AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glanced around, expecting a much larger spectacle than a few lingering guards. Just as I started to think he wasn’t yet aware of our arrival, I was proved wrong.
“I can handle this,” Toby said with a fake accent, reaching for the bit of slack in my chains.
“Are you new? That isn’t how it works. You bring them in. We present them. You’re no longer permitted to touch the King’s property, especially this batch. He’s been waiting on you.” He directed his last words at me.
“Property?” Scarlett muttered from behind me, finding her way down to even ground.
The words prickled my skin too, but my face remained blank.
Their king could call me whatever he wished if it meant helping my people.
Another guard strolled over, this one a burly man with long red hair and the pack marking of a lycan. I leaned backward when he rudely sniffed much too close for comfort.
“This one needs to wait outside instead of in the lobby,” he said, dark eyes going to Toby. “She reeks of your scent. He’ll slaughter you the second he catches a whiff of it,” he went on to explain when Toby opened his gob to protest.
“Should’ve let ‘em walk into it. He was the fool who got to close,” the vampire replied indifferently.
My brows met in confusion. Why did it matter to the king what I smelled like? Unless…No, that would be absurd. Even so, I was forced to bite down on my inner cheek, swallowing a lump of dread.
Once Jacinda stepped down, we moved.
“Let’s go. You take the rear,” my solemn vampire ordered the lycan dressed in a uniform similar to his. “Don’t try anything,” was said to me before he turned and strode back towards the citadel.
The threat made clear, I trailed after him, unable to risk a glance at Toby. I couldn’t let our gazes potentially give something away. His distress was already too great for a simple transporter doing his job.
Coal colored double-doors groaned loudly as they were pulled open by another stone-faced guard. A barrage of hushed voices could be heard from somewhere inside the massive palace.
With a quick peek over my shoulder, my eyes met Jacinda’s, and we stepped over the threshold.
~3~
The architecture from the building's exterior continued inside. Dark tiled marble floors and iron banisters gleamed, and the dramatically dimmed chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceilings had an immaculate sparkle to them.
Tall, flickering candles sat on pedestals and equally dimmed wall sconces helped brighten our surroundings. There was only a slight reprieve; the air was cool and not near roasting as outside.
The strong scent of powerful depires permeated everything else around us. The aggressive synthetic supes seemed to be everywhere, some allotted as guards but the majority simply part of the king's loyal followers.
Multiple heads swiveled around to watch the small procession of royal demis in the grand hall. I worked on keeping my face impassive, desperately trying not to let my emotions show.
We were led straight through without stopping, starting up one of the long grand staircases. Before reaching the top, we had no choice but to stop. Two groups of demis who had been brought in by other tradesmen stood in front of us. It seemed we would be treated like the rest, after all—not a good sign.
No one spoke to us aside from a passing fae sent to retrieve Jacinda’s jacket. Once gone, I took a careful look at her, my worry deepening.
She looked utterly ill.
I was almost surprised she was standing so tall and resolute. It had to be the smilodon in her, too dignified to wilt or show weakness.
Fumbling with my dirty skirt, I watched as guards divided the other demis into smaller batches and led each one through a set of elaborate, arched doors. Every so often, screams emanated from the rooms beyond. Sometimes, begging and sobbing followed suit. Each time the doors swung open, more disappeared inside. It was impossible not to notice that those taken in were not coming back out.
It was increasingly difficult to stand silently and witness. Those demis didn’t belong to him. Up until now, they were granted immediate protection under my father’s rule when coming to Zenith or claiming proper citizenship there when traveling abroad.
With him gone, it had turned to open season.
It was sickening.
We were being treated like sheep, herded into the King’s personal abattoir.
“Bring the rest in,” a stocky lycan called down for us what felt like an eternity later.
We were taken up the remaining stairs the others had just walked, my nerves wound so tight I could barely breathe. Keep your head...you can do this, I chanted to myself, self-soothing my mind.
The room we entered was large with a cathedral-like ceiling. Four horizontal chandeliers cast white luminescent rays down like beacons, all aimed at the center. The rest of the room sat in inky darkness, ready to swallow whoever set foot within its depths.
