Chapter 4 Princess

Cathy's POV...

I let out a tired sigh. For the third time, I thought over everything that just happened and now I was walking in a forest… in the middle of the night… between two weirdoes. They told me that they were taking me to Eternal Lake and that it was situated on the far side of Voodoo Forest. Tiffy explained to me that regular humans didn t come this way much because of the witches that lived so close to the lake. Jacob chimed into the conversation and informed me about why the witches lived here.

"They have easy access to the lake. Drinking the water of Eternal Lake helps increase their magical abilities. Also the forest provides excellent hiding places from the witch hunters."

I nodded in understanding. However, I could only focus on one thought.

I m going to finally meet my mother.

A crisp breeze blew softly and my heart swelled with anticipation and excitement.

I almost ran into Jacob s back, as he had suddenly stopped walking. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. I followed his gaze and saw a boat on the lake lazily making its way to shore.

"Tiffy, take her and hide. Now."

Tiffy immediately snatched my hand and dragged me behind a huge tree. As we crouched down, Tiffy whispered, "It s the King of Phoenix! He is Alpha of the Moon Stone Pack and stands in opposition of Jinx."

"The Alpha?"

I slowly stuck my head a little to take another peek at the boat and my eyes grew wide.

Holy shit! He is freaking gorgeous!

The King sat unmoving in the skiff as he scanned the shore line intently. His companion held the long oar and rowed with steady strokes. He radiated the confidence and power that came with being a royal. In the light of the moon, I could make out that he was dressed in a dark suit. His curly hair swept across his forehead and his eyes were a feral gold. Truly, he was the most attractive man I had ever seen. As his gaze swept through the forest, I quickly moved back to my hiding place before he could see me.

The boat hit the bank with a thud and I saw Jacob take long strides to greet the man. Jacob gave him a slight bow while offering a fake smile.

"Alpha Lee."

The man raised a brow in a questioning manner.

"What are you doing here, Jacob? As butler, don t you have enough to do back at the castle without running errands?"

"Butler?" I whispered, casting Tiffy an inquisitive look.

With a stern voice, she said, "He is undercover as the butler of Phoenix Castle. Never utter a word about this, Cathy. It would be catastrophic if he was found out."

I nodded and went back to observe the glorious looking man.

"My apologies Your Highness, I was here to find a decent secretary for you. If I may ask, why are you here? Was there something you needed assistance with?" Jacob asked with visible concern.

Wow, he is a really good actor.

"I came to purchase some necessary supplies. We need to be ready for war. It could be any day now."

" You should have asked me, Your Highness. I would have been extremely honored to do the errand for you."

King Lee let out a soft sigh as shoved his hands inside his pockets.

"I didn t want to trouble anyone just because... Never mind, have a pleasant evening Jacob, I ll see you back at the castle."

I watched the king and his escort brush past Jacob and head toward the city. After they had disappeared into the forest, Jacob shook his head, heaved a deep breath and signaled for us to come out of hiding.

"Get in, miss," he said while pointing at the neighboring boat.

Mechanically, I did as I was told. Tiffy held my hand as I stepped into the vessel. After I was settled, Tiffy sat beside of me. Jacob grabbed the oar and positioning himself in front of us.

"What was all that about? What war?" I asked.

Jacob didn t respond and just continued to row without even looking at me. Well, if he didn t want to go into it, I sure as hell wasn t going to nag him about it.

"Do you know why it s called Eternal Lake?" he suddenly asked.

I scratched my head as I tried to think back to the stories my uncle would tell me.

"Well, isn t because this lake leads to the Eternal Realm? But, no one really knows. Anyone who has tried to find out has never made it back."

He smiled as his eyes were fixed forward. "Yes, that s correct, miss. However, today you will know."

I tilted my head. "Know what?"

Tiffy nudged me and smiled softly. "Where the lake leads to."

My body tensed as the cold breeze continued to blow in my face. I started shivering and I wasn t sure if it was due to the cold or if I was just nervous. The boat moved steadily towards the middle of the lake and silence ensued. I tried not to look at Jacob, but that proved to be difficult because he was sitting right in front of me. Whenever I met his gaze, he made me feel awkward and, to be honest, a little inferior. Turning my body away from him, I stared at the water and wondered if I was just in the middle of a strange dream. It all felt so… surreal.

Was I really going to meet my mother? They told me that she was a Queen. Why would she give birth to me if she was just going to abandon me? I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach. Why? Why after all these years did she want to meet me?

Will I be even able to forgive her for leaving me?

Questions kept running through my mind until I felt a slight headache forming. I reached up and massaged my temples. Inhaling deeply, I shifted my gaze back to the front of the boat. My eyes immediately widened in shock. We were heading towards a dense fog. I swallowed down my fear and rubbed my eyes to clear my vision. When it didn t work, I started to panic.

"What is that?"

I heard Jacob s calm voice. "Humans aren t allowed to cross the lake. So the fog is a barrier to make sure they never reach the other side."

Peering into the fog, my heart started to thud uncontrollably in my chest. I couldn t see anything! Not in front of us and definitely not behind us.

Tiffy placed her hand on my shoulder and said, "It s okay, miss. You re not human anymore, remember? It will clear up in a minute."

At her reassurance, I instantly felt my tense shoulders relax. Their voices were full of warmth and I felt at ease around them. I never had people that were willing to be close to me. As strange as it was, I already felt that I could call Tiffy and Jacob my friends. A moment later, the fog started to dissipate and my vision cleared. I gasped as a large kingdom came into view. Subjects waited on the bank and I was surprised that they looked human. However, as we came closer to the shore, I was able to make out that their eyes were different. All of the people possessed bright yellow eyes and their skin was as white as paper.

I couldn t help but gape at them. How could a world like this actually exist? When the boat hit the bank, Tiffy gracefully hoped out and everyone offered her a deep bow. But, when they saw me, they looked frightened and shocked. I was confused.

Why are they afraid of me?

"As just the two of us left, Cathy, they weren t expecting us to bring someone else back. Your existence hasn t been made known to the public yet, so that's why they look so startled," Jacob explained with a smile.

He stepped out of the boat and I saw a woman approach us with curiosity. She gasped and covered her mouth as she whispered, "Princess Cathy?"

Jacob nodded at her and turned to me with a gentle smile, and held out his hand to escort me to shore. Having my feet on solid ground again, I watched as Tiffy and Jacob bowed deeply.

"Welcome to Jinx and your new world, Princess Cathy," Tiffy and Jacob said in unison.

Oh, Princess!