“Pourquoi?” I whisper sadly as my heart clenches painfully in my chest. Tears slip down his cheek as he pulls out his phone, opens something on the screen and instantly a hauntingly familiar voice fills the room and fills me with icy dread. “Dear, sweet, Isolde, from the moment you hear my voice you will obey my command. You will surrender yourself and confess to killing everyone you’re accused of killing. You will plead your guilt to every crime listed against you. You will not fight, you will not argue, this will be all.” As the recording ends, I feel something snap in my brain, like a trapdoor snapping shut on me. I feel my senses dulling, my magic dimming and a sensation of my body shutting down on me. “What the fuck was that?” Valeria asks; fury and worry echoing through to me. Out the corner of my eye, I see every angelite crystal around the place lighting up like Bastille Day. Valeria is up on her feet, her body now on full alert, but Alaric and I are still stuck in a starin
I never thought that I had a soul. I never gave any thought to the notion. But now I know I have a soul because I can feel it being ripped apart. I never knew there was pain like this in the world. I’ve suffered all manner of injuries in my life, but nothing will ever compare to this. It feels like someone has taken my soul, tied it to a tree and is whipping it with razor blades. Every whip brings a new wave of agonising pain and a gaping hole where my heart used to be. I feel like Isolde plunged her fists into my chest, ripped out my heart and crushed it in her bare hand, and as agonisingly painful as this is, and as heartbroken and devastated as I feel, I don’t hate her. I’m pissed the fuck off, but I don’t hate her. The woman I love used the last of her free will and magic to save my life. She knew she was a walking corpse and refused to share that fate with me. That sweet, idiotic, self-sacrificing dumbass! I understand why she did this, and I don’t blame her, but she’s a fuckin
Once through, I find myself standing in front of an adorable two-story French cottage with wisteria growing up the side of the house. It looks so old but well cared for and homely. “Where are we?” I ask. “My home,” he says, looking at the cottage sadly, “My family is trapped inside. Manon placed a barrier around it, it keeps them locked in and me locked out.” As he says this, I see a young teenage boy and a young girl run to the window and pound on the glass, but I can’t hear them. It’s like the cottage is soundproof. Behind them appears a gorgeous blonde woman, with long wavey blond hair and stunning blue eyes. She places her hand against the glass as tears fill her eyes. Alaric takes a step closer until he hits an invisible wall and pounds his fist against it. Okay, so maybe I feel a little bad for him, but I still hate his guts for poisoning my animai. “Hold this,” I say, handing him the chest. He sniffs and turns to face me, taking the chest in confusion, “Why did you grab th
The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the cliffs sounds tranquil, and I try to focus on it to distract me from the nightmare I’m in. Standing on the cliff’s edge of Iç Ada, I stare up and the monolithic structure that is the home of the Delegation. This ancient and wonderous Turkish castle has stood tall for thousands of years and actually holds many pleasant memories for me, but now it’s about to be my tomb. Arthwin and Aulen both place a hand on my shoulders and guide me past the barrier. Aulen also has a hand on Manon to let her past the barrier. The Fortis twins became the Kartheca’s resident makkares a few centuries ago. The Delegation always have makkares living here to aid them should they need it, and they are almost always twins. Twin makkares hold a level of magic that is beyond the average makkari, but not as strong as a Priest or Priestess. Alone they are no stronger than the average makkari, but when they combine the flames of their magic together, they’re quite t
We step out of the portal and stand in front of a large cliff face with windows and a door built into the rock. “Where are we?” Alaric’s son Maël asks, staring up at the natural structure in awe. “Welcome to Pueblo Nuevo. This is a safe house owned by my family,” I answer as I walk over to the door, open the keypad and type in my code and then hold my hand to the pad for handprint ID. Once both are cleared, the door unlocks, and I push it open. I turn back to see Alaric and his family still standing a few feet away just staring at the structure. “You expect us to enter a safe house used by venators?” Yvain asks in disbelief. I take a deep breath trying my best not to snap or get an attitude. “This facility is filled with every weakness venators know to work against supernaturals. The perimeter is surrounded by nuummite making it impossible for makkares to sense or locate. You only could because I gave you the location and because you’re currently outside the perimeter. Manon won’t
“I got what you needed,” says Alaric, handing me a jar of powdered devil’s tongue. “Thank you,” I say, putting my jacket on the table and proceeding to load the powder into the grenades, securing them and placing them on top of my jacket. “You look ready for battle,” he comments. “Like riding a bike,” I say apathetically as I check everything is secure. “I don’t see anything to use on a mutolupus or nagata,” he notices. “If I show up carrying weapons that can hurt them, they’ll see me as a threat and won’t help me. I need them to listen to me.” “I think one look at you is enough to see you as a threat. You’re covered in weapons.” I place my hands on the table and glare at him, “Then I will surrender them if they ask. Your job is to get me there, not worry about my safety.” “Isolde wouldn’t want you getting hurt for her,” he says sincerely, but his words only make me angrier. “New rule. For the time we are stuck together, you are forbidden to say her name. If I so much as hear
I throw out a left kick which he immediately blocks with his hand before returning a left kick which I block with my forearm. He moves, taking a swing at me, and I duck down and land a punch to his gut, then pull up and slam my fist into his face. The adrenaline is pumping and I’m channelling all my pain and all my rage into this fight. Fucker picked the wrong time to mess with me. I throw my right leg out for another kick which he blocks, so I raise my leg higher and aim for his head, which he quickly blocks with his forearm. I go for a swinging back kick with my left leg, but he quickly jumps back dodging it. I steady myself and throw out a right punch, which he blocks and with my right flank now wide open, he lands a solid kick right to my side which causes me to stumble back with a groan. We each slip back into a fighting stance staring each other down. I can see in his eyes that he’s all in. He has every intention of killing me. But I’m not dying today. I throw a right punch whi
Stepping through the portal I find myself in the middle of a forest, but the temperature is surprisingly warm and even past the canopy of the trees I can tell the sun is beating down. I see a tree next to the portal and pull out one of my throwing knives and carve an X into the tree, so I know where to return to. IF I return that is. I slip the knife back into its holster and begin walking through the forest, not having a clue where I’m going but one thing I know for certain is these wolves will find me before I find them. A disadvantage of hunting supernatural beings is they have better senses than you do. I take another step and wince feeling an ache in my ribs. That fight with Matteo did a number on me, and as satisfying as it was to get some of this anger out, I should have just shot him and saved myself the time and energy. Worse than the aches from our fight is the unbearable pain in my chest that has been festering since Isolde rejected me. I feel completely drained, like some
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 and they continue to keep me motivated when I struggle to find a reason why I should. Seeing you all connect with the story and characters truly touches 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. It is you who determine the success of these books, so I can't do this without you. These stories need you. Speaking of stories... 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) [paperback and merch giveaway will correspond with the b
I storm into the house with Valeria right on my heels, my mind still utterly flabbergasted by what just happened. “A paperweight!” I shout in annoyed disbelief. “I know, baby,” Valeria says, closing the door behind us and placing her gun on the table by the door. “I spend my entire life scouring the earth looking for this, thinking maybe it’s in some vault as a prized possession or buried deep within the earth. I thought of so many scenarios as to where this might be hidden, but at no point in time did I think it was just casually sitting on someone’s desk as a fucking paperweight!” I screech. “Tell me how you really feel,” she teases. “How do you mistake something that clearly appears to have an ancient language carved into it for something as common as a paperweight?!” I continue to rant, but I can feel amusement bubbling inside Valeria, and I can tell from her face she’s trying not to laugh. “This isn’t funny, Val!” “Oh, I agree your struggle and the disrespect shown to this
We step out into a long two-story hall. A teal-coloured carpet lays beneath our feet and runs down the length of the hall leading up a small staircase to a platform with two ornate and delicate-looking thrones that appear to be made from the world’s most durable coral. At first glance, the coral looks peach in colour but as the light catches it, it shifts into different colours. To the sides of the thrones are two gargantuan statues depicting the God Ezillus. The statue to the right depicts them in feminine regalia, and the statue on the left depicts them in masculine regalia. A clear tribute to Ezillus’ embodiment of all things masculine, feminine and everything in between. Behind the throne are three full-length curved windows with gold detailing worked into the glass. The vaulted ceiling above us houses several chandeliers covered in pearls, running down the length of the ceiling. The sides of the room are separated by Mihrab-arched columns running down each side, with coral and pe
Standing in the entrance hall of the Kartheca, I watch as Valeria continues to pace back and forth as the creases on her forehead begin to permanently set in. I can feel the agitation rising inside her the longer we wait. I know being here is unpleasant for her. I did tell her she didn’t have to come, but she made it clear that wasn’t an option. As she begins her umpteenth trip from one side of the room to the other, I pull on my magic and fan my fingers out causing her feet to get stuck to the marble floor of the hallway. “¡No mames!” She exclaims nearly toppling forward and assessing her feet. She looks up at me and narrows her eyes then proceeds to throw some very colourful Mexican swear words at me, some I can’t even translate. Something about a donkey? I’ll have to get a translation on that later. I walk over and cup her face in my hands feeling the zing of our bond through my fingertips, “Stop and take a breath. I know you’re agitated, but we won’t be here long. I promise,” I
With Izzy not here to act as a buffer, I excuse myself and go for a wander. Izzy ran inside excited about something, and I’m curious what that something might be. She told me that marked animais can see into each other’s eyes, but I’m not quite sure how to do that, and I can tell how much she wants to surprise me, so I’ll let her. I brace my hand against a nearby tree, take off my heels, and make my way into the woods just so I can have a moment to decompress. I come to a stop when the noise of the party fades out to a gentle hum and sit myself down on a fallen tree. I place my heels on the forest floor and gingerly run my fingers over the mark on my neck where I feel its slightly raised outline. Just touching it relaxes me, and I can’t explain why. I look up through the canopy of the trees just as the clouds drift past allowing the light of the moon to shine down into the forest. Its soft rays of light beam down into the forest making it look like an ethereal land, not of this worl
“That was a beautiful ceremony,” Makbule praises.“Thank you,” I smile, keeping my arm tightly around Valeria. I can feel how joyous she is about having restored and completed her bond, but her apprehension of being near an irshiust is starting to shine through, though I can’t say I blame her.“It’s been so long since we attended a marking ceremony, no matter how many we see, they continue to be a magical experience,” Müjde sighs dreamily.“I see not all of you came,” Valeria says sardonically.“As much as our sisters would have loved to attend, we can not all stop our duties for one gathering. There is still much going on in the world that needs our assistance, and our duty always comes first,” says Zehra.“So where were you when Izzy needed assistance? I mean, I understand being put on hold, but for centuries seems like overkill to me,” says Valeria flippantly. I stroke her side and place a gentle kiss on her temple, relishing the electricity once again ignited by our contact.“Val,
۩ISOLDE۩ I’ve never been so sucked in, in all my life, and this is coming from someone who used to wear corsets as part of everyday wear. They weren’t as bad as people make them out to be, and they provided incredible back support. But there is no support in this dress. I’m afraid if I bend over my breasts will fall out of my dress, though Valeria might enjoy that, but maybe not in front of guests. I apply another coat of mascara and spray a little more hairspray over my hair and give myself a final assessment. This is the most dressed up I’ve been since my first date with Valeria, but it feels good knowing it’s for our marking ceremony. I wanted her jaw to drop, so I’ve chosen a strapless A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline and a slit up to my hip. The fabric is a metallic chiffon in a gorgeous gunmetal colour that gathers diagonally across my body. It looks like my body is coated in liquid metal. My hair is slicked back leaving my face and shoulders completely unobstructed, an
This past week has been terrific for my self-esteem. Not that I needed a self-esteem boost, but it never hurts. Tweedledum has been our personal servant and I have loved every minute of it, especially since he couldn’t use his magic as much as he liked. Welcome to being a human! To his credit, he has done a fantastic job at preparing everything for our marking ceremony. I haven’t been allowed outside to see the final touches, and I’m dying to. I tried to peek out the window, but Arthwin magically removed the window entirely, which was a dick move. I’m finishing getting dressed in my old room while Izzy gets ready in our room. It’s nice that there are some human traditions that overlap, like me not being able to see Izzy before the ceremony. I can’t wait to see her, I know she’ll look stunning, but this is the longest we’ve been apart since her capture, and I don’t fucking like it. Izzy has been staying close, and I think it’s because she noticed that I still have pain from the reject
I couldn’t sleep a wink. One would think now that I have nothing to fear or worry about that I should be able to slip into the best night's sleep of my life. I suspect anyone who would think that has lived a very easy life. The fears that kept me up at night may be gone, but that defence inside me is still up. I spent all night watching Valeria sleep peacefully in my arms, terrified if I let my eyes close, I’d wake up only to find myself back in that cell awaiting my execution. I know everything is over and the truth is out there, and soon every makkari will know the truth, but it hasn’t sunk in as much as I thought it had. You don’t live in fear for two centuries and lose all those survival instincts in mere hours.It wasn’t so bad though. Watching Valeria sleep, knowing she’s safe in my arms helped relax me, while simultaneously filling me with guilt. She won’t tell me just how much pain she’s in from my rejection, not that I blame her. She puts on such a brave face and it’s eating