Page 5 of Their World (Her Royal Harem: Lily #2)

Chapter

Five

“Are you alright?” Zoman asked.

I sat up, rubbing my head. “Wh-Where am I? What happened?”

“You came to take a shower, but when you didn’t return for so long, King Jolmach asked me to check on you. We found you here in the hallway, on the floor.”

“The last thing I remember was leaving you guys. I-I …” Was there something else? Something else that happened? It felt like there was, but now I couldn’t remember. It was a faint tingling memory, just outside of my ability to grasp it.

“Perhaps you should wait on the shower,” Zoman said and helped me stand. “Come with me to the kitchen and we’ll get your hands washed there.”

“Okay,” I agreed with a nod, but when I tried to walk, I felt dizzy and stumbled.

Zoman grabbed my arm, slung it around his shoulders, and put his arm around my waist. “Did you hit your head when you fainted or something?”

“Maybe,” I said uncertainly. “I … I don’t know.”

When we walked into the kitchen, Jol’s eyes narrowed at Zoman holding me.

“I found her on the floor in the hallway outside her guest room,” Zoman explained.

Jol walked over and inspected my head, forcing Zoman to back away from me. He gently pushed my hair away from my face along the hairline. “I don’t see any wounds.”

“I heal pretty fast,” I said. “If I fell an hour ago, there would be no wound left, just dried blood.”

“No dried blood either,” he said and stepped back, scowling down at me.

I gripped the edge of the counter and said, “I just need a minute to regain my sense of balance.”

“Here, drink some water,” Zoman said and held out a cup for me.

“Thank you.” I drained the entire cup in one gulp.

“Let me finish making food. Food will help,” Jol said.

“Where’s Dhun?” I asked. The pup was usually with us.

“He disappeared shortly after you left to shower,” Jol admitted. His frown deepened, and he said, “Zoman, try to contact him and search the castle for him.”

Jol finished making food, a dish of meat, carrots, and potatoes. He held both our plates in his hand and asked, “Can you walk on your own?”

I nodded.

“You can hold my arm if you want,” he said.

Sliding my hand through his arm, on the inside of his elbow, I walked silently beside him. This had never happened to me before. What could have caused me to faint and not remember?

“You seemed rather upset with the Grand Advisor earlier,” Jol said after a moment. “Can you explain what caused your ire?”

“Upset? No, I’m not upset with him,” I said and shook my head. “Just … confused. I’ve been trying to figure out what this darkness is since it became part of me. He seems to know, and I just want to know what it is. To know how to deal with it and learn more about it.”

“Do you truly have the ability to see the future?” he asked.

I nodded. “Though, with all visions, it’s impossible to tell when that specific vision will come true. It could be hours or years.”

His eyes widened. “Really?”

I nodded again. “I had a vision that came true an hour later and another one that came true one year later.”

“The Grand Advisor seemed to believe his visions were going to come true soon.”

We reached his room and sat on the patio again to eat.

“Each person has different powers and levels of powers. Perhaps he knows when his will happen. I do not know what he is capable of, though it seems he is very powerful.” Something at the back of my mind was trying to come forward, but it felt blocked. “I hope to be able to talk to him again soon. To learn more from him.”

Jol scowled and said nothing in reply.

“The family I was adopted into, there are a few who have visions, they are not able to tell when it will happen either. Perhaps … perhaps the battle he sees won’t happen anytime soon. Perhaps, we, you and my family, could be allies. Perhaps it is your descendants who quarrel with mine?”

He gave no reply, but his brows seemed to furrow deeper, if that were possible.

We ate in silence and just as I finished, Jol straightened with a start and growled. “Come with me.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Zoman found Dhun. He’s done something bad.”

Dhun had done something bad? The pup seemed like he followed the rules as much as he could.

Jol lead us down to the garden where we found it destroyed, dug up and dirt flung everywhere.

My hands went to my mouth as I saw the sprout that I had started regrowing torn to pieces. Dropping to my knees, I felt tears fall down my face and onto the blackened dirt beneath. My hair glowed, a stark contrast to the bleakness before me.

It really was impossible. This world and its people would never be able to regrow crops. They were doomed.

“What have you done?” Jol roared at Dhun. His voice and anger caused the ground to quake.

Dhun cowered in the corner with his tail tucked between his legs and whined.

“What do you mean you don’t remember? You don’t remember destroying the sprout?” Jol demanded.

Dhun shook his head, whined, and curled up smaller.

“I don’t believe you!” Jol bellowed. “Take him to the cells.”

I wanted to object, but as I picked up one of the pieces of the sprout, the words died on my tongue, and fresh tears sprouted.

“Come, let’s go back inside. I don’t know what’s going on in this castle, but I intend to find out.” Jol helped me to my feet and back into the castle. “You can use my bathroom to shower. I’ll stay in the living room so you have your privacy, but I don’t want you to be alone right now.”

“Okay,” I agreed with a nod, feeling numb at the death of the sprout and Dhun’s behavior.

The following day, the Grand Advisor returned to meet with me. Jol wanted to stay in the room, but I assured him it was okay. Reluctantly, he agreed to leave.

“You’ll have to forgive him,” I said softly, “we had an incident yesterday and it put him on edge.”

“An incident?” the Grand Advisor asked with a scowl and stroked his beard.

“So, you said you would provide me more information on this power and what you meant about me being a goddess,” I reminded him.

“What do you know about hybrids?” he asked.

I frowned. “Um, everything. Or at least everything that we know so far. My parents have been working hard to learn as much about our people as possible. How do you know about hybrids?”

“I’ve had the ability to see your world for a while now,” he admitted. “I’ve been specifically following up on information about hybrids when our people go into your world. I have them grab newspapers and such.”

That did make sense, but there seemed to be something else. Something at the edge of my mind … again . Just out of reach.

“Hybrids are more powerful than full-blooded beings as they can combine their powers from the different races that they are born from,” he explained. “The spell that was used against you, it seems to have contained bits from mages, sirens, and demons.”

My eyes widened, and I gasped. “What?”

He nodded. “The darkness, the smoky power you use, is a demon power.”

“Are you …” I swallowed hard. “Are you insinuating that I am part demon?”

“Do you not feel a kinship to these people, myself included?” he asked with an arched brow.

I did, but I had thought perhaps there was something else…

“So, I am … part demon?”

“It would seem so. Only a demon would be able to harness the power like you can.”

Everything I thought I knew was crumbling around me. My parents … my grandparents … the trio … would they care? Would they still love me, want to mate with me, once they found out?

“In fact, you bear a striking resemblance to someone I once knew, a former monarch here. I haven’t mentioned it to King Jolmach, but I believe you are a princess.”

“Wait, what? I am an adopted princess of the hybrids …”

He shook his head, interrupting me. “I believe you are Princess of the Demons.”

My ears rang and dizziness overtook me, forcing me to lean my head on the table before me and take shallow breaths. My hair glowed bright, casting rainbows around us.

“Princess? Princess?” Grand Advisor called.

“Air,” I whispered. “I … need air.”

Panic attack. I was having another panic attack.

Arms picked me up and after a dizzying several seconds, I was back in the garden, set on the cool ground.

Digging my fingers into the burnt soil, I closed my eyes and grounded myself. Wind. I could feel the wind. Sun. I could feel the sunlight. Jol. I could smell Jol.

“Little Queen?” Jol asked.

“I apologize,” the Grand Advisor said. “I think the information I provided her gave her quite a shock.”

“What information?” Jol demanded with a growl.

“That she bears demonic blood and is in fact, Princess of the Demons,” he answered.

Jol didn’t respond and when I looked up at him, I saw disbelief on his face.

“She uses the Third to Reign’s powers,” the Grand Advisor went on. “You cannot deny that.”

“You think …” he swallowed. “You think she is a missing royal? A child raised not here, but in the other world and not taught about her demon heritage?”

“Yes,” the Grand Advisor said with certainty. “I believe that’s why you feel such a pull to her. Because you recognize she is of the royal bloodline and must be protected.”

I wanted to argue, but within me, it felt … right .

“Also, because she is an ideal potential mate for you now that you are king,” the Grand Advisor added.

A potential mate to Jol? No, I had the trio. Jol seemed kind and caring, but my heart already belonged to Mason, Trey, and Kayden.

“You …” I opened my eyes and looked up at the Grand Advisor. “You still didn’t explain the goddess thing to me.”

“Perhaps this is enough for the day. You clearly took the news about your heritage a bit harder than I anticipated. I will come back tomorrow, after you have had time to rest and digest the information.” He bowed his head to Jol and then bowed his head to me.

My eyes widened and my heart pounded again.

Jol picked me up in a bridal carry, startling me. “Don’t worry, even if he is wrong about your bloodline, I will still keep you safe while you’re here. I was protecting you before it was mentioned you might be part demon.”

“If he’s right … I’m not sure what that will mean for my place back home.” Would my parents have to revoke my status as Princess of the Hybrids?

Would the rest of my family view me differently? Would the trio view me negatively? Would they no longer want to court me? Too many questions without any answers. It was maddening. Maddening .

“You’re stressing a lot about this. Is it because you think we’re evil?” His voice was soft and he tried to look uninterested, but I could sense a bit of worry. His aura had been swirling chaotically ever since Grand Advisor’s announcement.

“No, it’s not because I think you’re evil,” I answered honestly. “But this … complicates things significantly in my world.”

“With the ones courting you?”

“Among others,” I murmured.

“Well, if you are part demon, as it seems, you are now with your people and it makes the protective feeling I have for you understandable.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Especially since Jol’s goal was to go to my current world and take it over.

“Why would the protective feeling be understandable now?” I asked curiously.

“Because, before I was king, I was a royal guard for the monarchs and swore a blood oath to protect the royal bloodline. That desire to guard the royal bloodline still courses through me, but sadly, they are all gone.”

“Wait, you aren’t from the royal bloodline?”

Shaking his head, he pushed open the door to my guest bedroom and set me on the chaise lounge.

“During the battle, one traitor assassinated many of the royals. Most of the royal guard were murdered as well. I almost lost my life, but survived and took my revenge on the traitor. The people gave me the title of king and I’ve been in that position ever since.”

“That had to have been rough,” I said and patted his hand where it lay on the chaise lounge arm. “I’m sorry.”

“Is there anything I can get you?”

“No, I just need to rest and think.”

He pulled out a stone from his pocket, the one he’d used previously to call for Zoman, and set it on the side table next to me. “If you need me or need anything, hold this stone in your hand, picture me, and talk. I’ll hear.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

He looked at me with an odd expression, then turned, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Laying down, I closed my eyes and took big, deep breaths.

Were they right? Was I part demon?

Was that why I felt something to the demons that I had thought was because they were hybrids?

Summoning my power, I looked at the snake and asked, “Are you demonic power? Or are you something else?”

The smoke snake’s tongue darted out as it tasted the air, but it gave me no answer.

With a sigh, I dismissed the power and threw my arm over my eyes. How had things become more complicated in just a day? One single day!