Hey guys! Thanks for reading the third chapter and thank you so much for commentimg.
FINALLY CHAPTER FOUR HAS ARRIVED XD
Thanks to my lovely editor, aisielynn, for reviewing and editing this chapter and for support.
Please feel free to comment & check out my social media on my biography to tell me to sit my butt down and write!
Happy reading!
*
I woke up. First thing I see was my bedroom ceiling; what I felt, both of my hands were handcuffed to my bedpost. What I smell, a lavender candle burning.
Like that shit is gonna calm me down.
"Matt?" I called. Right now, he's the only person I can rely on.
The floor creaked and out of the corner of my eyes, I see Matt appear next to my bed. He smiled, "Hey Z, how are you?"
I frowned. "I'm handcuffed."
He sighs, "I know. I just wanna make sure that you're not gonna run away." Right behind him... Victor and the man appeared.
"What's going on?" I start to panic.
"Hear us out first," Matt said. He sighs again, "We aren't human. Before you say anything, you have to know that you aren't human either. When you are younger, there was a brutal war between Heaven and Hell. The warriors of Heaven were scared for their families and decided to hide their children. Victor, you and I were the children that were hidden."
"Why can't I remember this?" I asked. "Not that I believe you." Of course..
"You're a princess," Victor said. "And we're your guards, also the third royal family."
I burst out laughing. I have never seen Victor this serious before. Once, I realized that the three didn't even join the laughter, let alone blink, I stopped. "You guys aren't kidding."
Matt shook his head. "The hardest part to tell you is that our boss," he motions to the man in the room. "He is your father."
Okay, now Matt is definitely fucking with me. One, he looks young like not even forty. Two, he's a natural blonde and I'm dark-haired. Three, he has blue eyes that went with his slender but muscular face; I have dark brown eyes. Lastly, well, he still looks young.
I shook my head, "He cannot be my dad. I'm sorry dude, but look at you, not even a day older than thirty."
The man smiled, "My name is Aaron Lightning. But I am your father."
"Impossible," I scoffed.
"It's okay if you don't want to believe it," Matt said. "What is important is that you don't run and scream our secrets. The war ended long ago but there is still tension now and forever. If anyone found out you're a princess, you can be in real danger."
"But what about my memory?" I glared.
"We had to hide your memories," Matt said.
"For your safety," Victor added.
When I didn't reply, Matt continued. "We're leaving this place."
I tried sitting up but instantly pulled back onto my bed because of the handcuffs. I grunted in displeasure, "Why?"
"That's for another time."
"We're leaving, now," Aaron said, sternly.
For one second, it was my room in our condo. Now I ended up being handcuffed in a room from a French castle. I blinked, "H-how?"
"It's like teleport, princess," Aaron smiles. "You'll learn it one day, for now I just want the Cains to train you." With that, he left the room.
Matt started unlocking the handcuffs and I got up, rubbing my wrists. "Training?" I asked.
Victor smiles, "We all have powers that are given at birth. I'm a shadow weaver and I rely on strength."
"A what?" I asked. Shadow weaver?
"A shadow weaver," Victor said, too casually. "I create shadows or I blend with them. It's better for me at night so I don't use up too much of my energy."
I looked at Matt, "What's yours?"
He looked down at the floor. "Strength runs in the family, but I'm also a mind manipulator. I can change a person's thoughts or I can just see it, both awake and asleep."
My eyes grew wide.
He looked up and nodded. "I saw your dream, I'm sorry but I had to make him say that someone was waking you up." He frowned. "I couldn't see Hannah's thoughts. Well, I didn't want to. So during the night, I reached to touch Hunter's mind and I found out the truth."
I reached up to grab Matt's hand and pulled at it so he could sit on my bed. "Are you okay?"
He shrugged and gave me a small smile. "Life goes on. Now you should rest today, tomorrow you'll have the tour of your residence."
"As a princess, it is best for you to start remembering everyone's name," Victor said. His eyes then showed a hint of jealousy, "Especially the guys that will court you for your hand."
I gasped. "My hand?"
"Our culture is a mix of traditional and modern," Matt explains sincerely. "Arranged marriages are traditional. It allows power between families. Which comes with history, we will do that tomorrow too."
"I'm gonna get married?!" I shrieked. Matt nodded. "It is best for our race, Z. Marriage combines the powers of both families, the wedded couple is the link, once they have a kid, and the kid is a whole new generation of power that will combine with another family in the future."
"There are some couples that are married out of love, but most of them are the lower class," Victor said. "Some of the people used to be the top families."
"What's wrong with that?" I looked at both of them.
Matt sighed. "Marrying someone out of love isn't bad, but... marrying someone with low power because of love is bad."
I glared, "That's bull."
"We all feed on power, Z," Victor said, sitting down next to Matt. "Speaking of power, Matt has to get married. Since he is the oldest, our dad is gonna have a fit when he finds out that Matt hasn't found a bride."
"How does that work?" I ask.
Victor smirked, "He'll meet the potential women, look over their backgrounds and stuff, pick who would he take out on a date, then sooner or later, he'll find the right one." He sighs in pleasure, "Then there's the ceremony."
There was a knock on the door. Victor got up and answered it.
There stood two guys standing at the doorway. Both were nicely built and have a guarded look on their faces. One of them has short blonde hair, a dark glare towards Victor, an even tan (if that was possible) and a stance that reads that he was in charge. The other has lighter skin, short black hair, as well as dark brown eyes, and somehow mysterious.
"Sharp, Ethan," Matt immediately stood.
"Cains," the blonde one said with a tone so...empty. "We need one of you to attend the meeting to fill in about your...mission."
"I'll go," Matt said. He gave me a warm look, "I'll be back." Then he went out the door and followed the two.
"Who was that?" I asked Victor.
He sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Those two are your older brothers."
I blinked at him. "I have brothers?"
"Crazy, right?" Victor chuckled. "They came back here a few years ago to find that their sister was not there with them. Believe me, they're cold at first but later they'll grow on you."
"I doubt that," I huffed. "They barely looked at me."
"That's because they're afraid to lose their posture as sons of the Lightning family," he smiles. "Gossip is a bitch."
Dinner was delivered to my room for both Victor and I. The lady that brought the food told us that the meeting will be a few hours later. Victor and I practically groaned.
"How come you don't attend the meetings?" I asked him between bites.
He shrugged; sadness present in his eyes. "I don't know."
This is the first time Victor actually acted like this and I couldn't help but help him. "Come on Victor, you know," I said.
He flashed a smile, a happy smile. But his eyes said something else. "Well, meetings are boring anyway so I won't really pay attention."
I opened my mouth to talk to him more about it but the look he gave me said that he didn't want to talk about it; we continued to eat.
After what seems like forever, Matt came back to pick Victor up. He told me that I start training tomorrow and it's a lesson that's very special. When they left, I thought I wouldn't sleep right away but once I snuggled under the covers and my head hit the pillow, I was out cold.
That morning, Matt and Victor came into my room to wake me up. We ate breakfast; just the three of us and Aaron called us to come over to a room. Sharp and Ethan were there.
The room is Aaron's office, with a desk and everything. His walls are practically really tall bookshelves. The office is big enough to hold a party of approximately a hundred people.
After looking around the room, I asked, "What spell are we doing? Will this be hard?" Thinking about me failing in front of them? I held back a groan.
"Elizabeth," Aaron said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "It'll be fine."
Matt stepped forward, "All you need is all your concentration."
Sharp scoffed. "Cain, you haven't done this spell." He looked at me. "Little sister, this spell is your guide for a while. It will appear to you and you will feel this comfort." He smiled, "You get to see that person, but for us, it'll be a hooded figure."
"All you need is to believe in this spell," Ethan said, quietly. He hands me a clear crystal shard that's attached to a gold chain.
I looked at the necklace weirdly because I have no idea why he would give me that. So odd.
"It's your family's rock," Victor said. He shrugged, "Well part of it. It's a really big rock."
"It's a stone to help you," Matt said. "With your powers."
"Eventually you won't need it," Sharp said. "But it's good to keep it with you."
Aaron handed me a spellbook that's already been opened to the spell called The Guidance Ghost.
"Wait," I said, panicking. "This person could be dead?"
The boys looked at each other.
"Just say the spell," Victor said.
Ethan gives me a small smile and rubs my back, "You'll be fine."
I sighed. Great my guidance person could be a dead person. Ugh, this is just awesome! Not.
I looked over the words.
"Speak it from your heart," Ethan said.
"Deep breath," Sharp added.
Funny, I thought Matt would teach me. But since he didn't do the spell, I accept my brothers' help.
I took a deep breath and recited the words. "I, Elizabeth Lightning, seek spiritual guidance. In the name of the God and Goddess thou shall bring me their knowledge. My soul is bind with theirs. Purity."
My family smiles while Matt and Victor nodded.
"Beautiful princess," Aaron said. "Like a natural, right boys?"
"Yeah," Matt said.
"Good job," Ethan and Sharp whispered to me.
I looked around to see all five people, plus me, so six people in the room. No one even appeared! Disappointed, "It didn't work."
Victor cleared his throat. "You may want to know that the dude is behind you."
I furrow my eyebrows. "How do you know it's a guy?"
"His outfit is black," Matt said.
"Ethan and my guide is a female," Sharp said. "So she was dressed in white."
"Hello Bee," a guy's voice appeared behind me.
I gulped, scared but I feel like I know him. "Can you hear him?"