*Danika*
I felt cold and worn out all over my body. A loud hoot from somewhere outside the room had me peeling my eyes open a fraction to stare blankly into the now bright room from the mild sunset streaking through the closed curtains. Still, in a vague state, my sleepy orbs skimmed about my domain, my mind working to adjust to our immediate territory, unlike yesterday when I had woken in the evening and called for Nadia until slowly I regained myself and realized I was too far from my pack that if my fears come to past, I might never see again.
It’s been two days already and still, I haven’t been out of this room and haven’t been spoken to apart from being brought food big enough to feed ten people, and when I had spoken to the girl that brought me food last night, it was as though I was a living ghost in her presence. No response.
I am trying to be calm. Alonso would want me to be calm and for the sake of the child I’m carrying, I shall be calm.
Slowly as the snail, I sat up from the very cozy bed and pushed the quilt away from my body, and climbed down. I would have been glad if I was treated like a prisoner rather than been given the best treatments and still no one wants to tell me what was going on. No presence of the so-called King that wants me so badly and yet, now that I’m here, had gone missing.
I went to the bathroom to urinate, which is becoming frequent these days due to my condition and when I was returning, keys rattled at the door and automatically I knew it was the lady who was her to bring me breakfast. It has become a routine.
I went to the only armchair in the sparsely decorated room and sat down to wait. She walked in and as I expected she paused at the door, pushed it very wide, and then towed in a trolley of food, closed the door, and propelled the wheels towards me.
“Good morning, ma’am.” She bowed a little and when I didn’t reply she started sampling the dishes for me, unfazed. I didn’t have any appetite nor was I going to talk to her again after she blatantly ignored me yesterday.
She finished serving and instead of leaving, she stood and laced her fingers in front of her, her eyes to the ground. “The King has requested to see you this morning after your breakfast. Enjoy your meal while I prepare your bath and bring your dress to ready you for him.”
“Excuse me?” I flared, “I am not a doll to be prepared for your King!” I bit out defiantly. “However, I am as eager to see him as he is, so please can we skip this phase and hop to the next? The sooner the better.”
That was when she flicked her eyes up and I cringed from the intensity in them. Her eyes held such coldness enough to burn down an entire pack in fury. “I am only following my King’s order, Ma’am, and if you think we are happy that of all the beautiful women he could have chosen from this Kingdom, he decided to marry from the werewolf Kingdom then you are mistaken!” As she completed displaying that, as though possessed by an anonymous demon, she recovered and bowed her head instantly in terror and pleaded, “I’m sorry for speaking to you in such fashion, ma’am. Forgive my impudence.”
I rolled my eyes impishly. “Look, I don’t care for your King either. I only want to see him so I can implore him to release me. I have a mate and no matter what your King does to me, I will never marry him. So ease your mind of thinking I am going to be with your King, whoever he is.”
When she met my gaze once more, there was a look of uncertainty in her eyes then she nodded once and swerved around, and left the room. The next time she came back, she brought a bag package which she dropped on the bed and went in the direction of the bathroom while my eyes trailed her motions.
I was still sitting on the armchair, the food still untouched. All I desired was to see their King and that is all that mattered. The sooner I spoke to him, the faster I will leave this place.
“You can come and have your bath, ma’am,” the girl called and I abruptly stood and walked to her. When I strode to the entrance of the bathroom I thought she would leave, but from her stance, she wasn’t making any stir.
“I don’t appreciate being watched while bathing,” I expressed in a serious tone.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the King’s strict orders that I make sure you are scrubbed to his taste before being brought to him.” My fist clenched in fury at her utterance. Imagine the effrontery. To his taste?! What is this?
I should have insisted, countered, and stood my ground not to relent to her, yet, I knew that would elongate this entire process. It’s a mere bath, right? So, with a curt nod, I went into the bathroom and allowed her bathe me.
All through the bath, I was seething in rage, working so hard to remain clear-headed and not lose it. They were pushing me I know but they will not see my worst. No matter how hard they push.
After so much testing, proclamations of my King said this, and my King said that, she finished dressing me up in this- I must confess, elegant blue intricately diamond laced shimmering gown that I would have adored if not for the condition warranting its usage.
After all the poke and prodding, she ushered me out of the room to finally see the place I’d been brought to. The house was exquisite, adorned with top-notch foreign designs in modern housing furnishings.. I refused to get too carried away and hence ignored taking an eye tour, instead, concentrating on scouting through my head what I’m going to say to their King once I see him.
After we had turned and twisted several halls, we eventually reached a hall that was dimly lit as the others-to fit their nature. She stopped in front of a door and knocked once.
“Come in,” a voice summoned from inside and she opened the door and poked her head in, to inform him I was here. He told her to let me in and she opened the door wide for me to go in, staying behind.
At first, when I entered, I was toted away looking at the Victorian-styled office for a split second that the man sitting behind the oak desk didn’t catch my attention. When I eventually got over my fascination and my eyes rounded on him, for a minute, I experienced instant paralysis.
It’s not possible! I wiped my eyes with the back of my right hand to be certain it wasn’t my mind that was playing games on me. It’s unbelievable!
“Alfred?” I mouthed, taking an unconscious step forward.
“It’s good to have you here, Sweetface,” he slurred, smirked, and stood up from his chair. On instinct, I stepped back as he adjusted the belt of his trousers and made his way to me.
“No!” I snapped in frenzy. “Step back!” I pointed at him assertively, still reeling in shock. “What are you doing here?”
He halted, his smirk twisting into an awry smile. “Danika, I am the King and you will show me respect!”
“What?” I was still shaken. Alfred, the vampire King? How? This is not happening. It can’t be! “How can?”
“Well, let’s say some of us are good at keeping secrets than being faithful.” He shrugged gruffly, chuckling at the end.
“You betrayed your brother, Alfred?” I quizzed solemnly. “You-its has been you all this time?”
“Look, Danika, come sit down so we can speak as adults. You are in a delicate state, which I would rectify soon enough, but for now, come seat and drink with me.” He motioned to the couch and furthered his charming smile, winked, and went to his bar to pull out a bottle. I refuse to allow myself think about what he means by rectifying my condition. Never.
“I will never drink with you, Alfred. I need you to start talking. Tell me everything, this minute!” I sashayed to the couch by the window, the reality of the present moment coming to full light and making me feel dizzy.
“Yes, my Queen!”
“I am not your Queen, Alfred, and would never be!” I snarled. I saw his hand pause from pouring the content of the bottle into the glass, and his lips twisted menacingly that I feared that he might get aggressive but in a beat, he tipped the glass to me and smirked with a slur…
“Soon, baby. Soon, you will be.”
I cringed.
He brought the full glass of whatever-because I wasn’t interested in it, I dropped it on the table in front of me. I was growing irritated with his reluctance to speak. “Start talking, Alfred! How did you come to be the King of this-this people?” I gestured around, referring to the vampires, “How? We were friends and yet you hid everything from me! You tried to kidnap me not once, but twice! You stalked me, scared the shit out of me, and most of all lied to me, to us, your family! You have made your brother’s life hell by making it seem like he was incapable of being the King because he has not addressed this case of the vampires which you happen to be their King! How could you, Alfred? Now, that you have me here, what do you intend to do with me? Tell me!” My chest rose and fell as the angry words rushed from my lips, unwavering.
What I didn’t expect was for him to lose his wit and smash the glass he was holding harshly down on his desk, pivoted forcefully back to me, his face a mask of death, and said, “I will marry you, Danika, kill that bastard you carry. And you know what else? I will make you kill my brother and together,” he pointed to himself and me and continued, “we will rule over the two Kingdoms as I have always wanted from the first day I perceived the great power you possess.”
…