Project Royal : Betrayal [Book #2]

♔ O n e : Welcome Home

"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward."
- Steve Maraboli

An engine hum of light vibrations rumbled against my back through a smooth leathery seat. Two men sat up front of the maroon SUV and didn't utter a single word to each other, making the trip even longer than it actually was. It left me the ability to fully lose myself in my thoughts.

The passing scenery of thick forests and rolling hills in the distance did little to dispel the chaos I was drowning in as the car sped its way toward my new destiny. I, Madelyn Vagen, former pure-born slave, was on the journey to become a Lord of one of the three eldest bloodlines of vampires. All I wanted to do was crawl into a small, deep hole and hibernate for the rest of my life.

The ripples of pain came sporadically and often. Gripping my heart in a vice that only tightened as time passed. I should have been thankful to be reminded that I did, in fact, still have a heart even when I assumed it was left behind at the Rothschild's Manor, burned to ashes and flowing in nature's wind. Had I let myself grieve properly yet? No. I don't think I have.

Watercolors of an aurora green bled into bright orange as the sun started its peak across the horizon, the only real signal that time was still crawling forward. It was beautiful to watch with my exhausted eyes, realizing how much I missed the light of day. The rest of the ride was uneventful, silent, and bathed in the rays of tangerine turning to bright spring yellow.

I was startled when one of the men finally spoke. "Lord Madelyn, we will be coming up to the manor shortly."

His words left a weird taste in my mouth, addressing me as his Lord was something I feared I wouldn't get used to. I would have an entire population of people doing as such. There was nothing that came to my mind as an appropriate response, so I just hummed a sound of recognition, keeping my eyes trained on the window for any change in the overgrown woods.

It was impossible to miss. What started out as a gray speck my vision could barely assess, turned into a massive cobblestone community with an obscenely large tower directly in the middle. From my judgment, where we were heading was nowhere near a manor and instead was a full blown miniature town. The closer we got, the more I could see people bustling through streets lined with more stone. Baskets on hips, chores being completed with washings hung on lines, children frolicking through the people and gaining agitated scowls from the adults.

I was amazed at all the activity. However, the second the community noticed the maroon vehicle pull up to the iron gates, everything stopped. The children were ushered inside with haste, some of the wicker broke as the baskets were dropped in abandon. Others simply stood absolutely still and stared as hard as they could, trying to get a peek into the tinted windows. The streets were quickly emptied, allowing easy passage for us.