“I… I’ll see where she is,” the butler said, bowing his head again before hurrying towards the grand staircase.The queen rolled her eyes and let out a huff at his retreating back and then her eyes turned in my direction. That plastered smile was back on her lips as she stepped towards me.“My apolo
Carol’s POV“Jenna,” I said in a mock greeting, folding my own arms across my chest. “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.”Jenna was cruel to me when I was last here and she tried to humiliate me on numerous occasions. She didn’t want me here; that much was clear. But I wasn’t going to let her
She folded her arms across her chest and glared back at me.“Why are you doing this,” I asked her, my tone wavering only slightly.She grinned.“Why am I doing what?” She asked. “I was the one who walked out of my room at the sound of a commotion and saw you hovering over poor Monica with blood all
Carol’s POVI stood there in shock; was he really saying he didn’t want me near his family? Did he really not trust me? For a moment, his expression was hard as he stared at me like I was some kind of stranger. I guess in a way, I was. He might have been my birth father, but I really didn’t know him
I nodded thoughtfully.“Okay,” I said, unsure of what more to say.He nodded in return and backed out of the room.“Goodnight, Carol,” he said before shutting the door behind him.I stared at the doorway with a frown, waiting for his retreating steps to lessen before I collapsed onto the bed. It fel
Carol’s POV“Please, don’t be mad at me…” Monica said with tears in her eyes.She sat on my bed with her arm in a sling. She looked pale and exhausted and a part of me felt for the young girl. She was so young that I was surprised she was even working in the first place. She should be in high school
I gasped and stared at her with wide and shocked eyes.“How did she die?” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief and grief.Monica lifted her gaze to meet mine and she narrowed her eyes.“The rumors are that she fell down the stairs,” Monica murmured. “But I don’t believe it was an accident.”“You t
Carol’s POV“Why haven’t you gone to the King about this? He’s a fair man, Monica. He would never turn your mother into a rogue. He would help you; he would—”“I can’t risk it,” Monica said, standing to her feet and spinning around to face me; I could see the fire in her eyes, but there was also fea
I chuckled as I held back tears.“Sorry,” I murmured, trying to pull back, but she held me tighter.“I’ve missed you like crazy,” she breathed. “How’s life in the empire? I’ve been keeping tabs on you in the media. Seems you are kicking ass as the queen.”Since the inauguration ceremony last year, I
She flinched away for a moment, afraid that the darkness might hurt him, but I had faith that it wouldn’t because it was under her control now and the light in her wouldn’t be dim for the darkness.“It’s okay,” I assured her, bringing Caleb even closer into her view. She stared at him with admiratio
EpilogueAiden’s POV“She still won’t come out of her room?” Fiona asked, staring at the closed suite door with a frown. “It’s been a week since she killed her sister…”“She’s scared,” I told her, cradling Caleb in my arms. “Raelyn’s darkness is inside of her and she’s worried that she’s going to do
She was quiet for a moment while the Queen continued to bark orders in the background. The dark tendrils only seemed to grow more agitated with each passing moment.“Please, call the tendrils off and—”“I can’t,” she said quickly. “They don’t listen to me anymore… they listen to her more than they l
I wanted to believe that there was still good in Raelyn. That the darkness hadn’t taken over completely. I grabbed her arm, and I brought my gaze to meet hers; I wasn’t sure if my powers would work on her, but I had to try. I channeled her mind and when I found a connection, I realized it was weak,
Carol’s POVI used my powers to fight off the guards, using my mind manipulation to make them fight one another and using some of the spells I was taught to ward them off. I’ve practiced with mind manipulation a lot so I was able to do it quickly. I soon had some of them at least turning against the
“It’s not personal darling,” she said, waving off his concern. “It’s strictly business.”“Was any of it real?” He asked, shaking his head with disgust written all over his face. “Did you ever love me?”She let out a bitter laugh.“Love?” She scoffed. “Please… There’s no room for love when I have a n
My entire body went cold when I saw what they were running from. Clouds of darkness snaked through the ground, slithering like snakes. I could feel the cold darkness and the chilling aura that penetrated it.In the distance, I squinted at the figures standing in the center of the town.The Queen.St
Carol’s POV“You promised you’d help me buy a ring for Fiona,” Oliver said as he leaned against the doorframe of my suite. I had just finished changing Caleb’s dirty typer for the 5(th) time this hour when Oliver decided to bless me with his visit.Collectively, we’ve been in the Empire for 2 months