Conquered by the Dragon King (A Twisted Romance)

Chapter Five- Deal with the Devil

Pulling the trunk as fast as I could made me feel light headed and nauseous but I needed to know what went on. I rushed to the room I would make up for Milagro, dumping the trunk and darting out. There were no guests left on the floor, it was time the kitchen served food, I called out frantically.

“Stop making all that racket.” Mimi stormed out one of the guest room looking a little flustered. There was blood on her top. “Renata, where have you been?” My eyes bulged out, unable to drag them off the large red stain on Mimi’s front. “RENATA.”

“I had to show a guest to the Gemini room.” Mimi was in the hall, she would have witnessed my departure.

Clearly stalling.

“Mimi, what happened?” Only then did she follow my eye line down to her front.

She tried to wipe away the blood as if it was a fly that had landed inconveniently there and she did not have time for it. She let out a heavy sigh and for the first time the werewolf looked sad. Pity etched on her face.

I felt the dread fill my empty stomach. Mimi started talking but I was unsure what exactly she was saying. Her lips moved but no sound resonated. Then I heard the name ‘Nesta’ and my world stopped. I had been away for barely an hour and the one person I promised to protect with my own life was hurt.

“Renata? Did you hear me?” Mimi shook me.

I knew I was standing still but I felt my body sway. Like I was on a ship travelling through a rough ocean. It must have been clear to Mimi that I was in a state of shock as she violently shock me. “Bero, he… hurt Nesta and I need you to prepare yourself. I know you two are close.”

The fact that Mimi refused to give details meant that it was bad. Unspeakable images of what he had actually done to her floated through my mind. Vile thoughts drilled holes into my imagination. Bile threatened to spill from my mouth.

“W… What?” I gulped down some air to keep the bile at bay. “What did he do?”

“Renata, we are lucky the floor is cleared of stay- in guests expect for Bero and that Ava woman so Nesta will stay in this room. Go to her. I don’t think she has long left.” Mimi rubbed my arm in an attempt to comfort me and started to walk towards her quarters.

I stood outside the door unable to lift my heavy feet. Nesta had become my world. Nothing short of family, my baby sister that I had protected for nearly ten years. She was the last lioness I had come into contact with for many years. I genuinely believed we were the last two of my kind. Now she was being taken from me.

“Milagro is staying in the number 7.” That made Mimi stop and her shoulders slumped.

“Then you better clear Nesta out of that room before he gets here or let it be on your head if the Duchess sees a slave in a guest room.” Mimi threw the last bit over her shoulder and padded off.

Anger filtered through my body.

My hands balled into fists as I roared. The door swung open and a distraught Marcus stood in front of me. He lunged forward and his arms flung around my waist. From his vibrating body, I knew he was crying. Had she died while I was standing her lost in my anger?

‘Please, no.’ The thought making me move, pushing Marcus back into the room as he clung to my waist, afraid to let me go.

Nesta lay on the bed, her forehead sweaty and her breathing ragged. There were old blankets covering her small body up to her chest. Mimi not willing to give her the guest sheets, that made me want to rage some more. I could see the red and purple hand mark around Nesta’s throat. Bruises had started to appear on her beautiful face; one eye swollen closed.

Olivia, another member of my slave family brought out a large bowl of steaming hot water. Her puffy red eyes told me she had been crying.

“Oh, Reny. I tried to stop him.” She pulled the blankets down slowly, they had yet to change Nesta out of her bloody clothes.

I was unable to see the source. On her arms I could see a bite mark had started to swell. I trembled but not with sadness. Pure rage coursed through my body. I held onto Marcus and edged closer as Olivia soaked her wounds.

Olivia was slim and tall, around my age, maybe a little older, with long black hair and grey eyes. She was a typical werewolf. One that had yet to shift. We assumed that it was due to the fact that, like the rest of us, she had been starved and her wolf unable to surface. She refused to talk about it. Embarrassed to be without her wolf. Lost in my own despair, I hadn’t notice Mitch at the far end of the room.

Anger radiated off him as he stormed closer and into my eye line.

“He…. He actually….” I held up my hand, this wasn’t the time to discuss what Bero had done, that agonising conversation would have to come later.

We needed to cool our anger.

Nesta needed us. She needed our strength.

I looked at Mitch, a large tear rolled off his dark cheek, wiping it quickly in the hope that no one witnessed him cry. I held onto Marcus tighter, his bones protruding through his skin. Mitch hugged his long arms around his body. He was the tallest of us, reaching over 6ft. Like Marcus, he too was from the Oasis Tribe. He had been enslaved at a Noble’s house before being transferred to the Castle. In the first two weeks in the East Quarter Mitch never spoke, never looked up and had wild eyes. It was clear that he had been beaten often or worse. Like Marcus he refused to talk about the past but he quickly became a much loved member of our family. He would protect Marcus when needed, as long as he was there as sometimes he was called down to collect the heavier trunks from the front of the castle and exporting them all over. If he wasn’t so gaunt from the lack of food, he would be classed as handsome. His defined muscles would have been bigger if only given a chance to develop. Food and water was lacking in all our lives.

Millie frantically entered the room, a bottle of my ointment in one hand and Kirk’s small hand in the other. Millie and Kirk were werewolves. Both had similar dark hair to Olivia but Millie donned chocolate brown eyes while Kirk has the bluest eyes I had ever seen. He was the youngest of our little family. The newest to the Castle. Kirk had been caged for two years before entering the castle which stunted his growth. He still bent a little when he walked but the castle at least gave him room to grow.

“Renata, I brought the ointment. I knew something was wrong when no one returned for water. What happened to your face?” Millie handed me the bottle and I shook my head, letting her know that no ointment would save Nesta. The new s***h curtesy of the Duchess long forgotten.

“She was screaming.” Olivia broke into a sob and Millie ran to her, clutching on to her tightly.

I crawled to Nesta’s side.

“Hey, Nessy.” My voice shaky and uncertain. I wanted to be strong for her. “Want to tell me where it hurts and I’ll rub some ointment on it?” I pushed back her hair from her face.

Her features truly enchanting, even when bruised and broken. Her ragged breathing stopped then stated over again. My lip quivered uncontrollably She's dying, her body taken too much, and there's nothing I can do but hold her feeble body.

“Nessy, remember the big red rock?” I stroked her head, she hadn’t flinched or moved a muscle since I lay next to her. “Go there. At the edge of the rock, just as the sun is about to go down over the Pride lands. The gentle breeze kissing the skin. Do you feel it?”

I didn’t expect her to answer so just carried on, closing my own eyes and imagining my home land.

“The whisper of life floating through your hair. The scarlet macaws flying high in the sky, searching for their home before the sun completely disappears.” I choked out.

I held onto her hand.

“Can you smell the warm earth? Hear the chatter of the pride below. See the lights of the Lion King’s castle, I’m in the top window. Looking right at you, waving. Oh, my. Its Hola night, the light festival is about to begin. Our parents are waiting for us to join them. There’s going to be dancing and acrobats. The food will be laid out in the Great hall. So much food that it will feed the whole kingdom.” I learnt forward and kissed the top of Nessy’s forehead, choked by the memories of my home, I couldn’t go on.

“It’s alright, Nessy. Run home.” I reassured her as she fought for breath.

Part of me wished I would go with her and run into my father’s embrace but I needed to keep that promise to my mother.

I would try to survive.

Nessy’s breathing became shallow.

“What’s all this?” A strange voice broke through my pain.

I stilled, fear washed over me. We had all been too lost in our grief. To focused on our love we were about to lose that we hadn’t been watching our backs. We let our guard down and now we would pay the price.

It meant instant death for at least one of us. The question was, which one?

I turned slowly to see Milagro standing in the door way looking almost amused at our grief. Not particularly caring any more, I leant down again and kissed Nesta. This may be my last chance to see her alive if I was ordered to attend to Milagro or sent for punishment. I may even be dead before Nesta but I wanted her to feel safe, even if we were in danger, even for just a moment.

I stepped forward, manoeuvring Marcus behind me. Kirk started to panic, his frantic breathing giving away his hiding spot behind Millie. Mitch stepped forward and gave me a look, warning me that it was not my fight. That he would take the punishment for the family’s sake but I couldn’t allow it. I was about to lose my sister.

I couldn’t lose a brother as well.

“Mr Milagro, Sir. Please forgive me. I will get a servant and prepare your room.” I managed to get the words out quickly. He narrowed his eyes and cast one more look over Nesta.

“So you do talk. Tell me, what is the price you will pay to save another, little Lioness?” Milagro waltzed in the room, closing the door behind him, trapping my family.

I felt the air c***k and spark. Marcus’s gripped my arm painfully but I didn’t drop my eyes from Milagro. He was a deviant. No good and I knew it would be a terrible price if I had to pay him.

“Anything.” I had nothing to give and he knew that but it was clear from his mischievous expression that those were the words he had longed to here as he stepped forward, inches from me. His sweet smell engulfed my whole body.

“Anything?” He smiled, Mitch stepped forward shaking his head.

Trying to stop me from making a deal with the Devil but it was too late. I needed to save Nesta and I was willing to pay any price.

I just hoped to the very essence of my soul that this was not another cruel joke. A sick prank by Milagro.