Chapter 146

Hannah

Everybody was dancing in celebration; they were celebrating Xander’s vow to marry me. He had ordered that they danced; so, they danced. The women were gorgeous and danced around their men elegantly. It was easy to see who vampires were and who was stuck here as an outsider. The vampires were pale, yet they were flawless. Their auras were dark, and all their eyes had a golden tint around their pupils, just like Xander’s.

The ones trapped were pink-fleshed from the heat that bothered their skin. Their eyes were lifeless and although they maintained a pleasant attitude and plastered smiles, I could see the misery lingering in their eyes. They weren’t happy, despite what they were saying. I knew my mother wasn’t happy either. How could she possibly be happy in a place like this?

“Dance with me, my love,” Xander said, reaching out his slender hand to me.

I glanced up at him with a frown.

“Don’t call me that,” I told him. “And no thank you.”

He laughs a low and dark laugh as he grabbed onto my arm.

“You’ve been mistaken; I wasn’t asking.”

He pulls me to my feet, and I reluctantly follow him toward the dance floor where the others all danced and laughed with one another. He twirled me around and caught me with his other hand, pulling me close to him with his arm tightly around my waste.

“When we marry, we’ll have to do something about your attitude. We simply can’t have you disobeying,” Xander said against my ear.

His tone gave me a chill down my spine; I pressed my lips firmly together to keep from saying something I would regret. His breath was warm against my face and his land lowered until he was roughly below my waist. I didn’t want him touching me; my entire body tensed, which only made him smile.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured against my ear. “I won’t fuck you until after our wedding; then, I’ll make you mine…”

“I’ll never be yours.”

A laugh emerged from the deep of his throat; I felt his fingernail tracing the back of my neck until he reached my shoulder blade. He was circling around Sebastian’s mark.

“I’ll have to do something about that as well,” he muttered.

I jerked away from him; I was unable to stand around while he marked his claim on me. I didn’t want anything to do with this monster and he could see that on my face. He looked startled by my sudden withdrawal; I knew he probably didn’t get rejected often. He wasn’t bad looking, but he was cold and ruthless. He also wasn’t Sebastian. My husband.

“Very well,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine. I could see a glimmer of humor in them, which turned my stomach. “I’ll have Gabriel accompany you back to your room.”

I couldn’t go back there; if I went back, I might never be able to find Sebastian. I had to stay out of that room for as long as possible.

“If it’s all the same for you, sir. I would like to stay and mingle some more. I haven’t spoken to my mother nearly enough.”

He narrowed his eyes at me.

“Only those who obey me get rewarded,” he told me. “You have done nothing but disobey.”

I bowed my head to him, which pained me to do.

“Please accept my apologies, your majesty,” I said to him. “You must understand how difficult this transition is for me. perhaps some encouraging words from my mother will help make me feel more comfortable.”

He looked at me for a long while like he was trying to process my words. Then he smirked and lowered himself, so he was at eye level with me.

“You think I’m stupid?” He asked, keeping his tone low.

“No, sir.”

Yes, I did. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. I managed to glance over at Liam who stood across the room; he was eyeing me carefully and I could see the slight worry on his face. He didn’t like altercations, especially when it was me that was in them. It always worried him because they never seemed to end well.

“I will let you stay,” Xander said. “If you kiss me.”

“What?” I asked, pulling my eyes from Liam to look at Xander.

“You heard me. Kiss me. That’s the deal. You can stay and speak with your mother if you kiss me.”

The thought of pressing my lips against his made me sick. Everything in my entire body screamed at me to run from this creep. I needed to find Sebastian; I couldn’t help but worry for him. What if he was hurt? What had Xander done to him?

“I don’t like to be kept waiting,” he said slowly. He was only inches from me now.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes; I couldn’t look at his face anymore. I felt his lips pressed against mine and his tongue was jammed into my mouth. I could taste the wine and steak he recently consumed, and I wanted to gag. His kiss was slimy and turned my stomach with his every flick of the tongue. He wrapped his arms tightly around my body and pulled me close to him. I allowed my arms to wallow at my sides; I wouldn’t dare touch him in return.

He breathed into my mouth; his breath was rancid. I counted the moments until it ended, wishing more than anything that Sebastian was here. I could hear the cheers around us as everyone got a glimpse of our embrace. They were excited that the vampire king was finally claiming his queen, but I had no desire of being his queen. I was already a queen, and I would never be his.

He pulled apart from me and I could see the seduction and lust in his eyes. He was breathless and he looked like he wanted to go in for another kiss. I turned my head just as his lips neared me and he grazed the side of my face.

“We shouldn’t do this in front of everybody,” I said with a nervous chuckle.

He gave me a look that I couldn’t read but then a grin appeared on his lips.

“We should continue this later then,” he said in return.

He finally released me, and I stepped away from him. I looked over at my mother who was standing near Liam. She was watching me with a sense of pride on her face. She was happy about this? She wanted me to marry this creepy vampire king? What was wrong with her? The mother I knew when I was a child would never have wanted this for me and she wouldn’t have wanted this for Liam.

“We will see each other again soon, my pet,” he said, running his long finger down the side of my face, sending an unsettling chill up my spine. “I’m afraid I must return to my work for right now though. I’ll have Gabriel return you to your room in 30 minutes.”

I nodded my head and said nothing as he disappeared through the doors he came from. I stared after him for a moment longer with disgust clear on my face. I couldn’t help but wipe my mouth on the back of my sleeve as I made my way to my mother. She clapped her hands together excitedly before holding her arms out to me to hug me.

“I could see the chemistry from here! You are going to make a wonderful queen, my darling,” she breathed.

“I’m already a queen,” I said in return. “I’m not marrying him. I need to get back to my husband.”

My mother pulled away from me and frowned; I could see the sudden hurt in her eyes.

“Don’t you want to be a family again?”

“I have a family, mom. A family I need to return to.”

She sighed and stared down at her feet.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” she finally said after a short pause.

Her sentence felt unfinished though. Just as I was about to ask what she meant; I felt a sense of strength returning to me. I stumbled backward as the wind nearly knocked me. I breathed in a wave of air and my body felt more alive than ever. I closed my eyes and that’s when I saw Nora running at me and merging into my body. She was large and beautiful; I was in awe of her and so relieved to finally see and feel her again.

“Hannah!” She said excitedly in my mind.

“Nora…” I said in return with a faint smile.

My wolf had returned.