A knock at the door startled me awake. My eyes flew open, seeing a mixture of white and tan in a room I didn't recognize. My heart began to beat faster. Then I remembered, I was kidnapped to a castle, and this was supposedly my room now. I glanced down feeling a weight on the blanket to see Aaylah curled up staring at the door. She gave a big yawn, flashing her feline teeth. She must've been awakened to.
"Lillith, it's Ryuu, are you awake in there?" he asked loudly through the door.
"Yeah, I am awake now," I grumbled.
"Good, I will go get some breakfast, you should be ready by the time I get back with the food," he said as I heard his footsteps leaving.
My stomach grumbled at the thought of food. Come to think of it, I didn't even remember the last time I had eaten.
"Alright Aaylah, I gotta go get ready for whatever doom this day brings me," I complained.
She had returned to her sleep, looking as peaceful as ever. I went over to the closet near the window, praying there would be clothes in there. I opened it, and there were clothes that weren't mine, and then clothes that were mine from my home.
"Interesting," I whispered to myself as I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a black long sleeved shirt to wear.
Heading into the bathroom, their clean towels stacked on the counter, and I noticed a cat litter box set up by the toilet, which I completely forgot to think about last night. I peeked into the shower to see shampoo, conditioner, and soap... strangely the ones I used. It's like they raided my house.
"Not creepy at all," I said sarcastically, as I turned on the shower to warm it up before getting in.
Not feeling satisfied with my safety I made sure the door was locked three times before finally striping my clothes off and getting into the shower. I let the hot water relax my muscles and momentarily take away the stress.
As I got out of the bathroom, feeling a hundred times better, a knock at my door made me jump. My heart pumping quickly as adrenaline took over for a minute.
"Lillith? Are you ready yet? I got some food for us to eat before we head off," he questioned.
I walked to the door and opened it for him to come in.
"Thank you for bringing some food, I am starving," I said nervously, still unsure on how to act or react.
He nodded and quickly sat the plates of food onto the bed. Aaylah, being disturbed, hissed at him a few times before walking away to find a peaceful spot. I wasn't sure whether to feel bad that Aaylah hated his guts, or to feel terrified because maybe there was something dangerous about him. I warily sat on the bed beside him and took a plate of food.
"I thought you could use a filling breakfast, so I had a cook make some hearty burritos filled with potatoes, spinach, eggs, spicy beef, lettuce, and some sauces," he said smiling as he took a huge bite into his burrito.
It almost looked comical, but I stifled back the giggle, too fearful of what might happen. I began eating my burrito, savoring the spices and tangy sauce. It tasted amazing, my mouth watered as I continued to eat into the next bite. I heard Ryuu chuckling. I glanced over and he was looking at me with a strange look.
"What?" I asked, my mouth still mostly full.
"You should hear yourself eating that burrito. I guess I should've gotten you food last night," he chuckled some more. I rolled my eyes and continued eating. At least my doom will come after I was full.
We finished up and Ryuu took the empty plate from me, our hands brushing past each other, sending a warm tingling feeling up my arm. I tried to ignore it. Sure he was attractive, but I also didn't know him. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," Ryuu said enthusiastically.
A man walked through the door. It was Zayden. His dark eyes immediately falling onto me, making chills go down my spine. Something about his gaze was slightly mesmerizing but also scary.
"Some plans have changed, I will be taking care of Lillith for a while. I will let you know when I need you to take over again," he said sternly to Ryuu but kept his gaze on me. Ryuu shuffled his feet in discomfort.
"Okay, uhm. Well then, have a good time Lillith, may we meet again," Ryuu said, giving a smile that almost looked sad, which made me wonder why would he be sad?
"Thank you, for the food," I said as he walked out.
I gulped. My body started shaking in fear again as I was left alone with Zayden's intense stare. Then I saw a white fur ball walking up to him and rubbing herself all over his legs, Aaylah. Interesting. She chose to like the scary, attractive, man who dressed in all black apparently.
"I will come and get you every morning and we will go to the training fields close by, they are the old fields so no one uses them anymore. I will try and teach you everything I know," he said kindly.
"What am I training for?" I asked, suspicious once again.
"You ever wondered if those stories in your father's diary were true or not?" He asked, his expression completely serious.
"H-how do you know about that?" I scoffed, slightly angry.
"I found it in your home. I placed it in that desk," he gestured over to an antique wooden desk that sat beside the bed, "figuring it meant a lot to you whether you believed it or not."
I glanced at the desk like I would have x-ray vision and see the diary in the drawer. Slowly I glanced back at Zayden.
"What's your point?"
"My point is, you might want to start believing what your father wrote in that diary. Your parents weren't crazy and I think you know that" he said confidently.
My blood started rushing slightly as my heart picked up speed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That those crazy stories might be true. No, not unless there was proof.
"I don't believe it, not until it's proven to me," I stated shakily.
"You are training to be a princess, Lillith. I am the Prince of Nishiba, but you and I are not blood," he explained calmly. "I will train you to fight and the, uh, witches will get involved later. Do you want proof? You and I will be shifting soon," he said nonchalantly. My heart dropped into my stomach. He was dead serious about what he was saying, or at least he believed himself.
"Let's walk to the fields while I tell you more," he gestured towards the door. I got up as my whole body trembled, and followed him out towards the fields. Oddly, the movement and fresh air were making me feel calmer.
"How am I a princess?" My voice trembled. I read it in my father's journals but I needed to hear it.
"Well, your father was the King of the Darkmoon Pack. He was from a pack of werewolves and he betrayed his Queen, Amelia," Zayden began explaining, watching me cautiously. I was so dumbfounded by the story, he was already repeating what my 'adoptive' father had already written.
"N-no! My parents died in a car crash when I was fourteen years old!" I yelled.
Feeling blood rushing and pulsing through my veins. My vision slightly blurred as tears welled up. I took a few deep breathes until I was able to focus again. My body trembling from the adrenaline of being angry.
"They did, but those parents adopted you. Your father's betrayal put you in grave danger and he had to figure out a way to keep you safe. I know this is overwhelming but bear with me here," his voice was soft and comforting, and his eyes pleaded me to listen.
I always felt like something in my life was missing but was this it? This mythological tale?
*Hello audience! Hope everyone is enjoying the book so far, please comment so I can make changes and make the book better.
*What does everyone think about Lillith?
*Will Lillith become the Princess everyone seems to think she is? Or will she run from this life?
Thank you, everyone, for reading!
xoxo