The Bell of Freedom (King and human romance)✔

Chapter Twenty-Five

We touch down onto ground in the middle of a beautiful European city. He flew me halfway around the world, half of the journey he had to paralyze me for because he was travelling too fast. The sun is setting here, but it's still daylight. Standing in a quiet city is the strangest feeling, it's as if I'm the last human alive.

The buildings are so tall and mighty. They were once offices. Some were apartment homes. There are ghosts everywhere and I fold my arms to my chest as I follow Cain towards a gate at the end of the street. The creatures guarding it don't even talk to him, they make no effort to stop him at all, they just move aside.

Through the gate is a large turning circle with a fountain in the middle. The mansion, I imagine, was once someone's home. Someone very rich and powerful. There are creatures everywhere. Some sitting, some standing, some taking human girls on walks. At Cain's arrival, they are on edge.

Cain begins heading for the steps of the mansion, but he stops as the door opens. A female creature with a slim, tall body and light brown hair steps out with a big smile. She bows her head respectfully.

"My King," she says. "I was not expecting a visit today."

"I am just observing," Cain says. "Please, don't let my arrival disturb your routine."

"Observing what?" she says. She stares at me. "Have you brought a transfer?"

"No," he says. "She's an observer too. Are there any of your girls in labour?"

The creature smiles. "Indeed. One is in labour right now. We produce results here."

"Good," he says. "Show us."

I look across the turning circle and I meet the eyes of a girl around seventeen, she rubs her round bump as she stares at me, a large book resting on her lap that she reads on a picnic blanket.

"Aurora," Cain says. "Come."

I snap out of it and I follow him up the steps. The mansion is much like Cain's palace. It's clean and germ-free, with thick carpets and freshly painted walls. The room to my left is a music room, I hear the soft tune of a piano as a few of the girls crowd around it, some of them singing. Further down the hallway, I see many rooms inhabited by humans, with hardly any creatures at all. A mixture of girls and guys, ages ranging from maybe sixteen to nineteen. They're sitting around long couches, talking and playing cards. They all stare at us as we stop and look inside, they haven't been prepared for a visit by the King, they might not even know that he exists.

"They interact like this all day?" Cain asks her.

"Indeed," the creature says as she peers inside, keeping a distance behind us. "We found that the results were more promising when the breeders spent time together. And then we pair those that are most emotionally involved."

"Interesting," he mumbles.

"It's so the boys will be more attracted to them," I whisper, cringing at the disgusting thought. "So they can finish. It's psychological torture."

"What was that?" the creature says.

I swallow fearfully and duck my head down. Cain turns and steps between us. "Continue," he says.

The creature glares at me but she drops it, continuing down the hallway. Cain shoots me a cautious look and I apologize with my eyes. Humans would never speak out like that in front of creatures. Sometimes it's easy to forget that I am still vulnerable.

"We've had eighty confirmed pregnancies in the last twelve months," the creature says happily. "Out of the hundred-and-fifty girls that are here, that is somewhat amazing compared to other facilities around the world."