Page 61 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

Ruler? There was no ruler of witches, only the Council. As far as I knew, it had always been that way.

“Why me?” the young girl asked, still trying to stem the blood leaking down her side.

“Because you prayed.”

Without giving her the chance to say yes or no, the goddess grabbed her. The golden light within Hekate leeched down her arms and coursed into the body of the girl. The girl’s veins lit with golden light as the power climbed up her arms, pulsating from within her. When the girl glanced up again, she had the same eye color as the goddess.

The girl collapsed on the ground before Hekate, missing how the goddess swayed. Hekate reached down to her side, petting her black cat absently. “You’ll stay by her side, won’t you? Guide her?”

The cat gazed back at Hekate, its bright eyes oddly familiar.

Thrown from the past, I sat up in bed. I was unsurprised that Lucien lay next to me or that he came awake when I bolted upright. He always slept so lightly. More than once, I’d woken up in his arms, with him murmuring soothing words to me and stroking my back, coaxing me from a nightmare.

I threw myself into his arms. I clutched him tight, burying my face into his side. He didn’t hesitate, pulling me close and murmuring, “I will always be here when you need me.”

I believed him enough to fall asleep in his arms, trusting him to keep the nightmares at bay.

When I awoke the next morning, Lucien had vanished, likely called away. He usually woke me up with a sweet kiss and told me he was leaving or left a note behind. There was nothing this time, but I figured it must have slipped his mind. Vampires and his staff were always seeking him out, even more frequently the closer we got to the coronation.

Inside our dressing room, I trailed my hands over the formal gowns that had arrived for the ball. Apparently, following the actual crowning portion of the coronation, a massive ball would take place. Music, light, and laughter would flood the castle.Life in the hall of the dead.

I recalled trying on the various gowns to show Lucien, but we barely got through one option before he was pushing me against the wall and making me scream. He growled, telling me the sight of me preparing to accept my new title made him eager to claim me. I was forced to try on the rest of the gowns when he was absent.

There was an extra box in the dressing room today, a large black square tied with a bright red bow. I pulled the card from the ribbon, shock filling me when I read it.

To my dearest daughter,

My gift to you and Lucien is this and many years of happiness.

Your Goddess-in-Law.

Holy shit, Lucien’s mother, the Goddess of the Moon and Vampires, sent me something. She was resting in the Ethereal Realm but woke up to send me this?

Carefully removing the lid of the box, my breath caught in awe at the contents. Nestled in red velvet was a crown made of onyx. It was more delicate than the one I saw Lucien wear and featured a half-moon cut from a single diamond, nearly as big as my fist. I held my breath, just touching it, afraid that someone was about to jump out and tell me there was a mistake. I wanted this, and I wanted Lucien, but he had to know everything before I could have him.

I sighed in envy and placed the crown back into the box before changing into a white sundress with small purple flowers sewn into the hem. I glanced at myself in the mirror, preparing myself for the conversation I needed to have with him.

“You can do this. You’re a badass witch.”

It was time to break the rules which had kept me alive. I tried to convince myself that I could move on if Lucien looked at me differently after he knew everything.Could I survive if he realized fate had fucked up, pairing a legend-inspiring vampire king with a blood-soaked witch who hadn’t stayed in the same place for over three months in over a decade?

“You can do this,” I muttered.

I turned away from the mirror, my stomach in knots, mentally preparing myself for the conversation I was about to have. I glanced at the clock. Lucien would likely be in the throne room office, going over various financial statements from his companies or on the phone with his COOs.

I strode in that direction, noticing that another group of vampires had arrived and were waiting for Lucien to allow them to enter. I froze when I noticed one vampire standing off to the side. When he saw me, he paled to the color of my dress and stood rooted to the spot. Malcolm.No, no, no.Why was he here? Why now? Before I could process any of those questions, or my emotions surrounding them, Lucien opened the door. He ignored the group of vampires when he caught sight of me, pulling me into his arms and pressing a kiss into my hair.

“Waiting for me?” He smirked.

I nodded, but his attention drifted to where my gaze was locked. Malcolm stared back at me, neither of us able to look away. I cleared my throat, suddenly unable to speak. Lucien’s smile turned lethal as he focused on Malcolm, jumping to his own conclusions. Lucien gripped my hand and jerked his head toward his office door before leading me and the other vampire into the throne room, locking out the others who were watching in fascination. Purposefully stomping toward the dais, he gestured for me to take the throne next to his. I sensed Lucien’s anger and slid into the obsidian chair. It was the first time I’d sat there, and it was happening while Malcolm was watching.

I glanced warily at Lucien as he sat, his face carved from granite. He indicated the vampire in front of him with a lift of his chin. “Malcolm Shaw, born 1969, turned 1992 by Daniel Arturo in Dallas, Texas. Now that’s out of the way, how do you know my queen?”

Lucien didn’t look to me for a response, but I’d managed to compose myself after the initial shock at seeing Malcolm in Întuneric and provided one.

“Malcolm is an ex-boyfriend, Lucien. It surprised me to see him here in Întuneric,” I whispered, my voice cracking over the statement.

Lucien glared at the other vampire. His glowing red eyes narrowed as they assessed Malcolm, who fidgeted under his king’s intense gaze. There was complete silence between us as we waited to see what Lucien would do.

---