The chaffeur opens the door, and I alight from the car to the sight of a majestic gold painted dome shaped high rise building, like a mosque that would be in someplace like Saudi Arabia,
it was so grand I almost couldn't believe I was looking at it, abstract paintings gleam from the dome, it's gates were painted gold like it was some holiest of holies promised land, there was an imprint on the gate written in a language i had no idea of.
Two uniformed guards stood at the gate their head bowed, but their attire looked more like high fashion, their pants were suit pants with a beaded elegantly shaped suit that looked unlike the boring ones on earth, they wore black sunshades like they were the CIA or FBI, a wire was attached to their ears and a walkie talkie in the front pocket of their suits.
I was still in awe, perusing the landscape, when one of the guards stopped us from entering the main compound, signalling with his jand for us to wait. He held up his walkie talkie talkie and spoke to someone in a language I couldn't understand.
He dropped his walkie talkie, walked towards me, I could feel the tension radiating from my beast mates as he came forward, in a sudden movement he hoisted me on his back, giving a loud instruction to his partner, who brought out a gun and and opened fire, I tried to struggle but he was too strong ,it was like pushing a crane of me, the deafening sound of bullets rang in my ears as fear gripped my stomach, so intense I was sure I would urinate on this man any minute .
The car door flew open before I could process what was happening. The deafening crack of gunshots rang out all around us, bullets hitting the ground in sharp successive thuds. The man carrying me was moving fast, swinging me back and forth with each stride, and I felt dizzy from the motion and the noise and the sheer panic clawing up my throat.
Then he stumbled.
I felt the imbalance a second before the fall. I squeezed my eyes shut, a scream caught in my chest —
A hard hand caught me.
I opened my eyes and found myself staring into striking blue eyes, steady and calm despite everything. Beside us, a leopard growled low, a black pendant swinging from its thick neck. My mates surrounded me like a wall, like an army that had formed before I even knew I needed one.
I should have been terrified. I wasn't.
Zayne shifted back, the leopard dissolving into the tall brown-haired man in one fluid movement. He nodded at the others, his jaw tight, chest still heaving from the fight. Aquasteine took my hand without a word and led me forward.
The building in front of us was nothing short of a castle.
The scent hit me first — summer flowers, rich and layered, like expensive perfume diffused through every room. Petals lined the floor in deliberate patterns. They should have looked like a mess. Instead there was a strange beauty in the disarray, like someone had decided that excess could be its own kind of elegance.
The marble doors opened automatically as we approached. I stepped inside and forgot how to breathe.
The interior was the kind of grand that belonged in a museum. The carpet beneath my feet bore the image of a leopard — rendered in such precise, lifelike detail that it seemed to breathe, coiled and patient beneath every footstep. The ceiling was painted black, a deliberate contrast to the gold chandelier that hung from it — enormous, cascading, adorned with large gold stones that dripped light across every surface. The chandelier seemed to have no end. Its stones specked the entire ceiling above us like a second sky.
The couches were embroidered with fine detailing — a life-sized lion carved into each rest and arm, giving them the look of thrones rather than furniture. At the far end of the room sat a row of plain black velvet chairs, low and wide and impossibly comfortable-looking.
The centre table was vast — the width of three televisions placed side by side — its black exterior lined with gold flake trim. A decanter sat on top of it, filled with a liquid so dark it was almost black. Beside it, geometric glass cups rested in a black tray, catching the chandelier light.
I stood in the middle of all of it, my hand still in Aquasteine's, my mates surrounding me on all sides, and tried to make sense of how I had gone from a bar in Cincinnati to here.
I couldn't.
Hmm", "hmm, I thought you wouldn't get past the gate, I must have underestimated you greatly " A man in a black fluffy robe says, his face looks aged in the dim light, his eyes are tiny like Chinese eyes, his button nose did not help the situation by giving him an underwhelming look, I knew he was the king but he sure didn't look like one, his beard is sparse like the black hair on his head that already had a receding quality to it.
"King Levi, we're confused on why you would send your men to kill us, after summoning us " Ramses said, his green hair whipping around his face from the ventilator in the room,
"Sit down and I'll answer your questions " The kings says, his voice softer.
I plop down on the couch, my mates on either side of me, Ramses and Alexis to my right, aquasteine and zayne to my left. I nearly moan from how comfortable this chair is, I could sit on it till kingdom come and not care a hoot about anything else.
"Would you like some ril " The king asks, what the fuck is ril, his well manicured hands holding the decanter and pouring out a black viscous liquid into the geometric cups , the spicy smell filling the room deliciously.
"No thanks," Ramses speaks for everyone, all the men wore serious faces, something I had never seen before and it made me even more anxious.
"Suit yourselves, I've summoned you here for an important proposition, the king says, his eyes boring into me, I'm almost squirming in discomfort.
" As you know, my son's calf was torn off by your rogue mate and my son has decided he will handle it personally as the heir, the only reason I'm speaking on his behalf is because the healer is attending to him and he's under a spell"
" I'll go straight to the point , my son has declared that Ravine will now become his own mate, this is to save her from the crowns wrath, you can see this as punishment and refuse his offer and face the hard consequences or you can count your lucky stars and hand her over to my son.