Page 51 of Red Queen

“Careful, Alexandru. One might think you’re trying to seduce me.”

“I’ve already done that. Unless you’re asking me to. Are you asking me to, Eleanna?”

“It depends how attached you are to your life. Or are you thinking you’ll take your chances by walking on that wild side of insolence?” Her tone is all innocence, but the curve of her lips suggests otherwise.

We’re pretending all is good when I’ve no idea where we are. She’s the kind of stubborn woman who’ll destroy herself than admit she wants me in the way she does. Eleanna will say she wants me, but there’s more to it than the physical and the other night was an interesting turning point.

Not me taking her ass but her softening, her saying something about my teaching moment and how she cracked open enough to show me that perhaps she can change. Perhaps she’s full of surprises of the pleasing kind.

Our mission is deadly so some of the faux merriment comes from that. But that one moment warmed me in my bedchamber.

“You call that insolent?” I say. “I think your standards are dropping.”

“I’ve been warming your bed, so…”

I laugh. But it dies as we look at each other.

“Our next quest awaits. First, the ash of a vampire turned to dust under the blood moon,” I say. “And then the elusive mandrake root.”

The sun setting behind the citadel paints the ground and the jagged stone walls in an eerie aura inside the ancient structure. Despite the torches lining the walls, ice coats the citadel’s hallways. The ceiling is cracked and broken, with snow drifting down through the gaping holes. The walls are covered in symbols and markings from ancient civilizations. But I navigate with confidence, every sense alert. Eleanna follows closely behind, her eyes scanning for any hidden dangers.

“Stay close, Eleanna,” I say over my shoulder.

“Of course, General.”

A group of vampire guardians emerge from the gloom like specters, their fangs bared, ready for battle. We draw our weapons in unison—my sword sings as it leaves its scabbard.

Eleanna and I prepare for battle.

Steel clashes against claw, feral snarls mixing with grunts of exertion. I move swiftly and decisively, my blade finding its mark again and again. Eleanna fights beside me, her movements an inhuman tango.

“Behind you!” I shout just in time as I skewer a vampire guardian lunging for her back.

She nods quickly in acknowledgment before swiftly taking down another foe.

Blood, both ours and theirs, stains the snow beneath our feet as we engage in combat. I parry a strike meant for Eleanna with a grunt of effort.

“Admit it, Alexandru.” She pants between strikes. “You enjoy this, your game of protecting me.”

“No game,” I say. “And immensely. But victory will be sweeter.”

The clang of swords and screams of pain echo through the abandoned citadel as we fight against the blood-thirsty vampires. Our muscles burn with fatigue, but we refuse to back down. The metallic scent of blood mixes with our sweat and the taste of fear in our mouths.

A sudden flash of movement catches my eye—a vampire guardian aiming for Eleanna’s exposed flank. With a swift sidestep, I intercept the attack just in time before countering with a powerful strike of my own.

Eleanna’s blade waltzes elegantly as she dispatches another opponent, her movements fluid and precise. Our teamwork is seamless as we anticipate each other’s moves without speaking a word. Yes, I’m protecting her, she’s my Queen. But she’s a worthy battle partner and she can more than hold her own.

We persist in the battle amid swirling snowflakes and flaming torchlight. And a rush of urgency thrums in the air. Thunderous metal resounds through the ancient walls as the combatants exchange blows, each seeking supremacy while our determination drives us forward.

But with each strike and parry, we edge closer to victory, finding strength in each other’s presence.

Our bodies brush against one another during a particularly intricate parrying maneuver. The brief contact sets my blood aflame, but I push the distraction aside for later.

“Alexandru!” Her back is to mine now, our swords forming an X as we decimate our enemies.

“I’ve got you, my Queen,” I say, slicing through the heart of a charging vampire.

The vampires bare their fangs, snarling with primal aggression as they lunge toward us.

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