Luc alone. I still have bad memories of when we first met. His arrogance and need for control wrapped up in a black Italian suit. Mia must be a saint to put up with someone so demanding and bossy., frankly, terrifying.
The vases of dead flowers I'd seen several nights ago had been taken away, along with all the expensive valuable antiques that had decorated the staircase and halls. There was no living thing for Luc to bleed away. However, I did not see a strange grey mould growing on the walls that hadn't been there before.
"That's new," I whispered, nodding towards the discolouration on the walls.
"Yes, it started growing yesterday. It's worse on the top floor," Casper said, then paused. "Luc is dangerous, but I've never seen his power decay a building itself."
He was right. As I slid my hand along the solid wood bannister, I noticed its smooth varnished surface become rough and splintered. The staircase creaked and groaned louder with each step taken. My grip tightened around Casper's hand as we finally reached the top of the stairs. A large sign had been placed on the top step, and it read 'STRICTLY NO ADMITTANCE BEYOND THIS POINT.
"You should turn back, Your Majesties," a silkie voice purred from the shadows. "The Mad Prince is on top form tonight."
Rayne stepped out of the dark with a cruel smile across his face. He straightened his grey suit and walked to the window to check his reflection.
Casper stepped infant of me and spat, "What the Hell do you want, demon?"
"I heard Sophie killed another demon last night. I wanted to offer her my most heartfelt congratulations," Rayne replied innocently.
"Leave now," Casper ordered.
"That's no way to treat a friend and ally," Rayne countered.
"You are no friend or ally to my Kingdom. On the contrary, you are an unwanted turd that refuses to flush away," Casper replied.
Rayne reacted viciously. He moved from the window to the stairs at supernatural speed and grabbed Casper by the throat.
"You should be careful how you speak to me. Demons run on misery and sadness, and your brother is like a demon supercharger. I feel like I have enough power to obliterate your Kingdom with the snap of my fingers," he growled.
