《Raven's secret》


 18th Birthday

    A knock sounded on my bedroom door early this morning. The sun hadn¡¯t risen above the trees just yet. That¡¯s how early each birthday Sister Marjie woke me in the mornings. I turned eighteen today. This would be the last time she would knock on my bedroom door in the mornings, for my birthdays. It saddened me to think about it but it was only the truth.


    ¡°Raven? Are you awake, dearest?¡± Sister Marjie called through the door.


    ¡°Yes, Sister. I am awake on this horrid day.¡± I chuckled softly as I sat up on my bed while Sister Marjie creaked open the door.


    ¡°Raven, it¡¯s not the end of the world just yet. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re kicking you out.¡± She said with a soft smile as she walked over to sit beside me on the bed.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not. I just don¡¯t want to leave. This is my home, where I grew up. Where the people I care about are. I don¡¯t know anyone out there in the world. I don¡¯t know if I still have family, I don¡¯t even know who they are or where they would be. They could have come for me if they really and truly wanted me back. No one ever comes here.¡± I sighed quietly and picked at my blanket, keeping my eyes averted.


    Sister Marjie brushed my hair away from my face and kissed the top of my head. ¡°Sweetheart, you¡¯re always welcome here anytime you wish to visit. You may not have family out there, but you must know by now you have family here. The world is a big place but I¡¯m most certain you will find your place in it. You have nothing to worry about. So, let¡¯s go eat breakfast. We all joined in and got you something special for your birthday. Get ready and come to the dining hall. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡± She stood and gave a soft smile my way before shutting the door behind her.


    Something ominous was heading this way, I could feel it in my heart. I didn¡¯t trust that today would be an altogether happy occasion like it normally would be for my birthday. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust Sister Marjie, I did. I just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of something going wrong.


    I sighed quietly after Sister Majie left and decided to get ready for the day, starting with a shower. When I finished with my shower, I looked into the mirror and really looked at myself. Freckles splattered across my nose and under my eyes, my lips were a full light pink in color, my raven black hair had finally reached my lower back, my almost white blue eyes were the most captivating about me, not that I was proud of my features, but I liked my eyes the most. I wasn¡¯t fat nor was I skinny in any way, I was healthy. I knew my body was toned due to the excessive workouts I¡¯d been putting myself under. I shook my head at my height though, I was just three inches above five feet. I had at one point wished to be taller but I am who I am. Nothing is going to change that. I towel dried my hair and got dressed in my usual black ankle length dress. It was loose around my frame and had long sleeves to help against the chill that seemed to be everywhere in the old church. It had settled into the stones when winter hit and I didn¡¯t think it would ever go away even if it was spring now. I smoothed the dress down my figure and slid my feet into my flats.


    ¡°I guess I better not keep the Sisters waiting.¡± I muttered and walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind me.


    I held my hands together as I headed to the dining hall to meet with everyone, keeping my gaze trained on the floor as I passed doorway after doorway, stained glass windows, and angelic statues that were left behind in the crooks of the old part of the castle. I didn¡¯t want to look around at anything because I knew if I went out into the world, I¡¯d never stay there. I¡¯d immediately want to come back home. I looked up as I reached the arched doors that led into the dining hall. I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin, pushing the doors open to reveal everyone standing around the room, each of their faces smiling at me. I couldn¡¯t help the tears that threatened to overflow. It felt as if my tongue had lodged in my throat, because I could barely swallow in order to calm myself as I walked over to Sister Marjie.


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    ¡°Welcome, little Raven. Happy birthday. You¡¯re a woman now.¡± She said loud enough for the other Sisters to hear. ¡°You have been a beautiful child since you were left for us to care for. Each of us will never regret the day you were brought to us. You have such a kind soul and you will bring light to the darkest parts of this Earth, no matter where you may go, who you might meet along the way.¡± She reached out to cup my face in her hands. ¡°We have been blessed to love you and you will always have a home here. Today, you will gather your gifts that you will receive throughout the day from each of us. Tomorrow you will head out into the world and whenever you so choose, come back to visit and tell us all about your travels, okay?¡±


    By now, tears were flowing freely down my cheeks and I inhaled a shaky breath before quickly wrapping my arms around Sister Marjie¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Thank you, thank you all so much for everything you¡¯ve ever done for me.¡± I carefully took a step back and looked around the room at all the women that took in the child they didn¡¯t have to. ¡°I can hardly believe that my eighteenth birthday is already here.¡± I laughed quietly as I wiped my cheeks.


    ¡°Here darling, come eat breakfast. Today you will have no duties, so you can do whatever you wish.¡± Sister Marjie said with a smile.


    I could see her eyes had glazed from the tears she was holding back but I decided to keep quiet. I walked over to see my favorite chocolate chip waffles sitting on the bar and a candle stuck in them. I quickly made a wish and blew out the candle. I grabbed some silverware and sat down to eat as the Sisters began to get busy with their duties.


    Throughout my meal, several of the Sisters brought my gifts. They ranged from clothes to shoes, even handmade bracelets and one brought a journal to me. She had told me to keep my thoughts written down and write about my travels so I don¡¯t leave anything out when I come back to visit them. Just the thought of leaving again had tears gathering once again so I decided when I finished my food I¡¯d take my new belongings into my room and begin to pack for the following day.


    *****


    I was almost finished packing and was looking outside the window when a knock sounded on my door. I turned and said ¡°Enter.¡±


    Sister Marjie stepped into the room and had a small gift box in her hands. ¡°I wanted to be the last one to give you a gift. Here, little Raven. Open it and tell me what you think.¡± She handed me the small box and I gave her a soft smile as I looked down to the box.


    Carefully pulling the bow, I take off the lid and inside is a silver necklace. The chain was thin but beautiful nonetheless. The charm on it was striking. It was a silver raven with a small ruby for its eye.


    I quickly looked up and smiled. ¡°It''s beautiful, Sister. Thank you so much.¡± I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. ¡°Will you put it on me?¡± I turned around after handing it to her and she clasped it around my neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely perfect. I¡¯m glad you like it. Now, seeing as how you¡¯ve never been outside at night much while you¡¯ve been here and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be outside at night out in the world, why don¡¯t you go look and enjoy the stars in the gardens for a little while? It¡¯s a clear sky and I think you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± She patted my shoulders with a grin.


    ¡°Of course, thank you again. I¡¯ll go right now!¡± I exclaimed and quickly put my flats on as I rushed out the door and headed towards the gardens.

 The Garden

    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d reach the door that led outside to the gardens so quickly. My hand hovered over the doorknob for some time before I gathered the courage to finally open it. When I did open it, I slowly edged it open and peered around. The Sisters had lit small torches around the gardens in various places along the walk path. I gingerly stepped out onto the steps and glanced around. The roses were in full bloom of different shades to the left a tall willow tree stood towering over the small bench that was nestled under its branches. The wall enclosed the space to give it a cozy feeling and I slowly made my way over to the bench to sit. On my way to the bench, I stopped and looked up to the sky and gasped out loud at the bright stars glowing and flickering back at me.


    For the first time I¡¯ve been let outside to see the stars and they¡¯re as magnificent as I expected them to be. The moon was nestled just over the branches of the willow tree, shining brightly. It was just as beautiful. I could see the gray coloring from the craters. It was so close and so full. I once was only able to see it out of the murky window. I took a few steps to sit on the bench and enjoy the stillness of the night. There were no birds chirping, a light breeze to rustle the leaves on the willow tree and the rose bushes. The entire garden was well lit with the candles and from the bright moon. I was personally glad they did this for me. I knew it probably wouldn¡¯t be this quiet out in the world but I¡¯d still enjoy it regardless.


    My eyes had wandered across the expanse of the garden and drifted above the wall. Looking at the other trees when I noticed two red dots in the distance. My entire body went cold, I felt the numbness sink its way into my bones in fright. It looked like two red eyes were glaring at me from across the distance. I held my breath until I quickly let it out, shaking my head when I looked up again to the spot the red dots were, they were still there. And then they blinked. I gasped quietly. I was frozen out of fear and I didn¡¯t dare move because my mind couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing on the other side of the wall. I glanced at the door, the way to safety and glanced back towards the eyes. They were gone.


    My heart pounded inside my chest as I quickly stood and ran towards the door to enter my sanctuary. I twisted the knob and shuffled inside the entryway and as I glanced outside as the door was shutting, I saw the beast with red eyes inside the wall, close to where I was seated on the bench.


    I felt my face pale even further and slammed the door shut completely, locking whatever it was outside. I turned and pressed my back against the door, my chest heaving from the fear ricocheting inside my chest.


    ¡°Sister Marjie! Sister!¡± I yelled down the quiet hall and ran towards her room.


    Sister Marjie came out of her bedroom in her night clothes and her hair in a bun as I rounded the corner. Her smile slipped from her face as she caught my expression of fear.


    ¡°Little Raven! Whatever happened?¡± She asked me as she grasped my shoulders.


    ¡°There was a beast! Outside the garden walls with red eyes! And when I ran back inside just as I was shutting the door, it was inside the wall of the garden close to where I had been sitting on the bench under the willow! How could it move so fast?!¡± I was beginning to get hysterical, my hands kept shaking and my teeth were chattering.


    Sister Marjie pulled me into her arms and hugged me close. ¡°Sister Amarie, can you check outside in the garden to see if the creature is still there? Don¡¯t fully go outside. It can¡¯t come in unless we allow it entry. Be careful.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t focus on her words as Sister Amarie disappeared down the hall, I was too busy trying to calm down. Sister Marjie ushered me into her room and carefully laid me down on her bed, covering my body with her blanket.


    ¡°S-Sister, what is that thing? It had red eyes and I could feel the darkness coming from it. Please, you¡¯d tell me something right? Is that why you¡¯ve n-never allowed me outside at night?¡± I shivered underneath the blanket, trying to speak softly through my teeth still chattering.


    Sister Marjie was making some hot tea to help settle my nerves as she stiffened, only slightly, but I still noticed her posture become so still it was very unlike her. She knew something.


    ¡°What is it? What haven¡¯t you told me?¡± I sat up, holding the blanket to my chest. My eyes imploring her to tell me something, anything.


    When she finally turned to face me, she kept her eyes downcast. ¡°Little Raven, there¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know and might not understand just yet, but when I say there''s darkness in this world and you will bring forth the light, it wasn¡¯t a metaphor. The creature you saw outside was one of myth, fantasy even. You¡¯ve only been taught about the human aspect of things. The main reason why we had you train to defend yourself is from those types of creatures. There are many.¡± She said with sigh as she came over and sat beside me on her bed, handing me the tea.


    I gratefully took the warmth and swallowed some, watching her. Hoping she¡¯d tell me more.


    Sister Marjie took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to meet mine. ¡°This may seem a bit odd to you that we never told you about any of this, but we had hoped ever since you were brought to us, they wouldn¡¯t find you so quickly once you turned of age. They are what humans call vampires. They are supernatural beings that -.¡±


    I interrupted her quietly, ¡°drink human blood and are immortal.¡±


    She nodded slowly. ¡°Well, yes to put it simply. Some ravaged humans to the point we humans had almost gone extinct. Until in the darkest times, what humans know to be the medieval times, they had created law and order among their race. They appointed a king to rule over them all. The King of vampires has ruled over his race with a firm hand and kept them all in check for hundreds of years. Humans came back from near extinction and have taken over the entire world, forgetting vampires even existed. They tell stories out of books that they think are fictional, some are true, others not so much. Garlic, crosses, and such do not harm them. But,¡± she gently touches the silver necklace hanging from my neck, ¡°silver hurts them. It burns them, just like sunlight. It¡¯s why we never allowed you to go outside during the night. This place is sacred, the indoors are at any rate. But if we allow them entry into this Holy space, they will ruin any sanctuary we have.¡± She reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear.


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    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about vampires? What else is out there? I don¡¯t understand why that thing would be here.¡± I questioned with a frown.


    Sister Marjie looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to frighten you. The only beings I know about are vampires, werewolves, and fae. Each supernatural creature tends to keep to their own species. They¡¯re all tucked away somewhere hidden in different parts of the world. None of them are close to living near here, they shouldn¡¯t even know that this place exists. Unless¡­¡± She frowned looking at the wall across her room thoughtfully.


    ¡°Unless? Unless what, Sister?¡± I probed, stiffening slightly.


    She turned to look at me again with a frown etched into her face. ¡°Unless they¡¯re looking for something, or someone.¡±


    ¡°Like who? You don¡¯t think they¡¯re looking for me do you? I¡¯m just an orphan who was abandoned as a baby. I wasn¡¯t wanted so they left me here.¡± My breathing becomes heavier with a slight panic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever say you aren¡¯t wanted, you know you¡¯re always wanted here. Each of us have loved and cared for you as if you were our own. I¡¯m not sure why they want you but it may have something to do with the note that was left with you in the basket.¡± She quickly stood and rummaged through her drawer in her night table and pulled out the note that was yellowing from age. It looked blank at first glance but when the light cast behind the paper it slowly showed words forming until she pulled it away.


    ¡°Wait, put it back over the candle.¡± I stood to step beside her as we watched the flame flicker behind the blank paper until the words started forming again.


    Dearest Raven,


    I¡¯m sorry for leaving you. I had no other choice at this point in my life. I thought I was doing what was best for both you and myself. I hope that one day you¡¯ll come to know I did it to protect you. They cannot find out about you but if they do, or when they do, you must protect yourself at all costs. I hope to live long enough to see you grow into the woman you¡¯re meant to be. If I¡¯m no longer walking this land, understand that I do love you, as only a mother can. A mother must always protect her child to the best of her ability and this was the only place I could think of that could truly protect your existence. You will have the ability to bring forth peace but only after a war has been won. A war that has been going on for centuries. Know this, you will be the greatest weapon any army could have. They will fight over you, they will fight for you, and they will die for you. There¡¯s an evil out there that would use you to their advantage, you must not allow this to happen. I hope we meet again someday. I love you, my darling daughter.


    With all my love and devotion,


    Your mother, Alma.


    My mother loved me. She left me to protect and hide me. She knew something about the darkness that lies within the realm of the supernatural. Something was wrong with me, I am not normal. Right?


    Her name is Alma. I looked over at Sister Marjie and both of our expressions resembled the shock we were feeling inside. None of us thought to use a candle¡¯s flame to make the ink come through on the paper.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the creature is here. It¡¯s here for me. My mother had me hidden here because she knew I¡¯d be safe, but somehow they found me. It must be linked to my eighteenth birthday though. There has to be something wrong with me, for my mother to say that these creatures would fight over me and all.¡± I stressed to Sister Marjie. I couldn¡¯t help feeling a little vulnerable with what just happened outside and then my mothers letter to me. I had always felt safe here until tonight, would I always feel like I had no place to go to feel safe?


    Sister Marjie gripped my chin between her fingers and made me look at her. ¡°There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You will always be safe here, nothing will come inside and get to you. It may very well be linked to your birthday but this is not your fault, so do not feel like it is. You aren¡¯t letting anyone down for being different, as I said before and I¡¯ll say it again. You will bring light into the darkness. I know this to be true.¡± She dropped my chin and smiled softly at me. ¡°Don¡¯t ever doubt yourself, alright little Raven?¡±


    I nodded and smiled softly at her in return. ¡°Thank you, Sister. I appreciate everyone here for what they¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    ¡°We know you do, now stay here. I¡¯m going to go check on Sister Amarie. Drink your tea, it¡¯ll calm your nerves.¡± She grabbed her robe and put it on. She opened her door and disappeared down the hallway after shutting it behind her.


    ****


    After a while of waiting for Sister Marjie to return, I couldn¡¯t sit still. I decided to go see what was taking so long. I took a tentative step out of her doorway and looked around the hallway for anyone but everything was quiet, almost too quiet. I frowned as I walked closer to the other corridor that leads to the gardens and I peeked around the corner. I watched as Sister Marjie and Sister Amarie were talking quietly behind the closed door. I leaned my back against the wall trying to listen in on their conversation.


    ¡°He said he was here for her, to protect her but I don¡¯t trust the words that came out of his mouth at all. This creature had darkness pouring out of his skin, it was grotesque.¡± Sister Amarie said in  a hurried voice.


    ¡°Keep your voice down. I don¡¯t need little Raven hearing of this. What else did he tell you?¡± Sister Marjie asked quietly.


    ¡°The creature said he had been watching over her for quite some time, making sure it really is the one the King has been looking for. And since he finally found her the King is coming. He¡¯s coming here! Oh Sister, what do we do?! We must protect Raven. Should we send her away?¡± Sister Amarie asked in a hushed whisper.


    I walked around the corner and folded my hands together in front of me with my chin lifted. ¡°If I must go, I will. I would do anything to protect you Sisters. For as long as you have protected me, I will do this for you.¡± I stated.


    ¡°How about since you¡¯re protected inside this Sanctuary, you stay here until the King arrives and we find out exactly what he wants from you.¡± Sister Marjie smiled softly at me and gave a sharp glance at Sister Amarie.


    ¡°If that is what you wish, Sister, I will do so. I¡¯m going to head to my room since it¡¯s safe as can be right now, and go rest while we wait for the King to arrive. Good night Sisters.¡± I nodded to them and turned around to follow the corridor to my room and shut the door behind me with a long sigh.

 Opening the door

    The next morning, I awoke to chatter outside my door from the Sisters passing in the hallway to eat breakfast in the Dining Hall. Sunlight streamed through my window and I panicked slightly because I had usually been the first one to wake up in the mornings to get my chores started. I¡¯d guess it was because of the late night I had and all the excitement. My nerves were shot from finding out vampires were real and the King of them all, was coming here to see me, of all people. My mother had left me a note in secret telling me basically the same thing that Sister Marjie always told me as I grew. I was the light to cast away the darkness in the world. I wasn¡¯t so sure that was true though. I hadn¡¯t even stepped foot out of this Sanctuary before and already my life has become complicated. I couldn¡¯t imagine what this would mean for me once the vampire King arrived.


    I sat up and yawned while I stretched, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and continued with my morning routine. Hopefully it¡¯ll be a better day than it was yesterday. I didn¡¯t need anymore surprises coming from anyone today.


    After putting my flats on I headed out of my room to enjoy the company of the Sisters before setting to work with my chores. I was finishing up the dishes when Sister Marjie found me.


    ¡°Little Raven, I have some news about the King¡¯s arrival.¡± She said quietly as she gazed at me with an unreadable expression.


    I nodded. ¡°Okay, tell me, please.¡±


    She sighed heavily and handed me the note with the King¡¯s seal. ¡°He¡¯ll be here tomorrow night as soon as the sun sets. We must be prepared for what is to come.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly is to come? I don¡¯t know him, why does he want anything to do with me? I just don¡¯t understand how this all reverts back to me.¡± I questioned as I started to panic on the inside.


    ¡°Sweet girl, calm yourself. I believe he only wishes to speak with you. I know everything is so new about that world but don¡¯t stress yourself over it right now when you don¡¯t know what is going to happen. Alright? I will be there with you the entire step of the way, no harm will come to you.¡± She stressed as she rested her hands on my shoulders to soothe me.


    I took a few calculated breaths before I spoke again. ¡°What do I do if he wants me to leave with him? I don¡¯t know what to expect and that is killing me. I know, I know, don¡¯t fret over it. It¡¯s still hard not to. I¡¯ll try to keep myself busy with my chores so I don¡¯t think about it.¡± I turned away from her and finished up the last few dishes.


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    ¡°Sounds like a marvelous idea, little Raven.¡± She walked up behind me and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before returning to her daily chores and prayers.


    I let my shoulders droop and my head hang as I thought about tomorrow night. My nerves were already fried from feeling so scared last night to finding out the King wants to meet with me.


    ****


    It seemed time was not on my side this time around because the next thing I knew after I was finishing the last few remaining dishes from dinner, the sun was beginning to set. The clouds were beautiful with the sun''s rays bouncing all around them, creating a master painting in of itself. The lilac and the peach hue were scattered throughout the area of the setting sun. It gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, things would go well. I gathered myself and headed to my room to get a quick shower and change before the King arrived tonight. We were to meet him in the garden where I saw that creature with the red eyes watching me. I shuddered at the thought. I had a feeling that one was evil, the kind of evil you wanted to stay away from entirely.


    I decided to french braid my long hair and keep it over my shoulder out of the way and put on my dress that was nicer than the others that I usually clean in, it was still black instead of the faded color that the others were because of all the cleaning products I use daily. I sighed as I slid my feet into the flats and walked to Sister Marjie¡¯s room. It seemed as though she knew I was coming when she stepped out of her door and shut it behind her, a smile already gracing her cheeks.


    ¡°Are you ready, my dear?¡± She asked me quietly.


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could ever be ready for something like this, but if I must, let¡¯s get it over with as quickly as possible so he¡¯ll leave all the more sooner.¡± She chuckled at that and held out her elbow so I slid my arm through hers and we headed towards the direction of the gardens.


    My heart was pounding inside my chest, the chill of who I was to meet sent a shiver of fear down my spine. I swallowed back the fear and lifted my chin slightly to appear more confident than I felt on the inside. And once we reached the door with Sister Amarie and Sister Jasmine trailing behind us, my mouth went dry and my heart was pounding faster. I couldn¡¯t decide if I wanted to run and hide, or slam the door open with all my might and tell the creature to leave this place and never come back. The anger I felt inside was unwarranted. I couldn¡¯t describe this feeling because I¡¯d never felt such anger before. Why was I acting this way? Only one way to find out, I supposed.

 Meeting him

    I refused to show my emotions on the outside, so I stiffened my spine and started to open the door to the gardens when Sister Marjie stopped me by grabbing my hand.


    ¡°Let me go outside first to speak with him, I¡¯ll let you know when to come out, alright?¡± She patted my cheek and quickly shut the door behind her as she left me with the other Sisters.


    I carefully pressed my ear to the door to try to listen in on the conversation but everything was muffled from the heavy oak door. I huffed in irritation and began pacing in front of the door until there was a soft knock on the other side.


    I stepped to the side where the door opens and Sister Marjie cracks the door with a soft smile on her face. ¡°Come, he wishes to meet you.¡±


    I frowned at her smile, not understanding why she looked that way. She should have fear in her eyes, anger, something. Anything at this point besides a smile. I quickly nodded at her and she opened the door wider to let me pass. I continued walking as I heard whispering behind me but I paid it no mind as I took in the sights before me.


    There were at least ten vampires surrounding the garden area, all with red eyes staring at me as I stepped further into the garden. I swallowed my fear down and glared at each of them, to let them know I was not afraid of any of them. I heard a dark chuckle to my right and my head snapped in that direction. I inhaled sharply as the piercing light gray eyes staring back at me. He was taller and more broad than I anticipated. He wore a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his forearms were defined as well. The veins seemed to protrude from his skin. His hair was a dark brown that was slicked back. He reminded me of the story I read not too long ago about the gangsters from back in the day, during the time of black and white movies and tv.  I watched him closely with a slight tilt in my head, regarding him as he did the same to me. His black hair was brushed back from his face and his jaw clenched. Since he was a vampire, especially the King of them, I¡¯m sure he could hear my heart beat thumping painfully inside my chest. His nostrils flared and I assumed he could smell it as well, which to me was a bit disturbing. As he took in my scent, I watched his gray eyes become a light red in color before returning back to normal.


    I glanced to my left and glared at the other vampires for a moment before turning my back on them and facing the King with my hands folded in front of my dress. The King regarded me with an eyebrow raised at my direct insult to his men and my lip twitched in response. I watched a ghost of a smile forming before it quickly disappeared behind an indifferent mask. The men behind me growled low in their throats and their King silenced them with a glance before returning his gaze back to me.


    ¡°Raven.¡± The King addressed me. His voice was dark and full of secret promises that I never wished to find out. My body however, had a mind of its own as the hair on my arms rose with the goose bumps along my arms, creating a trail down my back. I felt like prey when he stated my name. The way he said it made it sound like a sin.


    I tilted my head in acknowledgment. He smirked. ¡°Come closer, so we may speak a little more privately.¡± He glanced over my shoulder to Sister Marjie, I¡¯m sure was still standing at the door watching us both like a hawk.


    I looked at her for a brief moment and when I saw her nod her head towards me, I faced the King once more and walked over to stand in front of him. I kept my eyes trained on him as I stepped closer. I stopped when I stood at least 3 feet in front of him and kept my breathing calm and measured to slow my racing heart before it beat out of my chest and into his hand.


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    ¡°As you well know, Raven, I am the King of vampires. And I do believe that you had no idea of our existence until the other night, the night of your birthday I presume?¡± He asked me, keeping his eyes trained on mine.


    I nodded slightly, keeping my mouth shut. I did not want to say anything that would anger him so he wouldn¡¯t have a reason to kill me. So I thought it best to keep quiet.


    ¡°I see. So you have no idea as to what you are, let alone who you are?¡± I frowned in response but nodded my head again.


    He nodded and rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression, glancing away from me. He nodded again before looking back to me again and stuck his hand out. ¡°I¡¯m King Warrick. My apologies for not introducing myself sooner.¡±


    I looked down at his outstretched hand and raised an eyebrow at him. I sighed and slid my small hand in his. Fire erupted through my veins from our contact and I felt myself being tugged closer. I let out a sharp gasp in surprise at the feeling. A haze began to take over my eyes and I tried to blink it away but everything became fuzzy, including the King standing in front of me. I felt an arm wrap around my waist before I was gently carried to sit on the bench under the willow tree where I was just a couple nights ago, when I saw my first vampire.


    As the King released me, the haze lifted from my eyes and I blinked them rapidly as I tried to calm my breathing. I looked down at my hand, half expecting it to be burned but it wasn¡¯t. Nothing happened to me.


    I frowned and looked up in question at the King.


    His eyes showed the disbelief I didn¡¯t quite understand and out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. When I glanced behind him to see Sister Marjie being held by a vampire.


    The anger I felt earlier rose within me, hotter than before. ¡°Let her go.¡± I said in a voice I didn¡¯t recognize.


    When the vampire who held Sister Marjie didn¡¯t so much as flinch at what I said, I stood from my seat on the bench with a slight sway and started stalking over towards him with my fists clenched. I didn¡¯t see the look Sister Marjie was giving me as I stalked over to where they stood. I felt lighter than I ever have before. The anger pulsing inside me. It was different than any other time I had felt true frustration. I felt the King¡¯s presence more than doubled now since something had changed within me at the sight of my adoptive mother being held captive. I stopped right in front of the vampire who dared to touch Sister Marjie and glared up at him. My fingernails dug into the palm of my hands as I fought to keep control.


    ¡°I said. Let. Her. Go.¡± I said quietly.


    He ignored me completely and I clenched my jaw as more anger flooded my system. He was looking at his King for an answer. I grasped his jaw in my hand and made him look me in the eye. His red gaze grew brighter with rage at the sudden disrespect I gave him and he let her go, shoving her away and she collapsed onto the ground. That¡¯s when I lost it.


    A red haze blanketed my vision and I growled low in my chest. I lunged for him and he wasn¡¯t nearly as prepared as he thought he was when I grabbed him by his throat with my left hand and shoved my hand into his rib cage, ripping his heart out of his chest. Blood seeped from his lips while his body slowly turned from a pale white to a light gray, black veins sprouted up his neck before he suddenly burst into ash.


    The red haze dissolved from my eyes as I looked down at the heart in the palm of my hand, I dropped whatever was left when it collapsed into ash and lifted my hand again to watch as the black tips dissolved into my natural skin. The black claws shifted back into my fingernails, they were still red from the blood and had a gray tinge to them from the ash. I gasped from disbelief and looked at Sister Marjie as my body began to tremble from shock.


    ¡°Sister¡­¡± My hands began to tremble from the shock of what just happened and I felt more than seeing the King approach my side and I looked at him.


    ¡°There you are. Nice to finally meet you, Raven.¡± His grin held pure joy at what I just committed against his own people. His fangs had lengthened and it made me tremble all the more for an entirely different reason. There was a pink hue to his irises like the red was trying to bleed through but he was fighting against it. I was almost curious as to why he would but at the present moment I didn¡¯t give it a second thought.

 Dog breath

    I glanced down at the ashes in front of me and I turned my back on the King to help Sister Marjie up from her place on the ground. She patted herself off to free herself of the ash and dirt. She lifted her head to pat my cheek and stepped around me to face the King.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell Raven what you told me and what you wanted with her?¡± She asked him with a lilt to her voice. It sounded as though she didn¡¯t trust him for a moment. Well, neither did I but I had different reasons.


    I could feel his piercing gaze as they grazed my back before his gaze strayed back to Sister Marjie. ¡°I wish to train her and show her the world she was meant to be in. She needs to know the world she was supposed to be born into, so she can be protected as she should be.¡± He gazed down at her.


    I frowned and glanced at the other two Sisters that were still standing near the door. I turned around to face Sister Marjie. ¡°Why would I need to be protected and shown his world? Is this because of the note?¡±


    Her shoulders slumped and she tucked a hand to her neck as she turned to face me. ¡°Partly due to the note, yes dearest. I believe if he can help you further by teaching you the things I can¡¯t, and you would be safe with him, then I think it¡¯s time.¡±


    I swallowed as tears threatened to choke me and I turned away from her as quickly as possible. Walking away to sit on the bench underneath the willow tree and I pressed my face into my hands to calm myself. I heard footsteps approach me and I knew who it was without looking.


    ¡°What do you want, King Warrick?¡± I asked him quietly.


    I felt him place a hand on my knee and I looked up from my hands to glare at him. ¡°I want to show you the world that you were meant to be a part of. To teach you what I know so you can be as strong as I know you can be. Will you allow me to help you, Raven?¡± He lifted his hand to wipe a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb and I inhaled a shuddered breath at the light touch that seared my cheek.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how this worked but I knew I would have to go with him if I was to learn more about myself, why my mother abandoned me, and so many other things. I pushed my fingers through my hair and I glanced up at King Warrick to catch his gaze lingering on me.


    I quickly stood and made my way over to Sister Marjie after coming to terms with my decision. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her close. I quietly whispered in her ear, ¡°I will come back and visit. I want to learn more about myself now that I know I¡¯m something completely different. Thank you for always being there for me and protecting me.¡± I leaned back to kiss her lightly on her cheek and smiled softly at her.


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    ¡°Take care of yourself, don¡¯t forget to write, okay little Raven?¡± Her eyes were sad but she still smiled at me and she turned to tell Sister Amarie and Sister Jasmine to go gather my things before I left.


    I faced King Warrick and folded my hands in front of me. ¡°Where will we go?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to my castle about two days from here. I have a room prepared for you during your stay with me. You can decorate it however you wish. Just let me know what you want changed and I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s done. Once you get settled, I¡¯ll help you with the history of the races. It¡¯s going to be a lot to learn but if it helps in knowing a part of who you are, then that is all that matters, yes?¡± His voice was low as he regarded me.


    I assumed he was waiting on my reaction to going to his home and learning things that I didn¡¯t quite understand. I felt a bit of fear about being in a place full of vampires but if it was what I was meant to do, then so be it.


    I was still shaken with how things happened with the vampire that dared to touch Sister Marjie and I knew I was wreaking of fear and ash, but at this point I was too numb to feel anything. Once I was in a bed and able to relax for a moment it would hit me of what I could do. I killed someone tonight. I had, in terms, blood on my hands. I didn¡¯t like the way that felt but I decided to deal with that emotion later.


    I looked up into the sky and watched the stars twinkle. The wind picked up at that moment and ruffled my hair against my neck. But something else caught my attention, movement out of the corner of my eye. I had noticed earlier there had been a vampire standing on the wall and then the next moment it was gone. I frowned and looked fully in that direction. When King Warrick noticed me looking in the direction he followed suit and sniffed.


    His low growl vibrated through my small frame as I stood near him. ¡°What is it, King Warrick?¡± I looked up at him with a frown.


    ¡°Wolves, we need to leave.¡± He glanced at Sister Marjie just as the other two Sisters came out with my belongings.


    It was only one small duffel bag filled with some clothes and toiletries along with my few gifts I had received on my birthday. I quickly took the bag and gave them a hug before giving another hug to Sister Marjie.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± I whispered in her ear before pulling away. ¡°Get inside and shut the door. Please be careful.¡± I turned and walked up to King Warrick when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my body against his hard frame. I let out a soft gasp in surprise. I¡¯d never touched a male before, let alone in this close proximity. I felt more than heard him chuckle at my response and we took to the skies. Yes, we were flying. And dare I say that I was kind of afraid of heights and accidentally clung to King Warrick out of fear of falling.


    He pulled me closer and leaned in to whisper in my ear, ¡°I won¡¯t let you fall. I¡¯ve got you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t relax because I knew without a doubt that there was more meaning behind those words than what he promised.

 The Kingdom

    Right before dawn we landed in a much larger garden than what the Sanctuary had. It was filled with a variety of flowers from red roses to the rarest flower in the world, a Middlemist''s red camellia. I couldn¡¯t believe what my eyes were seeing, it had to be a hardship to be able to have found it and put this flower in your very own garden. Glancing away from the flower, a very large castle stood tall to house King Warrick. The high towers were littered with vines and guards patrolled the rooftops as if we were back in medieval times. The castle itself, though slightly ominous, was very beautiful and it had to have been brought to life from a fairy tale.


    Apparently my soft snicker didn¡¯t go by unnoticed by the King himself. ¡°What are you laughing at, Raven?¡±


    My spine stiffened in response. I hadn¡¯t realized how close he¡¯d gotten to me. I¡¯d slipped up and allowed him into my personal space, to which I remedied rather quickly. I stepped away to turn to face him fully.


    ¡°I just thought of how fairytale-like this castle was and it had to have come from a book.¡± I shrugged and decided to continue looking at the variety of flowers surrounding me.


    ¡°I see. Have you ever seen some of these flowers before?¡± He asked me. Why would the King care about whether or not I saw flowers before? Oh. Right, he¡¯s trying to get to know me better.


    I pursed my lips as I faced him again. ¡°You¡¯ve only told me your name, I know nothing else but that you are a King. Which I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll explain to me what all of this means for me. I am here to learn about what I am, yes?¡± I crossed my arms against my chest and tilted my head in question.


    King Warrick took a few steps closer to me, enough to make me question myself about questioning a King, let alone a vampire King.


    ¡°You''re very curious and not very trusting when it comes to people who are not a part of the Sanctuary, aren¡¯t you, little dove? I was asking because I wanted to know more about you but I suppose it could wait. We¡¯ll have enough time for that since we will live for eternity.¡± He shrugged before walking around me and touching one of the flowers behind me. I frowned at his nickname but refused to call him out on it and turned to follow his movements. ¡°You¡¯ll learn more about me as the nights pass as well. Things like this take time and I have plenty of it. However, I did notice you ogling one of the rarest flowers in the world and I¡¯m sure you were curious as to how I¡¯d managed to get it for my own personal garden, am I right?¡± He glanced over at me with a smirk.


    ¡°Well, yes actually.¡± I quietly said and raised an eyebrow in hopes of finding out.


    ¡°If I told you, I¡¯d have to kill you and I would rather not have to do that. I know, I know. How cliche. It¡¯s the truth though. How about we tuck you in and call an end to the night, shall we?¡± He held out his hand for me to take and I stared at it for a long moment before deciding to give in.


    Once my hand touched his, a gentle warmth bled through my hand and followed each nerve ending until my entire body was burning but this time it wasn¡¯t as bad as the first time we touched. It was almost pleasurable and that embarrassed me to the point I could feel a light blush forming up my neck and into my cheeks.


    ¡°Sweetheart, your blush is enticing. I wish to know what you¡¯re thinking right now but I won¡¯t push it. Come. Let me show you to your room and I¡¯ll let you rest after the long day you¡¯ve had.¡± He pulled me closer and curled my arm through his, resting my hand on his forearm and started walking towards the large doorway that led into the back of the castle from the gardens. He gently took my bag from me and carried it.


    He kept his hand on mine the entire walk to my room. I didn¡¯t really focus on anything but the feel of his hand on mine and the dark red hue of the carpets as we walked along them.


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    King Warrick stopped in front of a large pine wood door and opened it for me. I carefully stepped away from him and took the scene in front of me. I could not believe what I was seeing.


    The room had a large canopy bed that matched the color of the door, the woodwork across the headboard was magnificent. Intricate gold patterns ordained the wood to showcase the beauty of it. The wood carving was of a large mountain with a forest and a river beneath it. The entire room was lit by the fireplace and the banister was littered with gold along the delicate piece.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could change a thing in this room.¡± I whispered in awe.


    The walls were painted a light gray and the linens as well as the curtains were white. It seemed like he painted me as innocent just with how this room was decorated.


    ¡°When did you decorate this room? I can¡¯t be the only one who¡¯s stayed in this room.¡± I turned to face him, the shock still evident on my face.


    He grinned at me with a hint of fang. ¡°No one has slept in this room and they decorated it when I heard they¡¯d found you. I had hoped you¡¯d come to live here so you could learn more about yourself.¡±


    ¡°You did this for me? Why?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re special, Raven. Even if you don¡¯t see it.¡± He leaned against the door frame.


    ¡°Oh I see. Thank you for carrying this for me.¡± I carefully took the bag from him and nodded. I couldn¡¯t trust myself to say anything more.


    The duffel hung from my hands in front of my legs when the King stepped up to me and caressed my cheek with his thumb.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, Raven. Trust that I will take care of your needs in the best way I can. Goodnight.¡± He dipped his head and headed out the door but right before he closed it he said, ¡°Raven, call me Warrick, please.¡± And shut the door behind him.


    I let out a long sigh, relaxing now that I was alone. Going to bed was long overdue so I dropped my bag beside the bed and plopped down onto the soft mattress, burying myself beneath the covers and was fast asleep before I knew it.


    ****


    Knock. Knock. I sat up quickly with my hair still haphazardly in my braid from last night that it was almost choking me. Unwrapping it from around my neck, I slid off the bed and opened the door to find a maid? I frowned.


    ¡°Good morning! I¡¯m here to get you ready for your day. King Warrick is still sleeping since it¡¯s daylight out and he won¡¯t wake up until just before dusk. I was told to come fetch you for some breakfast and get you prepared. Oh! I already said that, didn''t I? My apologies, miss.¡± She swiftly entered my room and rummaged through the closet, pulling out a long sleeved dark blue dress. It didn¡¯t look like it would fit me because it was so thin looking around the waist.


    She suddenly stopped and faced me. ¡°Again, I apologize. My name is Frita and I will be your ladies maid. I will care for your preparation of a bath, your clothes, and your hair also. So whenever you need something just let me know and I will handle it.¡± She turned back around and went to find me another pair of shoes.


    ¡°Frita, I have my flats so there¡¯s no need -¡± , I started when she quietly interrupted me.


    ¡°My lady, I must prepare the shoes as well as the outfit for you. If you like flats, I will find you a comfortable pair that matches the dress. If that¡¯s alright.¡± She said rather quickly.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve usually been the one to get myself ready first thing in the morning.¡± I sat down on the bed and waited, fiddling with my dress and getting the lint off of it. I couldn¡¯t believe I fell asleep in my dress that I wore yesterday. I usually get ready for bed before actually going to bed. I must look frightful this morning.


    ¡°No need to apologize, my lady. This is what I¡¯m here for.¡± She smiled at me and went about her task of getting me prepared to have breakfast. I took a bath and my hair had been pulled into a braid and into a flawless bun at the back of my head. The dress she picked out for me was a form fitting one where it flaunted my curves in all the right places. I wasn¡¯t used to wearing dresses like this, mostly loose fitting ones. The sleeves were long and comfortable, it wasn¡¯t skin tight like the dress around my midriff was, but it¡¯s fine. The length was just how I liked it, down to my ankles and surprisingly it was very comfortable. The skirt around my legs had more flow and swished when I spun. I held back my smile because it was probably inappropriate to even twirl like that.


    ¡°Come, my lady. Let¡¯s go gather your breakfast.¡± Frita said quietly and she walked briskly out the door. I followed behind her after shutting my door.

 Betwitched

    After eating my breakfast, I took a small tour of the castle to keep a map of where to go when I needed it and eventually found my way back to my room. Frita brought my lunch up to me instead of having me go to the kitchens again. I had been getting odd looks from the cooks and other staff and I didn¡¯t feel comfortable going back down there again. It seemed as though time was moving slower than it normally did than when I was at the Sanctuary. I had chores to keep myself busy but instead I was stuck in this room until the King decided to join me. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was a prisoner or a guest but it sure felt like I was a prisoner. No one knew who I was nor did they try to speak with me, except for Frita. She was in a way my servant and it was odd to have one when I was so used to doing things myself.


    By the time dusk came around, I was seated on the cushion in front of the window, watching the sunset when I heard a knock on my door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said quietly as I kept my face averted from the door. I knew who it was by the settling sun behind the trees.


    ¡°Good evening, Raven. How was your day?¡± King Warrick asked me as he stepped further into my room.


    ¡°It was fine, but I suppose you could have warned me about Frita though. I¡¯d never had someone to wait on me hand and foot. I¡¯m used to doing things myself and not having someone else doing it for me. I also wanted to ask how this scheduling would work if you¡¯re going to teach me about who I am? If I¡¯m awake for the entire day, don¡¯t you suppose I¡¯d be tired or at least getting ready for bed by the time you woke up? Or did you expect me to stay up the entire day and wait around for you, and stay up all night while you taught me these things?¡± I glanced at him over my shoulder with a slight frown.


    I¡¯d had all day to think about these things, and if I dare say. I had a lot more questions that I needed answers to that I haven¡¯t yet asked.


    His gray eyes settled on mine and he gave me a crooked grin. ¡°I expect for you to stay up a little later than normal tonight so you could sleep most of the day away and we could continue our lessons at night. But I do have a few things on the agenda I need to finish before we get started. Would you care to join me? Get you out of this room for a little while?¡±


    I glanced back out the window to the sun already set and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± I stood slowly and adjusted my dress a little. I walked towards him and I watched his eyes travel the length of my body and back to meet my eyes.


    The pink hue I saw the night before came back but I think it was for an entirely different reason because of the way his eyes smoldered before returning to their normal gray color. I stopped in front of him to keep some distance between us as I tried to push back my blush.


    ¡°This dress suits you well, Raven. The dark blue color really brings out your eyes. Come, let¡¯s go to my office and then we¡¯ll go to the library so we can start your lessons.¡± Warrick held out his hand for me to take and I carefully slid my hand in his after thanking him quietly for the compliment.


    Once again, he pulled my arm through his and left his hand on top of mine as we walked to his office. I haven¡¯t been down this way before and the paintings were very detailed. It seemed the King liked war paintings more than anything. I¡¯ve only seen one or two paintings of landscapes so far. Maybe I just haven¡¯t had the chance to see them all. We continued our walk and I admired each painting we passed, before I knew it he was opening the door for me and gently ushered me inside. I glanced about, admiring the dark wood bookshelves that housed what looked to be very old books and some new, barely touched. The walls were a dark gray with an accent wall behind his desk that was almost the same shade as my dark blue dress. His desk was the same color that matched the book cases and the two chairs set in front of it for visitors. I did, however, notice that there weren¡¯t any windows. That¡¯s probably in case he has to stay up during the day and do his kingly duties. Which makes sense.


    Warrick walked around his desk and sat in his office chair. He waved a hand out. ¡°Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable. I won¡¯t be too long, I just have to finish some paperwork and then we¡¯ll go to the library to find some books to help you navigate the supernatural world better.¡± He spoke quietly and leaned forward to rest his arms on his desk as I sat across from him.


    ¡°This is a beautiful office, it suits you.¡± My eyes widened in surprise as my compliment came out so easily and I glanced quickly away, ringing my fingers together.


    I could hear the smile in his voice without looking up. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s not a lot, it¡¯s simple but it makes it seem more neat in here than it really is. I¡¯ve been going through files to get it uploaded to my computer so I can put those in storage and some put away for safekeeping. It¡¯s the minimalism that seems to calm me rather than cause me to be distraught with the chaos of the things I need to do.¡± He chuckles under his breath.


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    I looked up to observe him and the way he smiled almost took my breath away. ¡°What¡¯s the warmth from when we touch??¡± I blurted out to keep my heart from pattering out of my chest.


    Warrick¡¯s eyebrows raised momentarily in surprise at the sudden outburst and he smirked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t wait to ask that any longer, could you?¡±


    My blush caused me to swallow and I squirmed in the seat, crossing my leg over the other. ¡°You told me you would tell me anything I needed to know about the supernatural world. Well, would that be a part of it?¡± I watched Warrick sit back in his chair as he regarded me thoughtfully.


    It was almost beginning to feel stifling in this office, finally realizing how truly alone for the first time we were. I wasn¡¯t necessarily uncomfortable but I wasn¡¯t comfortable at the same time. My skin was too tight and I felt warm all over as I noticed how his shirt was pressed against his chest, it was almost too tight. I could feel Warrick¡¯s eyes on me as I felt myself begin to lose control and he stood up to walk around his desk and sit in the chair next to me. When he sat back in the chair, his knee bumped into my foot and I uncrossed my leg. My spine stiffened as I regarded him. My heart was in my throat at his sudden proximity. I thought him being behind his desk was too close for comfort when he decided to make it more troubling for me with him sitting right next to me. I didn¡¯t understand the feelings I was having with him being so close and all I knew was that I felt too hot and my dress was too tight against my skin. It felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Warrick leaned over, resting his chest against his forearm on the chair. ¡°Do you feel that?¡±


    I looked at him sharply and subconsciously leaned away a little. ¡°What?¡±


    He smirked at the movement and stared into my eyes as his eyes glowed a light red. ¡°The feeling I¡¯m too close, but not close enough. The stifling heat in the room when you realized we were alone. I may be cold to the touch but being this close to you, my body''s on fire. For you. I burn for you, no one else. And I haven¡¯t felt like this since I was a young vampire, simpering after women all over the world because I was young and dumb. But you, you are it. I am the one who found you and I get to teach you all of the things you need to survive in this world, this dangerous world we live in. I get to watch you grow into yourself, know who you are becoming. From this innocent girl who knows nothing outside of the human realm into the power she wields, not only over me but all of my race.¡± He slid out of his chair and onto his knees in front of me, placing both hands on the arms of my chair and I sucked in a deep breath at his nearness.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I whispered quietly.


    ¡°A King never bows before anyone but his Queen. One day, when you¡¯re ready, I will fully bow to you, little dove.¡± He slowly took my hand in his and looked up at me with his eyes shining a deeper red. ¡°I promise you here and right now, I will do anything to protect you even if it makes my life forfeit.¡±


    I swallowed and looked at our hands as mine was burning at his touch. ¡°Why do that? You don¡¯t even know me and we only met just yesterday.What does this have to do with my question?¡± Even with my saying that, I know I would do the same for him.


    ¡°I have been searching for almost a millenia for the one who will be my life. The one who is my mate. And I finally found her, in you.¡± He lifted his hand to caress my cheek and the warmth from it made me close my eyes as my breathing became heavy. I felt his breath fan across my face as I pushed my cheek against his hand further, lifting my own hand to cup his.


    My heart was pounding inside my chest and the fuzzy feeling in my stomach I was getting made me feel a little queasy, not a bad thing it seemed. I gasped in a sudden desperate move to get away from the feelings inside me, I jumped up and spun, slamming my back against the bookcases.


    ¡°You¡¯re bewitching me. What is it you are speaking of? What am I to you? What is a mate?¡± I exclaimed as my hands were shaking against my sides. I was ready to run if need be, I liked and enjoyed the feelings he caused inside me but he was a vampire. In the note my mother gave to me, for me to read one day, she told me not to trust everyone. That they would use me. How did I know I could honestly trust this vampire?


    Warrick seemed surprised by my outburst so much he hadn¡¯t moved from his spot in front of my chair until he slowly came to. His eyes had turned back to their normal shade of piercing gray as he slowly stood with his hands outstretched.


    ¡°I¡¯m not bewitching you, little dove. And I¡¯m not trying to evade your questions, I¡¯m just trying to help you understand the emotions you¡¯re feeling right now a little better, but I can see that I am failing at it terribly. I am sorry that you feel that way and I hope that one day you¡¯ll learn to trust me. I know I haven¡¯t given you much time to really trust me since we only just met. I only have the best interest for you. As I said before, I promise to protect you from any harm that might come your way because of the connection we have, the mate bond is more powerful than you may think. It is unbreakable. Our souls are connected just as much as our bodies are here in this room. It¡¯s what you might say soulmates are. They have a deeper connection than just a love here or there. This is special, something to be revered. It is a rarity nowadays that my people find their one true mate. I have been on this earth for a very long time and I have looked everywhere for my mate but only come to find out it¡¯s you. And I am not disappointed. The mate bond won¡¯t be completed until we, well, we make love and mark each other. But I don¡¯t expect that from you right now, or any time soon for that matter. I want you to learn to trust me. I will wait for you.¡± He smiled softly at me before turning and walking behind his desk to start working on his laptop.


    I looked down to the floor for a moment to catch my breath and I inhaled deeply before exhaling. I slowly made my way over back to my chair and sat down to let him finish his work.

 History

    Even after my outburst, Warrick took my hand in his as we made our way out of his office and headed in the direction of the library, curling my hand onto his forearm and holding it with his hand over mine. I glanced up at him before looking forward again and swallowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my outburst earlier. It was unprovoked and it wasn¡¯t right of me to think that of you. You¡¯ve been nothing but kind to me and it was uncalled for.¡± I felt his gaze drift over to me as we walked side by side and he gently squeezed my hand.


    ¡°No need for apologies, I¡¯m sure it was called for. I didn¡¯t answer your question and it seemed to you that I was evading it. You never have to apologize to me if I don¡¯t act the right way with you and you deem it unfit. I am your mate after all, I have to earn my place.¡± I looked up at him as he continued to gaze down at me and I stopped walking.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who has to earn their place as the others mate. I guess it goes both ways.¡± I said quietly as I noticed we were no longer alone in the hallway.


    He smiled at me and pulled me gently so we could start walking again. ¡°Fair enough, my Queen. Fair enough.¡±


    I let out a soft laugh. ¡°Did I just win our first argument?¡±


    When Warrick looked down to look at me again, I met his look with my own with a sly grin on my lips and he softly chuckled. ¡°I suppose you have. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be the last either.¡±


    My heart was pounding and the fluttering was happening again in my stomach. I pressed my free hand against it to hopefully calm it a little.


    Warrick looked down as my hand touched my belly and he frowned. ¡°Are you hungry? Are you not feeling well? I¡¯ll have someone bring refreshments to the library once we get there. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t realize how long we had spent in my office, you missed dinner.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh no, I¡¯m fine right now, but some refreshments would be fantastic. But no, that¡¯s not the problem, truly there is no problem. I just get this weird fluttering in my stomach when you¡¯re around. I¡¯ve never had it before.¡± I blushed when I realized what I said and he stopped in front of two large doors.


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re getting what the humans call butterflies.¡± He grinned at me and stepped closer, my chest almost touching his and I leaned my head back in surprise as his eyes flooded with red. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one, little dove.¡± He gently tapped his finger on my nose and opened the double doors, raising a hand to allow me to go first through the entry.


    Instead of looking inside as I walked forward into the library, I kept my eyes on Warrick. ¡°Why do you call me little dove?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and shut the doors behind him. ¡°It¡¯s because of your innocence. And also because of Sister Marjie calling you little Raven, and I assumed you wouldn¡¯t want me to call you what she calls you.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you call me that or little dove, whichever you prefer.¡± I looked away to finally realize how massive the library was. My eyes widened as it took my breath away. ¡°This. This is your library?¡± I asked him in awe.


    He chuckled under his breath. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve accumulated a lot of books in my lifetime and it slowly got out of hand. There are books of different races¡¯ history and folklore, to journals of the vampires who have died. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more than just that in here but I haven¡¯t read them all entirely. When I became King it was slightly difficult to get some down time to read again.¡± He looked away from me to look at all the books he¡¯s gathered from his long life. I could see the hidden sadness behind his eyes before he closed it off when he looked back toward me.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I walked over to him and placed my hand in his. ¡°Then while you do your kingly duties, I can read to you the books you haven¡¯t read yet.¡± I gave him a small smile.


    He lifted his hand from mine and cupped my face in his hands, staring into my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re too good for me.¡± His eyes drifted down to my lips and I thought he was going to kiss me until he pressed his cold lips against my forehead. ¡°Come, let¡¯s find some books about our history and I¡¯ll have someone bring you some food.¡±


    ***


    Warrick gave me a short history about vampires just as Sister Marjie had. Silver would burn vampires and if it was made into a stake, piercing the heart with it, would kill them immediately. He told me that each vampire has a certain gift after they¡¯ve been turned or born. Some have telekinesis, telepathy, and some even can control an element. It¡¯s rare that a vampire would carry more than one gift at a time. Vampire lore states they were created by evolution of the human race and to counterbalance the world, werewolves were created. There had been too many vampires turning humans because of their bloodlust. When a vampire bites a human and drains them dry, it kills the human instantly but there¡¯s always a drop left that the vampire venom creates another vampire. Which in turn sets off another series of events and that¡¯s where the wolves come in. If the vampires shed too much blood in one area and kill off too many humans, the wolves are there to take them out. But since then, the wolves have become out of control with their thirst for the vampire''s blood and destruction. They used to keep to the woods and mountains, but now they¡¯ve come so far into the vampire territory that they¡¯ve created an all out war between the two races for as long as anyone can remember.


    ¡°I truly want to learn more about what you are, I¡¯ve never seen claws like that before in all my years on this earth. And I want to be able to help you when you finally come into your power. I wish we could find out who your parents are and it¡¯d be easier to know from there. But I think, seeing as how it¡¯s gotten so late into the night and you¡¯ve been up all this time, I¡¯ll walk you back to your room and I¡¯ll let you rest. We¡¯ll start on the werewolves'' history and their strengths and weaknesses tomorrow.¡± Warrick stood and held out his hand for me to take.


    I stood after taking his hand in mine and curled my arm around his. ¡°Thank you for teaching me a few things about the vampire''s history and werewolves. And you¡¯ve been around a long time, how have you never seen my claws before?¡± I frowned in slight confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too concerned about it, although the black fingers and claws have me stumped completely. I¡¯ll look into it further to see what I can find out for you. But yes, even though I have been around a long time, I still haven¡¯t seen everything, yet.¡± He muttered as he rubbed his chin in thought.


    ¡°Okay, thank you for understanding and not being angry with me. That¡¯s never happened to me before. I was also wondering something too, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± I glanced up at him as we left the library.


    ¡°You can ask me anything, little dove.¡± Warrick gently squeezed my hand.


    ¡°What power do you have since you¡¯re the Vampire King?¡± I asked him and looked at him curiously as we walked.


    He chuckled under his breath. ¡°I was wondering when you were going to ask that of me. How about I show you tomorrow night in the gardens?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a date.¡± I smiled at him and blinked at what I said in surprise when his eyes turned a light red.


    ¡°And so it will be, little dove.¡± He stopped just outside my door and opened it for me to enter. ¡°Goodnight, sweet dreams. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow night.¡± He winked at me as he turned to head towards his office.


    I quickly shut my door behind me and pressed my back against it. I couldn¡¯t believe I just said that to the King of Vampires, let alone someone I barely knew. The butterflies started swarming in my belly again at the mere thought of tomorrow night.

 New changes

    It must have been almost dawn when I went to bed last night. I didn¡¯t think it was that late because the next thing I know, I¡¯m awakened to another knock at my door and my hair was covering my face. I chuckled quietly in the dark as I flipped my hair back after sitting up.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I quickly rubbed my face to wake up more fully before Frita waltzed in.


    ¡°Good morning! How did you sleep?¡± She asked me in a chipper tone with a soft smile.


    I pushed my fingers through my hair to try and smooth it out a little. ¡°I slept well enough, thank you for asking. I have a question for you, Frita. If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± I climbed out of bed and faced her.


    ¡°Of course!¡± She stopped in the doorway of the closet and turned to face me with a curious gaze.


    ¡°I was wondering if you could find something appropriate, for like, a date? Out in the gardens for me? I¡¯d still rather keep my flats though, please?¡± I asked her quietly and swallowed nervously.


    Frita¡¯s soft smile widened in surprise and nodded quickly. ¡°Of course, miss! I¡¯ll get right on that, do you want something similar to what you wore last night? What do you think of the color purple?¡± She asked me as she stepped further into the closet to go on the hunt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a purple dress before. Are you talking about a dark purple or like a lilac?¡± I asked her as I stepped up to the closet door to peek inside.


    I watched Frita fumble trying to find the purple dress. She had a pair of lilac colored flats and she glanced over her shoulder at the other hanging dresses behind her and did a double take. ¡°There.¡± Frita stepped up to the matching colored dress to the lilac flats she held in her hand, she turned to smile at me. ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready for your date with the King.¡±


    I giggled quietly and she started in on me, getting me prepared for the date with the King. My mate.


    ***


    By the time Frita was done with my hair, it was braided to the side with little white flowers in my hair. My eyeshadow and mascara made my eyes more vividly blue than what they normally were. My lilac dress was form fitting across my midriff and the sleeves were form fitting, not too tight and not too loose. As with the other dress, the skirt was flowing freely.


    I turned to face Frita and smiled at her happily. ¡°Thank you so much for this Frita. I can¡¯t explain how much you¡¯ve helped me tonight.¡± I hugged her close and quickly stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I do appreciate it.¡±


    Frita smiled gently at me. ¡°No need to thank me, dear. Consider me a friend and we¡¯ll be even.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°I can do that. Now, will you point me in the direction of the garden?¡±


    She laughed as she tugged me along beside her to lead me to the gardens. We stopped in front of a large door and winked at me. I let out a quick breath as I took a step and pushed the door open. The night sky was lit up with the stars twinkling against the clear darkness. The full moon lit the ground and surrounding trees as if it were day time. The flowers were still in bloom and I walked closer to the slight maze of the garden and stopped in the middle of the clearing. I walked past the bench listening to the fountain, with its calming water. I waited for the King to arrive by staring up at the moon, my emotions were still in turmoil. I didn¡¯t know what to think about the sudden change in my life. I missed Sister Marjie, the only mother figure I¡¯d honestly known. Yes, the other Sisters were there but Sister Marjie raised me and I¡¯ve never been more thankful for her than in this moment.


    I felt the moment the King arrived in the gardens and goosebumps rose across my arms and down my back when I felt his gaze. I glanced over my shoulder at him and his eyes were bleeding red in the iris. I swallowed at his expression, nervous now more than ever. I hadn¡¯t thought once of what I might look like to him until this moment. Was I beautiful to him? Was he angry with me for what I was wearing? Why was I even concerned about what he thought of me? Because I wanted him to feel something for me secretly. My subconscious knew deep down that he was my mate and I wanted to please him. My mouth went dry as he stopped in front of me, his eyes were brighter than I anticipated. I¡¯d never seen them glow that brightly thus far. It was startling. His light blue shirt was tucked into his pants and his sleeves were rolled up his forearms. His hair was slicked back as it always has been and I had the sudden urge to push my fingers through it. I gulped. Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Warrick?¡± I whispered.


    His entire body stiffened and his fists clenched. He quickly closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh before reopening his eyes, the bright red was nearly gone and his fists unclenched, his body relaxing. His hand lifted as I watched it move and it cupped the side of my jaw and lifted it so I wouldn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°You grow more beautiful everyday that I¡¯m with you. I¡¯ve never lost control before but I almost did. When I saw you standing under the moon with these flowers surrounding you, some in your hair and the glow of your dress, it was nearly my undoing. The rags you wore did not do you any justice. You were beautiful then but you¡¯re even more beautiful now. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever stop saying that.¡± I watched him swallow before returning my gaze to meet his. ¡°May I kiss you? Just this once.¡±


    Did I want him to? I already knew the answer to that and with the doubt building in his gaze I quickly answered with a nod. His eyes brightened back to the red when I first saw him tonight as he slowly leaned down and I closed my eyes at the first brush of his lips against mine. The butterflies were swarming in my belly at the briefest of contacts and I nearly whimpered when his lips briefly disappeared but stopped it when they pressed more firmly against mine. With each light brush of his lips I felt my body shift closer to his and he slowly deepened the kiss as his other hand pressed lightly against my lower back to pull my body flush against his. I melted against him as my hands drifted up to his chest and clenched his shirt in my hands. His tongue lightly brushed against the seam of my lips, coaxing them to open and I did. My entire body warmed when his tongue brushed against mine. I lifted up on my toes to deepen the kiss and as my tongue slid between his lips I felt his fangs. I gasped in surprise, Warrick growled at my gasp. He kept his lips against mine keeping me occupied until his hands grasped my thighs and picked me up. My dress rode up my thighs and he spun us around as he sat down, pulling me down on his lap with my legs on either side of his. I started to feel a little lightheaded but ignored the feeling as I pressed my body more firmly against his and continued to kiss him. Warrick slowly kissed down my jaw, pressing light kisses down to my neck and at the junction of my neck meets my shoulder, he pressed a light kiss to the spot before lifting his head to meet my gaze.


    ¡°We better stop before I push you too far.¡± His red gaze set my body alight even more than I was. I shifted at the sudden heat between my thighs and his nostrils flared. If his eyes could get any brighter, they did. ¡°Raven.¡± He growled out.


    I swallowed and my eyes widened. ¡°Warrick.¡± I whispered breathlessly. I hadn¡¯t quite caught my breath yet and I could tell it affected him more than I thought it would. Damn my innocence.


    ¡°I can smell your arousal and I think it would be best if you stood some feet away from me until I got myself back under control.¡± He didn¡¯t move an inch and I could tell he had stiffened again like he had before, presumably to keep from throwing me on the ground and ravaging me.


    I blushed lightly at his comment and cupped his cheek, not realizing at the movement he felt my lower half shift as well and he softly groaned, shutting his eyes. ¡°Raven, please.¡±


    I nodded even though he couldn¡¯t see me and quickly kissed his cheek before standing and stepping a few feet away. I adjusted my dress and fixed my braid to rest over my shoulder again. I glanced around the top of the castle to see if it had any guards watching us and I grimaced at the thought. Noting quietly that I had in fact, saw none walking their normal path. Smoothing my dress out, the wind shifted and I caught an odd scent. I frowned. That¡¯s new. I had never had a strong sense of smell before but I guess some things are bound to change. The scent didn¡¯t smell like the flowers, the other vampires in the vicinity, or even Warrick who was sitting behind me on the bench. It almost smelled like¡­


    ¡°Wolf.¡± I whispered and suddenly Warrick was standing beside me with his arm wrapped around my waist. I glanced around sniffing the air and when the breeze floated the scent towards me again I focused on the area over in the brush, just on the outside of the garden border. Golden eyes glared back at me and I felt a rush of fear. ¡°Warrick.¡±


    His eyes were focused in the same direction already. ¡°Raven, when I tell you to. I want you to run as fast as you possibly can to the castle and get to your room. I¡¯ll come for you when I¡¯m finished here.¡±


    I shook my head quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you.¡±


    ¡°Raven, this is not up for debate.¡± He growled out as he glanced down at me.


    Anger blossomed inside my chest. ¡°You¡¯re right Warrick, it¡¯s not.¡± I glared up at him and his eyes caught mine.


    ¡°Fine but you stick close to me and don¡¯t go running off by yourself.¡± I nodded in response and watched his fangs descend as he pulled me behind him.

 Pain caused

    As the golden eyes approached us, I could hear another set of soft padding in the underbrush. I glanced up at Warrick but he didn¡¯t remove his eyes from the wolf coming closer. He growled and bared his fangs at the light brown colored wolf. It was a large wolf that reminded me of the extinct dire wolves, only bigger and my fear was palpable. It was almost as tall as Warrick. How was he going to survive that fight? It wouldn¡¯t be alone. A twig snapped to my left and the wolf howled in front of us. I chuckled quietly under my breath as I bent my knees, keeping an eye between the wolf and whatever was stalking us to our left. It seemed the wolf in front of us was trying to keep Warrick busy and think that he was the only wolf out here.


    I slowly bent down and ripped off the bottom half of my flowing skirt to give my legs room to maneuver. Warrick just shook his head at me. At that moment the wolf decided to attack and Warrick grabbed the wolf, slinging it around and quickly let it go. The wolf slammed into the side of the tree trunk and slumped. It shakily stood and shook itself to rid itself of the daze. I felt movement to my left and spun in that direction, grabbing another wolf by its neck right as it almost bit Warrick''s shoulder. I slammed the wolf down, it started thrashing and growling loudly trying to get a hold of me. My strength seemed far stronger than his. A sudden pain in my bottom lip had me dropping my jaw slightly and I smelled the blood as it drooled out onto my chin. I frowned and with my free hand I touched the inside of my mouth and stuck my fingers with fangs. I gasped in surprise and Warrick came around quickly, noticing the blood drooling down my chin.


    ¡°Did it hurt you? I¡¯ll kill him myself.¡± He hissed, baring his fangs leaning down to grasp the nape of the wolf but I stopped him with my free hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, my fangs dropped.¡± I grinned, baring my newfound fangs at him with the blood in my mouth coating them.


    Warrick''s eyes grew wide and laughed out loud. A flash flew past me and blood squirted from Warrick¡¯s shoulder onto my face and neck as the wolf bit into his shoulder and thrashed. The red haze returned, smothering my capacity for conscious thought and I moved faster than I ever had in my entire life. I ripped the downed wolf I had in my hand¡¯s head from its body, growling in fury. Warrick was trying to get the wolf off of him but from the angle the wolf had him in, Warrick couldn¡¯t find purchase. My body snapped into motion, gripping the top and bottom of the wolf¡¯s jaws. Prying them slowly apart to make the wolf let Warrick go and I glared down into its eyes. ¡°How dare you hurt my mate. This is what happens when you fuck with him.¡± I raged at the wolf.  I started ripping his jaws wider and the wolf started fighting me, clawing at my sides and my stomach to get away from the pain. I was stuck in the red haze as I slowly ripped the bottom jaw off the wolf¡¯s body. The jaw and its ligaments dangled from my bloody hand. The wolf¡¯s eyes slowly faded from a golden color to a light brown of a human, the wolf turned back into its original form with a missing bottom jaw. No longer breathing. I tossed the jaw somewhere to my right and ripped out his throat to make sure that he truly was dead.


    The red haze slowly faded from my eyes and I blinked, looking up at the setting moon. Trying to calm my racing heart and my breathing. ¡°Raven?¡± I heard Warrick whisper as he stood beside me.


    I looked up at him in utter shock of what just transpired. ¡°I did that with my bare hands. You were bitten, are you okay? Are you healing?¡± I panicked and hovered my hand over the bite.


    ¡°I am, I just need a little blood and will be good as new. Thank you.¡± He whispered.


    ¡°For what? You would have done the same for me.¡± Glancing away but the world spun and I swayed. Warrick quickly reached for me and pulled me against him.


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding, shit. Come, we need to get you fixed up.¡± He growled at the dead wolf and picked me up bridal style. I rested my head on his shoulder as I looked up at him.


    ¡°I never realized that it hurt me, I was in the haze when I was ripping his jaw off.¡± He chuckled quietly but I could still see the concern in his eyes as he hastily walked back to the castle.


    It seemed like we flew to the infirmary wing the castle had because the next thing I knew he was laying me down on one of those hospital beds and one of the in-house doctor¡¯s walked in.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what damage we have to fix for you.¡± He started to cut the dress up the middle and Warrick growled at him.


    ¡°Is this necessary?¡± He glared at the doctor.


    ¡°Warrick stop being overprotective and let the doctor do his job so he can heal me.¡± I muttered and took my hand in his, he glared for another moment at the doctor before he turned his full attention back to me. His fingertips lightly brushed my hair away from my face.


    ¡°I had asked you to stay close to me and now you¡¯re hurt instead of going inside, like I had also asked of you.¡± I chuckled at his protective side peeking through and winced in pain. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask, you told me to, if you would have asked me I might have listened.¡± I could tell from the way Warrick¡¯s eyes drifted from mine that the doctor had started cutting through the middle of my dress and Warrick looked back to rest his eyes on my face as the doctor bared my undergarments for the world to see.


    Even though I was hurt, I could tell it affected Warrick with the red hue fighting for dominance in his eyes. I cupped his cheek in my hand and pulled his face close to mine. ¡°Stop thinking like that, or this doctor might have to leave.¡± I said quietly and grinned at Warrick as his eyes flushed red. He stood and turned his back to the doctor and myself. I finally looked down at my body as the dress was pulled away from my torso and I gasped.


    At my gasp, Warrick glanced over his shoulder before turning around fully to face the bloody mess the wolf left me with. ¡°I¡¯m going to die, aren¡¯t I?¡± Tears sprang to my eyes at the mere thought of it but I tried to blink the tears away, instead they dropped down my cheeks, creating a clear path through the Warrick¡¯s blood that had slowly dried on my face.


    The doctor quickly got to work with cleaning the wounds and he glanced at Warrick. ¡°Your majesty, if I may suggest you give her your blood. It would heal her faster than it would be to stitch this.¡± Warrick looked at the doctor thoughtfully and nodded to the door. The doctor quickly left and Warrick came over to sit beside me on the bed before leaning down and looking deep into my eyes.


    ¡°Drink my blood, it will heal you and no before you ask, this does not mate us. That¡¯s something else entirely from what I¡¯m about to do. I need to do this for you because you protected me when it should have been the other way around.¡± He cupped my cheek and slid his hand behind my head to lift my upper body. ¡°Will you drink my blood and heal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and don¡¯t feel guilty please for that. It was my choice.¡± He quickly bit down on his wrist, pulling my body against his as he slid behind me and rested my back against his chest. He hovered his bleeding wrist and I lifted my head slightly to slowly drink his blood, as my strength grew I gripped his wrist in my hand, pulling it closer to me as I leaned my head back to drink. The taste was euphoric and the high it gave me made me squirm against the hospital bed. He pulled his wrist from my lips and I quickly gave it a lick, noticing it closed the wounds from his fangs. I lifted my head as the room swayed and checked out my front and sides. The wounds completely healed, I ran my fingertips across the skin covering my stomach where the deep cuts were. I let out a soft sigh and sat up, turning slightly to face Warrick. The bloody and torn shirt drew my eyes to his injured shoulder and I frowned. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you healing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a werewolf bite, I¡¯ll need to go get some blood to rejuvenate soon.¡± He shrugged his good shoulder and quirked his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read in some of my stories that werewolf bites have some kind of venom that could kill a vampire if not treated properly. But since you fed me, why don¡¯t I feed you? It¡¯s only fair and you wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt if it weren¡¯t for me.¡± I closed my eyes and dropped my fangs, quickly biting into my wrist just as Warrick did for me and held it out to him.


    He sighed as he stared at me. ¡°No, that is just fiction told by werewolves. And I know there¡¯s nothing I can say or do to change your mind, next time I¡¯ll get a blood donor.¡± He slowly leaned down and inhaled  before closing his lips around the two punctures.


    I softly chuckle with a wicked lilt. ¡°That¡¯s if I let you, after all I am your mate. Wouldn¡¯t want a blood donor to want their king and think they can touch you.¡±


    He slowly licked the wound as his eyes turned a light shade of pink mixed with his gray. ¡°Possessive are we, little dove?¡±


    I shrugged and continued with the unwavering gaze. ¡°Maybe. If you would like to find out, go for it.¡± I pulled his tattered shirt slowly away from his shoulder in case the wound hadn¡¯t healed yet and what I saw made me smile in relief. Only blood marred his skin and when I looked up at him, he was already looking at me. I flushed. ¡°My apologies, I just wanted to make sure it healed properly.¡±


    His hand lifted to cup my neck while his thumb caressed my jaw. ¡°You don¡¯t ever have to apologize for touching me. I know you were worried. Come, since everything has been taken care of we should get your bath prepared and let you relax. I have a few things I need to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But first, before we go, do you think you could ask the good doctor for something like a robe or a hospital gown so I¡¯m not walking around in only my lingerie?¡± I said and quietly laughed as he glanced down before returning his gaze back to mine and he swallowed with a clearing of his throat after.


    ¡°Yes, little dove. I¡¯ll go do that now, cover up with this in the meantime.¡± He quickly covered me with a hospital blanket and I laughed out loud as he quickly strode out the door, barking out orders for someone to find me a robe.


    After a few minutes he walked back in and handed me a robe before turning his back to face me so I could cover myself. ¡°Little dove, how do you feel about a party of sorts?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What kind of party?¡± He turned his head to glance over his shoulder before fully turning to face me when he noticed I was covered.


    ¡°I mean, what if we were to have a ball. You could pick any gown you would like and it would be a type of welcoming party to have you meet the Lords and Ladies under my rule. I would like to introduce you to them as my mate.¡± Warrick clasped his hands behind his back and I had a feeling he was nervous about what my response would be. But he remained stoic in front of me, his facial expression was void of any emotion.


    ¡°I would love that. But where would we entertain guests?¡± I tilted my head in question.


    He grinned before holding his hand out to me. I quickly took it and walked over to him to stand beside him. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you my ballroom.¡±


    ¡°You have a ballroom?! How come no one¡¯s shown it to me? Let¡¯s go!¡± I exclaimed, practically bouncing on my feet.


    ¡°Alright little dove, and then once you see it, you¡¯re going to get your bath so you can relax.¡± He chuckled quietly before opening the door and leading me down to the other end of the castle.