Lottery king 4, p.1
Lottery King 4, page 1
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Cast of Characters
Abby: Human Samantha Ayer’s partner. Brown hair. Brown Eyes. Runs a dance school for kids.
Achilles: Fae The famed Achilles of Greek Legend. 2000 years old. Long gray hair and beard. Pale blue eyes. Translucent wings.
Alexander: Gorgon Deceased. Leader of the Machités gia tin Elefthería. White-and-red snakes. Gray eyes. Possessed the power to turn creatures to stone.
Amy Ayers: Human Michael’s mother. Brown hair. Hazel eyes. Dentist.
Artemis: High fae Convenience store clerk. Neon green hair. Vine tattoos. No wings.
Birch: High fae Valet triplet. Bright green hair. Brown eyes. Dragonfly wings.
Claude: Vampire Lady Vivianne’s progeny. Jet black hair. Shiny green eyes.
Cove: High fae Advisor to the king. Long, light-blue hair. No wings.
Dinah: Aswang Hepe Kendi’s daughter. Filipino. Long black hair. Red-brown eyes. Round face, full figure.
Doris: Merfolk Housekeeper of the house on Vaeletta Island. Seafoam-green hair. Golden-yellow eyes. Seafoam-green scales.
Emily Williams: Human Michael’s second-oldest sister. Black hair. Bright blue eyes. Calculus professor at UCLA.
Ena: Shadow Nymph Royal guard.
Eva & Ellie: Gorgon Mrs. Baros’ daughters. Blue snakes. Blue eyes. Possess the power to turn creatures to stone.
Finch: High fae Poppy’s father. Dark blue hair. Purple eyes. Bumblebee wings.
Firo: Dragon-folk Head of royal security. Orange-and-blue streaked hair. Slitted eyes. Seven feet tall.
Flint: High Fae Poppy’s brother. Wavy, shoulder-length, vivid blue hair. Purple eyes like his sister’s. Bumblebee wings.
Garrett: Werewolf Royal chauffeur and bodyguard. Thick brown hair. Elongated canines.
Gerald: Gnome Head chef of the king. Light-brown hair with a man bun. Four feet tall. Possesses the power to taste lies.
Goddess Raeva: Celestial Creator of all paranormal beings. Source of all magic in the world. Conducts the royal lottery.
Hepe Kendi: Aswang Chief of Bahay Island. Filipino. Long black hair. Red-brown eyes. Large diagonal scar on his chest. Possesses the power to subdue ocean waves and transform into having large bat wings.
Iris: High fae Poppy’s mother. Dark teal hair. Bright green eyes. Iridescent Tinkerbell wings.
Isla: Witch Head housekeeper of the king. Gray hair. Short and round.
Jake Roberts: Human Katie’s husband. Sandy hair. Brown eyes. Works in IT.
James: Siren Lady Helena’s driver. White hair. Gray eyes.
Jessica Price: Human Michael’s oldest sister. Dark brown hair. Blue eyes. Runs a clothing company where Michael used to work.
Jet: Shadow Nymph Royal guard.
John Ayers: Human Michael’s father. Salt-and-pepper hair. Blue eyes. Professor of microbiology at UCF (retired).
Kage: Shadow Nymph Royal guard.
Katie Roberts: Human Michael’s closest-in-age sister. Medium brown hair. Hazel eyes. Kindergarten teacher.
King Roman: Dryad Deceased. Former King of the Eternal Realm.
King Vairn: Vampire Deceased. Former King of the Eternal Realm before Michael’s reign.
Kol: Witch Royal finance manager. Gray comb-over. Steely gray eyes.
Kyle: Werewolf Drunken guest at the royal wedding. Shaggy blond hair. Brown eyes. Tall and burly.
Lady Berra: Harpy Deceased. Representative of the South Asian harpies. Auburn hair. Charcoal gray eyes. Ashy gray-feathered wings.
Lady Ellia: Celestial Ears, eyes, and voice of the Goddess. Golden-blonde hair. Soft blue eyes. Glows with sunlight.
Lady Helena: Harpy Representative of the Grecian harpies. Chocolate-brown hair. Caramel eyes. Tawny-feathered wings.
Lady Lo Vampire Representative of Southeastern United States Vampires. Replaced Lady Vivianne. Brown hair. Shiny brown eyes. Plump figure.
Lady Shay: Gnome Representative of the New England gnomes. Thick auburn hair. Golden-brown eyes. Three feet tall.
Lady Taylee: Dryad Representative of the North Carolina dryads. Green leaves. Brown eyes. White and pink magnolia blossoms.
Lady Vivianne: Vampire Deceased. Representative of the South United States vampires. Obsidian-black hair. Dark gray eyes.
Lady Windy: Cyclops Representative of the Canadian cyclopes. Short, dark brown hair. One blue eye. Almost seven feet tall.
Lord Alan: Werewolf Representative of the Southeast United States werewolves. Curly, dark brown hair. Blue eyes. Elongated canines.
Lord Atlas: Merfolk Representative of the Grecian merfolk. Chin length, white hair. Deep blue eyes. Light-yellow scales.
Lord Finn: Merfolk Representative of the Atlantic Ocean merfolk. Shoulder length, ice-blue hair. Deep blue eyes.
Lord Griff: Harpy Representative of the South Asian Harpies. Replaced Lady Berra. Long brown ponytail. Dark brown eyes. Barrel-chested.
Lord Oba: Harpy Representative of the Grecian harpies. Balding, gray hair. Blue eyes. Light gray-feathered wings.
Lord River: High fae Representative of the European fae. Silver hair. Green eyes. No wings.
Lord Virgil: Dryad Representative of the Canadian dryads. Dark green, mossy hair. Light-brown eyes. Thick and broad like a redwood.
Maggie: Merfolk Vaeletta Island staff. Short, curly, olive-green hair. Dark green eyes. Muted olive-green scales.
Margot & Shannon: Human Friends of Michael’s sister Katie.
Matis: High fae Valet triplet. Bright pink hair. Silver eyes. Dragonfly wings. Has a passion for boxing.
Michael Ayers: Human King of the Eternal Realm. Short black hair. Bright blue eyes.
Mrs. Baros: Gorgon Lady Helena’s housekeeper. Dark blue snakes. Blue eyes. Possesses the power to turn creatures to stone.
Nira: Shadow Nymph Member of the Grecian reserve guards. Short and petite.
Nymerial: Fawn-fae Kitchen maid. Deer ears, tail, and nose. Brown hair. Wide brown eyes.
Nyxx: Shadow Nymph Commander in the Royal Guard.
Ophelia: Siren Owner of The Odyssey Club.
Pansy: Sprite Garden worker. Bright peacock-blue hair, feathers, and eyes. Three inches tall. Hummingbird wings.
Peter & Philip: Centaur Twin chariot race champions. Peter has dark brown hair. Philip has golden-brown hair.
Poppy: High fae Advisor to the king. Teal hair. Purple eyes. Iridescent Tinkerbell wings. Possesses the power to create protective shields and mind enchantments.
Robin Fletcher: Human Michael’s best friend. Digital artist for video games. Shaggy brown hair. Gray-blue eyes.
Rune: High fae Advisor to the king. Thick golden hair. Teal eyes. Bumblebee wings. Possesses the power to alter the size of his body and limbs at will.
Samantha Ayers: Human Michael’s third-oldest sister. Short, dark brown hair. Blue eyes. Accountant.
Sunny: High fae Valet triplet. Sunflower-yellow hair. Green eyes. Dragonfly wings. Possesses the power to radiate warmth from his hands like sunlight and sense the time of day from the position of the sun as if it were a part of himself.
Thistle: Dryad Royal gardener. Green leaves with orange blossoms. Brown eyes. Green skin.
Tristan: Cyclops Royal butler. Bald. One brown eye. Seven feet tall.
Todd: Werewolf Drunken guest at the royal wedding. Shaggy, dark brown hair. Brown eyes. Tall with broad shoulders.
Chapter 1
I was shocked at the mountain of paperwork that had piled up in just two weeks, and I tried to focus on the voices of my advisors as they filled me in on everything that had happened while we were away.
Poppy, Helena, Dinah, and I had returned from the Philippines two days ago, and I’d pushed off this meeting with my staff for as long as possible so I could spend some time with my foreign bride while she made the huge adjustment to modern societal living.
“This stack merely needs your signature, your majesty,” Cove told me.
My blue-haired advisor tapped one thin finger on the top of a stack of papers that took up one corner of my desk, and I nodded absentmindedly as my thoughts continued to wander.
Poppy stood just behind me as she tried to juggle the opposing roles of being both my advisor and my wife. Mostly she listened quietly as the others gave their reports, and she pointed out a small correction that was needed on a business contract before I could sign it. Then she rested her delicate hand on my shoulder, and I reached up to twist my fingers through hers.
Isla began giving a full report of the next order of cleaning supplies she would need approval for, and I knew it was a topic I could leave entirely to her expertise.
Everyone in the room was acting as normal as possible despite the shock they all still clearly felt from the arrival of my newest bride. When Helena, Poppy, and I had walked off the jet, they’d greeted us as usual, but then Dinah appeared out of the plane, and Rune’s chin practically hit the tarmac.
I’d figured there wasn’t much point in calling ahead, and I didn’t want to miss the look on their faces when they found out I’d gained another bride on my honeymoon. The disbel
I still couldn’t believe I’d come home from my honeymoon with two brides instead of just the one I’d left with, so Rune’s blatant shock and Cove’s quiet surprise were exactly what I’d expected.
Now I was in this advisory meeting trying to focus when I’d much rather be watching Dinah explore all the luxurious technology her new home had to offer. The childlike excitement on her face when she’d discovered the different settings on the shower head had brought me so much joy.
“I’ll just need your approval here for that order, your majesty,” Isla said, and the cheerful witch handed me a clipboard.
“Right,” I said, and I scribbled my name across the bottom. “Thanks, Isla.”
“Just doing my job, your majesty,” Isla said with a wide smile.
A shake of my head helped me to refocus on what was in front of me, and I looked up at my staff.
“It sounds like things went smoothly while I was away,” I said.
“Yes, your majesty,” Cove replied, and then he cleared his throat. “But I must alert you to a situation that may arise in the next week or so…”
“Okay.” I arched an eyebrow at the blue-haired fae. “What’s that?”
“As I am sure you are aware,” Cove began, and he folded his hands behind his back. “Hurricane season is upon us.”
“Yep.” I nodded, and I realized I hadn’t even considered what hurricane season in Florida would mean now that I was king. “Okay. So what’s the deal with all that?”
“At the moment, we are in a status of observation, your majesty,” Cove said, and he sounded calm. “There is a potential hurricane beginning to brew off the coast. It is too early yet to tell which direction it will go, or how strong it will become.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “So for now we watch and wait, I guess?”
“That is all we can do at this time, your majesty.” Cove nodded.
“I guess there are plans already in place for if and when big hurricanes make landfall?” I asked.
“Yes, your majesty,” Cove said. “We have contingency plans for nearly every situation in regards to severe weather, and not just hurricanes, either. There are plans in case of blizzards, tornados, earthquakes… just about everything.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “Has there ever been a need for a blizzard plan in Florida before?”
“No, your majesty.” Cove smirked. “But the King of the Eternal Realm does not always reside in subtropical weather.”
“Good point,” I chuckled.
Rune eyed Cove for a second after that, and there was a moment of silent communication between my advisors that told me there was something else here to discuss.
Poppy’s fingers tightened on my shoulder in a way that told me she saw it, too.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked Cove and Rune. “What is it?”
The golden-haired fae looked at Cove, and he grimaced slightly. The gesture was so vague that I couldn’t tell if Rune was excited or horrified by the news they had to share. I suspected it probably wasn’t anything too bad since they hadn’t led the advisory meeting with it, but the longer they stared nervously at one another, the more tense I felt.
“Come on.” I gave Poppy’s hand a loving squeeze, and I leaned forward in my chair. “What is it?”
Rune’s lips pressed together so tightly that it looked like he’d thinned them into nothing with his size-altering power. It was almost comical how silent the usually talkative fae was at the moment, and I might have laughed if not for the worry in his teal eyes.
“Your majesty,” Cove began, and he cleared his throat. “As you probably might have guessed, the news of your marriage to Queen Dinah has spread very quickly…”
“Oh,” I breathed with a touch of relief as I leaned back in my chair. “Yeah, I’m sure it made quite a stir.”
The tension in my shoulders eased as I prepared myself to hear how the news of my new bride had made all kinds of scandalous waves throughout polite society. I tried to smother the smirk that rose as I thought about how uptight the polite circles of the Eternal Realm could be at times. It all felt rather contradictory to how laid-back they were about most things, but the paranormal creatures really liked their traditions.
Cove had assured me I’d done nothing wrong by marrying Dinah without any of the pomp and circumstance of a wedding like Poppy’s and mine. Besides, I was the damn king, and I knew I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone.
“Well,” Cove continued. “It seems that the representatives and other higher-ranking members of society have taken this as a cue that you are ready to begin fulfilling your marital duties as king.”
“Sorry…” I shook my head with confusion. “What are you trying to say?”
“Well, you see…” Cove stammered for a second before his shoulders straightened. “We have received a number of social invitations.”
The long-haired fae pointed at a neat wire basket on my desk that was overflowing with card-sized envelopes. I’d barely noticed them beside the mountains of contracts and legal documents that I recognized as the usual paperwork I had to take care of as king, but now the envelopes seemed to glow like a neon sign.
“Oh,” I breathed.
“I suspect–” Cove began, but then Rune snorted through his nose and tried to compose himself.
My eyebrows rose up at the disbelieving look on the fae’s face, and I looked at Cove for an explanation.
“I know,” Cove corrected himself with a subtle glare at Rune. “That an eligible young maiden will be presented to you at each of these social gatherings.”
“I see,” I said.
Surprise hit me, and I was quiet for a moment as the implications of that sank in. I’d known I would be in for a number of more brides since it was an important traditional duty that fell on me as king. I guess I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, and I thought I’d have more time to settle into the job and life with my first three ladies. It was kind of cool, though, to be able to have a total pick of the most eligible women in the Eternal Realm.
It felt a lot like what I imagined it would be like to be on The Bachelor, and I smirked at what my sister Katie would think of that. She absolutely loved that show, and she would be gleeful like a pig in shit to watch that kind of drama unfold around me.
“Right, so how many invitations should I respond to?” I asked. “I mean… how do I go about this?”
I looked between my advisors and my first wife to see what they suggested.
“It would be impossible to accept every invitation, your majesty,” Cove said. “There are simply too many parties to attend, and many of them overlap in their times and dates.”
“Okay,” I said. “I suppose we don’t know exactly which ladies each invitation would present, do we?”
“There are far too many daughters, sisters, female cousins, and nieces of the various representatives to know for sure,” Cove answered.
“Wow,” I breathed as I thought about how many representatives I knew.
There were dozens I knew by name and face, and there were still hundreds more I had only the vaguest knowledge of. If each of them presented just two women for me, the numbers would multiply fast.
“It’s going to get really competitive, your majesty,” Rune said with a smirk. “Everyone wishes to have the opportunity to call you family. Even if it’s just a third cousin once removed by marriage. A direct connection to the king can be a powerful feather in one’s cap.”
Poppy giggled behind my shoulder, and I smirked up at my teal-haired wife.
“What?” I teased her.
“I was just thinking how lucky I am,” Poppy laughed, and her purple eyes were filled with mirth. “I never could have competed for your attention in such an army of women.”
“I would have noticed you in an ocean of beautiful women,” I assured her before I turned back to Cove. “So, what do we do? Just start picking some at random? Hang up invitations and throw darts? Names in a hat? What do you think?”
“Your majesty,” Isla said politely. “If I may?”
“Of course,” I said.
“We have already had one visitor come directly to the mansion,” Isla said, and she looked at Tristan to back her up.
“Yes, your majesty.” The tall cyclops nodded.
“Who was it?” I asked.
