Page 26 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

I ignored the taste of metal on my tongue, waiting for Lucien to let go of the woman. I was most definitelynotjealous. You need to want someone to be jealous, right? Since I didn’t want to be with Lucien, Iwasn’tjealous. Nope, not at all, no jealousy here.

I was tempted to dismiss them both and continue into the castle, not because I was jealous, but because they bored me. Yes, I was bored, not jealous. Maybe if I kept lying to myself, I might even believe it.

When I took a step back to storm into the dark castle, Elijah stopped me with a light hand on my arm. I frowned at him, and he smirked, his bright white teeth sparkling against his dark skin. I decided all vampires are high-handed pricks, especially the one who finally seemed to realize I was still here and turned to introduce the blonde. “Phoebe, Elijah, I’d like to introduce my daughter, Cassandra.”

Daughter? The title sent my thoughts spiraling. An immortal male could only have children with his fated mate. If Lucien had a daughter already, I couldn’t be his queen. I glanced down at my cuffs again. I couldn’t be that stupid. Was this all a ploy to turn me over?

Cassandra elbowed Lucien in the side and added, “Adopted daughter. He took me in when I was young.” She shot me a strange look, her eyes going dull and far away, the blue closer to a stormy grey. It almost appeared, for a single fleeting moment, her entire iris was goingwhite.

Elijah bowed to Cassandra. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Cassandra smiled again, but her eyes remained a vacant, stormy grey. “It is an honor, I know. Gifts and sacrifices would not be amiss.”

I smothered a laugh at her response and Elijah’s look of confusion. Lucien moved back to my side, retaking my hand. The vampires across the courtyard gasped at the action, followed by a shocked inhale, when he announced, “I would like to introduce my consort, Phoebe Silvano, Queen of Vampires.”

My mouth dropped open in shock at the introduction. That high-handed son of a bitch. The inhale of shocked silence continued, and then suddenly, everyone was tripping over themselves to bow or curtsy to me. One of the vampire nobles bowed too far out of the shade, letting out a pained yelp before jumping back to safety.

When they finished, they locked eyes on me, waiting for something. My palms started to sweat at the attention, and I tried not to let my nerves show, even as Lucien squeezed my hand reassuringly. I had no idea what they were waiting for, a speech or something?Cassandra looped her arm through mine, drawing me away from Lucien and heading toward the castle, ignoring the fawning vampire court. I tensed immediately at the blonde’s grip, rule one blaring through my head yet again.

Arm in arm, we strolled casually forward, or rather, Cassandra did. My every step felt like a death knell, each footfall bringing me closer to doom. The castle’s massive doors swung open, revealing that an even darker interior matched the black exterior, though thankfully retrofitted for electric light. Cassandra pulled me past the gaping vampires, who didn’t dare come any closer. They merely watched me closely as I stepped inside Lucien’s castle. I tried to yank my arm from Cassandra’s as we passed through the threshold, but the other woman merely held on tighter.

Inside, the castle appeared even colder and emptier. The black stone ceilings and floors had sucked up any warmth and sense of home. I couldn’t believe this was where Lucien grew up.

“Did you grow up here?” I asked Cassandra.

The other woman hummed a discordant tune under her breath, continuing on as if she hadn’t heard the question. She showed me into what I immediately recognized as Lucien’s room. It was just so…royal.The dark stone of the castle was slightly lighter in here, and a large black crystal chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling, lighting up the massive space. An area rug of silver and grey partially covered a design built into the stone floor and kept the cold from seeping into my shoes. Everything in the room seemed to revolve around the huge four-poster bed. The entire room reeked ofthe king.The only surprise was the color of his bedding. I quirked a brow, not having guessed he would be a fan of lilac.

My gaze caught on the seal hanging above the bed. It was a wooden circle painted silver and black, depicting a forest with the moon shining brightly from above. The cut of the dark castle into the mountainside, outlined by the moonlight, made me shiver involuntarily. The castle looked so lonely, reaching for the moon forever out of its reach.

I yanked my gaze from the seal, focusing again on the bed. I stared at it before flushing with realization.My eyes.The bedding was the same color as my eyes. I didn’t belong there. I was no one, just a witch with a body count, not someone’s queen. I pulled away from Cassandra, crossing my arms over my stomach and taking a step back. “I’m not staying here.”

Cassie was dusting imaginary lint from her shoulder, but my words finally drew her attention. “You know he won’t let you leave.”

Bast walked past us and jumped onto the bed, stretching before curling into a ball. I frowned at my familiar as she watched me with a bored expression. The normally particular feline was already at home in her new surroundings.

Cassandra clapped in delight at the cat, cooing to it, “Aren’t you just the prettiest thing? Yes, you are!”

To my surprise, the finicky familiar loved Cassandra, rolling over to let her pet her belly. Familiars were often used to focus a new witch’s powers, but Bast always seemed likemore.The feline often sensed my moods, and sometimes I could swear that the cat observed me as if expecting something.

“Cassandra, I’m not staying in this room with Lucien. He’s taken much from me,” I said, highly conscious of the constriction of the cuffs.

Cassandra ignored me, and I looked down at my hands again, flexing my fingers, still reaching for my magic. My head snapped up at the sound of Cassandra’s voice vibrating with power.

“Poor little lost witch, confronted with such a destiny. She doesn’t even know it’s possible to be what she is. So much agony in the past, and still more to come.” The other woman spoke so softly that I thought she was still speaking to Bast for a second.

“What does that mean?” I demanded, trying again to place the strange glow of magic I sensed from the other woman. It was so potent that even with my powers bound, I could see it.

The color leeched from Cassandra’s bright blue gaze, turning white again. She was drifting away from me. Her eyes remained empty but filled with tears as she dropped her hand from Bast. The voice that vibrated with power a moment before was suddenly shaking. “So much to remember. People, places, things, queens, dragons, wolves. How will I remember them?”

I reached out, gripping the other woman’s upper arms, turning to face me.

“Cassandra? Can you hear me?”

I snapped my fingers in front of her several times, watching in relief as some color returned to her eyes. “You have to be ready, Phoebe. Will you be ready?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the other woman suddenly twirled away from me. Her eyes returned to their normal bright blue, her voice back to being lilting and cheerful.

“If you don’t want to stay in here, there are tons of other rooms you can use. Follow me,” Cassandra called, spinning out the door and forcing me to follow. Bast remained on Lucien’s bed, looking bored.

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