Meredith’s POVSomething warm trickles down the side of my face; it is sticky and makes my skin crawl. I touch the spot and pull my hand to find blood on my fingertips. What? I am bleeding? But how? I feel no pain.Slowly, I lift my gaze, and a scream leaves my lips.Johnathan’s lifeless eyes are staring right at me. He has blood spilling out of his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. His skin is completely pale, and the veins on his neck are a bright shade of blue.“Meredith, what have you done?”That voice.My blood freezes as my father’s voice fills my ears. He is standing by the doorway with horror mixed with disappointment swirling within his eyes.“No, papa, wait. It’s not what you think!” I scream as I jump off the bed to run to him.“You killed him,” my father says, and I shake my head in denial. My eyes sting with tears as I watch someone shive my father down to his knees. My father-in-law, Johnathan’s father.His face is a bright shade of red; there is so much rage in his eyes, a
Meredith’s POVThe maid escorting me to the red room is silent. Which I somewhat appreciate; it gives me more time to think. My heart is beating wildly as I think of what I plan on doing tonight. It is risky, and the kings might kill me if I am caught, but damn it, I have to see my father and be sure my dreams are actually just dreams.We arrive at the red room, and the maid spins around to face me. She looks at me with pity in her eyes, and I feel pity for her too. But my excitement is greater. I know this may sound sick, but I actually look forward to my sessions with the kings.“Good luck,” the maid says, taking me off guard. I am about to thank her when she walks away briskly. Okay then.I stare at the door to the red room and take a deep breath before stepping in. The room is empty. None of the kings are present; what a relief!The room has been cleaned up nicely, like absolutely nothing had occurred here just last night. It almost looks like a normal bedroom if one decides to
Meredith's POVMy legs scream for a break, but I do not grant them that. I don't know how long I have been running, but I can't take the risk of getting caught now. My feet and the bottom part of my dress are covered in mud and pieces of dried leaves. My breaths are held, and I find myself almost giving up until my eyes fall on the road up ahead.A tired smile lifts my lips, and I use my last bit of energy to make it to the roadside before my legs finally give out. I use the time spent waiting for a vehicle to catch my breath. I can't believe I have made it this far.I feel a weight lift off my chest when I see two headlights approaching. I wave my hand in the air and watch as the car comes to a stop.The window slides down slowly, and a man and woman come into view. The man has a wary look on his face, while the woman looks at me with worry. They both have prominent amber eyes, and their similar features suggest that they might be related. I would say siblings if I were to guess.
Meredith’s POVI smile through my tears as my father squeezes my hand through the bars. As I take in his features, the tears only fall more. He has cuts and bruises everywhere; how could anyone do this to an innocent old man?My father is one of the kindest men I have ever met. And I am not saying this because he is my father. I am saying this because I actually know him. I see the way he treats his people with such kindness, wisdom, and sound judgment. He does not deserve this. He does not deserve any of this.Even though it has just been a week since I last saw him, I can tell that he has lost an unhealthy amount of weight. Are they even feeding on him here? My attention falls on a cut right above his eye. Judging by the discharge escaping it, I can tell that it has been infected.My chest feels tighter as more tears slip past my eyes. “I am getting you out of here, papa. I promise. I will look for the key and get you out.”I attempt to stand, but he holds me back down. He shakes
Meredith’s POV“What are you doing in my room?” I demand, and she raises a brow.“I am the one asking the questions here, Missy,” she pauses to take in my appearance. A scowl graces her lips when she says, “You look terrible.”I look at myself, and for the first time since I have known her, I actually agree with her. My dress is torn, ripped, and stained with all manner of things. I cannot even begin to imagine what my hair and face look like at this moment. A tired sigh leaves my lips, and I shut my eyes, trying to control my frustration. My legs are killing me! Hell, I feel like they are about to give in any moment from now on. Never in my life have I craved a bed as much as I do now.The ache in my legs and the fatigue make it almost impossible to think of an appropriate lie.“I am not in the mood for this, Gwen. I really need to sleep,” I say, almost plead.She purses her lips and shrugs. Throwing her legs off my bed, she walks around me and says, “That is fine, but let me tell
Meredith’s POV“I don’t know what you are-My words are cut short, and a gasp leaves my lips as he slams me against the wall. His large hand wraps around my throat, cutting off my air supply. Instinctively, my hands claw at his, but all to no avail.Roman brings his lips dangerously close to mine. His minty breath fans my face as his dark eyes pin me to the spot. His voice is calm. Too calm.Especially for someone who is just barely an inch away from killing his own mate.“We both know that is a lie. Now, try again.”My lungs are screaming at this point, and black dots are tainting my vision. He lets go of me, and I instantly fill my lungs with oxygen. I recover my breath and massage my possibly bruised neck. He steps away from me, and I look at him through teary eyes. He knows I am not human, possibly because of our mate bond. But if he finds out that I am an omega, then it surely will not be good for me. He is a heartless monster who knows what he will do to me. Roman tilts his
Meredith’s POVPanic courses through my veins as I search the hallway. Thankfully, there is no one present to witness this play, but for how long?I shoot to my feet and slam my fist against Roman’s door. On a normal day, I would not dare do such a thing, but for God’s sake, I am butt naked out here.“Please hand me my clothes at least; I can’t walk around the palace like this! Please!” I scream as I pound against his door. He doesn’t open it; he doesn’t even say anything. My heart aches with hurt. I can’t believe he can be so cruel to leave me out here like this.My heart plummets to the pit of my stomach when my ears pick up on the sound of approaching footsteps. Someone is coming. Shit!“Roman please!” I plead, pounding harder on his door. “He’s not going to open the door for you.”My body grows still, and I swallow the bile that has risen within my throat. Slowly, I turn to find a man in a black suit standing right behind me. He appears to be a few years older than me, but not n
Meredith’s POVI know I want nothing to do with him but he might as well be my only hope.But how can I possibly do that when we obviously hate each other?It makes me wonder: who was his first mate? He must have loved her a lot. What really happened? How did she die?Perhaps Sarah would know.For the first time in about three days, I opened the door to my room, so you can imagine my surprise when I found a woman standing right on the other side.She has her fist raised in the air, which suggests that she was just about to knock. “You are being summoned to the dining room by the kings.”You have got to be kidding me."Oh, okay,” I say, then step back into my room to shut the door. She stops it with her hand and pushes past me.“They ordered that you come now. I am to see that you are dressed appropriately,” she says firmly, and I rear my head back a bit with surprise.She roams my wardrobe without permission and picks out two pieces of red lingerie and a silky robe for me. I could hav