[ IN WHICH SHE REVISITS THE NIGHT OWL CLUB ] A famous actor named, Joaquin Phoenix once said— “I’ve been in clubs. I don’t like being in an enclosed place with really loud music, and a lot of drunk people. It’s not my idea of a good time. It’s just a miserable life.” Well, that is him. I, November Starkey, I am a different person. People also say that a man's poison is another man's meat. What is bad for Joaquin may not be bad for me. I have also been to clubs, and it almost destroyed me, but that was because I went into the infamous Nightlife as a minor. Now, I am grown, and no longer a minor. I can handle my liquor. I am smarter now. So, in this case, I will use a famous adage by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, which says, “what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.” This Nightlife style of living I have indulged myself into will make me stronger. At dawn, I will walk out of the club a brand new person. I will let go tonight. Nightlife will change me.What is the N
(warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden has been labelled mature because it depicts drug use, strong language and mild sexual content which may be upsetting to most readers. viewer discretion is advised.)*—*[ IN WHICH SHE IS A DANCING NIGHT OWL ] The inside of the club is a whole new world. The minute Marcus and I set foot through the entrance, we are submerged into a dimension that contrasts the usual world we are used to. Inside the club, everyone is drowned in darkness, and their only source of light is the red and green laser beams shooting out from the rotating lights on the ceiling. It is a Saturday night, and the club is packed with people of different backgrounds and different personalities gathered together, drinking and jumping to the DJ's throbbing music. The most diverse place on earth is arguably the club; you will find all sorts of people here. “This way,” Marcus says into my ear. The music is insanely loud that I can't hear myself think, so I understand why Ma
[ IN WHICH SHE WALLOWS ] I am currently sitting in a bar. The Night Owl bar is a safe distance from the club, yet I am tempted by the sounds of music and the excited squeals of the clubbers. The sounds coming from the next room constantly reminds me of my moments with Marcus. I try my best to concentrate on the interior décor of the bar; maybe that can get my mind off things. The Night Owl Club is a very successful business, and hence, a massive building. They have an exotic bar in the same building where the club has been built. I am not supposed to be found anywhere near here as I am underage by the law, but here I am. We don’t all follow the rules, now do we? Rules are made to be broken, anyways. Apart from the law restricting me from this bar, the truth is, I should never be found here. I can barely hold my liquor, and that can get me into a lot of problems. But it is too late. I already had a drink at the bar.“Hey,” I say, calling a hot bartender over. “I need another drink.
[ IN WHICH SHE REUNITES WITH A FRIEND ]I gasp awake. My heart begins to race.Sweat beads on my forehead. My skin prickles with horror. I don't know where I am. This place is unfamiliar and it feels strange. It is quiet, dark —the worst of all— it is cold. My brown eyes are wide open as they stare up at the starry, night sky. It takes a moment for me to realize that I am laying on the cold, hard ground. My arms are spread beside me as I lay flat on my back; my limbs feel weak and my head buzzes in pain. Breathing heavily, I peer down at myself. I see that my tiny pieces of clothing are still on, and that could be the reason why I'm currently freezing my ass to death. I wriggle my weak feet, noticing my heels are no longer on— I must have lost them some time while I was dancing drunk in the club. Slowly, I start to recollect events from the bar. Squeezing my eyes shut several times, I try jogging my memory, but the aftereffects of the alcohol in my system makes it hard to rememb
[ IN WHICH SHE REUNITES WITH A FRIEND AND HIS WOODEN BOWL ] “I am taking you back to Alkhemi.” Silence falls upon us as those words are said by Luca. We both stare at each other in the quiet, dark building. The tranquil, night sky lays over us, pulling the sounds of crickets and other dangerous insects around us. If it weren’t for the bonfire, I wouldn’t be able to see the troubled look on Luca. It seems as though his life depends on this— on taking me back to Alkhemi. “Take me back.” The words sound weirder on my tongue, impossible even. “And how are you going to do that?” Luca huffs. His chest rises and falls as he tries to keep his emotions under control. “What does it look like I am doing?” He points at the dead body. “Opening a portal to another realm doesn’t come easy; it has to come with a sacrifice; a price to pay, especially when you’re a lower celestial being. So, you’re welcome.” I scoff. “You’re welcome?” I quote him. “You think you are my hero? For killing an innoc
[ IN WHICH SHE IS THE HUMAN SACRIFICED ]“Hold it.” My nose scrunches as Luca hands the wooden bowl to me. I am reluctant at first to take it out of his hands. There are smudges of blood on the sides of the bowl, and I do not want to touch that, because it is the blood of an innocent human. But if I want to find my way back to Alkhemi, I need to follow Luca's orders through to the end. I fight the intense urge to throw up on the floor as I slowly grab the bowl. My fingers graze his thin, long fingers as I proceed with the action, which disgusts me even further. I quickly glance at the body laying beside me. “Would you at least bury the body?” Luca squints. “Why would I do that?” “Because you should. He didn't deserve to die.”“Gosh, not this again.” He rolls his eyes, adjusting his huge-sized, black cloak. “You really should stop talking. You're ruining the sacrifice.”I grit my teeth. “I know that's a lie. Nothing is getting ruined.”“Oh, wow, I am so proud of you,” he says, layi
[ IN WHICH SHE CHOOSES ] There are a lot of problems with love. And my love? The problem with it? It is every single problem you can think of. There are millions of things wrong with my love, aside from the fact that we have both killed each other at one point. But despite all the problems that my love has brought me, I can confirm that there are precious moments with my love. However, the problems outweigh the precious moments. And still, I wouldn't leave. I won't change anything; I want it this way. I am blinded by love. That, right there, is the major problem.Luca shifts his weight onto one foot. “Okay, I am going to ask that question again, assuming you didn’t hear that question correctly the first time.” His confused gaze is centered on the wooden bowl in my hands. “King Sin or King Rome?” I swallow. To him, I appear nervous and uncertain. Little does he know that my answer will not change. Ever.“King S—” Luca doesn’t let me complete his name. “Are you out of your mind?
warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden you are about to read is rated mature, because of it's explicit sexual scenes, which may not be suitable for most readers. viewer discretion is advised.[ IN WHICH SHE DREAMS ] A soft kiss on my forehead pulls me awake.I peel my eyes open, and bright, white lights flood into my pupils, blinding me temporarily. I scrunch my face, irritated by the blinding lights, but then a lazy smile grows on my lips when my eyes meet Sin's grey eyes. He hovers over me with a seductive smile.My heart thumps against my chest. I can't define what my heart's telling me, but I do know it is a mixture of sadness and hope. I remember the last time I gazed into those grey eyes. I had gazed into them with so much anger, hatred, and regret, but now I gaze into them lovingly— how it should have always been, and how it will be from now on. “You are here,” he says. A frown replaces the smile on my face as I stare up at Sin. “Where?” My eyes subconsciously move arou
[SIN’S EULOGY] I am cursed. I have been cursed to never find love. It is a curse placed on me by God to forever live my life in bitterness and loneliness. It is the price I have to pay for waging war against Him and leaving the Heavens behind. I am sorry I dragged you into this mess. I am sorry you had to suffer with me, November. And because of this, I will let you rest. I will not reincarnate you this time. I will not put you through this rivalry and madness again. It is hard to let you go, but I know it is what I need to do. I will let you go. I will let you go, Gwyneth. I will let you go, Faye Donovan. I will let you go, November Starkey. It is time for you to rest. You have been an impeccable Queen over the years. The whole Kingdom thanks you. I just wish those years were longer. You always get taken away from me when I need you the most. Or maybe that is how it was always meant to be. I was meant to never have you. You solved the riddle. Rome’s death was the only way
warning: you may cry.[ IN WHICH SHE DIES ]November’s last p.o.v —Rome’s body trembles beneath the sword. Rome has been stabbed in the heart with his own sword. He died by his own sword, both literally and metaphorically. I watch as he immediately drops to the ground. Veins pop out of his neck, head, and hands as he starts to lose oxygen. Rome’s bloodshot eyes glare angrily at me. I can see him fighting his own death, so I push the sword in deeper so that he can't fight it.This time, I have not been possessed by Faye’s vengeful spirit. This time, it is I, November Starkey that has decided to kill. I kill Rome, because it is what that is needed to be done. This is what I should have done a long time ago.“The Kings have to leave for a purer world.” I say as tears well in my eyes. I do not know why I am weeping at this moment. Well, I guess it would make me a total psycho if I don’t feel any type of pain after killing someone. “You are polluting this world, Rome. Your rivalry with th
[ IN WHICH ROME DIES ]NOVEMBER’S P.O.V —I slam the sword onto the metal bar. The action causes a clanging sound to echo through the Castle.The most important thing that the disturbing sound does is that it causes the Lycan to drop to the ground. Since he is at his highest level of power, it means that his senses are at the highest level as well. He gets triggered by his heightened sense of hearing. Rome’s monstrous voice growls in irritation as his hairy hands clutch his ears. I watch him with teary eyes as he drops to the ground.I don’t stop there.I keep on hitting the metal bar with the steel sword.Sin’s eyes search the room for the source of the sound. Confusion swirls in his grey eyes when he sees me with the sword. His size slowly decreases as his anger turns into confusion. I watch with teary eyes as his wings shrink to normal size.I stop when Rome has attained his normal size as well.Now, he is naked, but I don’t pry my eyes away. It is normal for a wereanimal to have n
[ IN WHICH SHE MAKES A DEATHLY DECISION ]… [you have conceived a child. Luca isn’t telling a lie] …Tears form in my eyes. “No.” I stare at Luca’s face which has now assumed the color of his red hair due to the reduction in oxygen. “It can’t be.”“Please, don’t tell me you are in doubt.” He grumbles. “You sleep with a man, without contraceptives and expect to not get pregnant? Come on. It can be. You exhibited all of the signs. The morning sickness. The emotional instability. The nausea and the pain.”Right there on the floor, I start to hyperventilate.My hands start to shake.Am I not too young to carry a child? I would be twenty soon, but right now, I am nineteen years old with a child growing inside of me. What is this? This wasn’t supposed to happen. I did notice that I didn’t get my period while I served as Queen, but I always thought it had something to do with my awakening as Faye Donovan. Faye Donovan is dead. My blood is black which clearly means that I died. Dead people ca
[ IN WHICH SHE LEARNS A SHOCKING TRUTH ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — I rise from the ground. The air is musky. Dust particles has polluted the air. My throat closes up at the reduction in oxygen and I begin coughing hard. Tears well up in my eyes at the painful action, but soon, my lungs grow accustomed to the dirt in the air. I take in deep breaths before I begin walking. Waving my hands in the air, I try to push the smoke and dust out of the air so I can see, but it is of no use. The dust settles in the air, refusing to leave. Realizing that my efforts are useless, I blindly pave my way through the Castle. I blink several times to get a clear vision of my surroundings. That’s when I see the body of the sorcerer laying half-dead in a corner. “Lake!” I yell as I hurry towards him. I drop to my knees instantly. I pick his body into my arms, shaking him awake. It doesn’t work. Lake continues to lay unconsciously in my arms. His arms fall to his side, limply. There is no blood on his cloth
[ IN WHICH SHE HAS TO SAVE BOTH KINGS ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — In no time, we get to the Castle. However we stop in our tracks when we spot something unsusual — the gates. The gates are always shut and heavily guarded. But not this time. This time it has been left wide open and unguarded. “Seems Sin has already made an entrance.” Lake squats, and when he rises back to his feet, he holds a huge black feather in his hands. It is the feather from Sin’s wings. “We have to get inside now.” I nod. We leave the feather laying there on the ground as we run past the gates. Once we get inside, we spot a crowd of guards gathered at the door. Their voices are louder now that we stand close to them. They’re all speaking in a thousand tongues, so I cannot decipher what it is they are arguing about. But from the looks of it, it seems that they are struggling to get the Castle doors open. “Come on.” I tap Lake on the shoulder, and he follows me. We both run towards the guards surrounding the Cas
[ IN WHICH SHE DEBATES ON THE LYCAN KING’S DEATH ] NOVEMBER'S P.O.V —“Hurry up, Lake!” I scream, not bothering to look behind me. “We need to get there on time.”“Queen November, wait up.”“There's no time, Lake. Let's go!” That's when a hand pulls me back, forcefully. I whip my head around, my curls slapping me in the process. Once I have been forced to a stop, my chest begins to rise and fall as I pant, struggling to breathe. “Why don't we think this through for a minute, huh?” Lake asks me, panting hard as well. We are both tired. We would kill for the opportunity to find shelter and catch our breaths. We have been running through Lucian City, trying our best to get to the Castle as fast as we can. The King had let his wings out and flown over to the Kingdom. He is fast. We are slow. If we waste any more time, Rome might have already been killed by Sin. “There's no time for that, Lake.” I glance in the direction of the Castle. “We need to get to the Castle. He could be killin
[ IN WHICH SHE TALKS ABOUT LYCAN BLOOD ]I feel worse than I did earlier this morning.My hands grip the sheets as I try to reposition myself on it.After my interaction with Luca on the roof, I immediately called on Eirene to help me back to my chambers. I couldn’t walk on my own. I felt dizzy, weak, and felt like throwing up for the second time. Eirene had noticed this and quickly informed the maids. When nothing they could do helped with my fever, they called on Lake. He did all he could to help. His sorcery of healing and medicine helped bring my fever down. But I still feel like something is wrong with me. Something or someone is still swirling within me, and it doesn't feel good.… [there is something wrong with you] …Her voice echoes in the empty room.“Yeah, no shit. You don’t think I know?” I groan in pain as I try to sit up on the bed.… [no, i don’t think you know] …“What are you trying to say, Faye?” I complain.My headache gets worse each time I open my mouth to speak.
[ IN WHICH ROME DECIDES TO SETTLE ] ROME'S P.O.V —“You are here.” I say.There's a ruffling sound behind me, and then, his voice sounds. “It seems you have been expecting me.” “Yes, I have been expecting you for a weeks now. We haven't spoken in a while. I figured you were due for another visitation.” I turn around to face him. When I catch the livid expression on his face, I decide to add, “Also, I could hear your heart beating angrily in your chest from many kilometers away.” Lust has a grim expression as he glares at me. “Good,” he says. “Then you know that I am furious. That I am angry with you.”With a sigh leaving my lips, I straighten my clothes. I do not want to have a conversation with Lust this early in the morning, but knowing how he is, he wouldn't let this slide until I give him my ears. “Don't you think it is too early to be angry?” I say as I turn my back to him, facing the full-length mirror. “And don't you think you shouldn't provoke me?” I move my hands to my