CHAPTER 8 – Anna

The Lycan court was everything and nothing like I imagined. The opulence and beauty surpassed the pack mansion by leaps and bounds. There were servants, and of course, by that, I do mean the simps littered almost every corner. The main difference here was that the simps looked at one with such lust that it kind of creeped me out. But that was nothing compared to the members of the court. We met dozens upon dozens of people. The fact that nobody was truly very old struck me as strange. Luke had said that Lycan truly quit aging if we were speaking in human years around late twenties early thirties. It explained why the Queen of Doom was so young looking as well as everyone else I had met. There were a few people who stood out. The Duke of Draven, who goes by the name of Malcolm, demanded that we pay deference to him. I slipped into a low curtsey that was only partly dodgy and felt proud that I didn’t end up on my ass. I didn’t like him upon sight. Malcolm’s hair was white blonde, and he seemed slippery, much like the boy from Slytherin that gave Harry such problems. I did as I was told, but Luke and Roman were not as compliant. Later I learned that it is customary if someone is of lower birth that one nod upon meeting. Luke and myself are obviously of lower birth, but Roman’s mother is a Queen, and therefore that makes him a prince. Princes are higher born than Dukes, even ones that do not live in the royal court. Malcolm wasn’t the only person who gave me a bad vibe. There were also the triplets Adrian, Aldon, and Abel. They looked like fashion models and were so similar that I would never have been able to tell who was who. The moment we met I felt Roman tense and move closer to me. They kissed my hand and one of them Aldon or Abel, licked the inside of my wrist. I don’t know if they were trying to be seductive or attempting to taste the virgin, but I screamed and yanked my hand away. In a flash, Roman had the man up against the wall by the throat. His brothers immediately came to his defense, and I feared there would be brawl. Thankfully, the king summoned Roman and he we went with the guards to greet his king. I went to follow, but Luke stopped me, “King Cian won’t meet with you until he is ready.” Nodding, I looped my arm with Luke’s muscular one and smiled up at him charmingly, “Where to then captain?” Luke laughed, “How about we take a stroll in the gardens?” That sounded heavenly to me. The whole adage that Lycan can’t walk in the light is a bunch of garbage. We don’t sparkle either, in truth we are just like other people. We can get a tan or burn, we aren’t freezing to the touch, and we can’t reach each other’s minds. The biggest difference besides drinking human blood is that we heal so much faster and are tremendously stronger. Oh, and we Live for centuries, the only thing that can kill a Lycan is to remove their heart. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Acheron.” A beautiful girl with long red hair and piercing green eyes approached us. She was accompanied by two other girls, one with short dark hair and ebony skin, and the other with pale skin and dark almond-shaped eyes. “Francine,” Luke said her name like he was talking about toilet water. “Who is your snack?” Francine smirked, and the two girls with her tittered. “Are you talking to me?” I spoke with a clear voice. I refused to cower in front of three blood-sucking mean girls. Luke turned to me, “Anna, this is Francine and her minions, Anna and Mae.” The one with the straight, shiny black hair smirked, “An innocent? How… original.” Luke pulled me against his side, “It’s something you would know nothing about Mae. Are you still spreading your thighs for anyone with a large enough dick?” Mae’s cheeks heated but before she could respond Francine laid a hand on her arm. “There is no need to be nasty, Acheron.” “The name is Luke, and you know it. Come on, Anna, you shouldn’t be hanging out with the royal sluts.” The girls tittered again, but we didn’t stay to say anything else. Luke was steering me far away from the three girls and into what looked to be a maze. “I am sorry about that,” he grumbled. “They were very interesting,” I said with a smile trying to put him at ease. “And it’s nice to meet you, Acheron.” Luke scowled at me, “Nobody calls me that not even my mother when she is angry. “Why did you call those girls sluts?” It had bothered me when he said it because according to Roman all Lycan fucked frequently. I didn't want to see a double standard with the women vs. the men. “Those girls are like royalty groupies. They hold no real plLuke in court besides ladies in waiting for the kings younger sister. But the truth is they treat Eileen poorly, and the King does nothing about it.” I kicked a little pebble with my shoe. It seems that the more I learn about this king, the less I like him. Luke let out a little huff, “You will like him.” I wrinkled my nose, “Why do you say that?” Luke shrugged, “All the girls do. He is charming or so I have been told. And he likes pretty girls.” My stomach fluttered a little, “You think I am pretty?” Luke smirked at me, and I felt my cheeks heat up, “You know you are beautiful, Anna. You don’t need me to tell you that.” But the thing was that I really didn’t think I was beautiful. I mean I knew that I wasn’t hideous and that small children didn’t run screaming from me. But beautiful? Nah, I never would have thought to use that term. “Whatever, Luke,” I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my fLuke. We continued to walk together and passed several people that nodded and even spoke with us. It seemed that they were fairly used to seeing Luke in court. “Do you often come to Transylvania?” I asked in my best Dracula imitation. Luke winced, “Please don’t ever do that again. And we are here usually in the fall for the season.” “The season?” I wrinkled my brow, “Like they did in the 1800’s?” Luke nodded, “It is much busier during that time, the streets are filled with Lycan and renting a house is a nightmare. Of course, Roman and his mother always stay here at the PalLuke.” “How did you and Roman meet?” I asked absentmindedly as I bent to pick a flower. Luke was quiet, and I looked up at him. From his vantage point, I realized that he could see right down my dress. His body had tensed, and I saw a flash of something in his eyes. I straightened immediately and couldn’t help the fluttering I felt as my stomach turned over. Was I attracted to Luke? That was ridiculous. He was my friend, nothing more. And It was likely that I needed to feed. “I am hungry,” I said shortly. Luke nodded and turned to guide me back to the PalLuke, but I noticed on the trip back he didn’t speak or touch me. Before we walked inside, I asked in a low voice, “Did I do something wrong?” Luke shook his head, “No.” And then he smiled, the friendly smile that I was used to and I felt the tension fade. “You are perfect, Anna,” he said teasingly, “Let’s get you some blood.”