The Bell of Freedom (King and human romance)✔

Chapter Five

When the creature finally lets me go, my body is thrown onto the ground like I'm an object. I push up on my hands, slowly rising to my feet. We're standing on a pebbled path that leads up to the biggest palace I have ever seen. I'm not sure how long we've been flying for, but I get the feeling that I am very far from the nannery. The fields are so green here, full of pretty flowers and blooming small trees. The palace reflects the beauty, the stone is so shiny that it looks blue. I stare at the highest towers that are several hundred feet in the air, for a moment I catch the sight of large wings fluttering around them and I gasp.

"Walk," the creature commands.

"Is this your home?" I ask as I begin walking up the path.

"No."

No? How can it not be his home? If I am that rare, and valuable, then why would he bring me somewhere else where we can be exposed? It doesn't make any sense. I don't question it, I can't. We walk the extremely long path and we are met with a small army at the front entrance. The creatures fall out of the sky to form a barricade between us and the door, a male creature with white hair steps forwards.

"What is your business here?" he demands.

"I request an audience with the King," my owner says.

"Why?"

"Because I have something of importance to him."

The creature stares at me. "What of the girl?"

"A stray, I picked her up outside the kingdom."

"Impossible, there are no strays."

"Which is why I require the King's attention. There might be other strays nearby."

"Very well," he sighs, gesturing with his hand for the barricade to step aside. "Follow me."

I have no idea what's happening. Why is he lying? I know he can't just tell them what I am but why does he want to bring me to the King? He owns a completed soul, I am his, so why is he jeopardizing that?

The inside of the palace shocks me. It's so clean and shiny. Everything is white, from the carpets to the soft couches. We walk through a large room and I try not to focus on the creatures that are feeding from humans in every direction. The ages of the humans vary, some look as young as sixteen while others are my age. They are mainly females being fed on by male creatures. There is a sexual component to their feeding that most of them don't even realize. I watch as one creature pins a girl to the wall, his large hand trailing up her leg and beneath her dress. It's like he's trying to sooth her pain by offering her pleasure and I can see her body moving in response. I've never seen or heard of that before. They always paralyze their victims when they feed so they don't hear the screams, but maybe it's always been a choice.

I climb the very big staircase, the creatures are on top of it in seconds, they wait for me, staring down impatiently. I try to hurry myself because their stares are becoming dangerous.

They turn and continue walking and I rush to catch up with them, almost knocking into a creature as he drags a human girl by her wrist around the corner. I step to the side before he has the chance to touch me, his gaze meets mine and he steps closer curiously.

"Not her," my owner hisses.

The creature scowls and continues dragging the girl towards the staircase. All the way through the passageways, I am having to stick close to the wall to avoid all of the creatures either pacing towards me or standing guard at posts. These passageways are endless but finally the end is in sight and I don't know how to feel about that. There is only one door at the end of this hallway, a brown oak door, and no other exit. One creature stands outside of it, a guard.