Chapter 139

This man dragged me through the forest towards another cave before stopping and releasing me. There was mud crammed into my jeans and up my back. I was filthy. He turned to me.

"Do you think you can be an adult, stand up and walk now?"

I didn’t move, setting my jaw. He didn’t even flinch. He shrugged and reached for me again. I pulled away from him, trying to escape, but he grabbed me by the back of my shirt. I kicked and twisted, trying to tear the shirt and escape from him, but there was no helping it. The darkness enveloped us, then he let me go. I tumbled down a hill as I tried to kick away from him. I tumbled and rolled and landed into the shallows of a large lake that seemed to stretch for miles.

“You’re not even trying to pull punches, are you?” Francia asked.

“If I’ve been left to educate the idiot in such a short amount of time, then it has to be this way.”

I got up, trudging out of the lake. I twisted and crawled onto the back, ready to run when I realized that the sky was completely different. There were so many stars it was as if the moon had been shattered and flung across the sky, but there was also the moon. I had never seen it so big. The forest looked and felt different. Even the air felt different.

For a moment, I thought of the painting of the library as the footsteps came towards me. I looked up to the path that the others were walking down and pouted at the man.

“I could have walked down the path.”

“You could have, but you didn’t by choice.”

“Your choice!”

He tilted his head. “Only a child blames others for the outcomes of their decisions.”

I set my jaw. “You dragged me! You let me go tumbling down. What if I’d broken my neck?”

He shrugged. “Then you would be dead, and I would have one less headache to deal with.”

My jaw dropped. “You don’t care about me at all.”

“I don’t know you,” he said. “And you’re not making it likely that I should bother trying to get to know you either.”

My jaw trembled. “You said I was your niece.”

“What does your blood relation have to do with this conversation.”

“You should care about me!” I cried. “I’m your niece! You wouldn’t treat Raven like this!”

“Again,” he said. “Raven would have simply stood up and walked or asked for assistance if she needed it.”

He walked past me as stones began to rise out of the water, forming a path. He stood on one of the glowing rocks.

“Are you done with this tantrum, or would you like to stay in the water.”

I plopped down and crossed my arms. “Not going to drag me across the stones?”

He gave me a cold smile. “I have never considered committing patricide, but if I change my mind, I’ll be sure to start with you.”

He turned and walked, leading the rest of the group. I stared after him in shock.

“I’m going to find Candido and tell him all about this!” I cried. “You just wait!”

Francia laughed as she passed. The rest of the group snickered as they passed, whispering to each other as I sat in the cold water. They grew farther and farther away, and I shivered as a wind blew across the water. I looked around, searching for the way out, but whatever opening in the cave system we came through was closed. There was nothing but trees at the top of the slope behind me. There was only the path of stones in front of me.

My jaw trembled. I sniffled and pulled myself out of the water and onto the stone path. I dragged myself to my feet and wrapped my arms around myself as I staggered down the path. With my luck the stones would start disappearing.

I turned back and found them starting to sink back beneath the water and hurried up down the path. The last stone disappeared just as I reached the other shore and plunged me into the water. I struggled for the surface. I tried to scream, but water rushed in.

A hand grabbed me and dragged me out. I gasped for air as the person let me go on the bank.

“I swear,” Raven’s voice started from above me. “It’s like you’ve lost more brain cells since the last time I saw you.”

I looked up at her. She was in silky robe that slipped down her shoulders, revealing the red lace over her body suit. My face burned.

“Why… are you dressed like that?”

She whirled a finger around in my direction. “Someone thought it would be a good idea to test our uncle and nearly drown. I didn’t exactly have time to get dressed if you were going to survive to ride your daddy’s cock, hm?”

I sniffled and sat up. “You… know where Candido is?”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure, but don’t you think you should… pull yourself together?” She glanced at my hands. “Half dead isn’t really a sexy look.”

She turned and I realized she was barefoot. “Come on. I’ll take you to the meeting hall and get you something to eat… After that you’re on your own.”

My jaw trembled as I tried to get to my feet. “You’re… a terrible sister.”

“Am I?” She asked. “What would you know? You’ve only had a traitor to compare me to.”

“Sisters are supposed to be nice,” I said defiantly. “Especially older sisters.”

She snorted. “I’m sure you pour out buckets of love for that traitorous brat, hm?”

I glared at her. “Bella’s different.”

“Sure. One of us is a traitor and one of us saved your life. Big different.”

I glared at her. “I think I would almost prefer Bella. At least she made sense.”

She chuckled. “Sure, you would, and I’m a virgin. Let’s go.”

She walked ahead of me, not bothering to adjust her robe. She didn’t slow down or wait, forcing me to walk faster than I thought could, until we reached a large building that reminded me a bit of city hall.

“You stole architecture from Full Moon, but they’re not that great, huh?” I sneered.

She shook her head. “The only thieves around her, culture, architecture, and so on, are werewolves, and if you’d like to not take another dip in the frigid lake water, I’d watch what you say. He’s only got so much patience and you’ve already worn it thin.”

She opened the door and nodded me in. “Sit down. Shut up. Eat. Big sister orders.”

I glared at her. “And if I don’t.”

She shrugged. “Then starve.” She vanished with a soft pop.

My eyes burned. I couldn’t wait to get back to Candido. I staggered inside. No one acknowledged me. I looked around and stumbled to a seat, waiting for someone to bring me food, but no one made any moves to do so.

I looked around and over to the banquet table where people milled around and set my jaw.

I looked up the table and saw the man, my uncle apparently, sitting with Francia and the others eating leisurely. Someone brought a pitcher to the table before sitting down. They laughed and I set my jaw.

“You’re a terrible host.” He didn’t even acknowledge that I’d said anything. “Hello?”

He lifted his goblet and turned away to someone who came up beside him.

I glared at him before getting up and went to the table, searching for a plate. I set my jaw and kept looking.

“Over there,” someone said. I looked over at the woman and flinched away from her. She was pale and there was a glint in her eyes I knew now that marked her as a vampire. She cocked her eyebrow at me before reaching around me. I stumbled back, trying to avoid her, but she lifted a plate from a stack, half-hidden under the table, and turned away with a roll of her eyes.

I looked across the table, it all seemed mostly normal. Though there was nothing on it that I wanted to eat. I didn’t bother getting a plate. As soon as I noticed that there was fruit on the table, everything vanished. My hand fell through empty air as I reached for a bunch of grapes.

I turned around and trudge towards the man ready to screech and attack him for all this trouble, but before I was even within arm’s distance, a sword appeared at my throat, cutting into my neck, and holding me in place.

“You dare approach His Highness with ill-intent?” Someone asked.

“Release her,” he said with a wave of his hand. “She’s much too young to be considered a threat.”

I growled, gathering my strength, and aiming to slap him the way he deserved. My arm slammed into a thick wall and I screamed as I felt it break. I collapsed, cradling it to my chest.

I looked up at him seething as he sipped from his glass.

“Consider that your first lesson.”