Friends with the King of the Underworld | Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A knock on the door woke me the next day.

I stumbled to it, tightening the blanket around me to cover up some of my nightgown.

I slowly opened the door to find Kymra standing there, her chocolate eyes full of concern. She was dressed differently, this time with her armor. "I'm sorry to have awakened you, my lady, but your presence is requested by the King."

I shook my head. "I don't want to see him."

Kymra shook her head. "It's a meeting about last night with all of the Guard. We all want to know what happened before the Alteazor arrived."

I groaned. I really didn't want to see Damien, I just wanted to forget about last night. I wanted to forget everything we had said to each other.  I'd spent most of the night curled up on the bed crying. His words hurt deeply.

I had made sacrifices through the years being his friend. When I was younger, my parents were concerned about me because I'd made comments about my friend, the prince of darkness who lived in a kingdom only he and his kind could go to.

While at first, my parents thought it was a joke of an over-imaginative child, when it continued through the years they became concerned even going as far as getting a counselor. That was when I knew I had to keep him a secret.

From then on, I wasn't invited to other kid's birthday parties - but I was happy despite it.

Because my best friend was worth it.

He was the kindest, most selfless person I'd ever met.

And then there was what he told me last night....

I still wasn't able to process it.

And even though I was madder at him than ever, I still needed to tell him and his guard what happened.

"Fine. I'll be ready in ten minutes."

I grabbed the first thing I could from the closet and put it on, then sat in front of the mirror in the room, the only thing other than the bed that didn't seem to be damaged from the night before.

I looked like hell.

I didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. My eyes were pink and puffy with large shadows beneath them. I imagined it was from the crying I did the night before after Damien left. I even seemed paler, like I hadn't been in the sun in months instead of days.

I placed my head in my hands. I looked as tired as I felt, my face felt like it was weighed down as if I hadn't slept in days.

Just a small appearance, I told myself. Five minutes and then I can come back and crawl back under the covers.

I sighed and ran a fast brush through my long hair. I placed a messy bun on top of my head, not caring how I looked.

Kymra waited for me outside of the room and handed me a cup as soon as I stepped out of the room.

The cup warmed my cold hands as I held it and I breathed in the comforting cinnamon smell.

"It's a tea," Kymra explained. "It will help with your nerves after what happened yesterday."

It was glorious. I reveled in the warm liquid as it moved through my body. She led me down long corridors and staircases until we were in front of the same room I had been in what seemed like weeks earlier.

The Throne Room.

Or had it been days?

The guards waited for Kymra to nod before opening the heavy doors they stood in front of as before.