Fated to the Kings: His Silver Hand

The Three Sisters

[11 and a half years ago]

“Rie, please don’t forget Mish’s vitamins. She will need that for her lungs. I will be out until lunch. When I get back, I’ll bring us something to eat. Stay safe, sis.”

Her sister Anna pulled her close and embraced her lovingly, soothing her and at the same time drawing strength. Rie gave it without second thoughts.

Anna bent down to kiss Mish’s pale cheek. “Lock the door to our room, and don’t come out until I get back.”

She smiled and nodded. “You take care, sis. Don’t worry about us. We’ll manage.” They always do.

Anna smiled tearfully. She loathed leaving her and Mish by themselves, but she had to work to feed them. At barely fourteen, she shouldn’t be burdened with taking care of two minors – she’s a minor herself – she does it anyway. Without reservation.

All three of them should be in school. They couldn’t afford it. Mom had died a few months ago, and they were adopted by a c****-a***** aunt and her perverted husband.

Rie hated that vile man. He has touched her in places he shouldn’t be touching. She managed to escape every time. But for how long? Her skin prickled at the thought.

Anna never knew. The trauma, the helplessness she felt and experienced at the hands of their uncle. She adamantly refused to add more burdens to her tired shoulders.

***

After some time, she decided to risk it. There was a battle going on in her tummy, and Mish was hungry. She couldn’t hear anyone outside their cramped bedroom. It should be safe for her to venture out.

No one’s in the kitchen. She managed to sneak and cooked three fried eggs and toasted some leftover bread. She went back to their room as silent as a mouse.

Mish needed all the nourishment she could get. She was very thin and sickly.

She fed her sister and ate whatever was left on the plate. The plates could do some washing, but she’ll do it later when she was sure that the devil was not around.

The warm body cuddled closer, making her eyes droop. She looked so small and fragile despite her age. More like a toddler that was seven years old. Rie grimaced.

She woke up to pans banging on the stove. What the…

He was back. And by the sound of it, he was either as h*** as a k***, or he was b*****. She was counting on the latter. He’ll fall asleep in no time.

He was whistling an off-key tune. Damn! He did that when he was alone. She shuddered in fear, it was a sign that he wanted to touch her.

Goosebumps traveled through her skin. Her eyes were round like saucers, and her ears were sensitive to all the sounds he was making.

Rie ran to their door and locked it. The small clock on their wall said it was half-past one. Anna should be back at any moment.

What if he went for her sister? Tears began to stream down her face. She held Mish in her arms. Thank God, their youngest sister slept soundly.

“Anna, my beautiful girl, you’re back.” She cried harder. His leering voice was clear and steady. It meant he was ****.

“What do you want?” She could hear her sister’s voice quaver.

“Aww...come kiss your uncle.” She heard his lewd smacking sounds.

“No! Stay away!” Her sister’s voice was hysterical and edgy. Rie sobbed. He wanted Anna, too.

Desperate to save her, Rie sped out of the bedroom. His uncle had Anna by her hair, and she was weeping in pain. Twisting and squirming. Trying to get away from his touch.

“Anna...” She cried. What should she do?

“Rie, come join us. You want me to touch you again, little girl?” Her body shuddered at the memory. She wanted to puke then and there.

“What did you say?!” Anna shouted in outrage. She had never seen her sister so angry. She thrashed from his hold, kicking and biting.

Losing patience, his uncle threw Anna away like a ragdoll and came after her. Running was futile. He was fast and had her caged with his meaty hands. Holding her on his lap, her body stiffened when she felt his vile thing poking her.

“No!” Her whimpers did nothing to stop his palms roaming all over her small body. He laughed, pinching her skin.

Suddenly, it all stopped. His hold slackened, and she fell out of his arms.

Anna had a thick pipe in her small hands. She struck it again and again – anywhere she could reach – her sister didn’t stop until he was on the ground groaning in pain. Rie took another pipe and struck him as hard as she could, giving vent to her anger. He was unconscious by the time her strength left her.

“Rie,” she blinked dazedly at her sister’s soft voice and anchored back to the present.

“Mish is awake. Get her. We are leaving.” Anna bid her firmly. Although she shivered in fear, she was focused on them. On their situation. Taking a firm grasp of it.

Rie picked up her youngest sister and bundled her warmly, soothing her and letting her fall back to sleep.

Anna joined her in packing their meager belongings. Rie was still in shock, occasional shudders made themselves known.

“Where are we going, Anna May?” She whispered.

“Somewhere safe. I have enough money to get us there.” Anna was frantic, guiding them out. “We don’t want our aunt to catch us. That woman could be here at any moment. And she’s as cruel as they come.”

Trusting her, she nodded her head. Anna would always take care of them.

With Mish in her arms and Anna carrying all of their bags, they left the hellhole that was their home.

And never looked back.

***

Anna Marie

[Present day]

The ladies smothered her with hugs and kisses, her body jolted with their excited cheers and hollers.

People at the school auditorium glanced their way, some censorious and irritated, some genuinely happy; no one dared to reprimand their boisterous celebration.

Breathing became a huge issue from their loving embrace; despite that, a huge smile graced her lips.

Goddess, she had made it. After eighteen months of nonstop lectures, demos, and apprenticeship, she finally graduated from ICE, NY. Top of her class. Who would have thought?

Her family couldn’t be more proud of what she had achieved.

Alexander, her sister’s incredibly handsome mate, gave her two thumbs up. It was so rare to see a brooding man like him smile. But she guessed the two pups in his arms had mellowed him a bit.

Mikhail and Annalisa, her twin nephew and niece. Adorable. She bet they could get away with any crime with just a bat of their luscious eyelashes and cherubic chubby cheeks.

Then there’s Lucian, Michael, and Alexie’s little boy. He was one gorgeous pup, and he liked warm hugs.

More often than not, she found herself part of a puppy pile every morning in her huge four-poster bed. And Mish, her introverted sister, the biggest pup in the group, grappled with all the blankets in the middle of the night. It frustrated her to no end.

“Ok. This calls for a celebration. I have made dinner reservations.” Her brother-in-law announced.

She frowned at him playfully. This man loved to spoil them rotten. He was the reason she was admitted to a very exclusive and elusive culinary school in the world.

You know what he did? He bought major shares to own the business.

“I have just graduated from culinary arts, and we are eating out?” She tried to look stern, but the pups giggled. It was no use.

“Yup. It’s a treat from us. Mia anima, please tell your sister.” He pulled her sister, pups, and all and kissed her lips gently. Once, twice. Her sister responded immediately to his loving. Urgh!

“Hey, guys. Keep it PG.” Rie rolled her eyes and took one of the twins before they were squished. The cutie Annalisa grasped her face, making her smile. Mish took Mikhail.

Their parents loved to make out all the time. They were used to the scene. The twins gurgled happily, cooing.

“Rie, come on. Besides, Xander will announce something special. You will love it.” Anna, her lycan sister, full lips stretched on a smug smile, coaxed.

“You’re pregnant again?” She answered, faking a surprised gasp.

Alexander, the Lycan king, chuckled.

“Goddess, no. Though that wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Yeah, right. Anna could say that to hundreds of women out there who struggled to get back to their slender version after giving birth. Her sister and Alexie never lost theirs. They look even more stunning. Curves in all the right places.

While Rie remained plain as a brown mouse. And she doesn’t even have a boyfriend to maul her body. Damn!

“Okay. Let’s go. I’m starving.” She relented. Alexie and Anna whooped, which made her wonder how they ran a kingdom.

Rie wished Sofia and Oliver were here. They left in an emergency. She guessed it had something to do with…

Her amber eyes found Mish. She was busy playing with Mikhail, and she seemed happy. For now. At times, she saw her staring blankly into space. Like she was waiting for someone. Those moments, she readily questioned Xavier’s decision.

Mish was brokenhearted, and she didn’t even know why. How she wished she could tell her. She couldn’t. Anna and Xander, and the rest of the family made her promise. Her youngest sister would be eighteen in a few months, while Rie turned twenty in a couple more.

Mish would know how lucky she was in due time. Rie’s dream was to experience that kind of love. It was one of the reasons why she shunned human suitors.

It may sound biased and prejudiced, but she wanted what her sisters, Alexie, and Sofia had. And all that she had witnessed inside the pack.

Loyalty.

Faithfulness.

Undying and eternal love.

Arg! All sappy bullshit. Her sister Anna was mated to a lycan. Mish to a vampire. What other supernatural man was out there for her? Nada!

She had to concentrate on her glorious career instead. Where there was no heartache and no complications. And plain old recipes to keep her warm. Her only love was cooking, and it loved her back unconditionally.

***

“Xander, your chef’s souffle has not risen properly.” The comment slipped unheeded, out of habit.

“You think? Let’s fire him then.” He answered seriously. His mate smacked his hand with a silver spoon. “Ouch! What did I do, baby girl?”

“You can’t fire people on a whim, darling.” She reprimanded. Rie nodded in agreement. Sometimes, Anna’s Xander was too much.

“Oh, ok. As you wish, mia anima.” He went back to feeding the twins soft meat and vegetables, cooing at them.

Anna had him wrapped in her pinky finger one hundred million times.

“I will never comment again,” she mumbled. Alexie heard and snorted to cover her laughter. She glared in her direction.

Mish was so quiet, and her steak moved in circles on her plate. Rie elbowed the ladies at her side. They noticed her mood at once.

“Mish, are you okay? Do you want anything else?” Anna asked, worried she might be sick.

“No. The food is great.” Mish glanced around the table. “I had a dream.”

Everyone held their breaths. Waiting.

“What was your dream, Mish?” Alexie tried to sound nonchalant. Her face was open but guarded.

“A man with curly blond hair and ice-blue eyes. He...called me...um...beloved.” Her little sister answered in her small sweet voice. Her emotions confused her. She had noticed the mark on her neck as soon as she woke up from a deep sleep after she was attacked almost two years ago. A crown in the middle of two red puncture scars. Luminous and ethereal in the moonlight.

To hide the truth from her, Anna had a tattoo of a crown done near her mark, Alexie and Sofia on their wrists, and Rie on her chest where the heart was. They told her it was a symbol of their sisterhood. Which was partially true.

They had sworn to smack Xavier on the head as payment for their sacrifice under the needle.

“Well, maybe he is your Prince Charming, Mish?” She grinned at her to cheer her up, trying to lighten the mood.

“He seemed familiar. Like I have seen him before.” Her frown marred her delicate beauty. Alexie and she exchanged glances.

“Nevermind,” Mish whispered, withdrawn once again, and went back to picking her food.

“Oh, Alexander and I have a surprise for you, Rie!” An excited voice to her right announced. Thank Goddess for Anna’s quick thinking to dispel the sudden gloomy atmosphere.

“And what would that be, huh?” In all honesty, she was looking forward to the surprise. If it came from them, it must be grand.

“Well, before that, this beauty is from us girls.” Alexie glanced around the table in excitement before she placed a velvet box before her. “Open it.”

With trembling fingers, as if what was inside would jump out and bite, Rie opened the lid of the expensive rectangular box.

Her jaw dropped. “Oh, goddess!” This magnificent piece must have cost a million. It was longer than a normal choker. At the center attached to it was a big yellow stone about the size of her thumb; holding the whole piece of jewelry in place were flawless diamonds in a perfect single row.

“Do you like it?” Mish’s eyes glowed with happiness. “I have chosen it for you.”

“I love it so much!” The girls all grinned, eyes misty.

Michael coughed, uncomfortable with the mushy stuff. They all giggled. These powerful men hate it when they cry.

Alexander rose to his feet, bubbly champagne glasses were distributed around the table. His beta stood by his side.

The pups were crawling and wobbling around the private room, supervised by at least five nannies.

Her brother-in-law cleared his throat. “Rie, you make us all proud to be your family. You excelled academically. And did it with medals around your neck. It’s time to put that to the test. As a gift to you, I give you the family’s flagship 3-star Michelin restaurant, The Elementals, to do with as you please!”

Oh shit! That couldn’t be right. She heard it wrong. Or did she hear it correctly? She didn’t know!

She was crying and laughing at the same time. To have a restaurant to manage? At barely twenty?

Rie shook her head yes. Totally at a loss for words.

“Okay. Group hugs, everyone!” Someone shouted. It was her sister Anna. I think.

A loving and supportive family. More than she could ever ask for.

Anna Marie couldn’t ask for more.