by J. E Hanson
“Thanks for telling me that. I need to hear that, but I will admit that for the first time, I don’t feel like a giant cotton ball,” I smiled sweetly at Ian.
“You’re drop dead gorgeous now! For the record, Chris likes you both ways. There’s something mysterious about you that pique his interest,” Ian informs me about Christian, and I stare at Christian strangely.
I gaze at Ian with his new revelation, and Ian gracefully bows at me. Without a second thought, I perform a proper curtsey.
He escorts me to Christian's side. Christian places my hand on his elbow. He finishes his conversation over politics with a unique individual, who I have never met before. “Gabriel, I want you to meet our Princess Jeanne. Jeannie this is my best friend, Gabriel,” Christian introduces us.
They could pass for brothers, except Gabriel smells like vanilla cookies. There’s definitely something peculiar about him. Gabriel has shoulder-length dirty blonde hair. He’s almost the exact same height as Christian and Alexander. They have matching ultramarine eyes.
Gabriel winks at me. “I heard lots about you. Christian’s blowing up my ear with good things about you.”
Christian play punches him hard on the arm.
“You know you were. Don’t stand here, and deny it!” he teases Christian again.
Christian shifts uncomfortably. “Do you have some other place, you need to be?” he quickly changes the subject.
Gabriel winks at me once again. “I have to babysit my own ginger. There’s a huge fucking mess in Avalon. Shit went down, and I’m talking about major shit. Mitch's sister had sex with a fairy, and created another unusual hybrid,” Gabriel pauses, and continues, “Mitch’s sister died, when she gave birth to her daughter. The fairies chose to disclose this to us that her baby girl is still alive, and here on Earth. She has been living with mortals this entire fucking time. We have to wait to tell her, what she is. My problem is that Khan wants her dead too,” he informs us of his situation.
Christian shakes his head. “I hope you get to her, before Khan does.”
Gabriel grins and smacks him hard on the back. “She’s on my radar. I happen to overhear Oberon, and his stupid brother started this whole mess. Everest was the one, who impregnated Mitch's sister. That makes her a princess from both sides. This mess will screw everything up. There will come a point, to where she will have to decide which team to play on. That’s the entire downfall of Everest's fucking mess. Dude even impregnated a werewolf. He struggles to keep his cock in his fucking pants. I apologize for speaking so vulgar, Jeannie. I normally never swear, but I need to vent, to someone about this entire debacle. You have a great birthday, and don’t let this asshole give you any shit. Chris can be an ass, when he wants to be,” Gabriel finishes telling us his situation, and he hugs me. After he hugs me, he vanishes in thin air.
Christian points at the spot. “Gabriel is a different kind of supernatural. Gabriel plays for the angels,” he answers shyly.
My expression of surprise makes him chuckle. He leads me back on the dance floor, and he pulls me tightly to his chest. A familiar song echoes through the speakers, “Just a Kiss,” by Lady Antebellum. He emits electricity from him, and he tucks me even closer to his body. Leo snaps pictures of us dancing together. I glance over at Ian, and Zane hands him cash. I wonder why they are constantly exchanging money. Ian glances at me, and smiles. The nerves die off, and for the first time, I feel complacent in his embrace. My head rests on his hard chest, and he keeps me there. After the dance ends, there’s undeniable chemistry flowing between us. He leans in to kiss me.
“We have Reno on the bloody run! What do you suggest we do now, Chris?” Charlie interrupts our moment.
Christian glances at me, and then he closes his eyes. “We need, to return Jeannie home first,” he opens his eyes, and he picks me up, “I should warn you that sometimes actual means of transportation is not even quick enough. I hope you are not afraid of heights either.”
The Enforcers escort us into a dark alley.
“You need to hold on tight, and close your eyes,” he informs me of what he’s about to do.
I close my eyes as we lift off the ground. He flew in the air with me; however; I make the stupid mistake of opening my eyes. I gasp as I realize that we are high above the treetops. I can see everything from up here. I keep my fear of heights, and I’m afraid to fall. But with him, I never struggle. I enjoy being in his arms. We land at the castle in less than three minutes. He doesn’t put me down until we are inside his castle, and inside an unusual room. This room feels warm and inviting with the fireplace crackling in the background. There’s a bathroom, and a quaint kitchen adjacent to the room. I notice there’s a queen size bed.
“You have to remain here. The pantries have everything you will need. We should return in a few hours. This is for your own protection. We are off to capture Reno.”
Chapter 8
“You may watch the security cameras, and you can also watch television. With the security cameras, press the green button, to move from camera to camera,” Christian quickly demonstrates how everything works, and then he left.
I’m alone in the room, but I have a cell phone. Here’s my chance to call someone, but I remind myself that this is probably a test, to see if they all can trust me—or not. I reminisce, what my dad told me about honor. He always spoke to me about honor, dependability, and accountability for your own actions.
I pace the room for an hour, and contemplate what to do next in case they don’t return. I already have lost too many people in my life.
The television quickly grabs my attention. I’m surprised that they don’t receive normal broadcast stations, and instead there are many ridiculous networks; Vampire Television network; Werewolf Television network; Fairy Network; and Angel Television. I can’t help, but giggle at the crazy names for networks. There’s even a show on television that has dating for vampires. Dating for vampires is a show, to where friends blindly set them up with vampires, who have unusual fetishes. I change the channel to watch, “True Existences of Supernatural Creatures.”
They start out with their version of “Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous” except they call it, “Existences of the Rich and Famous Supernatural.” I want to see what this show is all about, so I left it on this station. Surely, this isn’t anything like the human version.
There’s even a top twenty list. A few women make the list, and one of those women is his girlfriend, Tracy Hooker. I couldn’t help, but laugh at her last name. I never paid any attention to their names during his meetings. That shows my attention to detail. The other woman who flaunted her body over Christian, and she has the squeaky voice is Shelly Smeltz. These are horrible last names for vampires. Someone should tell them to change their last names. My laughter abruptly fades, after I hear their net worth. Tracy brings home thirty million dollars a year. Not even my assets equal that much. Shelly brings home thirty two million dollars a year. These two are apparently wealthy women.
~~~***~~~
After watching this dreadful show for over an hour, they finally start counting down from ten to one on the list. Some of the men, who stay here, are on the list. Erik and Charlie each brought home forty million dollars apiece. My smile fades into instant fear, after finding out Gabriel the Angel, who I met earlier tonight, has a net worth over fifty million dollars. Apparently, he’s a philanthropist, who lives at home with his parents, brother, and sister. Avalon is where he is from. To escape from his overbearing mother, he hides out at his condominiums that he owns all over the world. He has joint ventures with Joseph Cirrus, Christian, and Alexander. This dull show now grabs my full attention. I have to see who is at the top of this list. I watch Zohar for the Wizards; Nero for the Elves; and Oberon for the Fairies. These were ones, who I have either met, or heard about. They finally announce the top five names. Ian makes it to number five on the list. My mouth drops in shock, after finding out that he directs, and owns the porn industry for all supernatural creatures. This news causes my
stomach to flip-flop. The number four spot goes to Alexander, and his seventy million a year nearly causes me to faint. He keeps up with Christian by co-owning businesses with him. That’s why he ranks higher than others are. Alexander also owns half of this estate. The cringing continues, when the number three spot goes to my great-grandfather. My mouth gapes even wider. He squeaks by Alexander with an extra two million dollars. The top two on the list waits until they return from the commercials. The second spot goes to a fairy, by the name of Joseph Cirrus. Joey only makes a few thousand dollars less than their number one makes.
They wait, to reveal the number one spot, and the commercials seem to last for an eternity. I take deep breaths eagerly anticipating the number one spot.
They return, to reveal Christian makes two thousand dollars an hour by doing absolutely nothing. After I hear his net worth, my head starts to pound. He owns half of the estate that I’m living at now. He can have anything he wants. I found out the hard way, of what he does for a living. He’s a philanthropist, a business tycoon, and a real-estate mogul. He currently owns record companies; hair salons; bars; nightclubs; restaurants; construction companies; airports; airplanes; condominiums; summer homes; winter homes; resorts; with his large list scrolling down the television screen. In addition to all those companies, he owns all the companies that sustain diets for vampires. He owns a large portion of Meropis. He keeps his costs affordable. The vampires trust him over all the other vampires. He has college degrees in almost everything.
I feel incredibly sick, after finding all that information about him. Now I can see why all the single women want to land him. Not only does he land at the top of the list for the most wealthiest supernatural creature, but he also ranks at the top of the list for the most eligible supernatural. I found the nearest trashcan, and let it all loose. I have never felt so ill in my life. Watching the most eligible male supernatural list disgusts me. They broadcast about his past girlfriends, and his exes who look like supermodels. They also reveal, why those exes never worked out. They already have Tracy's name written as an ex-girlfriend. Shelly expresses her intent to date Christian publicly.
I almost turn the television off until they start talking about hybrid vampires. They do a special broadcast on my life. It irritates me that they are talking about me as if I’m dead. They are talking about Ava, as if she’s also dead. Every time they mention my name, I want to puke again. I can see exactly why famous celebrities around the world are so irritable. They know absolutely nothing about me, and they are making judgments, without asking me first. They say that I’m dead, because I supposedly consumed too many humans. The media also accuses me of collaborating with Khan, to murder Ava. The media continues, to lie viciously about me and they believe that Ava is the actual princess and not me. The lies and conspiracy theories continue. The supernatural public already condemns me for being a hybrid, and now they have added vicious lies about me. They have already tried and convicted me in the court of public opinions. This disgusts me greatly, and it causes my stomach to churn viciously.
They move on to another show about other hybrids. I’m not the only powerful hybrid. The girl has no clue who she is yet, and she’s already found guilty. She has noticeably crimson hair like mine. They are following her around, and she never notices. They are saying that she’s half-angel and half-fairy. The media lies again, by stating that she doesn’t want a part of either side. That’s further from the truth. Ember Rayne Tucker is an angel and fairy hybrid. The media has something against hybrids with the way they are attacking us personally. The next show covers laws, and they want all hybrids registered. They demand that all hybrids must live on their own island. They demand that we stay away from the full supernatural creatures. They hate our kind, and label us as an abomination to their kind. There are signs demanding that the Board of Meropis euthanize us. There’s no mistaking the hatred flashing from their eyes. Majority of the vampires are happy, to believe that my sister and I are dead. Some of the vampires want all hybrids, to be destroyed. The news highlights those vampires, who are funding Khan’s cause. Khan wants all hybrids, to vanquish from around the world. I fear for Ember’s safety from all these maniacs. Not only are their vampires supporting Khan’s wrath; but also the werewolves; fairies; witches; wizards; warlocks; and various other supernatural groups support Bill 203. Bill 203 calls for the arrest of all hybrids. They want to place the hybrids in concentration camps, so they can slaughter us one by one. They will even charge full supernatural creatures who create hybrids, with instant death. My tears are streaming down my cheeks. My life and my grandpa's existence are in jeopardy.
The good news, from all this turmoil is that they read off the actual names of who are the people responsible for Bill 203. Those people are on my own personal hit list, but I will prove no better than they are. I’m sure that there are laws in place, to keep me from killing any of them. I bet the house on this one. The best news is that nobody from the Enforcers supports this nasty bill. I turn off the television with my heart breaking for my own kind. How many of them have children? This is an evil scheme, to murder a certain group of people. We are all in deep trouble, if this bill passes. I have no idea who—or where the hybrids are. There has to be tons of us out there by now. Their evil scheme needs to be stopped.
The door opens, and I’m so glad I turned the television off in time. Christian greets me inside this secret room, and he cocks his head to the side. The phrase, ‘ignorance is bliss,’ definitely could have played a huge role earlier—but not now. This is the truth that they’re trying to shield from me. Their futile attempts, to keep me ignorant failed miserably.
He hastily strides over, and he squats in front of me. “I demand to know, what has made you so upset?”
“I will sum it up with one answer, Bill 203,” I answer his question, and I’m still crying.
“We are doing everything we can, to suffocate this movement. I know you are upset, but I want to be the first, to reassure you that none of us supports that ridiculous bill. We want to catch Khan and Reno, and bring them to justice. There are arrest warrants out for both of them. We are killing all the rogues as quickly as we can. I promise you that as long as Saber remains in power, this bill holds no water. Now that Ember exists, the other groups will remain loyal to our cause. We need to keep it that way, and make sure that this bill never surfaces. That is why Gabriel, Joey, and I will keep you girls alive. You and Ember must remain alive at all costs. Khan will create a political statement, if he kills either of you. Do you see, why you are so important?” he carefully explains everything to me.
I nod my head yes, and now I understand. I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly. I count my lucky stars that he’s on my side.
“I can’t wait for the day, when I finally meet Ember! Will that even be a remote possibility?”
“I am sure Joey, and Gabriel will bring her around soon. But right now, you need your sleep. You had a long and eventful day,” Christian looks into my eyes with his perfect ultramarine eyes. He breaks our embrace, and he holds out his large hand. I don’t hesitate, and quickly grab it. This is the first time for him to escort me. I hug and thank him once again, for everything he has done for me.
He leans in, and brushes his lips against my forehead. “You are extremely welcome, and I would do it all over again, for you.”
My bedroom transforms from a prison to an instant hotel room. Christian left me, to work on a few projects for his businesses. I undress, wash, and change into an old shirt. A smile remains on my face as I drift off to sleep.
~~~***~~~
I wish my sleep felt peaceful. Unfortunately, my nightmares commence. I dream of terrifying images of a concentration camp. The rogues kill my friends, one by one. At one point, Arizona and Mesa are the first ones to die. The little girl with the ivory dress stands in front of a pile of carcasses in the middle of a concentration camp, screaming at the top of her lungs. I watch in horror as a rogue attempts to kill her. I quickly dive
over her, to protect her from instant death. Her perfect ultramarine eyes stares directly into mine, and her tears of blood cease.
“I love you mommy,” she says as she hugs me tightly.
~~~***~~~
I wake up and gasp for air. I amazingly don’t even scream this time. My erratic heartbeat slows down after ten minutes, but I’m still sweating profusely. The alarm sounds in twenty minutes, and it is pointless, to return to sleep. This nightmare warrants for an ice-cold shower, to wash all the sweat off.
After my shower, I quickly change and work around my hair. My hair is a challenge, to pull up with the extra volume. My makeup remains off, while I work out.
Louie greets me in the dining hall. He wears a pair of hot pink spandex shorts, a ‘Hello Kitty’ shirt, and sparkling pink ‘Hello Kitty’ tennis shoes. He’s adorable today, but he smiles nervously at me.
“I love your outfit and I’m so jealous of you!” I compliment him happily.
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t approve of what I’m wearing,” he runs his fingers through his hair.
“Why would you think that? The last time I checked, anyone can wear whatever he or she wants. I want everyone to be themselves around me. I will admit one thing… only you can pull off the pink spandex over me. My ass needs major improvement, before I even attempt to wear spandex,” I smile at him affectionately.
Louie claps his hands, and he hugs me. “You will make one fabulous queen someday!”
“I would rather have my grandfather. I need him more than anyone,” I confide to Louie about my grandfather.
After scarfing my light breakfast, we start the day, by stretching together outside.
“What happened last night? Please don’t sugarcoat anything, and tell me the whole truth.”
