Page 1 of Pride: Kneel Before None

PRIDE IS…

Pervasive arrogance.

Refusing to yield.

Independence.

Domination.

Easily insulted.

Confidence.

One’s reputation.

Measured in superiority.

Exalting oneself.

Sneering at the competition.

Breaking before bending.

Ego wrapped in vanity.

Fighting authority.

Offering no help to others.

Refusing the offer of help.

Exaggerated defiance.

The need to always win.

Hating being underestimated.

Excess in all things.

Fragile beneath the surface.

Arrogance disguised as strength.

Losing everything before yielding.

Loving oneself above all else.

CHAPTER 1

“So sorry. Looks like today isn’t your lucky day.”

No apology presented itself in my tone, just a mocking pout on my dark red lips.

“That’s what happens when you play against the best in all of Superbia.” My insincerity bled into a not-so-subtle smirk while collecting my bounty of chips, feigning that I gave a shit about the man’s losses.

The quaint hole-in-the-wall casino I found myself in was tucked along a side street. It sat just off the main strip of entertainment venues and establishments of this corrupt shithole of a city. It was the type of place where locals didn’t want to be bothered, everybody questioned the food service, and absolutely nobody asked questions.

Superbia was a small city filled with large powers, offering all the sinful delights and naughty activities one could get lost in. As long as you were a supernatural being, of course. Only the cool kids on the paranormal block were allowed into the realm, hidden from the boring and plain vanilla humans. No breed was precluded from the constant partying that goes on—it was a supernatural Vegas, sans Elvis.