CHAPTER TWO - CARLOTTA

“MMM” 

I moaned in satisfaction as my orgasm subsided. As I came back into the room from my carnal haze, I became distinctly aware of the sound of sloshing liquid and realised I'd tipped the wine from my cup. I giggled and pulled myself upright on the huge wooden throne decorated in red velvet. 

I looked down at Aksel, still busy lapping at me like a cat who got the cream. I sighed, he was handsome...but worthless. I reached down and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up toward me, his arms moved from under my skirts to hold himself up on the arms of my throne. We were nose to nose, and I felt Aksel purse his lips and move toward me for a kiss. 

I swiftly snapped his neck to the side and sank my fangs into his neck, draining him of his lifeblood. Now he was worthless. 

“My Queen” 

I sighed, bored, and looked up to see Magnus approaching. He glanced over at Aksel’s dead body and gestured for the servants to dispose of it. 

“What is it Magnus?” I threw myself back into the throne, swinging my legs over the left arm, my right hand gripped the ornate high back, and I waved Magnus forward, my thumb twiddling with the giant rubies decorating my fingers. Someone placed a fresh glass of wine in my hand, and I took a gulp. 

“My Queen, it is the Dumonceaus.” 

I paused, the glass part way back to my mouth “What about them? Have they finally openly turned against me?” I smirked, that would give me good reason to wipe the pompous bastards out. Teach them not to side with me: their queen!

“They have succumbed” I looked at Magnus. The number of times I’d imagined that huge moustache wiggling between my thighs, but so far, he’d resisted all my attempts to make it happen. 

“Succumbed?” I asked, downing the last of the wine.  

“The plague has taken them Carlotta. We must call a meeting of all the heads of state. We must find out what and how this thing is taking us before there is nothing left for you to be queen of!”

Before there is nothing left for you to be queen of. That thought had haunted me for the past 300 years. 

My brain stuttered into life. “Find Sebastien. Get him to get as many heads of state to the castle as soon as possible. We’ll meet in the war room, it’s the only room big enough to fit everyone in.” I turned to the servant holding the wine carafe “Go to the kitchens. Get the staff to send blood; lots of it.” 

I held my hand out to Magnus, and he assisted me off the throne. We walked down the twisting stone corridors to the war room, but I barely registered the journey; I was in a daze.

Queen of nothing, queen of nothing. 

It's what that creepy bastard Bragi had said to me all those years ago. “You’ll only ever be queen of nothing” he’d sneered as my guards held silver daggers to his throat. 

But I wasn’t queen of nothing. I'd found a way to stay on the throne forever – I'd preserved my family line. Not like my dear cousins the Lyksborgs; dying off like the pathetic vermin they were. 

As my guards held Bragi down on his knees, he stopped struggling and those pale blue eyes turned white, like ice slowly covering a pond. Slowly he opened his mouth and, in a voice deeper than the pits of hell, he spoke:

“Only that born from scorn, blessed by death and untouched by madness can save the crown and spare the kingdom of blood.”  

I scoffed and kicked him in the chest, the white disappeared from his eyes and they returned to his pale blue, as the guards let go and he landed on his back. 

“You will do this. I will rule for eternity.” I demanded. 

Bragi looked at me, slowly wiping blood from his face with his ragged cloak. 

“You’re making a mistake princess” he said, his tone full of contempt.

I curled my lip at him, tipping my head to one side and tapping the side of my neck “Less talking, more biting” 

“You want me to bite you or turn you?” Bragi mocked. I’d given him my best glare but he’d just laughed. I’d always hated men laughing at me like a little girl. I slapped him and more blood oozed from his bottom lip. He just grinned.

“You’ve really no idea what you’re asking for girl.”

I rolled my eyes and sat down on one of the dusty stools in Bragi’s shack. Fancy being so powerful and living in a shack in the middle of nowhere?! 

“Enlighten me.” 

“You’ll have to drink my blood-“ He bit into his wrist and proffered it to me

“Ergh! What filth! I’m not drinking your unclean blood!” I gagged. 

“You selfish bitch. You’re not worthy of any throne. Fuck off! Get out!” One of my guards sucker punched Bragi in the stomach and he coughed at the force of it. More blood spattered down the front of his dirty tunic. 

“Just do it! Then we’ll leave. You’re just making this worse for yourself” I advised him. 

“I am not. You’ve said you won’t drink my blood. You won’t complete the ritual. So I can’t work with that.” He shrugged.

“I don’t want to drink your blood” I moaned.

“How do you expect to sustain yourself once you’re a monstrosity like me then?”

“No, I don’t want to drink *your* blood. It’s distasteful. Other’s will be fine” I dismissed him. 

“If you want me to turn you, you’ll still need to drink my blood” 

“But why?!” 

“Because, girl, otherwise I will bite you, drain you of your blood, and you’ll just be dead.” 

I tutted “Well, I can just drink it afterwards when I’m a vampire and don’t mind such things”

He looked at me, unimpressed “And how do you expect to drink when you’re dead? To turn, you’ll need vampire blood in your system.”

“Ugh, how do I know you’re not lying?” 

“If I bite you without this, then your friends here, will kill me. I’ve spent centuries avoiding death. To die this way would be... anticlimactic” 

I sighed. “Fine.” I indicated to the nearest guard, who produced my favourite wine cup 

“Put your blood in here.” I turned my nose up. “I will add some spices to make it...palatable” 

“You truly are a selfish brat. Your reign is destined for nothing but dust and devastation” he’d snarled

The chair scraped as Magnus pulled it out for me. I shook my head, dispelling my memories. 

I sat, nodding at Magnus in gratitude. Gradually, the heads of state, or their representatives, started filing in. I watched silently as they entered – they were good – they came when they were called, and quickly. I would have to keep them on side if I wanted to win this brewing war darling Rasmus thought I wouldn’t notice. 

He had waltzed in here thinking I would be pleased to see him! What a fool! It was a shock for most of the court, but I’d known – it's why I decided to have everyone turn. I wasn’t going to give him any advantage over me – any reason for people to want him on the throne instead. 

Still, I wasn’t expecting him to wander back into the castle and expect a warm welcome. Magnus had sent him away; but I’d grown to wonder if I shouldn’t have just killed him where he stood. 

A chair creaked and I looked over to see Rasmus’ henchman Lars lowering his large frame into the chair. I had to let him sit in, but I didn’t want to. 

I sighed and looked around, all the seats were taken, so I decided to start the briefing. 

“What details do we have?” I asked “This is the first time an entire household has been wiped out all at once? How is it possible for this – “I hesitated to name it out loud “This hemsökelse – to be isolated in such a way?”

“Initial reports suggest that the servants failed to attend the front of the estate and collect the food delivery.” Magnus answered, shuffling some papers that appeared from nowhere. 

I frowned “What food delivery?” I interrupted, “The family has been self-sufficient for years” 

The deep vibration of Grimmor’s voice came from across the room “Their harvests failed. They were planning a celebratory meal as their youngest daughter was due to be married in a month. They were forced to get the food shipped in.”

I eyed him sharply. There’s always been something about Lars Grimmor... probably his undying – literally – loyalty to my beloved cousin. “Well” I said “That’s odd, I wonder if that had anything to do with it?”

“The food?” Magnus queried “It’s a possibility.” He began stroking his oversized moustache in thought. 

“My Lady, if I may -” Lord Sebastien Brandt forced himself into the burgeoning conversation. I rolled my eyes “That’s never stopped you before” Magnus quipped, quietly enough that only I could hear it. 

I nodded, waving my middle and index fingers as indication for Sebastien to continue. 

“When guards entered the property, they found the Dumonceau family – including all the servants – had been dead for at least a week. So it couldn’t be the food they were having delivered.”

“Unless that wasn’t the first delivery they received?” I interjected but that irritating, self-satisfied smirk didn’t leave his face. 

“If it were the food, why bother sending fresh produce? It would be a waste of food and money. And good wine” 

“The family had taken to keeping to themselves of late, had anyone heard from them recently?” Magnus swiftly ended Sebastien’s commandeering of the conversation. 

There were murmurs amongst the assembled heads, but no one seemed to have heard from the Dumonceaus. My gaze drifted over to Sebastien, Gods, he was an arrogant, insufferable prick. Born to one of my ladies in waiting, he was almost literally born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Silver would have burned. I smirked, as I let my eyes roam his handsome face. Roman nose, chiselled jaw, cheek bones sharp enough to cut a bitch, malachite green eyes and an insanely talented tongue. I sighed dreamily before shaking myself back to the situation at hand. 

Sebastien might not be my favourite, but the heads of state actually spoke to him, so he was worth keeping alive. Useful for hate sex too, I smirked to myself. 

I sighed and started rubbing my temples “How do we guard, or fight, against something when we don’t know what it is?” 

But I did know how we could do the seemingly impossible. I gritted my teeth. We had to find the chosen one Bragi had promised.