Page 12 of Red Queen

At that moment, Ivan steps forward and nods toward Nadia. “I’ll show you to your chambers so you may ready them for your queen.” His tone lacks the hostility that radiates from Alexandru.

“Thank you.” Nadia follows him inside.

Once they’re gone, silence wraps around Alexandru and me like a cloak, heavy with the ghosts of our past. The harsh winter winds whip and pummel, alive with the tension of words we dare not speak and wounds yet to heal.

“Your pride must have taken a formidable hit to seek me out, Eleanna.” He finally breaks the silence, his voice a combination of amusement and accusation.

A sardonic smile plays on my lips, my armor against the onslaught of vulnerability threatening to break down my walls. “This isn’t about pride. It’s about survival. For both of us, for our people.”

“Survival,” he repeats, studying me, and I know he sees past the façade to the raw determination, the harsh necessity that drives me.

“Yes.” My voice sharpens with the conviction that has carried me through darkness and despair. “And power. I will reclaim what is rightfully mine, with or without your aid, Alexandru.”

“Even if it means allying with someone you once could not stand to face?”

I lift my chin, meeting his stare with one equally fierce. “Particularly then. Familiarity with the embrace of foes is not foreign to me. I am no stranger to keeping enemies close. And in this, we have a bigger enemy.”

He steps closer, sparking a fire in my veins. The world shrinks to this silent standoff. Despite my turmoil, I stand firm, resolve strong.

“Very well,” he says. “Let us see where this path leads, Eleanna. For now, our sights must set upon Catarina and the throne you seek to reclaim.”

I nod. “Yes.”

“The greater enemy.”

Gratitude, need, regret of things long gone, prompt my next words. “Thank you for offering sanctuary.”

A shiver cascades down my spine. We’re close. And Alexandru still is an electric storm to my senses. It doesn’t matter if I like him or despise him, he affects. That scent of him, leather and sandalwood, winds around me, stroking something within, something I can’t name. The strength of him is more than clear and almost a canter in my veins as he stands in close quarters.

He doesn’t move. His stillness has always been thrilling, because it hides a storm, mercurial forces, safe havens and deceptions. And it’s almost impossible to know which is happening.

“We must work together.” The words are soft, the threat in them laid open like fact. “If not…”

“Then we are allies by necessity,” I say. The words taste bitter, a poison I’m forced to swallow.

“Temporaryallies,” he says. He gestures his hand to the courtyard, and he starts to walk. I follow. “If not then I will hand you to her myself.”

Once I’d have attacked, swift and lethal. Words, fangs sword; I’d never let his treasonous words stand. “Catarina is not just a threat to me, but to all vampires, Alexandru.”

We fall silent as we walk. Our steps are muffled as we wander the barren courtyard, our breaths misting in the cold air. Alexandru breaks the silence first, his voice carrying a weight that halts me in my tracks.

“Eleanna, we must let go of the old ways. We cannot drench our lands in blood as your father did. The people cry out for change, for a new dawn where fear does not rule them.”

“Catarina stormed the castle. She?—”

“If I am to help, to gather allies, build an army, concoct plans to get your heritage back, things must change. You look forward in some ways, but not enough. You need to change, Eleanna.”

I turn to face him, my boots crunching on the snow. “And what would you have me do, Alexandru? Abandon my heritage? My power? You speak of change as if it’s a simple turn of the page. I can’t discard my heritage like scraps to dogs. Such weakness begs for another Catarina to rise.”

“Or they’ll embrace you and listen.”

“Our traditions define us, Alexandru. The change you talk of is nothing but weakness. I will not do it.”

He steps closer, the moonlight glinting in his eyes. “Yes, change, Eleanna! A future where we rule not through terror but through strength of leadership. These outdated traditions keep us in the dark ages. We must adapt, evolve.”

“Evolve?” I spit. “To what end? To become weak, to forget the blood that runs through our veins?”

His gaze hardens. “To ensure our survival, Eleanna.”

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