9. ANGEL

“Eat your sandwiches,” Nate ordered softly from my side. I glanced at him and then down at the plate. I was hungry. Nate held the plate out toward me. Reaching for one half of the sandwich, I took a bite and slowly chewed it as stared up at Lucas and Mason who were busy arguing. Mason had mentioned a word I didn’t understand. There was a lot of talk between the maids. None of them understood why King Lucas had bought me from the auction. They didn’t need to buy maids, people wanted to work for them on their own. I didn’t understand why he had purchased me. He couldn’t get me back home. Apparently, nobody could get me back home. “I need to finish my chores.” I turned to Nate. “I still have a few things to do before I can go to the library.” “Don’t worry about your chores, sweetheart,” Nate said softly. “You won’t be doing that anymore.” I frowned at him. “No!” I jumped, eyes snapping to Lucas. They were having a stare-off. Both brothers looked furious as they glared at each other. “I don’t actually need your permission,” Mason growled. “It was just common courtesy to inform you what I wanted to do. The only person’s permission I needed is Angel’s.” I froze when both of them turned to look at me. Nate slowly straightened. “Do you know what I think? I think that the choice should be up to Angel.” “She doesn’t have a say in anything,” Lucas growled. I frowned at him but pursed my lips instead of speaking out of turn. The last thing I wanted was to get punished, especially since I knew that Debora was already going to punish me for my dirty uniform and the missed chores. “Angel?” I tilted my head back and looked at Nate. “Why don’t you go finish those chores you talked about?” Nodding, I stood and hurried out of the room. I paused in the corner of one of the halls to finish my sandwiches and then hurried away. It took me a few minutes to find my way. I had never been in this part of the castle. “Where have you been?” I jerked to a stop and instantly lowered my head. My hold on the plate tightened. “I asked you a question, human!” Swallowing, I licked my lips. “I-I was cleaning the basement,” I stuttered. “T-there was some－” “I don’t care,” she interrupted. “You’re behind. I expect all your chores to be finished before dinner.” “Yes, miss.” With a glare at me, she hurried away. I sighed. In other words, she just added more chores to my list and if I didn’t finish in time, I would not be in time for dinner. It wasn’t such a big deal. I had missed lots of meals on Earth before. *** I barely slept a wink. As expected, I missed dinner. My growling stomach kept me tossing and turning all night. Just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, I was woken abruptly by Debora shaking me awake and demanding I get up. I dressed hurriedly and stumbled out of the room. All the new slaves had been called to the throne room. We walked silently down the halls in a row with Debora leading the way. The big doors opened to reveal a room slightly smaller than the ballroom. My mouth dropped open when I tilted my head back and stared up at the ceiling. It was covered in paintings of big men with wings that were brightly colored. Wings that looked almost like Nate’s. A gasp fell from my lips when I bumped into someone. The girl turned to glare at me, she even flashed some fangs. I instantly stumbled backward, away from her. “Line up!” The girls moved to one side of the room, and I quickly followed. I copied their stance with their heads lowered and their hands clasped behind their backs. “Congratulations, slaves,” King Lucas said, his deep voice echoing around the room. “You are here because you have been sold, or given to me to pay off a debt, or you’re here on your own free will. Your loyalty to your king has been tested, and you all have succeeded. Today you will be rewarded with the brand of my kingdom.” He paused. “This mark enables you to leave royal land. You will be able to enjoy your days off with your family, or just to go to the market. My brand on your skin is a sign of your acceptance in my castle.” My stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. I risked a glance up and caught Lucas’s eyes. Color flooded my cheeks. It wasn’t my fault I missed dinner. “You will enter the chamber one by one,” King Lucas continued. “As soon as you enter, you state your full name and rank and your breed. Once this is finished you will go to the dining room. There a special lunch has been made for you. You will get the rest of the day to recover but I expect you to be ready and, on your post, tomorrow. Let’s begin.” One by one the girls entered the room. They stayed inside for only a few minutes before exiting it. I watched them with curiosity and dread. When they walked out of the room, they looked paler than usual, but they were smiling. One girl walked out crying. I was starting to feel sick and a little faint. And then finally it was my turn. Sucking in a deep breath I entered the chamber on shaky legs. Lucas stood with his back towards the door when I entered. There was another man in the room with him that I had seen around the castle. “Close the door,” Lucas ordered. I pushed the door closed and glanced around. My eyes locked on the iron heating in the fire. “Are you going to mark me with that?” I breathed. He turned around to face me. “You are part of this castle.” “I never asked to be,” I told him. “You can just let me go.” “And where will you go?” Tilting his head to the side, he took a step closer to me. I remained silent because I didn’t have an answer to his question. “Like I said before, this is to make sure that you are protected.” “I’m not an animal!” “Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be, Angel,” Lucas growled. He took another step towards me. Spinning around, I opened the door and tried to make a run for it. Lucas easily caught me. With an arm wrapped around my waist, he spun around and slammed the door shut. I screamed and kicked at him, but it seemed to have no effect. “Do it,” he hissed at the other man. “No, please!” Somehow Lucas managed to get me into a position that prevented me from moving. He had one leg over mine and my arm locked to my chest with one hand. The other hand was holding my arm out towards the man, wrist up. I tried to tug my arm free, but his hold only tightened. “Do it, Xavier!” The man moved closer. I pleaded with him, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. “Hold still or it will hurt more,” Lucas whispered against my ear. “You don’t want us to have to do it again, do you?” My body slumped against his, the fight draining out of me. I felt the heat of the iron before the burn. A scream fell from my lips. It hurt. It hurt so bad! “I have to,” Lucas breathed. “Forgive me.” The room was spinning in and out of focus. A second later I was swallowed by darkness.