I Hate Everything About You: Chapter 1

Wrath:

It had been a long night at the Audience House. There had been three major disputes among family, a couple of offerings from new members of the community, a mating request, and now I was getting ready to hear a trust fund request. Why did I have to be involved in all this crap? Why did everything have to go through me? I got that our community was a secret one and this was one way for the people to feel heard, and get a chance to put eyes on their King, however,  most times I felt like a circus monkey, sat on a throne for people to gawk at. There had to be a better way for us to run our community…

V pulled me out of my thoughts with his inquest, “You ready for the next one, or do you need a little break?”

He knew I was getting to a point where I needed a break from all this crap. We had been discussing the idea of me taking a week off. It’s just that there was so much going on in the community that it was hard to get that kind of time. We had started winning the war against the Lessers about five years ago, so more and more of us were flocking to Caldwell. The problem was that the more that as more of us set down roots here, the more determined the Lesser became. So, five years ago we had begun to win the war, then more vampires moved in, then the Lessers called for more people to move in, and it just became this massive domino effect.

Nodding my head at V and letting out a long sigh, I replied, “Yeah. Send them in.”

Whicked:

I paced around the reception area of the King’s Audience House like a caged Tiger.  My eyes tracked the movements of the Receptionist and all the other’s that were patiently waiting their turn to meet the King and discuss whatever it was they needed.  I hated that I needed to come here to ask some Male I didn’t know, who didn’t know me for access to my own money.  When the Lesser’s killed my family,  what money my family did have had been transferred into a trust fund for me since I was the only living member left.  I had pretty much stayed clear of the money, preferring to earn my own and make my own way in this world it was easier that way.  Not needing or relying on anyone but me.  But if I wanted to make my dreams come true, I was going to need a little help.

I sighed impatiently and smoothed down my mid length skirt before fidgeting with the collar of my blouse waiting for my name to be called.  The background music was operatic or some shit and it was like driving nails into my head,  I balled my hands into fists as I tried to keep my head in the game so I didn’t screw up and embarrass myself in front of the King,  not that I really cared what he thought, I just didn’t want his impression of me to royally screw my chances of getting what I needed from him.

I heard a door open to the back of the room and a goatee’d head popped into the room. His diamond eyes scanned over the crowd, flickering over me and beyond.  His voice rang throughout the room with ease, making himself known. “Uhh Annalee Termagant?” I looked up at the sound of my name* He caught the flare of my eyes as I looked up* C’mon you’re up, follow me.”

Ugh no one called me Annalee anymore,  not since my family died.  I looked around at the others waiting and caught a few of them looking at me. I stood up straight, praying to the Scribe I wouldn’t go ass over tits in these new heels and made a beeline for the Male.

“Yeah…Hi,  I am Whicked,  I don’t go by Annalee anymore.”  He nodded like he really didn’t give a shit if my name was Mary Fricken Poppins or whatever,  he had better things to think about like keeping the King safe.  “Sure Female,  whatever you say, just follow me”.  For once, I did what I was told and followed him through the door into the King’s Audience Chamber beyond.

Wrath:

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath. This was my life. By night I was propped up on this chair and had vampire after vampire paraded past me, by day I did my best to raise my own little prodigy and sleep, only to raise back up the next night and do it all over again. Most of the time I failed miserably at it all. I was a lousy King, and even worse father to the future of our race. LW should have been my savior. He should have been my reason for wanting to live, and for a while he had been. But now, every time I hear his voice, I can’t help but hear Her in it. He even smells like she used to. Which may sound odd to most, but he has this scent to his skin that is uniquely Hers.

I’ve done my best… Well, I guess my best is a bit too strong. I really haven’t done my best. I’ve had my ups and downs, mostly downs. I’ve just about given up, at this point. Nothing seems to be worthwhile. I know that sounds horrible, especially considering I have this amazing little male waiting for me at home, but I just have days where putting one foot in front of the other seems utterly impossible. Mary has tried to talk to me, I refuse. I know it worked well for Z and some of the others. It’s not going to work for me. I just want to be with my beloved. Spending hours on someone’s couch isn’t going to change that.

This morning had been one of those days where I couldn’t get myself to move. If it weren’t for V, I would never make it in here. I wouldn’t make it out of bed most days. He keeps me going. He forces me to do the things I don’t have the will to do. He’s basically become a nurse to a dying King.

The creak of the door as V stepped back through, pulled me from my trance. “Sire, Annalee Termagant here to see you.” I waited as I hear the flip of the folder in his hands. “Her family…”

A scent so strong hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like a cold breeze rippled across my skin as I took a deep breath in. It was sweet like a field of lavender, with a touch of rosewood. Dearest Virgin Scribe… I took another deep breath. Fuck! Rosewood. Beth’s favorite shampoo had rosewood in it. But, there was something more to why this female’s scent tickled my every fiber. Something dangerous. Something I didn’t want to even fathom. I gritted my teeth and balled my fists as the bouquet of this female wafted into my nose. I hadn’t even realized that V was done introducing her and I hadn’t caught a thing.

“Sire?”

Swallowing, I motioned for the female to begin with her own request. “Annalee…” I spoke, expectantly. She would likely impress on everything that V just said, anyway. I just wanted her out, as quick as possible and if V had to repeat everything, this was going to take too long.

Whicked:

I paused next to the goatee wearing Male that guided me into the room, his sheer size must mean he was one of the King’s Warriors,  which made sense.  He would need to be protected at all times.  I stepped out from behind the Warrior’s shadow and glanced upwards, my eyes falling onto the massive Male that sat awkwardly behind the slab of a desk.  My breath caught in my throat as I ran my eyes over the King.  He was breathtaking, a magnificent specimen of a Male.  Strong, wide shoulders, chiselled cheekbones, long raven locks falling form a widows peak, blind eyes hidden behind a pair of blackout wraparounds..  The scent that rolled off of him hit me like a tsunami.  It invaded my very being, strong, rich and spicy, it made me somewhat dizzy as I stood there in the middle of the room.  

I inched forward, toward him,  now feeling as nervous as I did earlier, not knowing how to address him but when I heard him say my name,  Annalee, I groaned and my inner bitch took over oblivious to the sitch going on. “Yeah….Hi, um King…Sire…whatever.  My name is Whicked,  I don’t go by ~That~ name any more”.  I fidgetted as I stood there, my hands clasping each other in front of me, his wraparound sunglasses preventing me from seeing what was going on in his mind,  his jaw was tight, almost like he was grinding his teeth.  Boy he looked pissed.

I clenched and unclenched my hands in front of me and tried to still my nervous fidgeting but I knew I was losing the battle.  Part of me wondered if bolting was still an option to me.  I glanced over my shoulder and noted that my escort was propped up against the door with a shiteating grin on his face,  obviously finding my current predicament amusing, ok so trying to escape wasa no-go. I shot him a blistering glare before flicking my flame locks over my shoulder and refocusing me eyes on the The Blind King.

Wrath:

My hands went to the arms of my chair and gripped hard. Good fucking God! The sound of her voice even resonated within the canals of my ears. It was as if the Scribe Virgin had created this female specifically with me in mind. That was impossible, though. A low growl emanated from my gut. Beth was my one. My only. She was the one I was meant for. She was the sole female that I was supposed to spend my life with. We had been, as Beth would say, kismet. There would never be another for me. Beth was it. And, when the Scribe Virgin decided to take her away from me, that was it. I was finished with females. Taking another deep breath, no matter what they fucking smelled like or sounded like.

The flare to my nose, I’m sure didn’t go unnoticed. “Okay then, Whicked…state your case for the record.”

Of, better yet, V… please, state it for her, so I don’t have to listen to another syllable slip past her lips. Not that I couldn’t request for that, but I didn’t want to alert V to what was going on in my head. So, I kept quiet. Then again, with his skills, he was probably seeing it all in his mind, anyway.

Impatiently, I waited.

Whicked:

A wave of stone cold aggression washed over me, emanating from the hulk of a Male in front of me.  I bit back a wince and stepped forward toward the desk,  when the King’s bodyguard didn’t make a move,  I boldy got in close to the slab of wood, my fingers tracing the lines and edges of its front.  My, the King was a handsome Male, absolutely divine and utterly uninterested in anything I had to say.  Clearly just another voice among many.

“Well…well I want to get access to my Family trust fund…. please.  I need the cash as collateral toward a loan for my own space downtown. So…if you could uhhh just sign the dotted line I can get out of your way, I am sure you have plenty of better things to do, right?”

I noted a silver picture frame to the right of the desk,  I could faintly make out the picture of a Female with a small child.  The joy on their faces blasting out of the sepia toned photo.  Oh shit….that must be his Shellan.  The Queen.  I looked down at my feet feeling like an utter shit for eyeing up this Male like a piece of meat and here he was clearly still mourning the loss of his mate.

The rumor was that once a warrior bonded with a female that was it.  Done deal,  nothing else even mattered to them, not even their own life.  I couldn’t even imagine the pain he must have felt,  must still be feeling.   Well I guess I could in my own way, the loss of my family gave me a front row seat to the big fucking grief show, so I guess I could sympathize with his loss.

I stepped back from the desk, my fingers lingering over the wood before raising to my locks,  twirling them around my fingers nervously.  

Wrath:

Even though I leaned back in my chair, my body was far from relaxed. In all honesty, I had heard the rustle of her clothes and the click of her heels as she stepped right up to my desk and I was trying desperately to create some distance. Her scent stronger now, hinted at a small touch of eucalyptus mixed in with the lavender and rosewood… and her voice seemed to melt my creaky bones.

I couldn’t do this! Why would the Scribe Virgin do this to me?! Where would she get the idea that this kind of thing would be okay? Then again, it is the Scribe Virgin we are talking about. She does like to torment us all. This was a new kind of cruel torture, though. She had done some nasty things in the past, but this was just vile.

“V!” I growled.

It took him five steps too long to get to me. “What’s up, man?”

I leaned close, “I’m going home. Cancel the rest of my day.” Turning back to Whicked, “You’ll have the papers by the end of the day.” Before she could respond, I stood and pushed past V, heading for the quiet quarters where I took my breaks.

Whicked:

Wow…..his voice was like honey to my soul.  Harsh but smoothing somehow. I looked up catching his expression,  abject horror.  My eyes instantly sought out the floor, biting my lip hard to stop me from saying something I really shouldn’t, I heard him call out to the Male at the door who came forward in the blink of an eye, bending down to the King’s eye level.  A low whisper spread between tehm but I caught the jist,   he was leaving.  Clearly couldn’t handle my attitude.  Really was something I should work on when I want something but it was who I was and I wouldn’t apologise to anyone,  not even the goddamn King!

I stood up straight,  eyes front and centre, my blood on fire as he got up and glanced over at me for a long moment,  those unseeing eyes boring straight into me.  He moved quickly and gracefully around the chair and out a door at the back of the room.  His bodyguard shot me a look and a shrug and left behind the King.  

I stood there in the empty room blinking rapidly.  Against my better nature I bit out a parting retort.  “Well fuck you very much, Your Majesty”!

I span on my heels and strode out of the room,  50 shades of pissed off.  He better get me that paperwork tonight because I had a meeting with the bank tomorrow.  What I wanted,  would be mine.

Wrath:

I no sooner got through the door when I heard Whicked’s voice from behind me, “Well, fuck you very much, Your Majesty!” Growling, I whipped around, strode back through the door and across the room, catching her by her arm before she could leave. Her other hand ripped around and caught my cheek so hard that I could feel the heat burning as I was sure the side of my face was turning a crimson red. Leaning into her, I pinned her against the back of the door and despite her aggression against me, I could smell the excitement in her scent. “Fuck you very much, huh?” I ran my hand gently across the side of her features, gaining a sense of every muscle and how they were formed into a slight grin that she was fighting. Slowly, I trailed my finger down her neck, along the jugular, feeling it pulse way too fast for a normal beat.

Suddenly, I could hear V’s questioning tone behind me and I realized I was still in the breakroom, never having stepped back into the throne room. “Fuck!” I raised my fist and put it through the wall. “Give me the papers, V! Now!”