“Sorry I’m late, lessons took longer than usual. I told Mr. Combly, but he was very adamant I complete the set.” She sighed and slumped into her seat.
“Do sit up, Grace,” Mother scolded.
“Sorry, sorry.” She straightened her posture as she shot me a sideways glance.
Of all my siblings, Grace was the one I liked the most. She was the opposite of me in every way but she was unapologetically herself, which was admirable. She was the youngest, and perhaps being the oldest was why I was more protective of her than my brothers.
Dinner was served, and we dug in. Father was telling us about the day and the week ahead. While I was touring, August would deal with my normal duties. I listened, absorbing every word—not that I cared about the issues, only that it was proper to want to care.
“Are you all ready for your tour?” Mother regarded me carefully. That was the best word to describe her expression. I’d never hurt my family, I’d never felt the urge to do so, and I wondered often why they seemed nervous.
“I am.”
“Wonderful.” Her smile was polite and she quickly turned her attention to Felipe, who was attending a gala in a couple of days.
After dinner, I excused myself and retired to my bedroom. The itinerary for the first day was waiting for me on my desk. Igrabbed the file and brought it with me to my cloud lounge chair by the window. It was the most comfortable thing in the world; I’d even fallen asleep in it a few times.
I opened the file and began reading. The Lamdera Islands consisted of four islands, Lamdera being the largest and the main one. Crellesia, Thrindell, and Korvanna were the smaller islands. My tour would begin in Lamdera and end there as well. It would span the course of a month.
With my father getting older, I would be stepping into the role of king within the next few years. I had to do one of these tours every year so the people could get to see me, know me…and like me, I guessed? I didn’t know or care; I did what was expected of me.
I memorized the plan for the next day and got ready for bed. I’d done this tour for the first time last year, and it had been mundane. I didn’t expect this one to be any different. People liked to see me for some reason. Someone had told me once it filled them with hope and love. I’d wanted to snort in their face. Me filling anyone with hope and love was hilarious.
Under the covers, I stared at the ceiling. My mind slipped to the activities of the day. I’d found the man in the alleyway of a bar. He’d just pickpocketed a young girl; she’d had no idea.
He was counting his bounty as I sidled up behind him dressed in street clothes, a fake beard, and a ball cap.
I asked if he’d be interested in making more than what he’d taken and like most people, greed overtook him, and he followed me. The crematorium was underground, only a chimney popping out. The entrance was miles from where the castle was, and the convenience of it all could only be appreciated because of my great-grandfather.
He was like me, had the same urges, and so he’d had the place built and now it was mine.
The man had no idea; he was excited and drilled me with a million questions. I wanted to strangle him while we drove, but I had to wait. I told him to remove his clothes, and he didn’t even fight me. Judging by his rigid cock, he was eager. He didn’t wonder why I was putting on coveralls or that we were in a basement.
When I took out the rope, he winked, whispered the word “kinky,” and that was the final word he spoke. I overpowered him. It was simple because I worked out, practiced, and had been doing this for years.
I sighed into the dark room, recounting his gurgles, gasps, and effort to stay alive. It calmed me like a lullaby and soon enough, I was fast asleep.
CHAPTER THREE
Wynn
Our plan wasto spend a day or two here in Lamdera, then a few days on each island, finishing the vacation back on Lamdera since that was where the airport was.
When we landed, I grabbed my carry-on from the overhead compartment, only smacking one person and myself with it…so I called that a win. As I exited the plane, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the view. It was stunning.
Of course this being the main island, it was busy. There were buildings; I saw a temple or two—it reminded me a bit of Boston but less congested. Oh, and the huge honkin’ castle that rested atop some mountain…I’d never seen one of those in person.
“We should be able to check into the hotel,” Mark said as we drove to our destination.
“I’m starving,” Hannah moaned.
“How about you, Wynn? Hungry?” I turned toward Mark and shook my head, returning to the view as we whizzed through the streets. “Okay, well, Hannah and I are gonna drop our bags and head down to the hotel restaurant and get a bite.”
“Sounds good.” I was half listening. “I think I’ll walk around. Being on a plane for hours, I could use the stretch.”
“Uh, are you sure?”
I faced Hannah with a bewildered expression. “Yes, why?”
