Page 51 of Claiming the Dhampir

I snapped my mouth closed and straightened my spine. Gaping like a fan girl did not inspire fear.

Four more guards followed behind the queens and pulled the doors closed. If they wore the same armor, I couldn’t tell past the long robes covering them from head to toe.

“I should have known you lacked the proper upbringing to understand the importance of hosting your betters,” the Winter Queen sneered.

My blossoming dislike shifted to hatred.

We already hated them, Mir said.

“I don’t know why you would’ve expected anything less, sister.” The Summer Queen curled her lip.

“You asked for an audience,” Nathan said. “Not a tea party. Say whatever it is you need to say and leave.”

Both women glared at Nathan.

A swell of fae magic—not Kenrid’s—pressed against my senses, giving me goosebumps.

“What do you see?” the Winter Queen asked.

I suspected she was talking to her mind-reading guards, but I answered anyway. “A bunch of presumptuous assholes who think they can come to my world and make demands. You waltz in here thinking you can just take us without a fight.”

The guards tensed, and the Winter Queen flicked her fingers at me.

I knew the moment one of them tried to get in my head. A crawling sensation raced over my scalp, and a million tiny needles poked at my brain.

I’ll give them something to look at, Mir snarled, then conjured up an image that made my stomach twist. Bile rose to my throat—along with a sick sense of triumph.

Two of the guards fell to their knees, cradling their heads in their hands.

“Tell me what you see!” the Winter Queen bellowed.

The guard next to her didn’t stand or remove his hands. His voice quivered as he described Mir’s fantasy. “She has already shared blood with the vampire, Your Majesty,” he said. “The prince is blocking our magic, while the dhampir and the vampire …” He swallowed hard and I suspected he was trying not to puke. “They are eviscerating our bodies and painting the warehouse with our blood.”

He sank to the floor. The guard beside the Summer Queen did the same, and the haughty looks on the queens’ faces faltered.

In a wavering voice, the second guard said, “The dhampir is feasting on your blood, Your Highness. The vampire shows no mercy. The prince has rendered our magic useless. We’re no match for their strength.” His eyes popped open, and his handsome face paled. “The demon is coming. We need to leave, Your Majesty.”

“You idiot!” The Summer Queen slapped her soldier across the face. “You’re supposed to be the strongest in my kingdom, and you let this half-breed toy with your mind!”

“Of course the demon is coming,” the Winter Queen said. “We expected him to be here. Take the dhampir and the vampire. Kill the prince.”

My brain short-circuited. Did she really just order her guards to kill Kenrid? Wasn’t the Summer Queen his mother? Thankfully, Kenrid didn’t hesitate. His familiar magic blossomed around our trio. I hadn’t realized what he’d done until another wave of magic slammed against the shield right in front of his face and spiderwebbed in a hundred directions.

I would’ve fallen back on my ass if Nathan hadn’t grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. Another magical attack smashed into Kenrid’s shield. Kenrid flinched, and sweat beaded on his brow. I knew he was strong, but so were the fae attacking us. And we were outnumbered.

“I need to help him sustain his magic, Nathan,” I said, grabbing the vampire’s hand and reaching out for Kenrid, hoping that my theory from earlier was true.

As soon as I wrapped my fingers around Kenrid’s wrist, our magic merged again. The shield around us glowed with Kenrid’s magic, making it visible where it hadn’t been before. The fae guards hesitated, but the Winter Queen pushed the nearest guard toward us. He stumbled, then regained his footing and charged our shield with his sword held high.

I took a step back, but Kenrid squeezed my hand, holding me in place. The guard collided with the shield. Instead of bouncing off, his body was engulfed in purple flames. He screamed in agony for several seconds before falling to the floor.

My stomach flipped and churned at the sight of the man’s smoldering body. Thankfully, the smell didn’t penetrate Kenrid’s shield. I was barely holding back my urge to puke, especially after the images Mir forced on the fae.

Damon really needed to hurry up with his plan. Mir might have conjured up a convincing lie to scare the fae, but I was certain we couldn’t pull it off.

Chapter 19

Damon

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