Rise Of The King [Dark Temptation Spin-Off Two]

Chapter 1

Levi

I reached Isla de Venus. My eyes remained on the house where I grew up as I slowed down the jet ski.

My home.

My parents’ house.

The island was named after my mother because it was a gift from my father. I wanted to say he was crazy for buying an island for mamá but remembering the unlimited amount of money he had in his bank account, I didn’t give any comment. My father owned a car company, Deus. A company he built together with Uncle Nathan. Papá told me before he had nothing to do after I was born but he knew he had to work on something. And since both papa and Uncle Nathan had a thing for automotive, they built Deus together. I knew I should be continuing my father’s business but papa too never asked me to. My parents were really understanding and they let me do anything I liked. Being a musician was something I wanted since I was a boy. I found my passion through the guitar.

I exhaled and jumped off the jet ski. Walking toward the house when I smelled it. Feeling myself smiling, I quickened my pace and entered the house. Hurriedly heading to the dining room where I saw my lovely mother with my sister, Sapphira. “Big brother Levi!” she immediately called me with her cute voice and she ran her little feet toward me.

I immediately grabbed her and picked her up. “Mi hermana pequeña, I missed you so much.” Goddamn me to hell, my sister was so big now! Just look how chubby her cheeks were, she was the cutest being f*****g ever. Just remember, touch her, and you f*****g die.

Sapphira Donovan was my only sister. She was thirteen years younger than me. Being a six-year-old, she looked bigger than normal children. No wonder though. I used to be like that before.

“Mamá bakes apple pie,” she said.

“Of course. That’s why I immediately ran as fast as I could to grab it,” I told her by pocking her pointy nose.

Our mother giggled. “You will never change and always be like your father,” she commented. For sure, I was.

I kissed Sapphira’s cheek and put her down before claiming my mother and bear-hugged her. “Mamá, I missed you,” I said while smelling her cinnamon scent.

“I missed you too, my boy. How are you doing?”

“Great.” We let each other go as she stared her aqua orbs at me.

Touching my cheek, she smiled. “How come you never come home as often?”

“I’m still keeping my promise to come home every month.”

“I know that but it’d be nice if you can come home every two weeks.”

“Well… I have some stuff to do?”

“Besides women?” she sarcastically asked. Every mother’s signature move, brutal. I looked away. Mothers always knew best. But no. I never really cared about women. I f****d when I wanted to not because I was doing it like a sport. The divide and conquer thing. I only needed it when I wanted to feed. “You know what? I’m sorry. That was wrong of me to say that,” she apologized. I only smiled.

I claimed my stool next to Sapphira where I asked, “Where are the others?”

“Micah is on the main island; I’ve asked him to stock some groceries for tonight.” By the time I heard the door was opened and when I turned around, Kai came with Cilla.

“Hi, brother!” He clapped his hand with me before we hugged each other. “How are you doing?”

“Good as usual.”

“Awesome.” He looked at Sapphira. “Hey there, my little princess,” he greeted her and…kissed her cheek? Hold on a f*****g minute.

I slapped his shoulder. “What the f**k was that?”

“Why not? She loves it. Sapphira says she likes me.” Oh, hell no!

“Watch it, Kai. She’s still a little girl,” I threatened as he pushed up his hands in a surrendering manner.

“Bro, I know what I’m doing.”

Cilla giggled. “You don’t need to worry, Levi. I’m here to snap the s**t out of my brother,” she assured me.

“Thanks, Cilla,” I thanked her and hugged her.

Kai and Cilla were the children of Uncle Lucifer and Aunt Ivy. With Kai as the oldest. Malachi was his name and Kai was the shortened version. He was younger than me. Priscilla was sixteen. And let me tell you, they were indeed the copycat of their parents. As Kai had his mother’s look, Cilla completely had her father’s. And they were the children of the king, making them have a higher status than me. Well, ex-king, but still. I heard most of the demons still bowing their heads on Lucifer. Uncle Daemon had made sure they should never forget what Uncle Lucifer had done for them. Besides, he ruled Hell for over a million years.

“How are your parents?” I asked.

“They’re doing great. They’re picking up Uncle Nathan’s family now,” Kai replied.

“They’re coming too?”

“They are. So, behave yourself while Athena is here, Levi.”

I smirked. “I can’t help myself.”

“Levi and Athena are like their fathers; always picking up a fight,” mamá teased and she put down the apple pie, fresh from the oven. I really wanted to dig in but it was still hot and the crusts would be completely ruined had I touched it. And mamá would scold me for that. Sapphira and I had one of our father’s traits, we favored our mother’s apple pie.

“One day, Athena will break your d**k, brother,” Kai joked.

“No way, she loves it.”

“Levi!” mama scolded.

“Sorry. Just kidding.”

“Sometimes you’re disgusting, Levi,” Cilla said.

“Come on, you two. Athena is still my cousin and I will never touch her. What do you guys think of me?”

She shrugged. “Did you forget you have a collection of your harem?” I laughed at her question.

“What can I say? I have this charm.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

A half-hour later, Uncle Nathan finally arrived with Aunt Judith and of course, Athena. I immediately opened my arm for my lovely cousin. “Mi niña pequeña! Baby girl, I missed you!” I knew exactly what I would get from her. Looking at me in disgust before she scoffed her nose. She walked away from me, leaving me looking like a moron. “Oh, come on. Don’t you miss me?” I asked as she sat down beside Cilla.

“I will once you made a song for me,” she stated. Again?

“What are you going to do with it?” I asked while extracting my arms. “Oh, I know! You were listening to my voice to turn on the mood, weren’t you?”

“Death wishes,” Kai muttered before taking his apple juice. Athena’s jaw dropped. She grabbed a red apple and threw it at me where I easily caught it.

“For God’s sakes! This is the reason why I refuse to come here again! Why don’t you shut your damn mouth or I will cut out the d**k you love so much and shove it up to your ass, puto!” Ooh, feisty.

“But you love my ass.”

“You’re disgusting!”

Someone pocked the back of my head where his voice boomed, “Watch your mouth, Levi.” Oh, s**t.

“Yeah, despite her blue tongue, she’s still my daughter,” Uncle Nathan scolded after Uncle Lucifer. “If you continue with this attitude, I will surely have a word or two with you, not your parents.”

“Jeez, sorry about that. I just love it teasing your daughter.”

“One day you will have a taste of your karma, Levi,” Aunt Ivy reminded.

I looked at her and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” she said while moving behind Cilla and hugging her, “You will soon meet your equal who could show you your place,” she added. My equal. My woman. My only belonging. Was she exist anyway?

Uncle Lucifer claimed Aunt Ivy as they walked out toward the gazebo. Cilla and Kai followed. Uncle Nathan and Aunt Judith were helping mamá with the lunch as I escorted Sapphira while holding her hand. I had to keep an eye on Kai today.

As usual, the seat arrangement was the same as before. The head chair was empty – my father’s throne. Mamá would be taking his right while I had the left side. Sapphira would be beside me. And next to mamá would be Uncle Nathan and Aunt Judith. Uncle Lucifer and Aunt Ivy. Their children across them.

When the lunch was already on the table, papá finally came home. I had to be honest, none of our parents changed even after almost two decades. Aunt Ivy was a human, I guess. Uncle Lucifer had given her his blood so she could live as long as him.

As papá told everyone to dig in, I helped Sapphira by grabbing some of her favorite Ebi fries before I took my favorite grilled lobster. I just pulled the meat out when papá asked, “Are you going to do another concert soon, son?”

“No. I just finished one song and I’m hoping it’ll be out before the fall.”

“I can’t wait. How are things so far?” I knew what my father meant.

“Nothing to worry about, papá. I’m fine and I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can.” Everyone here knew what happened to me before. Kai and Cilla were lucky because they were not technically an Incubus and Succubus. And their parents kindly told them what they were when Kai was sixteen while Cilla just found out a couple of months ago. Luckily, they accepted it. Unlike me who was acting like a drama queen and ran away from home. Even Athena accepted it gracefully. Probably they learned from my parents’ mistake. I had to kill someone first for them to open the brutal truth.

“Levi,” Aunt Ivy called. “Have you met someone on the main island?” Where the hell did that come from?

“Why are you asking him that, my love?” Uncle Lucifer asked her.

“Just curious.”

“You never asked our son that.”

“Oh, I did but without you knowing. Besides, Kai likes Sapphira.”

“Ivy!”

“Aunt Ivy!”

That was me and my dad.

“You got crumbs on your lips, Princesa,” Kai said to my sister and wiped them with his thumb. I glared at him and Kai only grinned. Goddamn it.

“My daughter is still too young to know about that. I want her to be a normal six-year-old girl,” papá said. For now, she could.

And speaking of women, I hadn’t received anything from that lady today. It’d been four days since I brought that caramel hair lady to the hospital. Since until the next day nobody was looking for her, I left my number to let me know when she had awakened. They hadn’t called so she was still doing her act as a sleeping beauty. Probably waiting for her prince charming to come and kiss her. Or f**k her. Jesus, my mind was definitely twistedly as f**k.

And since all of their attention had switched to Sapphira, nobody cared about women in my life. They knew I didn’t date. Now that I didn’t want to; I just hadn’t found the right woman. Maybe she was not around anyway. Not like I cared about it. I was curious because sometimes, I envied my parents and my uncles and aunts. I couldn’t believe I was thinking like this. Maybe because I had a little sister and I loved to spoil her, I wanted to spoil a woman. A woman who deserved my full attention. Not just for one night. Or one time. Or one f**k.

When we were done lunch, we returned to the house and mingled in the family room. The men were at the porch talking about business and stuff. The women were here with the children. We were playing PlayStation. I was on the couch watching the younger ones. I was the oldest here although Athena’s and my age apart didn’t reach a year, she was still eighteen. And I was sitting here just to make sure Kai didn’t do anything funny to my sister. I didn’t know how, Sapphira developed this adoring feeling toward Kai since she was introduced to him. Even since she was still a baby. Just no. She was f*****g six. Kai was f*****g eighteen. Twelve years apart was a big no-no. Er, unlike our parents. Jeez, I wonder how old my father was. Even Uncle Lucifer.

As I was thinking, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Seeing the hospital’s name as I excused myself to the dining room. “Hello?”

“Mr. Donovan? This is Doctor Turner.”

“Oh, hey. So, any updates?”

“Yes, the lady has opened her eyes.”

“She has? That’s…great. How is she?”

“Well, as we fear,” Oh, f**k. “She doesn’t remember anything.” Oh, great. Just great.

Ruffling my hair and face, I asked, “What are we going to do with her?”

“Well, for now, it’s best if you could come here to at least explain what’s going on with her. Starts with how you found her.”

I took a nice deep breath, exhaling by saying, “I’m with my family now. I can probably go there in the evening after dinner.”

“We don’t mind. She doesn’t show any sign of panicking or anything. Although she’s definitely stressed out because she doesn’t remember anything.”

“For sure. I’ll probably be there around eight.”

“We’ll be waiting. Thank you, Mr. Donovan.”

“Sure.” Pulling my phone, I looked at the screen. Landing my back on the wall, I smirked. “Now… What should I do with you?”