Page 75 of To Crave Truly

Chapter Thirty-Two

Rae

The Witch Queen.

I was the fucking Witch Queen?! Fuck my life. This was not what I wanted. Sometimes I fucking hated magic. It had probably picked me for a stupid reason and now I was stuck ruling all witches.

Ever since leaving my nice quiet job at the cocktail bar, Poison, where I’d worked with Lori, I’d had the worst fucking luck. As if being tied to the protection spells of Hell with an archangel wasn’t enough, now I was the goddamn Witch Queen.

“Damn, girl, you look good in a crown,” Lori cheered.

I wondered if this was how Lori felt. Being thrust into something she didn’t want but having to deal with it anyway. Would I accept it as graciously as she had? I wasn’t sure. Right now, I wanted to throw up, run away screaming or hex some people. I wasn’t sure which feeling was going to win.

It was only then I realised that my head felt heavy. Urgh. Lori was right. I was wearing a crown.

“It’s not purple, is it?” I didn’t like purple. And besides, that was her colour. Violette’s. I was seriously going to turn my back on magic for good if it had given me a purple crown.

Lori grinned. “Nope. It’s nowhere near as gaudy as that other one had been.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“It’s all Celtic knots weaved with rubies. It’s beautiful.” Lori’s eyes moved back and forth as she stared at the crown on my head. “They glow like they have hearts of fire. Just like you.”

Something warm unfurled behind my sternum. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing, maybe this was right. Maybe—

“Her?” Violette screeched. “The magic chose the witch without a coven?! Ridiculous. Absolutely fucking ridic—”

Violette’s words were cut short, and a muffled squeal left her lips. When I looked back at her a mask of shadow covered the lower half of her face. I turned to Lori and her face was contorted by rage, her hand extended. She was getting better at controlling her magic if that shadow-made gag on Violette’s face was anything to go by.

“That’s better,” Lori said with a dark smile.

It was a bit unnerving seeing her so… capable. I loved Lori, but she’d always been fun and carefree and a little reckless. This version before me was a little bit scary. I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley, that was for sure.

“Thanks,” I said.

Lori turned to Alec. “Will you take Violette? I want to find Iveri.”

“Sure,” Alec replied, his eyes warm. It was strange to see him happy. I’d always known him as that cold, unapproachable carefree man and seeing him with his heart made me wish I’d been able to save him sooner.

He wandered over to Cassian to exchange a short conversation before the dragon gave a serious nod and vanished with the prisoners. That guy still made me feel on edge. Cassian was so menacing, although he had thawed a little since returning from the dead and finally claiming Lori as his own. I knew they hadn’t mated officially yet, but it was coming. I could tell. He looked at her like she was his everything. He just happened to look at everything else like he wanted to murder it.

“I’ll see you back at base,” Alec said, his little finger wrapping around Lori’s. God, they were cute. A stab of jealousy hit me, and I suddenly felt a little lonely. I was happy for Lori, she had so much love to give and seeing her surrounded by so much love in return was just beautiful. But I couldn’t help the ache in my heart when I thought about the loneliness that lingered in me. I’d walked away from my coven for Alec, for the way the witches had treated him. We shouldn’t be vengeful like that, and I couldn’t stand by when I’d found out what they’d done. So, I’d walked away from my family, my coven, and my home to become a Rogue Witch. I didn’t regret it. I’d felt empowered by my decision, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d had to spend so much time on my own.

When de Santis had offered me the task of protecting Lori and watching over her, I’d snapped it up. Yes, pretending to be mortal might have seemed mundane, but it had given me a chance to connect with someone and I’d be forever grateful for that. Now, looking at the happiness radiating from Lori as she said goodbye to Alec, I wondered if I was going to lose her to it.

“I’ll stay,” Jasper said as he came to stand with us. I wasn’t surprised. He’d been forced apart from her by Mordecai and I could understand his need to be near her.

“Thanks,” she replied with a radiant smile.

Urgh, this was all getting a bit much. I needed a break. “You two go find Iveri. I’m going to see if I can find that snivelling little shit Elias.” He’d been Violette’s head of the household, so he’d be useful to find.

Lori wrapped me in a hug. “Congrats, babe. You’re going to smash this. Here if you need me though.” She pulled back and looked deep into my eyes. “Seriously, if you need to talk, vent, cry, whatever, you just find me, okay?”

I nodded. “I will. Go and find Iveri and see if you can save her too. Lord knows what Violette has put her through.”

Her face turned grim. “I know. I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” then she bowed deeply and with the most ridiculous flourish I’d ever seen, “your Majesty.”

“Fuck you,” I said with a wide smile. That was going to take some getting used to.

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