Page 34 of Bitten By Chaos

When we reached the building, she knelt for me, and I clambered off, disgusted with my own state. But I forced my feet toward Elsa’s office, several vampires pausing to gape at me from whatever vantage point they had.

When I reached the door, I threw it open with a gesture, marched inside, and tossed the head at Elsa’s feet.

Chapter 12

There’s Always a Price

“What’s this?” Elsa demanded, standing immediately and shooting the head a disgusted look.

“You told me to bring you back the queen. Well, that’s what’s left of her.” I cocked a hip, wondering if she could see the glow surrounding me like I could.

She glared at me, eyes burning like embers and fangs bared. “You think because you are Julian’s you are safe?” Her words, spoken softly, sent a chill down my spine.

“I didn’t kill her,” I answered, avoiding her insinuation that I was some sort of pet instead of Julian’s mate. Or that I needed him to protect me. “The unseelie king, Bres, did. And I was lucky to escape with my life.”

Pausing in a way that had me holding my breath, Elsa cocked her head and curled her lips into a dangerous smile. “You may end up regretting not taking a quick death.”

“Are you threatening me?” I asked, refusing to tremble. I’d faced far worse than this woman and come out on top. And with the royal fae blood coursing through my veins, it was hard not to feel invincible.

“I don’t threaten, dear. If I give warning before I strike, consider it a favor. You have much promise as a vampire, but you also have much of your impulsive, prideful human self that it appears your sire is too soft to squash out of you.” She stepped into my personal space, but I refused to budge, holding my head high despite her having several inches on me.

“What you’re referring to is personality, and I don’t believe anything needs to be squashed. Julian loves all of me.”

Elsa brushed some hair from my face, still covered in sticky black blood, and I was suddenly aware of the wretched state of my appearance, clothing no more than rags hanging from my body awkwardly, covered in grime and blood.

“It is kind of him,” she said with hooded eyes. “But ultimately, it’s far kinder to you to get it over with.”

I swallowed, suddenly recalling the way Julian had run because of the impulse he’d had to punish me. What if that was some horrible built-in vampire thing between mates? Instead of bringing true love into forever, were we condemned to lose it? Like bloodlust that couldn’t be avoided, what if it was evolution of some sort that forced vampires to lose their humanity in favor of guiltless violence?

Even the man I loved with all my heart showed no compunction about killing when he deemed the victim unworthy, particularly if that individual threatened my well being.

Elsa stepped back, too much understanding in her features. “I haven’t given up on you, Charlotte. You come from a strong sire. You have the gift of enough demon DNA to retain your psychic powers. You could be one of the greatest of our kind someday given the right guidance and time. But I will not be as forgiving as your mate. Think about that. If you are still here by morning, I will assume you are amenable to these terms. As for that—” She gestured to the head, staining the cream-colored carpet. “Remove it from my sight. I will find a suitable alternative. This is merely a setback and not a dead-end. I blame myself for sending you so unprepared.”

Elsa turned, stepped over the head, and sat back down on her sofa where she crossed her legs and picked up a tablet, immediately engrossed as though nothing had happened.

Hesitating, I glanced down at the queen’s filmy eyes and shuddered. I supposed removing it made sense since I was already covered in gods knew what, and I had been the one to toss it there. Still, I felt that somehow doing as she asked sent a signal that I was subservient to her.

“If it were me, I’d glamour a human into doing it,” Elsa said without looking up from her tablet.

Fine. I marched forward, picked it up by the hair and left. I had other issues to deal with, and the first was taking a scalding shower.

After disposing of all excess body parts and cleaning up, I discovered Julian was nowhere to be found. I sent off a quick text as I slipped on my red heels to match the wraparound dress I’d picked out for it’s soft fabric. Blinking dots immediately appeared on my screen, and I grinned, warmth bubbling in my belly. But they disappeared just as quickly, and the phone buzzed in my hand.

Julian appeared and I smiled.

“Seeing your face is exactly what I needed right now,” he said, and the warmth intensified. “I was worried.”

I knew that was an understatement. He must’ve been beside himself when I raced off to poison and bring back the queen. The memory of being glamoured suddenly flooded me. Bres’ blood must have cleared it. It meant Elsa knew what the queen planned to do with the heart, or she wouldn’t have poisoned it with iron. I blinked away the thought and beamed at Julian instead.

“I’m okay. The queen is dead.”

“I see.”

Why was he being so…reserved?

“Where are you?” I asked, noting the wooden wall behind him.

“Zoe and Hazel asked if I would stay with Em while they checked on the cottage’s progress.” Julian tilted the screen so that Em’s head popped up. She wore a ponytail today and smiled, revealing her crooked teeth.

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