Chapter 1

Amelia’s POV

Splash—

A bucket of ice-cold water snapped me awake, drenching me in an instant. The chilling shock of it tore a loud gasp off my throat.

“Wake up, human slut!” the guard who had dumped the water on me snapped. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up like a rag doll.

My father had ordered that I be locked in a cage. I had been there for the past two days. No food. No water. Now I am being dragged out, with absolutely no strength to fight back.

The guard hauled me along until we reached the grand hall. The heavy doors were already ajar. As we walked in, he shoved me roughly to the ground, my knees bruising and cutting open on impact. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let a single tear drop.

“Ah… the weak bloodline arrives,” my father voice thundered in the hall.

The elders and onlookers burst into shrill laughter. I had been an object of ridicule my entire life — the total opposite of my sister, who carried the grace and strength of our bloodline.

I looked up at them, drinking in the look of hatred and disgust plastered on their faces. It was nothing new. I was used to it.

“It’s really a good thing that she is being sent to the king’s palace,” one of the elders say, a sneer twisting his features. “For once in many years, we will finally be rid of this eyesore,”

My heart stopped instantly. The king’s palace?

“Wh… what do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“You are not deaf, Amelia. You will be sent alongside other girls to the king,” my father said, stepping down from his dias and walking closer. “You have no right to refuse.”

“You know he will kill me,” I whispered, lifting my head up to look at him, hatred burning through my gaze. “You are willing to give me away to that… monster?”

“Shut up!” he growled, staring down at me with absolute loathing. “You should be grateful I am only sending you away. I can end your life right here and now if I want, you cursed brat!”

“Then do it! Go ahead and do it!” I yelled, anger suddenly surging through my veins. “You have hated me my entire life just because I am human, so why not just kill me and be done with it!”

The next thing I knew, a hard kick slammed into my belly. He kept kicking me until I coughed up blood. When he finally stopped, he gripped my neck, lifting me totally off my feet, and choking me.

“I’ll grant your request then,” he growled, his sharp claws digging into my skin.

I shut my eyes tightly, blood dripping from my lips down my chin. Just when I thought I was finally going to die, his grip loosened and he flung me away. I hit the wall and crashed down with a loud thud.

“I won’t kill you,” he said, turning his back to me. “You will be sent to the king, better still you die there,”

My breathing came in shallow gasps. I looked up at him, clenching my fist. “I refuse. I will not go to the king’s palace!”

He froze, turning around swiftly at my sudden outburst. In a blur, he shadow-stepped, appearing right in front of me. “What did you say?”

I lifted my head up, looking him straight in the eye. “I said I will not go to the king’s palace.”

I expected another round of intense beating, but instead, he burst into an outrageous laughter. “Did you for a second think I’d let you walk out of this hall on your own? You are wrong. You will be dragged out like the filth that you are.” He signaled to two husky guards. “Drag her out, the men from the king’s palace are already waiting.”

The guards walked over and hauled me up, dragging me out of the grand hall.

“Let go! Let me go,” I screamed and thrashing against them, but they were way too stronger for my weak human self.

As I am dragged through the hallways, the staff we passed burst into laughter, mocking my struggles. Just before we reach the mansions main doors, my sister, steps into the corridor, a mocking grin plastered on her face.

“Awww… little sis, you look like shit,” she laughed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “It’s such a pity that all this beauty will be reduced to mere ash and bones the moment you step into the king’s palace.”

I just stare at her, saying nothing. It was useless to argue.

She walked closer, leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “Have you heard? No woman survives his bed. And as weak as you are, you will break the moment he touches you.” She pulled away, laughing like a maniac. “I’ll be waiting patiently for news of your passing. Drag her out.”

The guards dragged me to the front gates. I didn’t bother looking back at the hell I had called home for twenty years. At the curb stood a rusty, black old van. Two men — or whatever supernatural creatures they were — stood beside the vehicle doors, their dark eyes boring holes into my skin.

“Is she the last one?” One of them asked as the guard shoved me to the ground.

“Yes, she is,” my father’s guards replied before turning around and stomping away.

I looked up at the transport men. Their faces were entirely expressionless.

“Get the fuck up!” One of them growled, sending a jolt of fear through me.

I slowly lifted my weak, drenched body off the ground and stepped into the van. There were other girls inside, already crying and shaking from fear. Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them drop. The men climbed into the front of the van, turned, turned the key and the engine roared to life.

“Shut your filthy mouths! Or I’ll rip out your tongues,” one of the drivers barked at the cabin, instantly silencing the sobbing girls.

I sat frozen. The chill finally of the water finally settling into my bones, the taste of copper was faint in my mouth, and my entire body ached brutally. I wrapped my hand around my waist, trying to preserve what little body heat I had left. They had sent me away with nothing. Not even a change of clothes.

The drive to the king’s palace took hours. My eyelids grew incredibly heavy, but I forced myself to stay awake. I needed to see where they were taking us. I needed to map out the roads so I could plan my escape.

After roughly six hours drive, the van finally came to a halt. I peered through the window, and there it was. The domain of the most evil being on earth.

The men stepped out and threw the back doors open.

“Move!” One barked, grabbing one of the girls and pulling her out of the van. The rest of us followed obediently to avoid being handled roughly.

We walked toward the front of the palace. It looked ancient, with gnarled branches and thick thorns spiraling all the way up its stone facade. The eerie aura that shrouded the entire place made the hairs on my arm stand erect.

We were led inside, and surprisingly, the interior strikingly more beautiful than the decaying exterior. It was decorated in a lavish, modern style, and the polished walls of the hallway glistened under chandeliers. Looking at the luxury, who would ever think so many girls had lost their lives in this very place.

Suddenly, a woman appeared ahead of us, as if she had materialized out of thin air. We paused, taking several startled steps backward. The guard walked over to her, speaking in hushed tones, before turning on his heel and leaving us with the strange woman.

She stared at us, her expression cold and entirely blank. Then, she gestured with a sharp wave of her hand for us to follow. She led us to a pair of massive, beautiful mahogany double doors, pushing them open to reveal a grand room.

“Welcome,” she said, her eyes scanning our small group like a predator sizing up prey. “There are some rules that you need to strictly follow.”

“I don’t want to be here! I don’t want to!” one of the girls suddenly screamed.

I snapped my head toward her, but before I could even blink, the strange woman was already in front of her. She grabbed the girl’s neck and twisted it sideways with a sickening crack.

The girl dropped to the floor. Dead.

My heart leaped straight into my throat. She had just killed someone right in front of us without a second thought.

“Rule number 1,” the woman hummed, dusting off her palms as she brought her chilling gaze back to the rest of us. “Noises are absolutely not allowed. His majesty despises noise.”