[ IN WHICH SHE ENTERS THE PROBLEM OF ROME ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V— I place my palms on the railing of the balcony. Worried, I peer over the metal bar. Below me, there is nothing.I see nothing. The land of Alkhemi has been covered by darkness. And that means it has been 12 hours since Sin had left with the warriors to the Land of Avsky. He should have been back by now. They should have saved Jacqueline and returned by now. A quest like this shouldn’t take much time except something bad had already happened. … [something bad like what, November?] … The voice in my head asks. I try to ignore it, but she speaks again. … [you think they may have died? yes, you are right, they have died] … “Shut up.” I growl, slapping palms on the cold railing. After that, the voice silences. I'm hoping it silences forever. Despite this new found silence, I am still troubled with the possibility that something bad has happened. Luca has proven to be dangerous. It will be a mistake to underestimate him
warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden you are about to read has been labelled mature, because of it's sexual content which may not be suitable for all readers. viewer discretion is advised.[ IN WHICH SHE KEENS INTO ROME ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — I am out of control. But I do not mind. I like this. I like this version of me that Rome has managed to pull out. I want to explore more, to see what happens when he tempts me with the forbidden. Unable to control myself, I find myself keening against him. I rub my chest against him, getting relief from the sensation. “Ugh, Faye.” Rome groans, tugging my lower lip into his mouth. “You make me so hard.” His hand on my back dips lower and lower, until he is between my thighs. I part them, aching – aching so desperately – and his middle finger, eager as ever, pushes against my pussy. “Oh shit.” I whisper, fisting his shirt. Maybe because of the fabric of my shorts, that one finger is giving me just the right amount of pressure to make the
[ IN WHICH SHE LIES ] Sin got back that same night. They all arrived safely that same night — no scratches, no cuts, no injuries. They had arrived all in one piece, chanting a victory song. The warriors who had accompanied Sin to the battleground were full of light despite being surrounded by the darkness. Anyone could tell that they had conquered effortlessly and accomplished their goal of saving a fellow member of the Grand Alkhemi. They had Jacqueline with them. She had a blanket around her. She was the only one with bruises and cuts on her face. Her white hair had been stained with blood. By the way she gripped the blanket around her shoulders, I knew she had been desperately trying to cover up her other bruises. When I laid eyes on her, I was filled with so much anger that I wanted to teleport to the Land of Avsky myself, find Luca and beat the crap out of him. But who was I to talk? I was just as evil as Luca. I had done something so despicable that I deserved to be punishe
[ IN WHICH SHE LEARNS ABOUT JACQUELINE ]I place a gentle knock on the door. Seconds later, it opens. It reveals the battered face of the female warrior. She has cuts and bruises decorating her pale, white skin. From her appearance, I can tell that she wears her bruises both physically and emotionally. She has purple blotches on her cheekbones, and dark circles have covered her once-beautiful under eyes. When I saw her last night, I tried approaching her, but she quickly ran upstairs to her room before I could get close. Even then, her bruises did not look as bad as they do now. It seems that while cleaning the wounds, she had accidentally injured herself for the second time. Or maybe it wasn’t an accident. And she deliberately hurt herself? “Oh, poor you. What did Luca do to you?” I reach my hands to touch her swollen cheek, but she quickly takes a step back. In a harsh tone, she says. “My apologies, your majesty. But I would like to be alone at the moment.” “Oh.” I mouth, retr
[ IN WHICH SHE IS FOOLISH OR MIGHT HAVE COMPLETELY LOST HER MIND ] NOVEMBER'S P.O.V —If my hours spent with Jacqueline has taught me one thing, it is that — 'do not live your life with regrets'.Regrets eat you up, slowly. They devour you. They diminish you and shatter your whole being. So, I promise to live without regrets. Honestly, Jacqueline's situation isn't so different from mine. With each decision I make, I feel like I am self-destructing, leading myself closer and closer to my death. Because why the hell did I give into Rome? Why did I let my emotions control me? Why did I give into lust? Why did I let him touch me? And why did I like it so much? Why do I crave his touch every second of the day? And why do I crave him more than I crave Sin?This secret will be the death of me.But I am glad that I have come to this realization. So, now, I will stay away from Rome — the secret and the mistake. He might as well be a temptation.If I make a mistake that I come to regret in the
[ IN WHICH SHE LIVES WITH NO REGRETS ] NOVEMBER'S P.O.V —The following four minutes are characterized by awkward silence. “Sorry to ask, but are you good, November?” I quickly wave it off with a nervous smile. “I am fine.” He gives me an uncertain look. “Because I was walking by the throne room when I noticed the doors were left open.” Shit, I should have locked the door. He continues to narrate the event that I am fully aware of — an event I am embarrassed about. “And when I peered inside, I saw you. About to say hello, I see that you are speaking to someone. So, I assume it is the King, but then, I step in, and there is no one else in the room.” He points to the furniture that have occupied space in the throne room.The urge to dig a hole and bury myself in it becomes overwhelming. But sadly, I don't have a shovel to dig a hole up. I try to hide my look of detest as I glare up at Atlas. Out of everyone that could have caught me in this moment, it had to be Atlas? The boy whose
[ IN WHICH SHE WILL LIVE WITH REGRETS ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — Maybe I should not have left the Grand Alkhemi. Maybe I should have just stayed home.Maybe I should have listened to the voice in my head. Maybe then, I would not be in this situation. The minute I arrive at Vrys — the vampire kingdom — I am hit with rotten air. The air surrounding the Kingdom has something in it that makes my skin crawl. It makes me feel sick to the core. And no, there isn’t a foul smell in the Kingdom of Vrys; the air smells fine, purified even. That is not what has gotten me sick. It is the general vibe and aura of the Kingdom that makes me feel repulsed. It seems there is something dirty, bloody and sinful hidden in the grounds. I feel this way, because each time I take a step forward, my bones chill instantly and I shiver intensely.It feels like they have people buried beneath the Kingdom. I know this because I am the gate-way to the afterlife. I can feel the dead souls tugging at the sleeves of my
[ IN WHICH SHE WILL LIVE WITH SO MANY REGRETS ]“Start speaking.” My skin easily gets irritated by the feel of his breath on my neck. It is warm and I can feel trickles of his spit falling onto the back of my neck. I shiver intensely in disgust as he continues to hold me down against his front, securing me a little tighter than necessary. “I said, start speaking.” He gives me a little jostle. “I am certain you can understand me, kotik. Staying quiet will not make things easier for you. It will only rile me up. I demand an answer.” Kotik. I know that nickname anywhere. I have mingled with a lot of people as I travelled to different countries. One of the many times I visited Russia, I learned a few words and their meanings, and one of the few words I picked up was Kotik. It means ‘kitten’. Котик (Kotik) So, from this, I can tell that the vampire king had been a Russian in his past life, before joining Alkhemi. And this also means that his formation is similar to Atlas. He was once a