Soul Tied to the Incubus King [Book I]

I Will Slaughter You

-- Cassidy POV--

Alpha

The word stares back at me in the mirror. I scrubbed my arm for the thousandth time, the friction causing pain in both my ribs and arm. No luck. Neither the wolf nor the word budged. I stared at both longer. What the hell did it mean? I replayed Miccoli's revelation to me and shook my head in disbelief. There was no way I belonged to the Dark Place or whatever he called it, I was human. But then what about this marking? I drench my face in cool water and try to calm myself. This wasn't the time nor the place for this. I roll down my sleeve and open the door, prepared to face what lied ahead.

I walk out onto the back porch and take the scenery in. Multiple Gazebo's lined the huge backyard of Mark's parent's home and there were staffing people all about. I sighed. I didn't want to be here...I didn't belong here. Mark came from a well-off family who except for Andrea, all thought like him. They worked hard to maintain the appearance, his father being a Pastor of one of the largest churches in their county, while his mother was the blueprint of the perfect housewife. They honestly critiqued me more than Mark did, noting my choice in working and its effects on my parenting, in addition to overall looks. Over the years, I took their harsh words as a sign that it was something that families just did, not having a source of reference for myself of what a family was. For his family, being an orphan seemed to be the only redeeming quality I had about myself, something they often used to parade to other people how kind and decent of people they were. Still, no matter how awful they were to me, they never treated Addeline that way, so I was at least thankful for that. "I thought I told you to do something with your hair." Mark says walking behind me and grabbing my waist. He pulled me closer to him, and I struggle to keep my composure. My body was still extremely sore, and beyond that, my mind was all over the place.

"I didn't want to."

"You're hell-bent on embarrassing me, I see." He spins me around and looks at me angrily. I pull from his embrace.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing...I just worked out a little too hard." I lied. I wasn't going to tell him what happened. To be honest, I wasn't even really sure he would care.

"Working out huh?... Well, I'm glad you're doing something about the added weight." Mark reaches out and slaps my ass. During my depression, I had lost so much weight, I was a shrine of myself. Mark, on the other hand, said I never looked better. Beth is the best friend she was, pulled me out of my darkness and I slowly started to come back into myself. I was proud to be my old self again that was until I realized that I had given Mark another bit of ammunition. "Oh, my word Cassidy is that you?" A friendly voice greets me and I turn to spot Senator Willard smiling at me. He joins us on the step and Mark immediately pulls me to him and wraps his arm around me.

"It's been so long!"

"I know! How are you?"

"Can't complain...wouldn't if I could." He responds laughing, and I smile. Senator Williard was in his early seventies, but you couldn't tell outside of some of the phrases he used. He was well-liked and highly respected, being the first Senator to secure re-election three times. His wife was equally likable and genuinely nice to me. I often found myself wishing that if I'd known my parents, they would be just like them. "Is this fella still treating you good? You know you're lucky to have married someone as amazing as she don't you Mark?" Senator Willard says turning to Mark looking him up and down. I always got the feeling that although he was super close with the family, he never quite took to Mark. "I tell myself that every day," Mark says kissing the back of my head, and I struggle to hide my disgust. I hated how cheap Mark made me feel.

"She's just as lucky to have him..some may even say more so" My mother-in-law's voice rings behind me and I feel myself stiffen.

"Happy Anniversary," I say removing myself from Mark's arms and facing her.

"Thank you, dear." She steps in to give me a hug, and whispers in my ear. "There's a dress in the second-floor guest room for you to change into." She let me go and looks me in my eyes as a way to make it clear that it was a request and not an offer. I sigh and excuse myself to go to change.

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When I arrived in the guestroom, I found Andrea and sitting inside. She wore a huge frown on her face, as she picked at the pink catastrophe of a dress she wore.

"They got to you too?" I say to her, and she rolls her eyes at me. Andrea was the black sheep of her family. While Mark could do no wrong, she was the definition of wrong to her parents. Over the years, I'd watch many heated arguments between her and them, with the topic of discussion always coming back to one thing: Andrea's sexuality. For her family, it was her one-way ticket to hell. No matter what she said or did, they countered that her soul was eternally damned unless she let go of this "phase" in her life. My heart ached for her a lot. "Mommy dearest decided that today's crusade would be stuffing me into this pink dress to remind me that I am a woman because apparently, lesbians are nothing more than women who want to be men...her exact words by the way." Andrea continued to stare down at the dress and pick at it, her voice laced with sarcasm. She hid it well with others, but she knew I could relate first hand to her pain.

"Well I didn't dye my hair...thought I'd redirect her wrath to me...give you a break." We smile weakly at one another. I sit down beside her on the bed, and she hugs me. I wince slightly from the pain and she looks at me."Working out a little too hard." I offer up and she rolls her eyes again. "Cassidy...I want you to know something." She said, putting her hand on my thigh. "You are really family to me. You're my sister., not just because of my brother but because of who you've shown yourself to be. You've always been accepting of me, and opened your home and heart to me, in time when my own didn't" Sadness filled her voice. "I would never tell you what to do, but I need you to know that if you ever did leave my brother, you would still be my family...you would still be my sister." A lump formed in my throat. In the five years of being married to Mark, neither his mother nor father addressed me like family. They went out of their way making sure I felt like an outsider, while at the same time making those who looked in think that they accepted and loved me. I always assumed that Andrea was nice to me out of pity. Knowing that she loved me for me meant the world. "Th-thank you." I croak out, fighting back tears. She hugs me again, more gently this time. "Of course...now let's get you into this equally hideous dress. " She says eyeing the blue disaster hanging on the back of the closet door. I scrunch my face and laugh, happy to at least have one friend nearby.

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Andrea and I emerge from the guest room another twenty-minute and head into the dining room. She had helped me make myself more presentable, and I hoped it was enough to keep the rest of the family at bay.

"So are you ready to tell me what's going on between you and Beth?" I muse and Andrea looks down at the floor in reply.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please, don't play, it's clear you both like one another."

"Maybe" Andrea admits. "But she's married, and I don't interrupt marriages." I frown my thoughts trailing back to Daniel. Things were still pretty fuzzy, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't for the life of me remember all the details.

"What took you both so long?!" Mark's father's voice booms at us.

"I was helping Cassidy get dressed for dinner," Andrea responded and I looked at her thankfully.

"You were helping her?" Her mother said diverting her eyes between us.

"Yes...and wouldn't you know it...she's still straight. Guess the conversion didn't work." Andrea snapped her finger for dramatic emphasis and her mother glared at her.

"Sit down." She mouthed at us lowly so that her guest couldn't hear. Andrea loops her arm into mine and walks brazenly to the table, plopping down next to her father. I sit next to Mark, and he doesn't look at me but says "You look beautiful...minus the hair." I roll my eyes. Of course, Mark would like the dress his mother chose. It was long-sleeved and long, hiding all of my tattoos and much of my body.

"I wanna sit next to mommy." I hear Addeline whine, but before I could respond Mark interjected.

"You will sit next to your grandparents." Addeline eyes shift down to the table and I look at Mark. He normally annoyed me at these functions, but today, he was pissing me right off. "So-Someone has a birthday coming up." I hear Andrea say, breaking the tension.

"Yes and mommy's throwing me a BIG party." Addeline squeals in excitement. Senator Willard and his wife smile at me. "I hope we will be getting an invitation to this exclusive event." He says winking. "Of course!" I respond back. "You know Cassidy, why don't you all just have it here? We could plan it, and make sure it's everything Addeline deserves. Besides...I know planning a party could be a lot of stress on you seeing how you don't have any family to help you and you work those long hours at the little job of yours." Mark's mother wiped her lips with her napkin attempting to hide her smirk.

"Where's her family?" One of her guests' whispers.

"Cassidy's was orphaned. Such a shame people these days can just discard their unwanted children like that." She was trying to get under my skin. She secretly hated that Mark married me, citing that I was beneath their stature.

"WOW! That's terrible...well at least she has a loving family now." The guest says smiling and I scoff louder than intended. Mark looks at me from the corner of his eye. His mother didn't seem to notice, however, having gone back to her conversation of taking over Addeline's party planning.

"So it's settled, we'll have it here!"

"But I don't want to have it here grandma! I want my friends to be there!" Addeline lip begins to quiver.

"But think of all the things you could have at your party. I could even buy you a nice dress like the one you have on."

"But mommy already bought me a dress and I love it." Addeline pressed further causing my mother-in-law to look around the table. There was something that she hated even more than me marrying her beloved son, being embarrassed, and Addeline was doing a great job of that.

"I want a party with my friends! I want the dress mommy got me!"

"ADDELINE THAT'S ENOUGH!" Mark all but screamed across the table and a hush fell over the room. Addeline looked down at the table and I could see tears fall onto her plate. That was enough. I didn't care what Mark or his parents did to me, my daughter was off-limits. I was seething with anger, and the room slowly began to spin causing me to rock a little.

"I blame that poor excuse of a school she attends." I hear Mark's mother begin again.

"What she needs is-"

"Addeline doesn't need a damn thing, but for me to take her home away from you all." The room continues to spin as I stand, my mother-in-law's mouth gaped at me. "Let go Bug A Boo." Addeline gets up from the table and walks over to me, locking her hand into mine as we walk about the dining room.

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I go into the room and begin to pack mine and Addeline things as she watches me, her eyes still slightly damped from her crying. "I'm sorry mommy." She says starting to cry again.

" I didn't mean to be bad"

"No, no no..." I rush and put my arms around her. "You did nothing wrong. Sometimes..sometimes grown-ups are the bad ones." I say rubbing her head until I hear the sniffling subside. She nods and wraps her arms around my neck and pull me in tightly for a hug.

"How about we get outta here and get some real food?" I say and I feel her excitedly nods yes. I get back up and begin packing again until the sound of the door opening causes me to turn around. It was Mark, and he was glaring at me

"Addeline go outside with your aunt-"

"But da-"

"NOW" He yells causing her to flee the room. I ball my fist at my side in anger not knowing what to do next. Mark was really testing my patience today, and with everything, I had been through within the last 24 hours that was a dangerous game.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" He says through gritted teeth.

"No...I finally found it." I shoot back causing his eyes to widen.

"You embarrassed my mother when all she was trying to do is teach Addeline a bit a manner...God knows she needs them." I feel the heat begin to rise up to my cheeks, and I stare at Mark in disbelief. In all the years I had known him, he always was so handsome to me, and a small part of me felt I didn't deserve him, but today, he was the ugliest person I had ever seen. "Addeline doesn't need to be taught manners for speaking up for herself. She needs a father who supports her being brave enough to do so." Mark and I stood at a standstill and he continued to eye me. He was mad, but I was madder, a wave of anger I had never experienced towards him or anyone. My head felt heavy, and I started to feel dizzy again, I needed to get away from him. I grabbed Addeline's bag and mine and brush past him and make my way to the door.

"I'M NOT DONE TALKING TO YOU." He yells grabbing my arm, and I hiss in response taking us both back. I drop the bags to my side and step slowly towards him, and he shrinks away from me, his face lined with fear. I hear what should be my voice say in a low deadly whisper:

"Let me make something VERY clear to you. If you EVER harm Addeline that way again...I will slaughter you."