Hey guys I know, it's been a long time since I've updated! But as the books hit 15k, I know that I can't leave it any longer. I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to update every other day, but I am going to try my hardest to update at least once every 2 weeks :) (58)

Dedicated to all of you lovely readers!!! I hope you enjoy it, it hasn't been dited very well, however, I hope you still enjoy what is to come :) 

Annabelle

Sleep didn't come that night. 

It wasn't a surprise. I cried, paused, and stared into space. I'm almost certain that Julian didn't sleep either. I didn't dare to look up at him, but his breathing never was heavy enough. 

When the sun finally started to rise, I wiggled slightly in his arms. The bars around me hadn't shifted all night, locking me into place, never allowing me to leave. 

"Bell?" he whispered huskily as I moved, deep and rough. 

He had been sleeping.

"Bathroom," I replied quickly, not wanting to start another conversation with him. I wasn't going to try and converse, make amends or forgive. What he did... 

He wasn't an animal, he had no excuse. 

His arms let go after a few long seconds, slowly moving to behind me. Not sure if it was some cruel, sick joke, I slowly sat up, my toes barely reaching the icy floorboards. My fingers gripped tightly to the scratchy sheets and I allowed a breath out that I didn't know I was holding. 

Pushing my self from the bed, I slowly crept along the floor, trying my best to be quiet. As I slipped through the crack of the bathroom door I dared to look at him. He was now at the bottom of the bed, legs apart and hands gripped together. His eyes were trained on the floor, eyebrows down, deep in thought. 

The door gently closed and the lock twisted to a holt. 

I clicked the button on the shower and allowed the water to run, the mirror already becoming lightly fogged. My hands gripped onto the sink as I stared into the mirror. 

What was I doing? I wasn't a stupid girl, I had common sense. These... people weren't safe. They were dangerous. I shouldn't have even continued to visit them, not even Tessa. 

She killed the man too, after all.

I allowed the t-shirt to drop to the floor before stepping under the water, the heat burning the entirety of my skin. Water ran over my eyelids as I hummed quietly, taking the shampoo into my hands before massaging it into my scalp. 

Peaches and pineapples.

I took my time in the shower, not wanting to leave the safety of the water. But alas, I knew I couldn't spend the entirety of the day stoop in the bathtub. The water came to an end, the mirror completely blurred and the room filled with thick steam. 

Opening the door to a slight cracked, only wrapped in a towel, I looked into the room; it was empty. Taking my chances, I hurried over to my bag to change into the white dress. I tied my hair back into what was nearest to a ponytail, a small stub at the back of my head. 

I grabbed my bag and opened the door slightly, peering down the hallway to check that no one was there. 

But they all were. 

They were whispering but I tried to empty my thoughts, trying to pick up anything I could. Sebastian and Molly were stood behind Julian and Lexie, both facing each other with dark expressions. 

"If you really loved her you wouldn't force her into anything. But what did I expect? You exactly the same as the rest," Lexie snarled, glaring up at his giant figure. 

His head shook before he scoffed. 

"It doesn't matter what she wants anymore. She no longer knows what's good for her, and what's good is me. She'll see it eventually and she'll thank me," 

"I don't exactly think highly of humans, Julian," Tessa whispered, putting a hand on his bicep. "But this our future Queen we're talking about. And I will do anything for royalty, you know that. However, if I have to pledge my self to one ruler, it won't be you," 

Future Queen..? Why would I be Queen? I'm not a mer, or apart of any bloodline... is that why Julian tried to get close to me? Because I was some sort of fish royalty?

No, that wasn't possible. Maybe Queen meant something different to them...

"She won't be able to rebel, not under my control. If she tried, I'll just put more rules into place. Trust me, even if she is my soul mate, she won't be the one making the decisions," 

Soul mate...

And that was where I lost it. 

I took a step out from the door, two steps heavier than usual. All eyes turned to face me and I let out a slow breath. I wobbled slightly but held my ground as I grabbed tightly onto my bags handle. 

Julian's eyes instantly turned lighter, but sadder... Sebastian behind him just smirked. 

"That controlling things going great so far mate, keep it up," he sniggered. 

Julian turned and snarled at him as Tessa took a step forward. She shook her head and smiled softly. 

"You heard it all... right?" 

I gulped my nervousness down into the depths of my stomach before standing up straighter. My head nodded once. 

"From Lexie saying he shouldn't force me into anything..." 

Tessa grinned wider and took several steps closer to me. Her shoulders were back, head high, her expression pleased as ever. 

"Tessa, don't you dare," Julian snapped. 

"She already knows Julian, and I'll be damned if you talk me out of this," 

Tessa dropped down onto one knee, arm resting on it, eyes trained to the ground. 

"I, Tessa Jasmine Lamacker, pledge my self to you, Queen of the Sea until my life has passed on or souls have perished," 

My eyes widened slightly, my head feeling lighter. Did she just ... no no no, that wasn't possible. 

The other three came closer, Lexie actually smiling, Sebastian laughing, and Julian... Julian was blank. 

Molly got up and stood by my side, smiling innocently. Not even looking at Lexie she started speaking.

"If you don't pledge to her, you'll either have to stay an outcast or pledge to... him," she nodded towards Julian, who still stared blankly down at me. 

I didn't like it. 

Lexie instantly got down on her knee and repeated the exact same lines, only substituting her name. 

"What does that even mean?" I whispered, looking to Tessa.

"It means," she started. "That you now have us. I have dedicated my soul purpose to protect you, my Queen," 

I shook my head. 

"But I'm not royalty..." I whispered.

"You will be," Lexie replied. "Soon. That's why we're taking you to the City... our city," 

And that's where things started going downhill. 

Words: 1091

... Okay so it's been like, six months. Yes, I know, I'm an awful person :( But I'm studying for GCSE and trying to work on other projects that I'm more invested in. This book was started a year and a half ago, and it was more of a side project for fun whilst I finished off 'Their Flower'. I never expected it to get even close to the number of readers that it has. 

I'm going to be realistic, I'll probably only be able to update once every two weeks, maybe once a week if I can find time for editing. However, I have planned more of the book, so I should be able to write more easily than before.

The ending was going to be soon, actually, and very cliche. However, I've done close to no character development and if I am going to write sequels, I know I need to write a lot more. Sooooo, I've chosen a much darker ending, and we probably aren't even halfway through the book :) 

I need to add more characters though so if you guys have any ideas, comment down your own original characters or ideas and I'll try to add as many of them as I can; because trust me, I'm going to need a lot with the length of this plot.

Also, be prepared for some back story on more minor characters ;)

Question of the day: Character ideas?

Right, I'm out; enjoy lockdown bitches xx

ADD. VOTE. COMMENT.

Mia x