I'm so sorry *cries*
I feel so bad for not writing in such a long time
It's been over a year.
***
I'm burning. I hope no one notices the sweat that is lining my scalp. His very suggestive and very real threat caused heat to flash through my body. I would not like to visit the Kingdoms while looking like a complete train-wreck. I need to clear my mind too, I'm sure more than half of them would be able to read my mind like the latest social media scandal.
They placed me in the back of the armored car with Rath, and I don't know if it's because I am just incredibly nervous that he is sitting within inches of me or if it's because there is actual and real heat emanating from his body. I wouldn't even be surprised if that were the case, I've seen actual smoke come from him before. Valentine and Nikita are in a deep conversation about the recently placed borders around each kingdom and several other political things I'd rather not get into. The only thing running through my mind right now is how small I feel next to the giant hunk of a body sitting next to me. He could crush me in a second.
I look out the window and attempt to pay attention to the scenery that never seemed to change. Numidia is a large Kingdom, it has everything the mortal world has. You can think of it as a parallel dimension of the human world, only it is filled with blood-sucking vampires. I, honestly, don't know where they get enough humans to supply this many vampires. They eat food, yes, but very scarcely. Maybe they have access to the blood banks, I thought silently.
"We are going to show you your family's portion of the Kingdom, Karina," Valentine says. "I know it's been years since you've been here but we'd like to take you home"
"Home," I say under my breath, "it doesn't feel like home."
Valentine looks into the rearview mirror and I can see the sympathy pulling out of his eyes I turn my head to break his gaze. Valentine was really the only family I had that kept in touch, that is if you count the yearly birthday gift and a card as keeping in touch. We aren't close but we are not distant either.
Ten long minutes pass by and the car comes to a halt. I look out the window with all the desire I had to dig into my past. The decent-looking manor is illuminated hauntingly with bright white lights. "I don't remember it being this small," I say, trying to lift my own mood.
"Well, you were smaller then," Valentine replies as he was getting out of the car.
Rath leans down to whisper in my ear, and I get nervous. "Still pretty small though."
I feel a tingle go from my ear to my stomach and I try to swallow the liquid that has built around my tongue. I will never get used to that feeling especially when he's around, so I just play it cool and roll my eyes and scoff. I'm not my fault he's six foot four and I'm just barely five foot. He gives me a very identifiable smirk and continues to walk into my childhood home.
I was the last to enter the manner as soon as I walked in all of the vivid memories of me with my parents came crashing back like waves on the seashore. I didn't know what to feel I certainly didn't know how to comprehend the fact that this was once my home. This is where I was born and raised and this is also where my parents kept me hidden for the first nine years of my life.
The air feels cold and all evidence of life is non-existent. "Does anyone live here?" I break the unnecessary silence that has circulated the room.
"No," Valentine quickly says, "the only thing that lives here is the shadow of your mother and father."
Their shadows; that's all I really can remember about them even after spending countless hours chasing them through the halls only to be taken away by a governess. It wasn't the childhood that I really wanted it was the kind of childhood that makes you wish that you had a different life. I make a slow walk over to the window that overlooked the garden. I expected it to look like a forest but it was only slightly overgrown. This entire state is surprisingly well kept for it being abandoned, almost as if it has been frozen in time.
There's nothing here, all of their belongings were just recently moved to the Archives.
My stomach starts to rumble and I embarrassingly tuck my arm around my abdomen so that it would stop.
"The canines are expecting us, we should move on," Rath says from across the room. I look over to him and we lock eyes for a split second. Can he see how red my face is? What's more embarrassing? My extremely red face or the fact that I'm starving and they are all immortal beings who barely eat.
The Lycan Kingdom is completely different than any other Kingdom in the underworld. The others look like they were based on a video game while this one nearly looks like a nicely organized country with very normal people walking its streets. I tried to ignore my growling stomach by watching what was going on around us. You can call it people-watching, I just call it good observation; everyone either walks or runs here, maybe that is how they keep an amazing physique.
The car takes a quick and sharp turn and I grab onto the door handle. Maybe we shouldn't have let Rath drive. My whole mood brightens as I see a couple of glorious golden arches.
"Oh, my god, they have one here?" I almost threw myself out of the window. My stomach growls even louder as we pull up into a parking spot. Well, we gotta feed the monster in your stomach somehow Rath says as he shuts off the engine. Again, I feel my face turn red as he looks back at me.
"I'm sorry, love, I completely forgot your metabolism is faster than ours," Valentine apologizes.
"Don't apologize, it's an easy mistake, I'm just grateful there's fast food here."
My mouth waters as I smell the deceivingly delicious aroma of french fries and hamburgers. 'Heart Attack on a bun' is what I call them. But let's face it will never die of a heart attack and even if I was at risk, I wouldn't hesitate to eat them.
It's hard to ignore people when they stare at you and even harder when it's from massive and unbelievably attractive-looking men. As soon as I walked in their gazes were on us and I couldn't help but get closer to Rath. Of course, he just snickers at me.
"They're not going to bite you, kitten," he says very sarcastically.
I feel a cold chill pass through my entire body and I watch their eyes follow me. Thankfully, Nikita decides to walk in at the opportune moment. She may be a vampire all right but she slays more than just her prey; so much sex appeal radiates off of her than any other woman I've ever met. She confidently walks into the fast-food joint and heads toward me.
"I hear they have great steak here. I need to sink my teeth into something thick and juicy." She didn't just say that in a room full of wolves did she?
"Sounds like you need more than just steak, Nikita," Rath jokes.
"Indeed," she says as she scans the room. It's like she's on a hunt and is prowling for her prey.
It was sudden and mainly because I wasn't really paying attention but everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stood abruptly from their chairs. A young woman comes into the fast-food restaurant accompanied by a very serious-looking man.
Rath's jaw tightens when his eyes fall on the male lycan. I raise my eyebrow in confusion. I silently question him, everyone else, and the couple that just walked in.
The male Lycan enters the space with apparent authority and he nods to those who are standing, and almost as if it was premeditated, they resume eating their meals and talking among each other. Who knew there could be so much activity in such a small restaurant. It's almost enough to distract me from my hunger.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rathmoor, the Demon King." His voice also sounds very authoritative and strong.
"Zander," Rath acknowledges. "Amarra," Rath turns to the young brunette standing next to the man. This gesture obviously made the Lycan narrow his eyes at Rath. Amarra looks up at Rath a returns the greeting with a smile of her own. More like a smirk. My stomach does a very twisted turn.
"Such an unconventional place to run into you, I hear my father is expecting your visit," Zander says so very formally, do all royals speak this way?
"Just making sure your kind keeps their paws off my unconsecrated territory, wouldn't want my hellhounds chasing your guard dogs." And there he goes, being the King of Hell himself, so confident in his insults. He doesn't care about authority, and he doesn't care what others will say, Rath, is your typical bad boy who knows just how 'bad' he is.
Zander obviously isn't too pleased with what he said and you can tell from the way his jaw tightened. That's what Rath is good at, he's good at getting under people's skin, no matter who they are.
"Our packs don't go near Inferus gates, if anything your hellhounds are wandering a little too far," Zander argues. As interesting as this all sounds, I'm still hungry.
"My hellhounds have guarded those gates for centuries, doggo, way before your ancestors started shifting."
"Maybe they just need to be retrained."
"I highly doubt it, pup."
"Can I get a number five, please? Large, with Dr. Pepper?" I say loud enough for everyone to know that I was deliberately interrupting their too serious of a discussion. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and I turn my attention to the girl taking my order and ignore it.
"Thank you," Amarra draws closer to me. "They always do this. You can't go anywhere with my brother without getting into some kind of argument."
"I'm just so hungry, I couldn't stand listening to more of it," I chuckle.
"I completely understand," she says with a smile. Amarra turns to the girl behind the counter and gives her order which comprised of at least ten meals, which included ours. "Just put it on my dad's tab, thank you."
"Wow, thank you," I say. "My name is Karina, by the way."
Her brunette hair didn't even go past her shoulders, and she had beautiful grey eyes that matched her brothers. She looks very fit and for a second I envied her, she looks almost too perfect, they both did.
"So, tell me, what makes you special? Rath doesn't usually go around with any company."
Her question left me dumbfounded. I questioned myself and my entire existence. What does make me special?