We met up with Luthias and his troops just outside the soldier’s encampment in the wee hours of the morning. Nikodem and a few of his peers studied the weapons we’d stolen most of the afternoon. Once they understood the mechanics behind the equipment, it was easy to create a spell to diffuse it.
My body trembled with dread over what we were about to do to the point that I actually longed for the return of the rage I felt while in Luthias’ compound. We were about one hundred supernaturals in total invading an encampment with at least five hundred wicked minded soldiers, but it didn’t deter us. Without the use of their weapons, the massacre was expected to be swift and easy. There was no room for qualms about what we were about to do. I knew they would do it to us in a heartbeat. I needed to think about the survival of my own kind and not about the fact that I would be killing defenseless people in cold blood.
E
The weeks seem to fly by as we dove into the wedding preparations. An event of such magnitude didn’t happen every day in Verso. In fact, it had never happened. The kingdom was abuzz with excitement.Since I was also queen of Vampire Land and the mutant-vampire kingdom, Geo suggested we invite them to the wedding. I wasn’t the only one who was hesitant about the idea. Gwendoline practically had a heart attack. She ranted for days about how difficult it was to work a shield around Verso to protect us against the very vampires he was inviting in. When he ignored her rantings, and informed her he intended to invite the Fae as well, my grandmother had to mix up a remedy to salvage Gwendoline’s nerves.I did my best to hide the fact that I still wasn’t one-hundred percent. My magic returned just as strong as ever, as did my vampirism, but I still felt odd at times; as well as excessively tired. Since Geo insis
I have no words to explain the emotions that poured through me when there came a knock on the door and Abigail entered. I hadn’t realized she’d attended the ceremony.“You have more nerve than anyone I’ve ever met,” I snarled as I sat up on the edge of the bed.“It comes with age,” she said as she walked further into the room with what I detected was false bravado.“Well, if you want to keep that pretty head of yours, I’d use that wisdom you’re supposed to acquire with age and leave me. I’m in no mood for your nonsense,” I said.“Understandable,” she said as she positioned herself in a chair on the opposite side of the room. I was going to wait until after the ceremony to approach you, but after what happened….”“Are you here to gloat?” I said.“I have no designs on Geo,” she assured me. “It’s
It took three long and tortuous days for Geo to send for me to meet with him and Shona behind those very same closed doors that hid them from the kingdom for so long. I was tempted to refuse their request, but curiosity got the better of me.Luthias insisted on joining me and I didn’t argue. He’d monitored and cared for me the entire time Shona and Geo were shut away doing who knew what. It would have been thankless and cruel of me to deny him the right to stand by me when we were finally able to understand what was happening. Not only did he have his own myriad of emotions invested in both Shona and me, but I needed his support more than ever.I clung tightly to the crook of his arm as he guided me into the large sitting room with the regal flair one might expect from a king and queen. I could see anger flair in Geo’s eyes as he watched us settle into the overstuffed chairs positioned directly opposite them. A maid
After reminding me about the fact that someone from both of my kingdoms was paying a powerful wizard to kill me, Abigail suggested we go to the cottage of the witch she hired to keep tabs on Luthias. Perhaps if the witch met me in person, she would be better able to completely solve the mystery of who the trio was, as well as tell us how to undo Accalon’s magic.I felt defeated and exhausted and could think of no better alternative, so I agreed.The witch lived high into the north mountains, away from civilization and the threat of the nuclear induced plagues of the planet. This included The New World Order, which she considered the worst plague of all. It took longer than it should have for us to reach her place because I had to stop often to rejuvenate my depleted energy. I managed to magically manifest a simple shelter for the two nights we were traveling and Abigail was good enough to hunt for us so that I could have fresh blood
I enjoyed my time with Morena so much that I soon forgot my troubles. We scryed, daily, to check on my children. They were being well cared for by the nanny and, although Geo visited them regularly, I’d yet to see evidence of Shona paying them the slightest bit of attention.I was still spitting fire whenever I saw Geo or someone mentioned his name. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling saddened and a little concerned for him. With every passing day, he looked more and more forlorn. During one of our snooping sessions on Luthias, we heard Gwendoline express her concern for Geo. She worried that he was giving up on life. When a vampire gave up on life, they slowly withered into nothingness. It wasn’t a fast process. This meant that Gwendoline – who had attached her life force to his- had time to remedy the situation and break free before he died. She was discussing the possibility of having to do just that to s
We entered Vampire Land with all the pomp and circumstance due a queen. I was both surprised and touched by my reception. An enormous banquet was held in honor of my return, during which Lord Moken gave a heartfelt speech about how proud he was to have stood in my stead, but how happy he was to be able to return the responsibility of the crown back to me. He informed me and all in attendance that he held a new-found respect for the monarch.The castle was abuzz with conversation and laughter as I sat on my throne and my subjects stood before me, one by one, to offer their heartfelt tidings of their joy for my return. I was grateful for Morena’s magical abilities to remove all residue of Accalon’s spell from me. My mind was sharp and alert for the first time in months. It was because I was so clear headed and observant that I noticed a small group of vampires huddled in the far corner of the reception hall; none of whom came to offer their g
While the festivities continued, I retired into a private room with Abigail, Luthias, and Geo. I was very unhappy that Geo came with Luthias and I made that point perfectly clear.“Perhaps you didn’t hear me when I warned you not to step foot in Vampire Land for risk of your head,” I said as soon as the door closed behind us.“You were serious?” Geo chuckled, nervously.“Marriage disagrees with you,” I said, spitefully. “You look terrible.”“My reason for living is gone,” he said, softly.“I’ve had enough theatrics for the day, thanks,” I said.“What’s gotten into you?” Luthias asked with surprise.“Oh, I don’t know,” I said with a huff. “Perhaps it’s the fact that my spineless fiancé didn’t have the balls to tell his long-lost shrew of a wife to go pound sand and turned me away i
The great hall filled to the point that we had to move Pierre’s trial out into the gardens to accommodate everyone. In typical Geo fashion, he denied no one seeking the opportunity to observe. If he was nothing else, he was a fair and just king.Pierre was dragged before the crowd and made to stand on a platform so that all could have a clear view of him. Geo stood tall and strong at my side as he told the crowd of the wedding we almost had and the role Pierre played in not only stopping that union, but in almost killing their queen with magic. He reminded them of the other times he’d attempted to take her life, as well as when he had Gondofini create a potion to make her fertile in hopes of entrapping her with a baby so that she would marry him and put him on the throne beside her.I sat tall and proud, but remained quiet and careful not to upstage my love. He needed this time to regain himself. I sensed it deep inside m
Since we were so far from the fighting and time was of the essence, Abigail was forced to endure teleportation once again. I assumed she was getting more accustomed to the sensation because her vomiting was less severe. I felt sympathy for her. Teleporting was something that took getting used to for magical beings. I could only imagine the impact it had on supernaturals who didn’t possess magic.We emerged at the edge of the battlefield. I searched for Geo. There were so many bodies flying through the air or wrestling with each other that it was difficult to identify anyone in particular. A beam of light shot through the crowd. It passed right through the humans without a scratch, but destroyed any supernatural it touched. I looked for a retaliation blast from one of our weaponry neutralizer, but nothing came.I wasn’t ready to make my presence known, so I refrained from shooting fireballs at them. I wan
Geo rushed to my side to inspect my injury. The fireball went through my inner thigh and severed my femoral vein. I looked down to see a pool of my blood forming on the floor.“We have to do something for her now,” he said. “We need to get Gwendoline back in here.”“She ran after Morena,” Julia said.“I’ll get her,” Abigail said as she raced from the room at vampire speed.I put my arms around Geo’s neck as he helped me to the guest room. Lord Moken’s worried face peered over Geo’s shoulder.“Should we give her blood?” he asked, hesitantly. “Vampires usually repair quickly. I don’t understand why she’s bleeding out.”“I’m sure Morena attached a magic spell to the fireballs," I said as I winced with pain. “I’d try to counter it, but I feel too weak.”“Lady Gwendoli
Abigail accompanied me back to Vampire Land. The distance between Verso and Vampire land could be crossed in one day if we kept a steady pace. Since neither of us wanted to spend our resting time sleeping in a tree because we feared making camp in such dangerous times, we started before the sun came up and traveled light and fast. We entered the gates of Vampire Land just after the stroke of midnight.Lord Moken was just coming out of the dining hall when he spotted us coming down the corridor toward him.“Your majesty,” he said with surprise as he rushed toward me and bowed low. “Forgive me. I did not realize you were returning to us so soon or I would have had a reception party waiting for you.”“We came with a matter of importance,” I said as I nodded acknowledgement to his bowing and motioned for him to follow us to a nearby antechamber.I closed the door behind me and immediately began telling him of ou
By the time we returned to Verso with our children in tow, Abigail was waiting for us. She admitted to pouting about being left behind for a moment, but she understood the urgency in Gwendoline and Geo reaching me, as well as the fact that Gwendoline needed to be sure she didn’t use too much energy teleporting extra bodies. She needed to be sharp and quick when they caught up with me.I felt a little guilty eavesdropping on Abigail and Luthias as they stood in the corner, but not so guilty as to stop. I smiled to myself when he told Abigail I called him an ‘oaf’. He praised her for her courage in going into the hut alone with me and speculated that she must truly care for me to take such a risk or offer to perform a task that he knew she resented being asked to do by Charles for so long.I listened as she reinforced my opinion that he was indeed an ‘oaf’ and confided that she had very few female friends. She conside
By the time Abigail returned to me, I’d managed to remove the rest of my clothes. Since, when I turned, I would shed them anyway, starting out naked seemed the sensible thing.“This feels so clinical,” I said as Abigail traced my breasts with her soft lips and smooth tongue.“Try to relax,” she whispered as she removed her shirt and placed my hand over her own full breast. “Relax and enjoy the sensation.“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted.“Do you want me to get Luthias?” she asked, impatiently.“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s the fact that there is a group of people standing right outside waiting for us to do this.”“Everyone can leave now,” she called out. “Our vampire queen is shy.”“Thanks a lot,” I said, sarcastically.“Anytime,” she giggled. After a moment
I missed Morena’s crystal ball. I paced the grounds around the tiny hut while I worried about how my children were doing. It was silly, since they were in the competent care of both my grandparent’s and Gwendoline and safe within the confines of Luthias’ compound. I decided my anxiety was because I developed a routine that I was forced to stop.I questioned Luthias about the safety of my grandparents and Gwendoline in his compound. They were Fae, after all, and the compound was filled with beings who were half vampire. He assured me that the urge for animal blood superseded the urge for human blood because of the wolf influence. He explained that their sense of smell was also different. They were more concerned with body odors than blood odors. To them, the smell of Fae was no better or worse than the smell of a human; which wasn’t their first choice for sustenance. This information made me realize how well the
We wasted no time traveling to gather up the mutant-vampires and resurrect the kingdom. Lord Moken expressed his disappointment in not being able to go with us, but I was too concerned about keeping the peace in Vampire Land to allow him to come. Although Pierre Blaise didn’t have a tremendous number of followers, he did have enough to make trouble for a land that was left without a leader.It was agreed that Geo and Luthias would go ahead of Abigail and me. They doubted we’d have much cooperation if I showed up next alongside them. Since I still wasn’t sure I was ready to mingle with them, it was fine by me.We stopped off at Nikodem’s cabin. I introduced Geo to Morena. She was courteous and seemed to genuinely like him. When she was formally introduced to Luthias, I couldn’t help noticing the mischievous twinkle in her eye. After spying on him for so long, I’m sure she knew a few things about him that
Although Owena was too young to understand that we’d been separated, Braedon squealed with delight and rushed into my arms as I entered the room. I hugged him so tight it’s a wonder I didn’t break something inside him.After a great deal of hugs and kisses, he was finally bored with our reunion and struggled for freedom. I laughed as I released him and reached for my daughter. Geo was holding her while he watched my reunion with Braedon. When I reached out, he eagerly placed her in my arms.“They both look like they’ve grown so much,” I sighed. “I hate that I’m missing their formative years.”“I was thinking about that,” Geo said. “If we can get our enemies under control, I’m not opposed to bringing Braedon and Owena to Vampire Land with us when we come to check on things.”“Our main residence will be in Verso?” I asked. &lsq
The great hall filled to the point that we had to move Pierre’s trial out into the gardens to accommodate everyone. In typical Geo fashion, he denied no one seeking the opportunity to observe. If he was nothing else, he was a fair and just king.Pierre was dragged before the crowd and made to stand on a platform so that all could have a clear view of him. Geo stood tall and strong at my side as he told the crowd of the wedding we almost had and the role Pierre played in not only stopping that union, but in almost killing their queen with magic. He reminded them of the other times he’d attempted to take her life, as well as when he had Gondofini create a potion to make her fertile in hopes of entrapping her with a baby so that she would marry him and put him on the throne beside her.I sat tall and proud, but remained quiet and careful not to upstage my love. He needed this time to regain himself. I sensed it deep inside m