4. ANGEL

I woke up in a room similar to a hospital room. The bed stood in the middle of the room instead of against a wall. There were no peeping machines or anything else. The smell, however, was something I knew well and found disgusting. Slowly I pushed myself up, but I instantly regretted it when the room started to spin. I squeezed my eyes shut which helped to ease the dizziness, but not the sick feeling in my stomach. Memories of what happened filled my mind. I frowned. He made me drink his blood with the only explanation that it would heal me. How disgusting was that? Blood didn’t heal, it made you sick. But on the other hand… I reached back and pressed a hand to my skin. I didn’t flinch in pain. Slipping my hand under the shirt, I touched only smooth skin with a few raised ridges here and there. The door across the room opened before I could make much sense of the fact that my back was healed. An elderly man with short white hair entered the room. He paused and then gave me a bright smile. I flinched away from him when my eyes locked on the rows of sharp teeth he displayed. “It is good to see you up, lassie,” he said in a heavy Irish accent. I followed his every move as he walked around the room. He paused briefly to write something down in a book, and then turned towards me. Without saying anything, he grabbed hold of my wrist and pressed a bony finger pressed against my pulse. “You look good.” He dropped my hand and picked up a clipboard. “I took care of your back. Some is scarred, unfortunately. I already told Sire that you need to take it easy. Small things until you are healed completely.” I nodded mutely. The man hadn’t introduced himself to me and it was hard to believe that he was a real doctor, especially with the sharp ridges down his back and the thick tail he dragged behind him whenever he walked. After a few minutes of silence, he turned to face me. The door opened before he could utter a word. My heartbeat increased when Lucas entered the room. Lucas glanced at the doctor and then at me. With a low bow, the man excused himself and hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with Lucas. He studied me silently, eyes darting over my face and then dropping to trail over what he could see of my body. “You have a little more color in your cheeks,” he said softly. “How are you feeling?” “Fine, considering what you did to me.” His lips twitched. “I told you it will help you heal.” I glared at him. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he reached out and took hold of my hand. For a while he said nothing. But then he cleared his throat, dropped her hand back onto her lap and stood to walk over to the door. He leaned against it and frowned at the floor. “Tomorrow, Debora will come get you. She will show you to your new room and then escort you around the palace. Debora is in charge of all the servants and will assign you to your new task.” “I’m not a slave!” “You are in this castle.” His eyes narrowed. “Would you rather be used in pleasure houses?” I flinched. “I want to go home.” “You can’t.” “Why not?” I demanded. “This is not my world. I know nothing about it.” “Then I suggest you start learning. The library is there for you to use when you feel like it.” King Lucas straightened. “You are in my world now human, here my word is law. I don’t care what you want, you do as I say, or you face the consequences. And believe me, you won’t like it.” He left before I could say anything. Did he really think that I was going to sit back and do what he demanded? Yes, I was. Debora came the next day. She was a grumpy old woman who used her high position to get what she wanted. There was nothing I could do but listen and do what she demanded. Fear of punishment made me obey. I had seen one of the other slaves getting punished for doing something wrong. But because of that, Debora made sure to assign me the shitty job. I was used to hard work, but the things she made me do were not meant to be done by humans. As I learned, I was the only human in the castle. The other slaves and maids were of different species. They were all creatures I had never heard of before. Although I was a little curious about some of them, I didn’t dare ask questions. King Lucas had given me permission to use the library, but I was kept busy. By the end of the day when the chores were done, I would drag my tired body to bed and fall straight asleep. I always woke up feeling tired despite the fact that I had slept for a solid eight hours straight. As days turned into weeks, I started to wonder if King Lucas was actually real. I hadn’t seen or heard from him in weeks. I could ask anyone about him because nobody would speak to me, and again I was scared of getting punished for asking questions that were apparently none of my business. A sigh fell from my lips as I paused and placed my hands on my hips. I bent backward slightly. My back was killing me. In the few weeks I had been at the castle, I swear I had aged a few years already. I allowed a curse to slip past my lips. I was trying to drag the bag full of leaves to the next pile. Every few steps I took made sharp pains flash up my back. Sweat rolled down my face from the sun beating down unceremoniously on me. My pale skin had already turned a bright pink. I knew that if I stayed in the sun any longer, I would be nursing bad sunburns. And to think, a few days ago it was snowing. “Do you need any help with that?” The voice startled me. Letting out a gasp, I spun around to face the stranger. The man was stick thin. Dark eyes studied me from beneath a steel hat. He was wearing the uniform I had learned the castle guards wore. It looked hot, heavy and extremely uncomfortable. “I’ve noticed you’ve been struggling with the bag. Would you like some help?” “Y-yes please.” I stumbled back when he walked forward. My mouth fell open when he lifted the bag with ease and carried it to the pile. Setting it down, the man turned towards me again. “I heard the rumors about the King buying a human. You do smell good.” He sniffed as he stepped closer. I frowned at the man as I stepped back to put some space between us. “You must be lonely,” he said softly. “I can keep you some company.” I hesitated. “Can you help me get back home?” He tilted his head to the side as his eyes trailed over me. The man licked his lips. “Only if I get payment.” “I don’t have any money.” “Money?” he laughed. “I don’t care about money. I want something more… pleasurable.” My frown deepened. “I don’t understand.” “You are pure. I can smell it. I will help you get home and in return, I want a taste of your blood, and a roll in the hay, as humans say.” A wave of disgust hit me, but also a little hope. I would do anything to get back home, even if it meant that I had to allow a stranger to touch me. “I guard the outer edges of town. It’s near the portal you came through. All I ask is the use of your body and a taste of your blood,” the man said softly. “H-how long?” I questioned. “How long do I have to...” I trailed off, but I was sure that he understood the question. “I’m off duty for three days. We will meet again once my duty starts again to make arrangements. As for your question, however long it takes for me to get you home.” I watched as he walked away. Was I making the right choice? Was he really going to help me? What if he only took what he wanted and then disappeared? I scoffed as I headed back towards the castle. At the moment it was the only option I had. I didn’t care what I had to do with that man, as long as he got me home. Even though I never had much, I at least knew what to expect on earth. Everything was a mystery in the strange kingdom. The other reason I wanted to leave was because I couldn’t seem to get King Lucas out of my head. I wanted to forget about him. I wanted to wake up in my bed back on Earth and remember it all as just a nightmare.