The Little Wolf and Her Demon King

Chapter 9: Taken

"So this is what you do all day?" I asked Nik as I walked around his office. It's been a few days since our dinner date and things have only gotten better. We were spending more and more time together and today, he invited me to sit with him in his office while he worked. This way, I could see what goes into to running his kingdom.

"Yes, princess, this is what I do all day." He said with a smirk. He went back to writing in a notebook. I sighed as I threw myself down on the couch. I looked up when I heard him chuckle.

"What will I be doing as queen?" I asked. He raised his eyebrows in question. "What? Am I not going to be queen?"

"Yes you will be queen." He said, leaning forward and giving me a smile. "I just didn't know if you were ready to talk about that just yet."

"It has to happen at some point. Might as well go ahead and embrace it." I explained. "I just don't know how to run a kingdom."

"Give me a few days to wrap up this trade deal and I will take an entire day to go over everything." He told me. "Maybe when my parents come to visit, my mother can sit down and talk with you. Then we just take it day by day and figure out when you want your coronation to be."

"Sounds like a plan." I smiled at him. We spent a few more minutes talking and then he started working again. I ended up taking a nap on the couch and he was sweet enough to let me sleep until he had a meeting to go to. I kissed him on the cheek and decided to head down to the gardens.

This was my happy place. I loved all the bright colors and the quietness. There were very few gardeners out today. I decided to go to the far end of the garden for some peace and quiet. There was a cute little swing hanging from a tree. I sat there for a long time just swinging and thinking about things. I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear someone come up from behind me. There was a pain in my head and everything went black.

. . .

"Are we gonna kill her now or wait?" I heard a voice as I started to come to. I could tell I was laying on the ground but I didn't know where. I creaked one eye open and saw several guys with their backs turned to me. We were in the forest.

"No, we gotta take her in alive. Zeke will take care of her when we get back." Another guy said. My blood ran cold. Of course Zeke was behind this. "Seems like the little bitch is awake."

My eyes shot completely open as I tried to crawl away from them. I struggled to move because of the rope tied around my hands. I even tried to shift but I couldn't. Wolfsbane. There was wolfsbane on the rope. The guys laughed as they faced me full on. I recognized them instantly.

"Didn't think we'd given up on you, did you?" James said, crouching down next to me. He reached and ran a finger down the side of my face. I recoiled in disgust. "You're looking great, Johanna. Being shacked up in the castle really did you some good."

"Don't touch me." I snapped at him. They all laughed at me for that. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Zeke wants you back. Mostly so he can kill you himself." He leaned in and put his face in my neck. He growled low as he inhaled. "I'm sure he won't mind if we have a little fun first."

When he leaned in, he gave me a clear view of the woods behind him. None of them were paying attention to what was coming. Twin black clouds barreled through the woods. Nik and Ella.

"He's going to kill you." I said, laughing loudly.

"Zeke isn't going to kill us." Tyler said from behind James. The clouds got closer and I smiled.

"I'm not talking about Zeke. I'm talking about my true mate." I whispered. I head butted James and watched as he collapsed on the ground. I leaned down close to him as he held his hand over his broken nose. "Tell Zeke that the king sends his regards."

The moment the words came, the clouds engulfed us. I slid back from James as I heard the screaming around us. I still couldn't move because of the ropes. I felt two strong arms lift me off the ground.

"Johanna, are you okay?" A guttural voice sounded in my ever. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, Nik." I said, reaching both hands up to find his face. Instead of finding his soft skin, my hand came in contact with rough, scalelike skin. I didn't pull back my hand. Instead, I moved my thumbs back and forth in a reassuring motion, letting him know that I really was okay. The screams and growls continued around us as he walked us out of the black cloud.

Then I got a good look at him. His skin was completely black and rough. Small spikes lined the top of his head, almost like a crown. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue. The more I stared at him, the more shameful he looked. He started to look away, but I pulled his face back to look at me.

"I see you, Nikos." I whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "And I am not afraid."