2. LUCAS

Being king was something I absolutely loathed at times. I would rather spend my time alone rather than dealing with complaints and requests. The castle hall was filled with civilians ready to complain. We held a gathering every two weeks to make sure that things in and around the castle were going as it should. My brothers never attended the meetings, because they claimed that since I was King, it was my job to listen to the people complain. Two hours later I entered my study with a booklet of complains in one hand. I paused briefly when my eyes fell on my wife. She stood by the window, silently staring out at the falling snow. When she finally turned around, my eyes dropped to her stomach. A wave of pride but also sadness and something else filled me. It was what everyone wanted-an heir to the kingdom. We were pushed into having a baby although neither of us was really ready for a child. “It took longer than it normally does,” she said softly. I dropped the papers onto my desk and made my way over to her. Bending, I pressed my lips briefly against her cheek. “That woman brought her whole coven over,” he muttered. “I’m thinking about banning them from entering this castle.” Arabella laughed. Her hazel eyes were focused on my face as I pressed my hands against her pregnant stomach. She was truly beautiful, and any man would have been lucky to have her by his side. I should be happy, but there was always something missing. We shared no bond. My true mate should be the one ruling by my side, she should be the one carrying my baby. Not Arabella. “What happened?” I asked when I spotted the look on her face. “Nothing happened. Nothing is wrong.” “Are you sure?” My eyes dropped briefly to her stomach. “Do you feel okay?” “I’m fine Lucas. You know I will tell you if I feel like something’s wrong.” “I can’t help but worry,” I muttered under my breath. We were forced into a marriage by our parents. Two kingdoms needed to be united in order to form an alliance. What better way to do that than for the future leaders to marry? Neither of us wanted the marriage. I knew that if I accepted it then the chance of ever finding my mate would be gone. Because he was the eldest, it was expected of him to step up and marry the chosen bride. After years of courtship, the wedding date had been set. Four years into marriage, and we couldn’t hold off on starting a family any longer. I was stressed about this pregnancy. I was worried about Arabella and my unborn child. If our child carried my genes, then it would be stronger than its mother. If it had its mother’s genes, it would be as weak as she was. “You worry too much Lucas,” Arabella said softly. “I’m fine. We are fine.” “You-“ “Lucas,” she placed her hands firmly on my shoulders, “you need to relax. I was thinking we could go up to the cabin for a few days.” Before Arabella had even finished her sentence, I was already shaking my head. “Not now. There’s too much trouble rising. I have to figure out what to do with that damn portal. Humans are venturing into our world too frequently.” “I could help.” “No.” I stepped away from her. Allowing her to help was out of the question. Closing the portal could be dangerous, especially since we didn’t even know who created the portal or why. Once we figured that out, it would be easier to deal with it, but first I needed to find out exactly how the humans came to stumble upon it. I turned to face my wife. “I will be spending some time in town. You know where to contact me if you need me.” *** The kingdom had a set of strict rules. It was to make sure that everyone was protected. But there were some who thought that they were better than the royal families. Better than the rules we made. There was an auction house downtown disguised as a Chinese restaurant. I’ve been aware of them for years without their knowledge. I usually just let them be, but I kept a close eye on things. But today was different. A little bird told me about the human caught by the caves. A woman, who had been injured and nursed back to health before she was taken to the auction house. I disguised myself before I entered the building. Before I could enter the basement, I had to pay a ‘gateway’ fee. I pulled the money from my pocket and handed it over. “Follow me,” the man ordered. When walked down a long dark hall until we reached a door. He knocked twice, waited five seconds and then knocked again. The door opened, revealing another masked man. “You pay cash before the package is taken. Limit is two slaves per bidder. Highest bidder wins.” I nodded and headed in the direction he pointed. Taking a seat at the back, I glanced around. The place was packed with only a few people. Each one of them were well-dressed which spoke of wealth. Maybe I had made a mistake by ignoring the auctions happening underneath my nose. I sucked in a breath and froze. A hint of peppermint teased my nose. But it was tainted by the scent of blood. Mine, the beast roared inside me. It took everything inside me to stay seated. All I wanted to do was get up and search for her, but I couldn’t because I was going to blow my cover and there was a reason I came here. “Gentlemen, prepare your money. We have a rare find for you today. Something that’s been in high demand the last few decades.” The woman turned and made a gesture to someone. There was some shuffling and then a small girl stumbled upon the stage. She dropped to her knees and stayed there until one of the men gripped her arm and jerked her to her feet. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, our human female. Age unknown, but if we had to guess around nineteen in human years. She’s pure and for those wondering, her blood does taste sweet.” She slowly raised her head. Everything froze. The sound and people around me faded the moment our eyes locked. There was no doubt. I jerked when a loud bang echoed in the air. It snapped me back to reality and with a sinking stomach, I realized that the bid had already started. The numbers were rising fast. I was going to lose her. I only just found her, I wasn’t going to throw the opportunity away despite the fact that I already had a wife and a baby on the way. Jumping to my feet, I moved towards the stage. “Five hundred thousand,” I growled. “She’s mine.” “I’m sorry sir the auction－” “I said, she’s mine.” I jerked the hood off and made the mistake of revealing my true identity. “Announce it. She’s sold.” The woman swallowed and then plastered a fake smile on her lips. “Sold to his highness, King Lucas,” she announced. Silence filled the room. I could feel their eyes burning into my back. In a few seconds, the whole kingdom would know that the king just bought a human slave. I turned towards the girl. “Your name?” Quivering lips parted in surprise, and then her eyes widened. “This here is Angel, your Highness,” the announcer spoke up. “She hasn't spoken a word since arriving here. She is nineteen years old in human years, and still a virgin. Her blood is of the purest you can find.” I held up a hand to silence her. “How do I pay?” The woman hesitated and then gestured one of the men closer. “Please follow Jay to fill out some paperwork and make the payment. Angel will be waiting for you at the front, packed and ready to go.” I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was let her out of my sight. I didn’t want to cause any trouble either. So, with one last look her, I followed the man into a back room. He handed me papers which I filled in to the best of my ability without giving too much away. Not that it mattered. Everybody knew who I was. I handed half the money offer and made arrangements for the man to pick up the rest at the castle later. “Thank you for your business, sire. We hope to see you again soon.” Biting back a snarl, I nodded and hurried out of the room. I was definitively going to take a closer look into the auctions. I should have done it years ago when I first learned about it. Pulling out my phone, I dialed my brother’s number. The phone rang three times before he answered. “I fucked up,” I growled. “Are you busy?”