••{RHIANNON'S POV}••
Delilah looks me up and down the way someone examines a strange object rather than a person. Her head tilts, arms folding over her chest, and an amused expression plays across her face as if she already knows more than she should.
"So you're the one who's had the Empire of Night in an uproar," she says.
"Who are you?" I ask. "And why are you here?"
"I already told you, Your Highness," she says with that smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "And as for why I'm here, let's just say I'm someone who's… curious."
My brows pull together. "Curious?"
"Of course," she shrugs lightly. "Who isn't?"
She begins circling me, her footsteps soft but graceful. The movement alone makes my skin prickle. I don't like having my back to anyone here, especially someone I don't know. I turn with her, keeping her in sight, but she seems amused by the fact that I'm trying.
"You were abducted from a faraway kingdom," she says, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her arm. "and brought to Darkholme. And now you're to marry the emperor himself, becoming Empress of the Empire of Night. You've caused quite the spectacle."
Her eyes flicker with dark amusement. "Everyone is asking why the emperor would risk angering all the nobles for a mere human. But then I took my time, thought about it and wondered… hmm. Maybe this princess isn't just a mere human after all."
My heartbeat falters for half a second. Her gaze lingers on me too long as I force myself to breathe normally.
Vampires can hear everything—your pulse, your heartbeat. They can also smell fear, and sense tension.
Showing anything right now would be a grave mistake.
I lift my chin, keeping my voice steady. "Well as you can see, I'm very much human."
Delilah's eyes trail over me from head to toe, slower this time, and a faint sigh leaves her like she's disappointed. "Yes, you are. I can see it. There's nothing special about you. You look ordinary, just like the rest of your kind."
"Excuse me?" I say before I can stop myself.
"Oh, don't be offended, Your Highness," she says with a mocking tone, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm simply finding it difficult to understand what Azrael sees in you."
Her words hit harder than they should.
"And who gave you the right to call him by his name?" I step closer. "He's your emperor."
She smiles. "He's also my lover."
I recoil slightly. "What?"
She laughs. It's soft, cruel, and mocking.
"So no one's told you?" she asks.
She takes a graceful step back and dips her head in something almost like a bow. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Delilah Morvayne. I am the emperor's mistress. Everyone in the Empire of Night knows who I am to him."
My thoughts go still for a moment, the words settling like stones in my chest.
"In our tradition," Delilah continues, "the emperor may take as many mistresses as he desires. And Azrael has had a taste of many women over the centuries he's lived." Her voice darkens. "But he chose me. Only me. I've been his lover for the past two hundred years."
Her violet eyes gleam as she steps closer.
"He kisses me," she says. "Marks me. Claims me. I take him deep inside me every night. I take his seed inside my cunt. I've had him in ways no one ever will."
My stomach twists and heat rises in my face. I'm not sure if it's humiliation, anger, or both.
"And why exactly are you telling me this?" I ask.
Delilah smirks. "Because you will never be able to please Azrael. Even when he becomes your husband in three nights, he won't respect your vows because you're nothing."
She leans in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you think I'm lying, just watch your husband-to-be crawl into my bed on your wedding night."
The anger she's been pulling out of me finally snaps, and before I can stop myself, my hand lands hard on her cheek.
The sound cracks through the room like a whip.
Her head snaps to the side, her hair whipping across her cheek. When she turns back to me, her violet eyes blaze with anger. Her nostrils flare as her chest rises and falls fast.
The air between us feels tense, like anything could happen in this very moment.
But I don't care.
She may be a vampire but she doesn't scare me.
The door opens suddenly and we both turn.
Nayeesha steps inside, her brows pulled tight as she looks between the two of us. "What's going on here?"
I turn back to Delilah. She eyes me once more, then clears her throat and forces a smile before facing Nayeesha.
"Nothing," she says sweetly. "I was just leaving."
She slips past Nayeesha. Nayeesha watches her until she disappears through the door and it closes.
Only then does she turn back to me.
"I see you've met Azrael's mistress," she says quietly.
"And I already hate her," I say, my voice rough with everything I'm feeling.
"I can't stand her either," Nayeesha says.
I look at her. "At least that's one thing we have in common."
That makes her laugh, and the sound pulls a small, tired laugh out of me too. The moment feels strange but grounding. Then she gestures toward the door.
"Come," she says gently. "Let's walk."
We step out of the fitting chamber. My guards immediately fall into formation behind us. Their presence feels heavier now, like chains I can't take off.
We walk in silence for a few heartbeats until I gather the courage to speak.
"I'm not sure I can go through with this wedding."
Nayeesha's steps slow. She looks at me, her amber eyes softer than I've ever seen them.
"I don't want to marry Azrael. I don't want to be part of this world. And the more the days pass, the more I dread walking down that aisle and making vows to a man I don't—" I swallow hard. "To a man I don't love."
She exhales softly. "I understand how you feel. But what Azrael is doing… it's for a greater good. For all of us."
I lash out at her. "Then tell me! Make me understand! Make me see how abducting me, keeping me here against my will, and forcing me into a marriage is for a greater good."
"Rhiannon, I—"
"Just stop," I whisper, shaking my head. "Today hasn't been easy for me. I just… I need to be alone right now."
Before she can say a word, I turn and walk faster down the hall. The guards scramble to keep up.
I try to breathe past the tightness in my chest, blinking hard as tears burn at the corners of my eyes.
And every step I take, feels like I'm drowning.