Chapter 13

“Andre? You are a shapeshifter?” Jessica asked extremely interested.
“Not really, like Lycan Werewolves, I can only change into an owl. I am a vampire hybrid though,” Andre said, completely naked in front of them.
Ann and William looked away gasping but not Jessica. She might still be a virgin, but she had seen naked men before. A young woman appeared in one of the doorways, “do you have no shame?”
“Oh mother,” Andre rolled his eyes at his mother and entered the room to get dressed.
“You are right, Jessica, it is magic. This hallway is only about ten meters,” Amirah, Andres's mother said with a smooth tone of her voice. She looked as young as Andre. She had the same majestic features as her son. Her blond smooth hair cascaded down her back past her hips. Her deep and light green eyes were big and thickly lined with gold. Her tight jeans and high heels reveal that she was stylish and modern even though she was wearing a suit jacket and classic collar shirt.
As soon as Andre joined them again Amirah logged her arm around her son’s arm, “come, follow us.”
The three started to follow them and entered a door. The door led them to another hallway, but this hallway was decorated with Neo-Gothic art and furniture. The hallway also had large windows with thick black drapes that were open, the moon hanging in the sky making it appear as if it was just outside one of the large windows. Even though all the furniture was black velvet and black iron shaped into flowers twisting and curling having the appearance of highly decorative and ancient-looking furniture yet clean and crisp with the white wallpaper decorating the walls.
Ann notice Andre and his mother in one of the portraits on the wall with another man looking very much like Andre and some other people, all similar appearances that make it clear that they are related.
They reached another door and then another.
“You are?” Queen Amirah asked an unexpected Ann.
“I am Ann Willow,” Ann choked the words out.
“Willow? We have a line of Willow hunters,” Amirah said, thinking nothing more of Ann as she cannot possibly be related.
Before Ann could respond, “Ann, this will be your room while you stay at the castle.” Queen Amirah said, about to leave.
“Actually, we are already booked in at Ink 48,” William said.
“You are?” Queen Amirah asked, one brow lifted.
“William,” William said, trying not to show how nervous he was.
“William, you would rather stay in a hotel than in a Castle. Come, let me take you to your room, it is right next to Ann’s.”
Ann stayed behind in the room that was now hers for the time being.
William got left in his room and Amirah and Andre took Jessica to her room. As they left the area where Ann and William’s rooms are, Jessica felt a bit worried, “Is there no room available near my friends? Perhaps I can just share a room with Ann? That bed looked like It could fit 5 people.”
“Those rooms are for friends of the royals; your room is at your family’s quarters,” Andre said, expecting a reaction.
“Good, will I see my parents tonight?” Jessica asked hopefully.
“They are occupied for the rest of the evening, you will meet them in the morning,” Amirah said, deliberately using the word ‘meet’, wanting to make sure that Jessica knew that they knew that she has never met her parents before.
“You should rest, tomorrow will be a big day for you, perhaps you will even meet your mate,” Amirah said, smiling as they enter a room almost three times the size of the other rooms. The 4-poster bed appeared as if a village could sleep on it. Jessica wondered why the room was decorated for a young girl or woman. ‘Did my parents expect me?’ She wondered, admiring the décor.
“My mate? I am already mated, that is why I am here,”
“Oh, so your mate is here, at the council?” Andre asked caught off guard that Jessica was already mated.
“No, I thought he will be here, but it turns out he is not,”
Andre wondered about the anger in her voice.
“Don’t you have a connection with your mate? Don’t you feel his presence and his whereabouts? Don’t you mind link?” Amirah asked with a frown.
“Well, he tried to un-mate, but I did not allow him, I did not know what I was at the time; thought him crazy. So, I came here to un-mate.”
“That is good to know, I will send out for your mate so that he can be brought here right away. We have lovely young pure-blood royals waiting on a mate, it will just be perfect if you could mate with one of them instead.” Amirah says, lying.
“Actually..,” Jessica still wanted to say that she had no intention to stay when she remembered Mr. Ondrink's words.
“We will leave you to it. Good night.”
Jessica saw four doors in the room. The one they came into. The glass doors lead to what appears to be a terrace and two more doors. One consisted of two doors and she guessed that it must be a walk-in closet. She stood in front of the double doors and opened them, just to find that she was correct. One side of the closet was already filled with clothing and shoes. She took some of the clothing and saw that it was in her size, ‘they must be expecting me, wonder why they didn’t meet me then tonight instead of sending two feathered beings.’
Jessica opened the fourth door and found a bathroom. The tub was large and had air jets. She opened the taps and went into the walk-in closet to find some sleepwear. She settled on a mid-thigh pajama dress. She took a long bath and wondered if Ann and William are doing the same.
Ann found some sleepwear on her bed. Her room had a 2nd door and she thought it must be the bathroom. Ann was too tired to bathe and just washed her face. The bathroom was set out like a hotel room, equipped with little bottles of body wash, shampoos and lotions, and even special facewash and facelotions.
Ann hardly hit the pillow and she was gone to dreamland.
William laid on his bed, with his arms folded under his head looking up at the over-decorated ceiling. He decided to wait a while and then find the girls. He did not feel safe enough to sleep.
The next morning William was woken up by a soft knock on the door, he was slightly angry at himself for falling asleep.
“Sir, breakfast is ready. Would you like to have it in here, the breakfast room or the garden?” a small, elegant voice came from the door.
“I am decent, come in.”
A girl, appearing to be the same age as him and his friends, stepped into the room, “I am Ami, my mother send me.”
“Your mother?” William asked, wondering if the lady of last night might be her mother.
“Queen Amirah,” the girl responded shyly.
William thought to himself that she was as beautiful as her mother.
“Amirah,” William repeated after Ami.
“Well, Queen Amirah,” Ami corrected him.
“Sure,” William responded sarcastically.
Ami gave a little huff and left the door, ‘humans, whatever.’
***
Jessica woke up and mind linked Mr. Ondrink, “Morning.”
“Morning.”
“Did my parents know I am coming?” Jessica asked half accusing.
“If they did, they did not hear it from me. You are my queen, my Alpha,” Mr. Ondrink responded firmly, truly having loyalty only to Jessica.
Jessica could see in his mind that he was telling the truth, “ok, well it seems like they were expecting me. I have not met them yet but there is a room here decorated in a teenage girl style and all the clothing in the closet fits me.”
“Perhaps it is another girl's room?” Mr. Ondrink wondered.
“Perhaps, but the Owl queen said that these are my parent’s quarters. Would they perhaps have had more children, after all?” Jessica brained storms for answers with Mr. Ondrink.
“No, I don’t think so. Why would they give you up to protect you from their world only to have more children?”
“You are right,” Jessica said with a sigh.
Jessica ended the mind link with Mr. Ondrink when she heard a knock at the door.
Queen Amirah stepped in, wearing black pants and a classic white-collar shirt that was embroidered with lace. “Morning. Rest well?”
“Morning. Have my parents returned? I would like to see them immediately.”
“Breakfast is ready in the Sunroom. Why don’t you get dressed and I will take you? I will wait outside the room,” Queen Amirah said leaving the room with a smile on her face.
***
Ann woke up with a knock on the door. “Morning, I am Ami. Will you be having breakfast here or in the breakfast room?”
“Morning,” Ann said stretching.
“I am Ann. I think I would like breakfast with my friends,” Ann said as she got out of bed.
“Sure, I will give you a moment to get dressed. Here is some clean clothing.” Ami handed over a bundle of neatly folded clothing. Ami thought to herself that Ann must be the most beautiful girl she has ever seen.
“Thank you,” Ann said, smiling, noticing Ami was looking at her as if she has seen someone famous.
“I will wait outside,” Ami said leaving the room. ‘She looks so much like the Willow kids being trained to be successful Prehistoric Vampire Hunters,’ Ami thought to herself.
While Ami waited, her mind drifted off to Eero Willow, a Vampire Hunter in training. Ami was sad about the idea that he will be leaving soon to join a group of hunters to excavate for Prehistoric Vampires. Ami thought of Eero’s features, dark almond skin, tall, dark brown hair, almost black, just like Ann.
William and Ann followed Ami to the breakfast room only to arrive and not find Jessica there.
“Where is Jessica?” Ann asked worriedly.
“She will have breakfast with the royals,” Ami said and left the breakfast room.
William and Ann felt anxious. “I wonder if she met her parents' last night?” William asked, exploring the breakfast laid out in front of them. They were alone in the breakfast room.
“I hope she is ok,” Ann said, filling her plate with food.
Jessica followed Queen Amirah to the Sunroom. With the Vampires, all in dark rooms, the other creatures that occupied the Castle enjoyed the daytime. Even though the different species have learned to tolerate Vampires, they did not spend any time together unless there was a meeting. The hybrids were able to exist in daylight and therefore got along well with day creatures and night creatures just the same.
The sunroom was quite large and filled with large dining tables that were already occupied by what seemed different families.
Jessica noticed Andre sitting with a bunch of people, all looking like they could be siblings. She noticed that there was only one chair open at the table and knew that she will not be eating with them.
Jessica looked around for William and Ann, but did not recognize them sitting at any of the tables. While she looked around, her eyes met the split image of herself. Jessica’s biological mother choked on her food while she grabbed her husband’s arm. He padded her on her back but Jessica’s mother, Queen Jovita pushed his face to look toward Jessica. King Juno’s eyes landed on Jessica. If he was not sitting next to his wife, he would have thought it to be her, except for the clothing she was wearing.
King Juno stood up and pulled his wife Queen Jovita to her feat. Queen Jovita stopped choking on her food and held on to her husband’s arm. Both look as young as twenty-year-olds.
“Are you ok Jovita? It looked like you saw a ghost,” Queen Amirah asked mockingly. She never did like Queen Jovita much because the Werewolf royals outranked all the royals.
“What stunt are you pulling?” Queen Jovita asked angrily.
“Well, hello to you two mother, and father,” Jessica broke the ice feeling offended that her parents did not seem too happy about her presence.