An animai. A fucking animai. Has Zarseti lost her fucking mind?! How is that even remotely possible? This was meant to be a simple retrieval; how did this all happen?
I had sensed the newly made sanguidae as soon as they turned. As the first, I am connected to each and every one, so I can feel when another comes into being. A fact that shames and disgusts me to my core. They had someone guiding them, so I didn’t interfere right away, but once I knew their supposed leader was as dumb as a doornail with the traits of a serial killer, I knew I had to step in.
For thousands of years, I’ve managed to get to them before the Delegation could, but for once they beat me to it, but I never could have expected things to turn out this way. The moment I appeared; her scent overtook me. It nearly threw thousands of years of self-control out the window. Her scent was the most glorious thing I’ve ever smelt in my entire existence. She smelled of warm vanilla and orchids fresh on the vine at the peak of their bloom. Her blood sang to the curse that rages within me and the monster that I am craved nothing more than to sink my teeth into her flesh and taste her blood on my tongue. I knew if I did it would be the most divine thing I had ever tasted, but I resisted. Animai or not, I would not do that to her.
When I saw her for the first time I almost lost my resolve. She stood at 5’5”, her gorgeous frame dwarfed by my own. She had the most gorgeous mocha skin with glitters of gold. The way the gold in her skin reflected the sun she looked like a rare firefly, guiding me towards her like a moth to a flame. She had an adorable dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks and as her golden eyes looked upon me she was completely unaware of how my eyes were drawn to her thick full lips that were begging me to devour them. Her long thick black braids were tied up high in a ponytail and I will admit, her clothes did not make it difficult to envision what was hiding beneath. I could see the curve of her hips, the shape of her voluptuous ass and the fullness of her breasts. Everything inside me screamed to reach out and touch her and taste her, but I knew that would be a mistake.
Everything about her was like a siren, but it would be she who would be led to her doom. I am already condemned; I won’t drag her with me. For Zarseti to pair her to me, to pair anyone to me is an act of cruelty I cannot forgive, and she will answer for what she has done. That I can promise. I never thought leaving someone could be so unbearably painful and yet it was, but I have my responsibilities. Responsibilities that run deeper than some trick from a Goddess.
The sanguidae from today are lost and confused, consumed by their hunger, and being led into a dark pit that some never come out of because of one sanguidae on a power trip. Honestly, I would love to rip the little shit's heart out, but Zarseti – once again in her supposed divine wisdom – gave the psychopath an animai and for that sweet girl’s sake, the fucker gets to live. For now.
As I appear inside the safe house I use to give rogue sanguidae sanctuary, I look at the six new additions around me. Four are writhing in inexplicable pain - a result of cadmium from the smell of it - while their leader remains unconscious, and the sweet girl Amber stays close comforting him. Despite this curse that has befallen her, her sweetness still shines through. Perhaps if they complete the bond it might rub off on the prick, at the very least it might tame his hunger. I have seen animai bonds make sanguidae become more controlled once the bond is completed. Maybe that’s what Zarseti had in mind for me, but if that’s the case, she’s an idiot. I’m not like any of them and she knows that.
I snap my fingers placing the wounded into a state of unconsciousness. I decide it would be best to let their wounds heal naturally; teach them a valuable lesson that they’re not as indestructible as they think they are, but I don’t want them to suffer. With another snap of my fingers, I send their bodies to respective bedrooms to sleep.
Young Amber looks up at me with shock. Despite her blood-red eyes, she has a very innocent face. Narrow jaw, doe eyes, button nose and brown hair just past her shoulders. She’d make quite the honey trap. She has a slim frame and is 5’3”, wearing skinny light blue denim jeans and a man’s white collared long-sleeve shirt, both of which are covered in blood.
“There is a bathroom down the hall. There is another upstairs and each bedroom has its own ensuite. You can pick any available room you wish. You will find clean clothes, so you can get cleaned up and dressed,” I say softly.
“Why are you helping us?” she signs.
“Because it’s my fault you’re like this. Helping you is the least I can do,” I confess.
She frowns, “You didn’t make me this way,” she signs.
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair, “It’s a long complicated story. Just know you’re safe here, but I’m afraid you can’t leave.”
Her eyes widen in alarm as her fingers move with newfound speed, “Are we prisoners?”
I shake my head and sit on the coffee table, “None of you are prisoners. But if I let you out in your current state you are a danger to others and you know this. You’re also now aware you’re not the only supernatural beings in the world. There are beings you don’t know about and laws you don’t understand, and there are punishments for breaking those laws. I can help you learn control. Help you understand what you are and teach you the laws you need to follow. That’s why you need to stay here. Do you understand?”
She nods in understanding, “I don’t want to kill any more people,” she says, her face etched in remorse and shame. It’s like looking in a mirror.
“I know,” I say, reaching out to stroke her hair, “It won’t be forever. Just until you learn control.”
“What do I do if I get hungry?” she signs as she anxiously bites her lip. A good question. I offer her my hand and she takes it without hesitation. I lead her through the living room and into the kitchen, walking over to a large, reinforced door and place my hand on it.
“This is a cooler. Inside are donated blood bags. All the blood you need is inside. But, it has a magical lock. This door will only open for each person once a day, and you can only remove two bags. Trust me, you can’t trick the system. It will be hard. The hunger you’re feeling never goes away, but you can learn to push it from your mind. You don’t need to feed as often as you think you do. You can go weeks before the blood craze sets in.” I explain. She looks at me in confusion, once again reminding me how green she is. “I’ll explain later. Just know, you won’t die from lack of blood. Would you like me to get you a bag now?” I gently ask. Her blood-red eyes shine bright with hunger, and as she steps forward her teeth form sharp points. Four canines on the top row and six together on the bottom row. She quickly covers her mouth, and I watch as she fights against her own instincts.
She shakes her head furiously stepping back, “No. I want it, but I understand I don’t need it. I want to learn control. So no,” she signs with strength and determination in her actions. I smile feeling proud of the young one. I can tell she’ll handle this just fine. Hopefully, she can help her animai through this.
I squeeze her shoulders, “You’re going to do fine. How about you go upstairs and get cleaned up?”
She looks herself over and cringes, but nods in agreement. “What about Simon?” she signs, I’m getting better at translating the longer I’m around her. Remembering languages stored in my head is like riding a bike… not that I’ve ever actually ridden a bike.
“He and the others will remain asleep until I wake them. For now, it’s for the best. Now when I say you can’t leave, I mean you can’t leave. There is a magical barrier around the house. As soon as you and the others have learned control you’ll be free to leave.”
“How long will that take?” she signs.
“It’s different for everyone, so I can’t say,” I answer honestly.
She nods and begins to walk off, but stops and turns towards me, “Thank you. For saving us,” she signs with a sweet smile on her face.
“Trust me, I don’t deserve your thanks,” I say flatly. She frowns but walks off. I listen as she makes her way upstairs, and I hear her get in the shower. Now that that is handled, onto the next.
Thank you to everyone who has joined me for another instalment in the Queen Among series. I have enjoyed all of your comments with each passing day. Seeing you all connect with the story and characters truly touched me. I truly hope that if you are in the mood you will consider donating gems, and most importantly, leaving a review of this book on the book's main page. It would do me and my book a huge favour and will also allow me to hear your thoughts on the story. Speaking of story... Here is a breakdown of the series so far, what currently exists and what is to come! Currently Available: Book 1 - A Queen Among Alphas (completed and also available on paperback) Book 2 - A Queen Among Snakes (completed and coming soon to paperback) Book 3 - A Queen Among Blood (completed and coming soon to paperback) Bite-Size Luna - A prequel spin-off to A Queen Among Alphas (completed and coming soon to paperback) COMING SOON IN THE SERIES: Book 4 - A Queen Among Darkness Book 5 - A Queen
Oshmin POV Time slips away as I hold Yildiz in my arms, but soon she is springing up on her feet and quickly undressing before me, which I am not complaining about. “What are you doing?” I ask, as my eyes remain glued in captivation as I watch each piece of fabric disappear from her body leaving only exquisite, glittering mocha curves behind. “If you think I’m just going to sit and stare at a stunning, magical oasis like this and not get in, you’re out of your mind,” she says with glee and promptly dives into the water. The golden glitter of her skin now looking all the more stunning under the twinkling aquamarine waters. Eager to join her, with a snap of my fingers my clothes are in a pile beside me, and I am diving into the water with her. We both break the surface and instantly she begins splashing me. “Oh, you want to play it like that? Game on,” I smirk as I use a fraction of my energy to send a decent-sized wave of water at her. “Hey! That’s cheating,” she pouts, wiping the
Oshmin POV The last few days have been filled with more drama. I used to think my life was very dramatic, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I spent eons reliving one dramatic – or traumatic – experience and believed it followed me everywhere, but after what I’ve experienced in the last few weeks while being with Yildiz, I realise my life was incredibly mundane. We Gods do the bare minimum and then call it a day, Yildiz and her sisters are trying to solve a hundred problems at once and trying to save thousands, if not millions, of lives a day. The miraculous thing is they never complain, and I mean REALLY complain. One bad thing happened to me, and I never shut up about it. Irshiusts see the worst in people and the world around them, take care of the sick, wounded and mistreated and are witness to horrors no being should ever witness, and they do it all with compassion and tolerance – to a degree. They save lives every single day and hardly get so much as a thank you, but they cont
As I make my way down to the cells that reside deep under the Kartheca, I can already hear the voices of my sisters deep within the earthly confines. I take my final step and begin walking down the corridor when the sound of someone’s approaching footsteps gain my attention. “Let me the fuck out of here!” screams the inhabitant of the cell to my right. I stop and turn to face the dim lime-green aura with its faded olive-green hue now standing before me. “I see the concept of a life sentence still confuses you,” I say casually. “I’m an Alpha! Who the fuck do you think you are to treat me like this?” he says as I hear the sound of him hocking up phlegm. I tilt my head to the left just as I hear the wad of phlegm fly past me and hit the wall behind me. That is beyond disgusting. “You were an Alpha and a despicable one at that. Ivan, allow me to remind you that you lost your title the moment you were brought into our custody and a new Alpha was appointed of your pack. Not only are you
Oshmin POV “Are you done with your inner thoughts, or would you like a little more time?” Yildiz asks in a bored tone. I roll my eyes, “Anyone ever tell you how annoying that is?” “Truth be told, I didn’t come here to bust your cosmic balls. I know you and Yildiz have hashed it out and you have been brutally honest. Things are looking up for the two of you and for that I am thrilled. What happened is in the past. Actually, all of that isn’t why I’m here now,” she admits, her tone becoming serious. I sit forward and give her my undivided attention, “I know that look. That’s the look of you’re about to drop a cryptic bomb on me.” “Am I that transparent?” she says with a wry smile. “No, I’ve just known you a long time. What’s going on?” I ask, cutting to the chase. “When I told you I gave you an animai because I wanted you to be happy, that wasn’t a lie.” “Never thought it was…” I say tentatively. “That being said, I had additional reasons for wanting you to be happy.” Her face
Oshmin POV I lay back with my arms under my head already missing Yildiz being wrapped in my arms. As I stare through the glass walls of her room at the stunning view outside, I can’t help but become frustrated. I’m a cosmic being with the power to give Yildiz all the answers she seeks, but because of my own idea to prevent us Gods from meddling, I’m stuck laying here unable to do a single thing to help her. I feel like I shot myself in the foot before ever even realising it. “You made the right call, Oshmin,” I suddenly hear Zarseti’s voice. I look over to see the fuchsia-haired Goddess standing off to the side in a rather stunning purple kaftan with gold beading across the bust and shoulders and lined down the arms and framing the sleeves. “What is with you and the kaftan collection?” I enquire. She walks over and leans against the window, ignoring my question. “Even my daughters need to learn life is not about cutting corners or taking the easy way. We all have our own destinies