Lottery king 3, p.1
Lottery King 3, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
Margot & Shannon: Human Friends of Michael’s sister Katie.
Matis: High fae Valet triplet. Bright pink hair. Silver eyes. Dragonfly wings.
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.
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.
Thistle: Dryad Royal gardener. Green leaves with orange blossoms. Brown eyes. Green skin.
Tristan: Cyclops Royal butler. Bald. One brown eye. Seven feet tall.
Chapter 1
The ATV’s engine rumbled furiously under me, and the vibrations were making my fingers numb. I swerved at eighty miles per hour down the muddy path through the Florida coastline. Another dump of adrenaline poured through my brain, and a grin of pure exhilaration spread across my face. The thrill of our race through the muddy, alligator-infested waters washed away every bit of pre-wedding stress or nerves I might have had.
“You won’t win that easily, your majesty!” Firo shouted as he sped up behind me.
The dragon-man’s orange hair blew around wildly in the wind and made it look even more like flames than usual. His smile was wider than I thought the stoic man was capable of.
“No way, Firo!” I shouted back as laughter bubbled in my chest.
I cut the ATV’s front wheels hard to the left as I followed the path through a puddle of muck, and I sprayed that shit all over my head of security and his vehicle.
“Woo!” Rune’s shout of laughter came from a bit further behind me.
A quick glance over my shoulder showed that my golden-haired advisor was currently in third place in our fae-style bachelor’s weekend. Cove was next behind him, and his ocean-blue hair was tied back in a long ponytail. The fae triplets who were my personal valets seemed to be enjoying the ride more than the race, but they were just as muddy as the rest of us. At the back of the pack was Tristan, my butler who had an enormous grin under his one brown eye. The cyclops clearly didn’t have any interest in the competitive race between me, Firo, Rune, and Cove, but he was having a hell of a time.
I turned my eyes back in front of me and searched for what was supposed to be a path through the muddy coastline. It was nearly impossible to tell where the path was meant to be, however, so I maneuvered the ATV around the deeper-looking water as best I could.
The wind rushed across my face and through my hair, and it made my eyes water. Isla had provided us with magically enhanced helmets that felt like nothing at all, and she assured me they would protect my head better than a traditional helmet. The feeling of having nothing on my body to protect me in the event of a crash brought an extra element of exhilaration and excitement to the race.
My heart thundered in my chest when an alligator lunged up out of the water just beside my boot, and the green beast snapped at my foot like I was its next meal.
“Fuck!” I shouted as I veered hard to the right, and the movement sent another splashing wave of mud and muck into the air.
I glanced over my shoulder to watch the gator slip back into the water to await its next target, and I registered how close to loss of limb I was at any given second.
“Wooooo!” I hollered with the pure thrill of it all.
Firo’s engine roared beside me, and the dragon-man’s face had a smug smirk as he pulled in front of me. He swerved his ATV right in front of mine so close that he almost scraped my front bumper.
“Shit!” I screeched as I instinctively squeezed the brake handle.
My ATV skidded through the mud, and I almost rolled over. I leaned as far over on my seat as I could with all of my weight, and I man aged to keep the thing on all four wheels.
“Catch me if you can, your majesty!” Firo laughed uproariously as he widened the gap between us.
“King Slowpoke!” Rune taunted me in good fun as he raced past.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I growled through my grin.
I squeezed the accelerator so hard that I felt the metal dig into my palm, and the wheels turned wildly in the mud for a half-second before they gripped. Then my vehicle lurched forward like a racing stallion at the starting gate.
“Excellent!” Cove shouted with laughter as I managed to stay just ahead of him. “Remind them who’s king!”
I smirked as the wind bit into my face again, and my eyes started to water as I blasted through the muck and swamp grasses. I blinked furiously to clear my vision as I studied the paths in front of us.
Firo was still gaining ground, but I was catching up with Rune already. The golden-haired fae’s bumblebee wings were tucked tight and flat against his back, and he risked a look over his shoulder at me.
“I’m coming for you!” I declared.
Rune’s teal eyes went wide as he turned back around, and he pushed his ATV to its max speed.
The muddy ground in front of us diverged into two passable trails, and there was a wide swatch of deeper muddy water between them before they converged on the other side. I figured if I could go fast enough, I could cut right in front of Rune, and then I would work on passing Firo to win.
Rune cut to the right of the water, so I veered left, and then I ducked my body down closer to the ATV as I barreled down on the throttle. Our machines were closely matched, but I felt myself inching ahead of my advisor.
“Shiiiiit!” Rune’s gasp evolved into a cry of shock as he spotted me swerving far too close to him.
It was like a side-by-side game of chicken, and I was not going to back down. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rune’s internal panic as he realized he needed to break or we’d crash.
“Fuuuuck!” Rune screamed as he slammed on his ATV’s brakes.
My heart dropped as the vehicle tilted harshly to the side, and Rune nearly went with it.
I sighed with relief as I saw Rune’s bumblebee wings spread out wide, and he managed to right the ATV back on all its wheels. He was safe, but he’d lost every bit of speed and momentum he’d built up.
I raced past the mud-covered fae with a heady mixture of relief, anxiety, and exhilaration at what had just happened. I hadn’t intended to put him in danger, but I guess that was the fun of this fae tradition.
Rune and Cove had explained to me that faes would go out on thrill-seeking adventures as a paranormal-style bachelor party. I hadn’t been so sure about trying this approach, seeing as I wasn’t a fae at all, but they’d insisted.
Plus, Poppy had encouraged me to go, too. My teal-haired fiancée thought it was a brilliant idea, especially since she’d been planning a little getaway for her bachelorette party.
I hadn’t really known what I was getting myself into when I’d agreed, but when Rune and Cove had delivered me to a line of shiny souped-up ATVs this morning, I was so glad I’d come.
A smile spread across my face, and I still couldn’t believe this was my life. It had been more than two months of being King of the Eternal Realm, but I still couldn’t get over the shock of it all. I was insanely rich, an unquestionable ruler of the paranormal world, about to marry the sexiest and sweetest fae I’d ever seen, and I had a gorgeous harpy who was also wildly in love with me.
What the fuck was my life?
A spot of churning movement in the water just ahead of me drew my thoughts back to the heart-thumping race at hand, and I squinted against the sunlight shining off the surface. The muddy water swirled as a few large bubbles broke the surface, and I knew there had to be more alligators.
I studied the paths in front of me, Firo’s location, and my options in a flash. The path diverged into two paths once more just ahead of the dragon-man. One was wider, more even, a little longer, and it looked to be firmer ground. The other was a bit shorter, rockier, and went right past the bubbling, churning water.
Firo, of course, went down the less dangerous-looking path, and I knew this was my chance to pass him. The flame-haired man was sitting up in an almost lazy position, and I could tell by his body language that he was confident in his win. It reminded me of The Tortoise and the Hare, and I knew he was a little too cocky for his own good.
My eyes narrowed as I smirked, and I cut down the narrower, alligator-infested side of the path. If I moved fast enough, the gators would never be able to snatch me up as a snack, and I could pass Firo to win.
“Come on, Ayers,” I muttered to myself.
I laid on the throttle, leaned forward and away from the water, and even pulled my left foot up a little to make it harder for the alligators to snap at me.
The roar of the engines and the vibrations in the mud drew the alligators right up out of the water like I’d expected, but there were more of them than I’d anticipated.
Four enormous modern-day dinosaurs lunged out of the water right at me. The first two missed me completely as my pulse hammered in my veins, and the third alligator snapped the air where my foot would have been if I hadn’t pulled it up.
But the fourth alligator was the real threat.
The fifteen-foot-long gator launched toward me with such fury that it sent a tidal wave of muddy water out in all directions. The water rained down around me as the gator snapped at me, and I slid so far to the right that I almost dragged the whole-ass ATV into a death roll. The only thing that kept me from tumbling over like a bowling pin was the alligator’s front feet on my back bumper.
“Holy fuck!” I shouted.
The gator glared at me with slitted yellow eyes as it stretched its mouth open wide to snap at me again.
“Not today!” I growled at the top of my lungs.
I reared my booted foot back and kicked hard into the beast’s snout. With every bit of my might, I kicked the alligator twice more to force it off my ATV, and it splashed back into the water.
“Fuck!” I roared as I quickly righted myself on the vehicle, and I steered the machine back onto the path just a second in front of Firo.
“Oh, shit!” Firo gasped with surprise as I appeared in front of him on the path.
“Yeah!” I shouted with victory, and I raised up from my seat as we raced back around to our starting point.
The path moved further back into the land and away from the muddy coastline, and the four-wheel drive Jeeps we’d driven here came into view beyond the tall grasses.
I was dizzy from all the adrenaline and cortisol in my system, and I forced myself to heave several deep breaths to reoxygenate my brain as I eased off the throttle. Once my speed was a leisurely five miles per hour, I risked a glance over my shoulder at my companions.
“Excellent race, your majesty,” Firo relented as he pulled up beside me.
“That was fucking awesome!” Rune shouted without restraint. Then he seemed to remember himself, and his tone became much more controlled. “If you don’t mind me saying.”
“Yeah, Rune,” I laughed. “It was totally fucking awesome. I’m really glad you guys suggested this.”
The rest of our group pulled up a few seconds later, and they were all smiling and looking very wind-blown. Birch tried to smooth down his green hair as Matis raked his fingers through his pink hair. Tristan carefully climbed off his slightly larger ATV with a laugh.
“I was very nervous,” the cyclops admitted. “But it was really fun.”
“That was great fun!” Sunny, my yellow-haired valet, agreed.
“I must admit, your majesty,” Cove said as he shook out his long, ocean-blue hair. “You worried me quite a bit back there.”
“Sorry,” I laughed, and I was only a little regretful that I felt zero remorse.
“Oh, he was fine, Cove,” Rune scoffed with a wide grin. “King Michael did splendidly! As good as any fae, if not better.”
“Did you see the way he kicked that croc?” Birch asked.
“It was an alligator, you dolt,” Sunny corrected his brother.
“Whatever.” Birch rolled his eyes. “It was amazing.”
“Yeah, and the boots were the right choice,” I laughed.
“We will never lead you wrong, your majesty,” Matis chuckled as he ignored his brothers’ squabble.
