Chapter 3
1425 Words
Slap! Slap!!
The sharp sting across my face yanked me violently from sleep. My eyes flew open, fury igniting instantly in my veins. I caught the third slap mid-air, my fingers clamping around the wrist like a vice. Liliana Satin stood over my bed, her face twisted with disgust and entitlement.
I sat up slowly, never releasing her wrist. My nails dug deeper into her skin until I felt the satisfying give of flesh. She winced, but the b***h didn’t pull away fast enough.
“Who the f**k gave you the right to hit me?” I asked, my voice low and deadly calm.
Liliana’s eyes widened, but she tried to mask her pain with superiority. “Since you came back, you’ve been sleeping like some lazy w***e! Do you know what time it is? It’s almost dinner!”
I stared at her ugly, heavily made-up face and felt nothing but cold contempt. “Do I look like I give a f**k?”
She raised her other hand to slap me again. Bad mistake.
I flicked my palm open and released a controlled burst of hellfire. The flames licked across her hand and forearm. Liliana screamed in agony, the sound was high-pitched and very satisfying. She stumbled backward, clutching her burned flesh as the scent of scorched skin filled the luxurious bedroom.
The door burst open. Isaac Thorne rushed in, his eyes wild enough too through thick walls, that's if he has the brains. He took one look at Liliana’s injured hands and snapped, raising his arm to strike me.
I met his gaze with flat, emotionless eyes. The hellfire still dancing at my fingertips made the air shimmer with heat. He froze mid-motion, then slowly lowered his hand. Smart man. For once.
“You were sleeping all day,” he growled. “It’s almost dinner time.”
“So?” I replied, shrugging as I swung my legs off the bed.
Isaac’s face reddened. “Liliana is your mother now. She has every right to discipline you.”
I laughed. The sound came out harsh and bitter, echoing off the expensive walls. “Since when did she become my mother? If I remember correctly, she murdered my actual mother fifteen years ago in cold blood.”
Liliana snapped, stepping forward despite her burned hands. “she was monster! And you inherited her monstrous side”
“Really?” I tilted my head, smiling without warmth. “A monster your mate f****d and got pregnant? Funny how that works.”
“Enough!” Isaac shouted, stepping between us. “This is not the time to escalate. Evie, shower and get dressed. Meet me in my study before we go to the dining room.”
I stared at both of them for a long moment, then stood up. “Get out.”
They left. I slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.
The moment I was alone, Ashra’s voice slid through my mind like smoke and embers. *Breathe, Evie. Don’t let them pull your fire out of control yet.*
I paced the room, fists clenched. “How the hell did I sleep for an entire day?”
*You’re used to the constant noise of Thornwall,* Ashra replied calmly. *Warriors shouting at dawn, steel clashing, people fighting for survival. This place is too quiet. Your body finally let go.*
I nodded, accepting the truth. I pulled out a black crop top, black jeans, and my worn combat boots — the only clothes that felt like mine. After a quick, scalding shower, I dressed and braided my long black hair with its crimson streaks. The woman in the mirror looked dangerous. Good.
I made my way to Isaac’s study. He was already waiting, fingers drumming on the desk.
“Why did you burn Liliana?” he demanded.
“Because she slapped me. Twice.” I sat down uninvited. “Let me make this simple again. Liliana dies. Painfully. I go to the Cursed King quietly. That’s the deal.”
Isaac rubbed his temples. “It’s impossible, Evie. She is my fated mate. If she dies, the bond will kill me too.”
“I know,” I said softly, perfectly calm. The room grew still. Even the air seemed to stop moving.
Isaac looked at me like I was something unnatural. “You’re a monster.”
I smiled. “I learned from the best. I watched how you treated my real mother. How you let your ‘fated mate’ kill her while you did nothing.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up and walked me out of the study without another word.
---
The dining room was obnoxiously grand — crystal chandeliers, a long mahogany table, and enough silverware to arm a small pack. I sat at the far end, away from everyone. Liliana glared at me from her seat, her hands now bandaged. Next to her sat a younger girl — maybe nineteen — who shared her sharp features and cruel eyes. My step-sister.
“So you’re the famous Hellspawn,” the girl sneered the moment the first course was served. “The hybrid abomination Daddy had to drag back from the gutter. Tell me, do you still smell like the cheap warriors who f****d you in Thornwall?”
I picked up my knife slowly, turning it in the light. “Careful. I’ve killed people for less.”
She laughed, high and nasty. “Big talk for someone about to be f****d to death by the Cursed King. Everyone knows you won’t last twenty-four hours after he knots you. I hope he makes it hurt.”
“Enough, Clara,” Isaac warned, but there was no real force behind it.
Clara leaned forward, eyes gleaming with malice. “I heard the last bride was found with her insides melted. Maybe your hellfire will make it faster. Or maybe you’ll beg him to knot you deeper before you die screaming.”
Ashra growled inside me. *Let me out. I’ll burn the tongue from her mouth.*
I smiled sweetly instead. “Keep talking, little sister. I’m adding you to my list.”
The tension thickened. Servants moved nervously around us, refilling wine glasses with shaking hands. Isaac tried to steer the conversation toward politics and the upcoming journey to Ebonspire, but Clara kept throwing barbed comments, and Liliana watched me with pure hatred.
Halfway through the main course, Isaac’s phone rang. He excused himself and stepped out of the room to take the call, leaving the three of us alone.
The moment the door closed, something inside me finally snapped.
I stood up slowly. Liliana and Clara both looked at me with smug satisfaction, thinking they had won.
“You should have stayed gone,” Liliana hissed.
I smiled — a real one this time. “No. You should have stayed dead.”
Hellfire exploded from my palms.
The entire dining room ignited in an instant. Not normal flames — my hellfire, hot, vengeful, and alive. The curtains exploded into pillars of fire. The carpet melted. The massive table became a blazing inferno. Clara screamed as flames climbed her legs. Liliana tried to run, but I flung another wave of fire that engulfed her completely.
I walked out of the dining room calmly, flames licking at my boots but never burning me. I stopped at the doorway, turned around, and watched.
Clara was on her knees, screaming as her skin blistered. Liliana thrashed wildly, her hair and clothes consumed by my fire. Their screams were music.
Isaac came running down the corridor, face pale with horror.
“Evie! What have you done?!” he roared, trying to rush past me into the burning room.
I grabbed his arm. Hard. Then I released Ashra’s full wolf aura.
My power slammed into him like an invisible wall. He froze mid-step, pinned in place by the crushing weight of my hybrid dominance. His eyes widened in terror as he struggled uselessly against my hold.
“Help them!” he screamed. “Somebody help! Fire! Guards!”
No one came. The servants had already fled. The guards who peeked around the corner took one look at me and backed away.
I held Isaac there, forcing him to watch his fated mate and daughter burn. Liliana’s screams grew weaker. Clara had alrea
dy collapsed.
“Evie… please…” Isaac begged, voice breaking. Tears streamed down his face. “They’re dying!”
“Good,” I whispered. “Now you know how it feels.”
Ashra purred with satisfaction inside me. *Beautiful.*
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