Blood Legacy Chapter 78: 76. A castle fit for a queen

I bit back a tired yawn, absently staring into the darkness surrounding us as we drove in complete silence. Jess was already asleep in the back, peacefully lying in between David's arms as he gently held her, tenderly peering down at her from time to time as if making himself sure that she was real and there, resting close to his heart.

I was pretty damn positive that his arms must've hurt by now from staying in that same position for hours, no matter how strong he was. But he didn't move an inch. He didn't even express the faintest trace of discomfort as I sat there and peeked at them through the rearview mirror for a little while as I was obviously bored out of my mind and with nothing else better to do. There was no music, no scenery to gaze upon as it was pitch black outside anyway and I was too tired to strike up a conversation at that point.

So I made myself more comfortable under Nathan's jacket and finally let myself fall asleep, lulled by that barely audible whizzing sound of the car darting forward through the chilly night air, my lips spreading into a tiny smile as the last thing I could feel before I fell asleep was the warm touch of Nathan's hand over my thigh.

But the moment that absolutely terrifying howl suddenly rung in my ears, loud and clear I suddenly jolted in my seat as if being slapped awake, my heart pounding and my eyes wide, struggling to comprehend where I was and what just happened.

"Shh, it's okay. You're safe. They're only announcing the pack that we're here,"

"W-what? W-who?" I turned my head to stare at Nathan with confusion, barely aware of that hand still caressing my thigh as I blinked and then looked outside, lastly realizing that it was already early morning, judging be the faint light peeking from between the dense conglomeration of trees.

We were in a forest? Why the hell were we driving through a forest?

"The pack scouts. They're soldiers who are constantly patrolling our lands, making sure that there are no threats or uninvited guests,"

Threats? What kind of threats?

I sat up straighter in my seat, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before taking another look outside, staring at the dense and green scenery surrounding the car. Hell, even the path we were currently driving on was barely visible, as if it'd been rarely used.

Where the hell were we going? Into another fucking realm?

My gaze darted into the rearview mirror to check on Jess, not surprised at all to notice that visibly terrified look marring her features, even though she was trying to appear as calm as possible.

*Oh my god! Dre!* I suddenly remembered, immediately turning around in my seat to check if their car was still following ours.

"She's okay. She got a little scared too but she's okay now," I snapped my head back to look at Nathan, blankly staring at the side of his calm-looking face. But that anxiousness still got the best of me -even though I had just seen their car still tailing ours- so I fully turned back in my seat and searched for my phone, again not surprised at all to notice that it had no service.

It mean, we were in the middle of a forest after all. *Why did I even bother expecting anything else?*

I awkwardly cleared out my throat, absently staring straight ahead as I calmly asked,

"Uhm, why are we driving through a forest? Is this like a, like a shortcut or something?"

I frowned at the sound of Nathan's small chuckle, followed by his sarcastic reply,

"What, did you think that we'd be living in the middle of a big fancy city? A whole army of supernatural bitches?"

My gaze narrowed, however relaxing a little as soon as I heard Jess burst into a fit of barely-restrained giggles, clearly amused by what he just said.

I rolled my eyes and gave his arm a mild shove, sinking back in my seat and allowing myself to smile a little at the sound of him feigning hurt.

We drove in silence for the rest of the way, barely aware when that grassy and bumpy path changed into smooth asphalt, and before I even knew it we were already approaching what appeared to be a set of incredibly large and imposing iron gates, intricately designed with swirls, lines and two wolves with their snouts open and facing upwards as if howling at the moon at their upper parts.

*Holy shit.*

My mouth hung open with utter astonishment as soon as those gates parted on their own, giving me a better view at the horrifyingly large and imposing fucking castle standing tall even from a distance.

Huge was an understatement. It was fucking enormous! It seemed to be several stories high, with three important wings -at least from what I could see from this far- all beautifully crafted mainly from stone but also with certain wooden parts in it, all giving it such a beautiful and fairytale-like vibe. It had towers and balconies, pieces of sculptured stone and stained glass in its large windows, parts of the walls covered by thick and swirling vines.

It looked fucking magical.

"Do you approve? Is it to your liking, my queen?"

I turned my head to incredulously stare at Nathan, throwing him a look that said, *are you out of your damn fucking mind?*

But he only chuckled in response, clearly not having bothered to have a read of my current state through that damned bond.

The truth was, I felt completely overwhelmed by what I was seeing and what I knew that was about to happen as reality was slowly starting to sink in.

We were about to enter that *damned monstrosity* and meet the current king and queen!

*Holy shit I think I'm gonna faint. Right here and now.*

My heart was already pounding inside my chest, my mouth and throat feeling dry like sandpaper as we eventually stopped right in front of the castle, barely registering when they all climbed out of the car, leaving me to sit there and gawk like a damn lunatic.

I flinched as the door to my side suddenly flung open, making me almost shriek with fright before my gaze met Nathan's, noticing that warm smile spreading over his lips as he offered me his hand.

"Ready, love?"

*Oh, let me see. Uh, no! Definitely not!*

He only chuckled again as if having heard that thought -which he probably did- lightly shaking his head before he helped me out and wrapped an arm around my waist to steady my wobbly body, his lips placing a gentle kiss over my forehead.

*"There's no need to be scared, I'm here with you. I'll keep you safe from anything and anyone like I promised,"*

No need to be scared? I was fucking quaking in my pants -ahem, skirt! He was a prince, a real freaking prince and we were about to meet the whole royal family!

Why didn't I think this through? Why did I ever accept to come here? What the hell was I even thinking? That he was just joking around when he said that he was the future king? That I'll see them all living in a small and normal house or some shit? God! How could I be so fucking casual about this?

How could I be so goddamned stupid?

*Great, and now I feel underdressed too,* I thought as I casually noticed the people roaming around as they took our suitcases and disappeared with them whilst others rushed to open the huge double wooden doors for us, all acting like regular butlers and maids. They were also dressed as such, wearing perfectly clean and ironed white shirts along with tailored slacks or skirts, each of them looking simply impeccable. Not a single strand of hair was out of its place, not a single speck on their attires and not a single particle of dust could be seen on their black and shiny shoes.

I looked utterly awful and out of place, compared to them.

My skirt was too short and revealing, the long white socks covering my legs barely going past my knees and my pink hello kitty hoodie made me look so stupid and immature, along with the canvas shoes adorning my feet.

Why did I ever think that it was a good idea to arrive here dressed like this?

"You look amazing. I feel like eating you up every time I lay my eyes on you. And that candy-scented perfume doesn't make it any easier for me. You look fucking edible," I furiously blushed upon hearing him say that out loud from right next to me, anxiously looking around to see if anybody else heard that too.

I don't know if they really did or not, no one seeming to care though as they continued minding their business, acting like nothing happened. They didn't even look at me twice. Hell, they were even acting like I was supposed to be there!

"Now, quit your whining and come with me. Everybody will love you, you'll see," I turned my head to look up at Nathan, feeling his hand wrap around mine as he offered me one of those dazzling smiles of his.

And with a gentle tug he coaxed me to start walking by his side, noticing the way his maids and butlers bowed, one by one as we passed them by, constantly adressing us by "my prince and princess".

*Damn. I don't think I will ever get used to this.* I thought as we climbed those stone steps, casually hearing the sounds of other footsteps trailing right after us. So I quickly turned around to take a quick peek, noticing David and Jess close behind us, followed by Dre, Estefany and the warriors. And whilst Jess seemed meek and composed, holding herself like an actually educated young lady as she kept her back straight and her gaze lowered, my dear sis was a completely different story.

She kept openly gawking at everything and everyone, talking with the girls and giggling like a little schoolgirl on a field trip.

I suddenly tripped and almost fell as I wasn't even looking where I was going, letting out a small squeak right before that steely arm wrapped around me, effortlessly steadying me back on my feet.

*"Thanks,"* I meekly sent out through the bond as I threw a glance up at him, meeting his perfect smile again.

*"Hey, that's what soulmates are for. Holding you up on your feet when you're ready to fall,"*

Now it was my turn to openly gawk at him for a moment, blinking with bewilderment and almost on the verge of tripping again before he swiftly steadied me for a second time, letting out a small chuckle.

"Okay, now you're doing it on purpose,"

*"I know that you want me to touch you, and I will but later tonight, after dinner. We just have to meet with my family first and then I'm all yours,"*

Wait what? Dinner?!? What dinner?

Unfortunately, he didn't get to further elaborate on that as we finally found ourselves inside.

But it wasn't the interior what made my jaw drop to the floor and suddenly freeze like a deer caught in between the headlights. Instead it were those multiple finely-dressed silhouettes standing in different places on the grand staircase, looking like they were pulled out of an extravagant and overly dramatic tv show as they all stared at us like hawks at their preys.

Holy mother of Christ.

*What the hell have I gotten myself into?*