Lucky and the Killer ✔

The King is Back

King's house was empty with nothing but a few dim lamps lit and blood on the floor. Zachary did his part. After pulling the bullet from his flesh and tossing it aside, the doctor and Zee packed King up and took him back to the palace. King wasn't about to die by any means, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. The pain made his body fall unconscious, and his awareness came and went. Every step the horses took on the way made him cuss in his sleep. Thankfully, it didn't take them too long to get back.

They placed him in a bed across the hall from where Lilly was when she woke up, and after awhile King began to stir. Gray hadn't lied about the antidote. It worked, and Lilly was up roaming the halls like she was at the fair. The ceiling at the palace was so much taller than King remembered. It stretched in and out as he blinked up at the white lights. At times, he hated the palace, but he couldn't deny it made a great strong hold for them to recover. Heads popped in and out of the doorway as he stared up: Lilly's and Zee's.

"Oh, hello," Lilly said as she stepped into the room. "What's your name?"

"Uh...King," he groaned.

"Well, at least you're still among the living," Zee said as he followed Lilly in.

"King?" Lilly sort of giggled. "For real? I mean, is that really your real name?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked as he watched the lights dance through his vision.

"Sorry," she started and sat down in a chair across from him, "it's just that I don't know anyone on Earth named King."

"Go figure," he said and shut his eyes. "Where's Lucky? I want to see Lucky."

Lilly and Zee exchanged glances. They'd never found her. Zachary was the last one to have seen her. When they didn't find Lucky at King's, they decided to regroup and handle injuries first. King's mind was so fevered that he still had no clue she wasn't with them.

"You need to rest right now," Zee said. "Later."

King got quiet and kept his eyes shut. He twisted in the bed, grunted again, and let out a heavy breath.

"I have...to tell her about the third moon. I swear," he sighed, "if you don't bring Lucky to me, I'll punch your teeth in."

Lilly raised and eyebrow and looked up at Zee. Zee didn't look back down at her, but he did stand up. He nudged her elbow gently to get her to stand, too.

"Alright," he said. "I'll get her. You rest."

"Yeah," Lilly said. "You look like death. Like, you're seriously green. You should sleep."

King's eyebrows raised up over his shut eyes, but that was the only movement he made. The two snuck back out of the rather large room and into the hallway where Zee started to cuss.

"Zachary!" he yelled. "Bella!"

He started walking off. Lilly watched his back as he went, but she still hadn't fully recovered herself. She staggered into the wall as he rounded the corner. It was hard to focus on anything let alone breathing, but the air there was so clean. It wasn't musty. It was nice. She was in another world, and she was still breathing.

"Lilly?" Zee's quiet voice said over her. "Are you alright?"

Lilly nodded, and Zee pulled her into his arms. She took in another deep breath. He smelled like wood and spice—like a candle. His sleeve was smooth, but his arm was so solid. It was weird how the two of them just wanted to be with the other. Maybe, a little disturbed even, but it was hard to consider something trivial like that in another world. Zee was just as amazing.

"I thought I was going to lose you," he said.

"Are you kidding?" Lilly laughed. "You of all people should know how hard I am to get rid of."