Lottery King 2, page 10
But all those thoughts disappeared in a flash as James pulled onto a private driveway. The property was hidden from the main road by a ten-foot-tall wall of white stone that was covered in climbing vines with trumpet-shaped purple flowers. Carefully sculpted hedges lined the long drive all the way up to a huge sprawling mansion that was just a bit larger than my place in Orlando.
It was all white and tan stone with very Grecian-style pillars and topiaries all along the sides of the wide stairs. There were even a few white marble statues and a massive mermaid fountain in the front yard that rolled gently down to the privacy walls. The house was beautiful and somehow looked historic and completely modern at the same time.
A pleasant-faced older woman whose hair was a lazy pile of dark blue snakes stood by the front doors, and she descended them as James pulled the car up to the steps.
James parked the car and dashed around to open the door for us, and I spotted Ena, Kage, and Nyxx materializing near the bottom of the steps.
“Madam Helena, welcome home!” the older gorgon chirped happily in a thick Greek accent, and she opened her arms wide in welcome.
“Hello, Mrs. Baros.” Helena smiled, and she walked over to hug the shorter woman. “You look well, how are your daughters?”
“Oh, you know Eva and Ellie,” Mrs. Baros sighed in the tone of an exasperated parent. “They’re always finding new ways to test my sanity.”
“They’re smart girls,” Helena assured the older woman. “You shouldn’t worry so much.”
Mrs. Baros gave the harpy an affectionate smile, and then her blue eyes went wide as she spotted me.
“Oh, your majesty, welcome,” Mrs. Baros murmured in an almost reverent tone, and she nearly touched the ground in her deep curtsy.
“Thank you,” I said. “Mrs. Baros, right?”
“Yes, your majesty,” the gorgon replied, and her lazy snakes perked up a bit to stare at me with curious, slitted eyes. “I’ve had the girls prepare the best guest room for you and Lady Poppy. I hope you find them to your satisfaction.”
“I’m sure they’ll be perfect,” I said in a kind tone.
“I’m quite famished,” Helena mused, and she glanced between me and Poppy.
“I anticipated that, madame,” Mrs. Baros said with a pleased smile. “I’ve prepared a lavish breakfast for you and his majesty on the veranda so you may enjoy the sunrise while you eat.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect,” I said.
“Follow me.” Mrs. Baros smiled, and her snake hair flicked their tongues out with interest. They turned their long scaled bodies around to continue watching me as the housekeeper led us into the house.
The place was so open that every little sound echoed off the walls, and it somehow had a musical quality. The ceilings were cathedral height, and the lack of stairs made me suspect the place was all one story. The entire house was very Grecian in style, with marble statues, elegant vases, white tiled floors, and green ferns and vines in every available spot.
Mrs. Baros led us through a gorgeous entrance hall, past a luxurious sitting room with built-in bookshelves that were totally packed, and out onto a huge stone veranda. There was no railing to the place, and the only border to its edges was a series of sculpted topiaries in various geometric shapes. Four wrought-iron tables were positioned on one side of the veranda, and several cushioned benches occupied the other. One of the tables was set with three places, and the smells of eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee welcomed me.
The sky was starting to turn a lovely shade of pink and orange as we settled in at the table.
“This looks and smells incredible,” I said.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Mrs. Baros murmured, and she even blushed a bit from my praise. “Enjoy.”
“See that our bags are brought inside, please,” Helena instructed the gorgon.
Mrs. Baros curtsied in response, and then she left us to enjoy our breakfast.
“This place is gorgeous,” I said as I stirred a bit of sugar into my coffee.
“Have you ever been to Greece, Michael?” Helena asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “My family and I did a few Caribbean cruises when I was a teenager, and I went to Niagara Falls once, but that’s about it.”
“Is this the first time you’ve crossed the Atlantic, then?” Helena asked with surprise.
“Yeah,” I admitted with a laugh. “I’ve always wanted to travel, I just never had the time or money to do it.”
“Greece is so beautiful,” Poppy agreed. “It’s so lovely to be back here.”
“You’ve been to Greece before?” I asked my lover.
“Not in many years,” Poppy clarified, and her iridescent wings shimmered in the light of the rising sun.
“If you’re feeling adventurous,” Helena proposed as she sipped her coffee. “I would be happy to show you a few of my favorite places.”
“Oh, yeah,” I agreed with excitement. “That sounds amazing, and I’m feeling really good after getting so much sleep on the plane. I can’t imagine just lounging around today.”
“I’m pretty energized, too,” Poppy agreed. “It’s always exciting to be somewhere different.”
“Wonderful.” Helena smiled. “How about after we finish breakfast, we can get changed and do a bit of sightseeing?”
“Perfect.” I grinned.
After that, we dug into our breakfast with a hunger that surprised even me. The food was delicious, and exactly what I needed to be totally ready to explore a brand-new city in a completely different part of the world. When we finished, Mrs. Baros and a younger gorgon whose snakes were the same shade of blue appeared to start clearing away our dishes.
Another younger gorgon with blue snakes waited for us near the doors that led back inside, and she curtsied when we walked over.
“I will show our most honored guests to their rooms, madame,” the young maid said.
“Thank you, Eva,” Helena replied.
I figured the younger girls were Mrs. Baros’ daughters, which made me suspect gorgon snake colors were genetic like hair or eye color.
“I will meet you at the front door in about ten minutes,” Helena suggested. “Will that suffice?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I nodded.
“Wear bathing suits.” Helena said with a sly wink in my direction, and then she walked away.
“This way, your majesty, if you please.” Eva didn’t wait for us to respond, she just started walking down a long hallway in the opposite direction Helena had gone.
The young gorgon showed Poppy and me to a wing of the mansion that was lined with expensively-furnished bedrooms I assumed were all intended for housing guests of the mansion. Our rooms were at the end of the long corridor, and they were significantly larger than the others we’d passed.
“Your majesty is in this room,” Eva said. She didn’t look especially thrilled to be here as she pointed to a room on the right, and then the one on the left. “Miss, you’re in this room.”
“Thank you, Eva,” I said with a friendly smile at the young woman.
“You’re welcome,” Eva said, and she arched a brown eyebrow at me in a curious expression. She paused for a moment like she was trying to decide something. “Enjoy your stay, your majesty.”
The blue-snaked gorgon dipped in a little curtsy before she disappeared back down the corridor.
I glanced into my room and then looked at Poppy.
“We’re not sharing a room,” I stated with a bit of confusion.
“It’s traditional,” Poppy said with a little shrug. “Since we’re not married yet.”
“Oh,” I mused with humor. “I guess that makes sense.”
“We don’t have to stay apart just because they put our bags in different rooms, though.” Poppy smirked.
“I know,” I laughed, and I quirked a cocky eyebrow at my fae lover. “It feels naughty, though.”
“Oh, really?” Poppy giggled.
I pulled her into my arms as she bubbled with laughter.
“Shh,” I teased, and I gave a pointed look down the corridor. “They might catch us.”
“How scandalous,” Poppy breathed with a playful smirk. “Come on, your majesty, let’s get ready. We shan’t keep Lady Helena waiting.”
I chuckled at my beautiful fae lover, and then I took a calming breath as I walked into my room.
It was large and filled with fresh sea air. There was a king-sized bed with crisp white linens and massive wooden furniture. A huge dresser faced the end of the bed, and a cream-colored love seat sat below the open windows. My Louis Vuitton luggage was lined up on the bench at the foot of the bed for me, and I walked over to search for my swim trunks.
I smiled at the fun pineapple pattern Poppy had selected for me, and then I pulled out a short-sleeve button-down shirt that was a light cotton fabric perfect for summer in the Mediterranean. My flip-flops were jammed in the bottom of the suitcase like a last minute addition, and I smirked at the image of Matis sneaking them in for me. The pink-haired fae understood my style a little better than his two brothers, and I really appreciated the extra effort he put in.
I dropped the sandals on the floor, shoved my feet in, and grabbed the Ray-Ban sunglasses from the outside pocket of my bag. Then I walked back into the hallway to wait for Poppy.
My teal-haired beauty stepped out into the corridor a moment later in the cutest beach outfit I could have imagined. She wore tan shorts that were cuffed around the tops of her thighs, and her rainbow-colored swimsuit was underneath. It was technically a one-piece suit, but it exposed as much of her taut stomach as a string bikini with large cut-outs at her sides. A single silver hoop connected the top and bottom halves of the brightly-colored fabric just above her belly button, and the top half tied at the back of her neck. Poppy’s toenails were painted a bright shade of yellow, and she had on a pair of strappy gold sandals that were very suited for Greece. She’d twisted her wavy hair up into two buns on the top of her head, and a pair of polarized purple sunglasses completed the look.
“You,” I breathed as love swelled in my chest. “You look incredible.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Poppy replied as she plucked at one of the little buttons on my shirt, and then she dared to bite into her bottom lip.
“Come on,” I grumbled. “We should go before I don’t have the self-control to walk away from these beds.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Poppy giggled and started down the hall like an obedient child, but then she smirked over her shoulder at me through the translucent membrane of her wings.
“Ooohhhh,” I groaned quietly and took a deep breath before I followed her. “You’re trouble.”
“And you love it,” Poppy replied with a mischievous grin.
“Yes, I do,” I laughed.
Thankfully the path the maid had led us down was straight and simple, and we found our way back to the huge entrance hall without much trouble. Poppy and I took a few moments to check out the vases, plants, and sculptures around the two-story room while we waited for Helena.
“Are we ready?” Helena’s lightly-accented voice echoed through the halls as she walked in from the other side.
The gorgeous harpy wore a pair of light-blue linen shorts that were tied at the waist with a large satin bow, and a white bikini top that barely contained her ample breasts. She had a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses perched on top of her head, and her chocolate-colored hair was braided down the middle of her back. She also wore golden gladiator-style sandals like Poppy, but her toenails were a simple shade of pink.
“Yes,” Poppy chirped with excitement.
“Your home is gorgeous,” I said.
“Thank you,” Helena said. “The land has been in my family for generations, but the house is fairly recent.”
“Yeah?” I glanced around. “It looks pretty modern. When was it built?”
“In the late eighteen hundreds,” Helena answered as if that was only two years ago.
I shook my head, and I reminded myself that paranormal species had far different lifespans than humans. I knew fae and vampires could almost be considered immortal with how long they lived and how slowly they aged, but I wasn’t sure about some other species. I’d only skimmed through those sections of my research through the Eternal Realm records since it hadn’t seemed pressing at the time, but now I was curious.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is probably rude, but my position gives me a pass here.”
“It does,” Helena chuckled. “I take it you have a question?”
“What’s the lifespan of harpies?” I asked.
“Most harpies live to be anywhere between three hundred and seven hundred years old,” Helena answered with a friendly smile. “I’m younger than you might think, though.”
“I hadn’t tried to put a number on it,” I said with a touch of self-consciousness.
“I was born in nineteen-twenty.” Helena grinned like she’d revealed a world-shattering secret.
My brain quickly did the math, and I was surprised once more at how different my new world was from my old one.
“Shocking, isn’t it,” Helena teased. “Come on, James will drive us to the beach.”
“Oh, I’m so excited!” Poppy squealed.
“Madame!” a younger voice called, and one of Mrs. Baros’ daughters hurried up to us. “Mother packed a bag of water bottles, sunscreen, and a few snacks for you to take.”
“Ah, thank you, Ellie,” Helena said.
Then we walked outside to find the day was well on its way to perfect hot beach weather, and James was waiting for us by the car. He opened the doors for us, and the ladies and I climbed inside.
The beach was a short drive from Lady Helena’s mansion, and I was pleased to see it wasn’t entirely overrun with tourists. I wondered if the Grecian harpy had taken us to a magically hidden beach for members of the Eternal Realm only.
We climbed out of the car, and a second vehicle pulled up right behind us. Firo stepped out of the car in a tank top that showed off his scaled shoulders, black shorts, and his flame-colored hair that looked almost neon orange in the bright sunlight. Rune climbed out behind him in a much brighter pair of striped swim trunks and nothing else.
“I’ll be around if you need me, your majesty.” Rune grinned like a frat boy. “If that’s acceptable?”
“Yeah, have some fun, Rune,” I chuckled.
The golden-haired fae didn’t waste a second before he made a beeline right for the little covered bar along the edge of the sand.
There were a few dozen huge umbrellas set up in the sand so far, and I quickly scanned the people to see if I could figure out if there were any humans here. I spotted a few fae, several mermaids, some gorgons, and a few groupings of wildly gorgeous women with long flowing hair that I guessed were sirens. I didn’t see anybody who gave off human vibes, and I suspected this was a paranormal secret beach.
Firo stepped up to us with a huge beach umbrella in his hands, and a pair of white eyes stared out at me from underneath it.
“Oh,” I gasped as I realized at least one of my shadow nymph guards was tucked up in the shadows of the umbrella. “Nyxx?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Nyxx’s raspy voice answered from between the wired supports of the umbrella.
“I guess a super sunny beach isn’t your favorite place, huh?” I chuckled.
“There are few shadows here, your majesty,” Nyxx replied simply.
My eyebrows furrowed with concern as I wondered if the shadow nymphs were vulnerable here. I didn’t want them to be singed like a hydrangea who got too much direct sunlight.
“Don’t worry, King Michael,” Firo said. “I will provide shade for your guards, and if need be, they can come out into the sun without being harmed.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “As long as you’re sure. I don’t want anything happening to them.”
There was a brief pause before Nyxx’s voice drifted from the shadows of the umbrella. “Thank you for your concern, your majesty. I am honored.”
I nodded at the two white eyes before I turned to my fiancée.
“I see a perfect spot,” Poppy said, and she pointed down toward the bright blue waves that lapped gently on the white sand.
Helena and Poppy looped arms and headed straight for the spot Poppy had indicated. I smiled and followed them happily to the spot as I took in the view of the cerulean water. It wasn’t until the ladies flapped out a large blanket on the sand that I looked around and realized this was a topless beach.
Not all the women were naked from the waist up, but there were several pairs of breasts on full display. I glued my jaw shut to keep from openly gaping at this discovery, and then I forced my eyes back to my teal-haired lover.
“This is an Eternal Realm-only beach, isn’t it?” I asked.
“It is,” Helena confirmed, and she started to point out various groups with her direct gaze. “Merfolk. Gorgons, like Mrs. Baros and her daughters… and sirens.”
The last group she identified as sirens caught my attention because it was a group of mostly men.
Which for some reason, I hadn’t been expecting.
Their attractiveness was undeniable, and it was the kind of in-my-face physical appeal that, in my younger years, I’d assumed all women loved. They were like fashion models with shiny hair, greased-up bodies with cut muscles, and not an ounce of fat on them. They had dark tans from the sun and the tightest speedo-style swimsuits. There was very little left to the imagination, and I couldn’t stop my grimace before it consumed my face.
“Yikes,” I muttered to myself.
“They’re a bit much,” Helena scoffed. “Aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Poppy agreed as she peered at the male models. “It’s like… they’re trying too hard.”
“I’m not a fan of sirens, personally,” Helena agreed. “It’s just… greasy.”
“Exactly,” Poppy agreed with enthusiasm. “They’re so bulky, too. I much prefer men with a leaner body type, like Michael.”
“Me, too,” Helena murmured, and her caramel eyes washed over me in a quick glance of appreciation. “That big hulking physique, it’s very much not my type.”
