Slave to Destiny

Roland nearly attacked me from the side upon my entrance of the slave quarters. Worry was radiating off of him. My alpha instinct wanted to snap him into place, but mentally I chose a more sympathetic approach. “What happened? Are you okay? What did they do to you?” the words came out of his mouth in an incomprehensible slur.

I forced a smile upon my lips and told him, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

It was obvious he didn’t believe me. “He hurt you!” Roland growled grasping my wrist. I let him tug me into an empty room as he began to investigate my injuries. As he lift my shirt to reveal the twisted letters that spelled MUTT, I saw his features twist into real horror. “I’ll kill him!” he howled. I could almost see the painful shocks going up and down his spine as his collar bent him back into shape.

“Calm down Roland,” I muttered reaching out to comfort my friend, “I have already forgiven them for what has happened. So should you.”

He didn’t understand, “How could you forgive this? They are disgusting! You are a princess that deserves respect!” His outburst only reassured me that I was doing the right thing. If our world was going to live in peace than we would have to give a little just as they would.

“Roland hush,” I whispered wrapping my arms around him in a hug, “ I came down here to change not be be pitied. We both need to get to work. I will be fine.”

Grudgingly Roland left me by myself. Upon being left alone I let my pain shine through. How was I supposed to go back up stairs and spend the day with Edmund like nothing happened? Was I even supposed to be with Edmund? Was I only punished because of Abigail was angry with her son? The questions didn’t sit well with me. I sauntered over to the trunk and put on a loose floral dress, before making my way back up stairs. My stomach growled. I hate my life.

Cole’s POV

Somehow I found myself locked away in my study staring across from an elderly witch who apparently held some prophecy in which I was involved. Everything about her disturbed me. The way her blind eyes traced me as though she could see. The way she held herself with such reassurance. It was as if she already had her deck of cards and knew exactly how this was going to turn out. My stomach twisted even more as I thought of how I’d just seen the woman stroking the loosely curled golden brown hair that belonged to Gabby.

A small smile formed on the woman’s lips as she whispered so only I could here, “You don’t really know her, do you boy?” Know who? Did she know what I was thinking about.

“Know who?” I asked pretending I hadn’t the slightest idea. Perhaps she was a fraud naming off random statements that could be taken as anything.

“Don’t take me as a fool,” her hoarse voice growled

Surprise was written across my face. What didn’t I know about Gabby? She was a slave that I found myself oddly attached to. “Oh my dear child, I can show you a future that would be possible if you can face the task before you. You could have everything if you accept them as they are. If you stray from the path of your blood you will have a bright future, but if you continue down this path I see death and destruction. You will lose her. You will lose them all to prejudice and war. Her death is so very probable without you.”

“Gabby is not going to die,” I hissed resenting all the words the woman was saying.

The woman laughed unafraid of my temper. “Perhaps not, but if you don’t do the right thing I fear they will destroy her just as she should have been destroyed on the night that castle burned.” Questions were zooming through my mind, but I never got to ask any of them because at that moment my father barged through the study’s door. He look wild and angry as he stared down the old woman.

Perhaps it was a trick of the eye, but seconds later the woman vanished in thin air. “What did she say?” my father hissed storming over to me. His anger was out of control, and I couldn’t quite understand why.

“What does it matter, it was just a stupid seer,” I muttered feeling rebellious. He wasn’t amused as he smashed his fist down on the maple wood desk. It split under impact.

“She was not just any seer! How could you not see that?” he was fuming, “It was that bitch Night Mother. You know the goddess that those MUTT’s worship out of stupidity. Now what did she say?”

I was tempted to reveal everything that had been told to me, but something restrained me. I may have no ties to the Night Mother, but that was Gabby’s goddess. Something was missing from this picture and if I told my father I was never going to figure it out. “She didn’t say much. She was just being a fool babbling on about peace. Stupid woman,” I grumbled in my usual bratty tone. Things were no longer matching up in my head.

With a bit more evading of my father’s questions I found myself alone in my study trapped deep within my thoughts. Daniel had been pushing me to try and make peace between the races, but I had never taken the idea seriously until now. As I sat there I thought of the people I was supposed to be serving. I thought of the war and how it had tore us all apart. And most of all I thought of Gabby. We could never be together. It was not just because she was a wolf and I was a vampire. It was because she was a slave and I was royalty. My stomach twisted at the thought. We were never going to be together. Who was the Night Mother kidding?