Royal Blood Book one(wattys2016)

Are we there yet?

I took the back seat of the blacked out taho, I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts.

I still didn't fully comprehend what was going on and I had so many more questions.my brain could only handle so much information and I needed to justify my reason for leaving with these strangers.

I wasn't convinced that I was some sort of long lost royal destined to be queen, but Lily seemed to think I was important and if anything I had to at least prove them wrong. I wanted to go home so bad, I wanted to walk in my front door and see my mom making my favorite green tea the way she always did when I had a rough day. I wanted to feel her hug and feel safe again. I wanted my soft satin sheets and hell, I even missed that stupid timone. I prayed they had the wrong girl; after all I was just plain old Nat. I wasn't special, just your normal teenage girl with normal teenage problems. I didn't ask for any of this and I didn't want to be special, I was content being ordinarily.

My alone time didn't last long as Lily slid into the back seat next to me.

"Do you mind?" she asked as she took the row behind me and pulled out a laptop.

"It's more spacious back here and I wanted to talk to you privately." she looked stressed, so I just nodded my head and continued to stare out the window.

Aristotle finally hoped in the driver's seat with two large black duffel bags and placed them on the passenger's seat. He started the SUV and we were off.

"Hey Ari can you give us a min?" Lily asked from the back seat.

Aristotle didn't reply but hit a button above his head and a black glass came up from in-between the seats separating the back passengers from the driver.

"Do you want to talk?" Lily took off her belt so she was facing me.

"I don't know what to say." I replied.

"I know this all seems crazy, I was once human too many years ago. I know what it's like to have your whole life change one day." her voice was venerable.

"It just doesn't seem real to me is all." I confessed. It felt good denying it out loud.

"Well it is, and you are who you are. Can I ask you something Natalia?" she scooted even closer to me, me.

"You can call me Nat, only my mom calls me Natalia, and sure."

"I need to understand where you came from. There hasn't been another royal since the massacre of the Callahan's. It doesn't seem possible that you exist. Who are your parents?" she opened up her computer and studied me, waiting for my response, like she was going to type every word I spoke. And she did. 

"My mother's name is Karol throne, and I know nothing of my father. No name, no address I haven't even seen a picture of him." I replied.

She took a second to type my answer down before looking up.

"Are you writing this down?" I asked, curious to know why.

"Yes, I need to document every aspect of your life. If where going to figure out whom you are we need to keep a record." She looked at her computer satisfied and shrugged.

"So you don't know your dad? That means he could have been a royal, the possibility is without doubt because you have royal blood flowing through your veins. We just need to figure out who impregnated your mother. "She was looking at me like the answer was somewhere written on my forehead.  Those black, soulless eyes made me shiver. How did she see anything?

"Maybe I could talk Ari into questioning your mother; she may be able to tell us who your father is."

"NO!" I yelled a little too loud, it startled her as she leaned back.

"I will not allow you to drag my mother into this crazy ass world. You already hold me captive I won't allow you to do the same with her. if you so much as call her I will find a way to escape and you will never have the answers you so desperately seek." I scowled at her, making sure she understood the severely of my threat.

"Ok, ok your majesty. But you're going to have to help with this dilemma. No one will follow you without proof. Yes you have the blood, but the people of Alabo need more than that." She sat up from her back row seat and made her way to the empty seat beside me. 

"Why? Why can't you just pretend you never met me, and allow your king to rule? What's so bad about continuing the way you have been living all these years? I just don't understand what you expect from me." I couldn't look at her black eyes, so I just stared out the window. I had no idea where we were, nothing looked familiar.

"King Aaron is a monster Nat, he murdered his own family for power and if there is the smallest chance of hope that another royal exist." Her face dropped. "We have to take that chance.  Our world had been living in fear and suffering for too long." I didn't think it was possible but her eyes seemed darker than normal.

"You are so lucky it was Ari who activated your call. If it had been Valak or another knight you would surely be dead." She said.

"Who's Valak?" I asked.

"Someone you never want to meet." She looked away.

"Valak is the king's protector, like Ari is yours. He activated Aarons call when he was just a young vampire. Over the years he has grown more evil than the King himself. He serves the king with undying loyalty and will not hesitate to take a life. Especially another royals life." She explained.

"So royals only have one protector?" I asked

"I don't know if Ari wants me telling you this, but if you're going to be queen you need to understand the way our world works. Can I trust you Nat?"

"Of course, I have nothing else to lose right now." I mumbled.

"Yes, each royal has only one protector. The knight that activates the call, but all knights are loyal to the king. The protector is different though, he or she cannot ignore a call from their royal, they have a mental bond that can only be broke in death. If the king wills it, the protector must obey. This is why King Aaron killed his family. He knew there were knights loyal to the others and he wanted all the power for himself. When he killed his family the bonds to the knights also died and were left to obey him only." She studied my expression to make sure I understood.

"Ari is different; he is now bonded to you, making him the only knight in our world to have the power to disobey the king if you will it. If another royal exists, with the exaptation of Valak the knights will be able to choose freely who to serve and that is why you are so important." She slouched back in her chair, obviously thinking about if she did the right thing in telling me this info.

"I just don't know if I can be the person you want me to be." I reached out and touched her hand. She was freezing and I felt sorry for her. She seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders and she trusted me enough to confine in me. I wanted to trust her; I wanted to believe everything she said I just couldn't help the doubt that was circling my head. They have the wrong girl, and when they realize it, it might be too late. I know way too much. What would happen to me than? 

"You have to try." She whispered and moved back to her seat behind me and continued to pound on her laptop keyboard.

It wasn't until now that I realized the color of the sky as I looked out my window. It wasn't the light blue shade as when we first left but a rather dark purple. The clouds where black like a storm was coming and i couldn't help but think that was a bad omen. I turned my neck and looked at lily,

"Are we there yet?" I asked, hopeful.

"almost." Was all she said as she focused on her screen.