Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lisa

I woke up feeling cozier than usual. A familiar warmth wrapped around my body, and all I could do was let myself drown in its comfort. However, just as I was about to close my eyes a second time, I suddenly became aware of a strong arm draped protectively around me. Turning cautiously, I found herself face to face with Klaus. He was seraphic as always, even in his sleep. I took a minute to admire every arc of his face, before finally returning to reality.

Frantically, I raced out of bed, and only then did Klaus's eyes open lazily.

"What did you do to me?!" I yelled out as soon as he sat upright on the bed. With a look of shock, I inspected myself thoroughly, and after two minutes of silence and skepticism, I finally came to conclude that he hadn't touched me.

"What were you thinking? That I took advantage of you in your sleep?" Klaus asked with an arched brow, a look of disgust etched on every corner of his handsome face. It was wrong for me to jump to conclusions the way I'd done, but I really couldn't be blamed for my actions. He had threatened to have his way with me from the very second he took me from Mark, what else was I supposed to think in this situation?

"I..I'm sorry." I squeezed out, and watched as Klaus rolled his eyes exhaustedly. Lazily, he got down from the bed, and without saying another word to me, entered the bathroom. I stood still for a while, unsure of what to do next. However, after five minutes of silence, Klaus popped half of his body out the bathroom door to give me new information.

"Prepare yourself, we'll be meeting with the elders today. Don't act irrational while they're here."

I wanted to contest his words and say that I didn't act irrational, but he retracted his body quicker than I could open my mouth. After thirty long minutes of sitting in silence, Klaus finally appeared from the bathroom, all fresh and wet. Again, he didn't speak to me, he merely got himself dried, got clothed, and immediately exited the room.

I felt relieved that he was gone, but the eerie silence was not what I was used to. Even though I wanted him away from me, he was the only one who provided any sort of entertainment in my life at the moment.

I sat on the bed, unsure of what to do next. I was scared of leaving the room, what if I ran into Maeve? Or even get in trouble with one of these maids. I saw the dirty looks they flashed at me from time to time, it was clear they didn't like my guts, and I knew exactly why. Just like them, I used to be a nobody. However, my life had changed so suddenly, and most of them were jealous of me. Each time I saw the disdainful looks on their faces I always laughed, for some reason they believed that I was happy with this life, they had no idea how badly I wished for us to switch places.

A knock on the door distracted me from my thoughts, and without asking for permission, a familiar figure stepped into the room with a bright smile plastered across the face.

"Your grace.." He addressed me before lowering his head in respect.

A wave of embarrassment immediately coursed through my entire body, and I just sat there red with unease. I recognized the man before me, he was Klaus's friend, Damon, if I could remember correctly. It felt awkward for a man of his caliber to treat me with so much respect, it wasn't something I was used to.

"It's Lisa." I corrected sharply before turning my head away from his bright eyes. Unlike Klaus, there was no air of hostility around Damon, he seemed pure, and the smile on his face made him even more inviting.

"You're mated to the Alpha now, he would kill me if I don't accord you the respect you deserve." Damon replied, but I was certain he was lying. Klaus couldn't care less about what anybody called me. All he was after was what I could give him, he didn't care one bit about what I wanted.

I decided not to further the conversation, he was definitely up to something for him to visit in Klaus's absence, and I wanted to know what he wanted from me.

"Can I help you with anything?" I asked with as much confidence that I could muster. Showing my weakness in front of people I weren't familiar with wouldn't be a good idea. This one respected me at least, and I would love for it to remain that way.

"Klaus instructed me to be your guide for today. He wants me to teach you how to be more aristocratic."

Finally I turned to Damon and met his gaze with an arched brow. "I don't need lessons, I don't need anything." I made it clear before turning away once more.

"I understand your frustration, but as queen, it is necessary that people see you as the queen you are—"

"I don't want to be queen! I don't want any of this!" I bursted out. My sudden outburst had taken him by surprise, but his composure remained unbroken. I was letting out my frustration on him, yet the smile on his face failed to fade.

"As you wish, my lady." He finally yielded, but he clearly wasn't done. "If you're ready, then I'd be more than happy to take you to the dining room, breakfast is ready."

I heard my stomach growl the moment he mentioned breakfast. Thanks to last night's drama I didn't eat at my own mating party, nor did I bother to eat after the party. I had been so occupied with getting away from Klaus that I completely forgot that I hadn't eaten.

"Give me a moment." I instructed before rushing into the bathroom for a minor ablution. After that, Damon led the way towards the dining room, and as we walked, I couldn't help but notice the smile on his face steadily growing brighter.

"Is something the matter?" I asked as we neared the designated location.

"A special guest is joining us for breakfast, I'm merely ecstatic about getting to know him." He answered sharply and only then did I shift my attention from his face. I figured it must be one of the elders, Klaus had mentioned that we'd be meeting them after all.

However, upon stepping into the dining room, my appetite immediately disappeared, and all I could do was glare in horror at the sight before me. Bound to the foot of the large dining table was the bloodied body of the man I loved.

"Mark?!"