King's POV
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That sick little maid doesn't seem to be causing any more issue for me and she's become a great favorite of all the men. Even my current mistress seems to love watching her now that the light has left her eyes. No one has ever seen a human lose their spirit so quickly. I can't help but to smile a bit to myself. Ever since the night I felt my mate betray me and give herself to another man I take great pleasure in taking it out on Alice, my only real outlet for my anger besides sex. Oh. I get an idea and go find Chloe to see what she thinks of my plan. She is delighted.
I have Alice chained to my bedroom wall and get in bed with Chloe, who is very eager to do it with Alice in the room. Her eyes go from hazy to glassy as soon as I enter Chloe. Chloe makes a big show for our guest and it feels so good I almost can't feel the pain telling me that this isn't my mate. When we finish I cuddle up to Chloe and we fall asleep, leaving Alice to dangle all night.
Waking up I go over to Alice to let her down when I notice her eyes have completely changed now. They were blue when she got here but now they are completely black. I laugh out loud , waking Chloe up. She seems very delighted by the change that has come over Alice. She unlocks her and starts to stroke her. I feel the slightest pain in my chest from my mate's disloyalty and feel my anger raise up. Grabbing my belt off the floor I whip Alice with it. To my surprise she doesn't even flinch or scream. Just stands there. I feel my phone buzz and see my sister thinks she may know a way to find my mate. I send Chloe away, telling her to have everyone leave the palace for a bit. "Alice" I try to get the girls attention. She didn't even bat an eye as I said her name. I wave my hand in front of her but still she doesn't react. "Go back to work as a maid for now." I tell her, hoping this will make her leave. At that she begins to walk out without a word. I go meet Eliza and hear her plan for a grand ball, all un-mated fae permitted to attend by royal decree, as a way for everyone to meet their mates. It's a genius idea since it will allow me to search for my mate and win my peoples favor even more. Let's begin preparations at once, we'll have a ball at the end of the month.
It's the day of my grand ball and I'm stuck here listening to Patty whine about that sick maid. It seems she hasn't spoken in a while and she stopped passing out. "Isn't it good that she's stopped passing out?" I growl. What is the problem with a maid who STOPS passing out while working. " Because nothings changed, how could she have gotten better when we didn't even know what ailed her..." I cut her off "Maybe nothing really was wrong with her and she just didn't want to work hard" I wave her away and continue. "Eliza is floating around here somewhere, if your that concerned get her to look at her." and with that Patty finally leaves. I haven't given much thought to Alice since her eyes darkened over other that to notice that while the change in her eyes seemed to excite the men once again this time they lost interest in her quite quickly. I had asked one of them about it and all he said was that it wasn't fun anymore. I didn't really care, I was mostly excited to find my mate at the ball. As the king I would shake hands with everyone who came and that way I would be sure to find her. When you touched your mate it is supposed to be wonderful, a pleasurable tingly sensation. Which I eagerly awaited, especially given the pain that runs through me every time I touch any other woman. It used to just be when I did something naughty with another woman but Eliza says since we've both rejected our mate bond by sleeping with another it has been intensified. I go get ready for the ball and as I walk down the hallway I see Patty talking with Eliza. Good she can leave me alone now.
The ball has started and a few dozen couples have found their mates so far but every woman whose hand I've shaken has caused me pain. I glance over at my sister to see her questioning eyes. I shake my head slightly and go back to welcoming guests. I noticed Alice is beside her, maybe there really way something wrong with her. If there was Eliza would be the best person for it, she had emphatic and telepathic abilities that made her invaluable. As the last person to enter shakes my hand I feel disappointment that she didn't come. A young woman asks me to dance and I respectfully accept, she too has not found her mate here tonight. As the ball finishes up many of my subjects thank me, having found their mates when they may not have otherwise they are giddy with joy. I wish them well and as the last one leaves Eliza strides over to me with Alice, looking very upset. "I have a theory but I hope I'm wrong" she says as she grabs my hand and places it on Alice's shoulder. "What are you doing?" I ask her, annoyed. "It didn't hurt, did it?" She says softly. I turn my attention to my hand, what she's implying couldn't be true... could it? I reach down and hold Alice's hand in mine but there are no sparks. "It can't be her, I don't feel anything special." I say to her with relief. I let go of Alice and watch her hand drop black it place with slight puzzlement, she never even batted an eye. Eliza started to sob out, " Of course you didn't, she IS your mate b..bu..but shes GONE. There are no thoughts for me to read, this is just a shell." That can't be right, I've never heard tell of such a thing. "A human can't just leave their body Eliza." I start. I'm still trying process this, it never even occurred to me that a human could be my mate let alone would be. "It's because she's human that she is gone. She couldn't handle the pain she was in, it erased who she was. Look at the poor things eyes, do you see anyone inside!?" Eliza explains. I think back to the first time I felt my mate give over to another, it was the same night I sold Alice's virginity to Charles. I think back further to Alice's fainting episodes, they all happened when I was with a mistress of mine. Even her eyes darkening lined up with when I had sex with Chloe in front of her. I can tell Eliza has followed all of my thoughts and she backs away a step from me, "YOU did this." she accuses me "You made her an empty shell. She can't love you and there is nothing left of her to be loved by you... how could you break your own mate." She starts crying as I realize what she has just said. I'll never experience the bliss of finding my mate and making her mine. My people will think of me as a true monster when they hear of the fate of my mate.
