Page 94 of Queen of Darkness
“What are you waiting for?” Aaron asked from the base of the throne as I hesitated.
“I’m no queen,” I told him. “No ruler. I don’t want this power. I wanted her gone, but there must be someone more qualified than me.”
Dave snorted. “There’s quite literallynobodymore qualified than you. Only a woman can sit on the throne, and you’re the only known female vampire in existence. That basically means either you sit your butt down or nobody rules and we devolve into chaos as everyone tries to turn a ton of women and put their candidate on the throne.”
“Oh.” I mulled that over.
Could I risk another Elenia assuming the throne just because I didn’t want the responsibility? Was that fair to all the vampires who would suffer because of it?
Footsteps clattered down the hallway.
“My Queen!” a voice shouted before it was in sight. “My Queen, they are retreating. The demons, they return to their own realm.”
The owner of the voice, and half a dozen other warriors with it, came to a screeching halt as they entered the throne room and saw the scene before them. I wasn’t sure what they had expected to see based on the devastation in the hallway, but their faith that Elenia would win was supreme.
I suppose it’s time to put that to rest.
Sitting gingerly, I rested my arms on the sides of the throne, looking down at the newcomers like I felt a queen should.
“Good,” I said, trying to sound like a ruler and hoping it didn’t sound as stupid to everyone else as it did to me. “Let them go. There is no further need for violence today. Too many have suffered already.”
The head vampire stammered in shock, looking around as he worked to puzzle out what had happened. I watched the understanding come to him when his eyes finally settled on Elenia’s corpse lying at my feet.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Aaron snarled. “This is your queen. Kneel before her!”
Putting action to word, Aaron took a knee. Those members of his team who were able did so. The others clasped their fists to their chests.
Slowly, still unsure, the newcomers did the same.
“Go,” I commanded. “Spread the word. The fighting is done. The city is to return to normal. That is the command of your queen.”
“Queen Joanna!” Aaron shouted, a cry taken up by the others and repeated eventually by the newcomers as their shock wore off.
Once they were gone, I sagged back into the seat. This was too much already.
“Someone free those blood slaves already,” I said. “Make sure they’re taken care of.”
“Of course,” Aaron said. “Then what?”
“Then,” I said, taking a slow breath, sitting up straighter. “Then, it’s time for some change.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Ihope we’re not too late,” I said nervously.
“We’re fine,” Aaron murmured under his breath, jogging alongside me as we hurried toward the doors at the end of the hallway.
A full dozen warriors bedecked in their finest outfits lined the corridor, standing stiffly at attention as I passed by. I had to check myself not to prepare for an attack. It had been two days, and the vampires of Madrigal had adapted with ease to me as their new queen.
I, on the other hand, was having a hard time with it. It was second nature to assume they all wanted me dead. But to them, whoever sat on the throne was the queen, and that was that. I had killed the last queen and taken her place, and the power was now rightfully mine to command.
Aaron said it was also because many of them had hated Elenia, and though I had doubted him, I was starting to see the truth. Many vampires had left when they’d gotten word, and I knew we would have to go after them and force them back into the fold, but for now, I had to focus on uniting those who remained in Madrigal.
Peace might have come between the realms with my ascension, but there were lingering tempers everywhere, not to mention the sudden, abrupt surge to find female vampires. Already some of the more eager ones had journeyed to Earth and brought back several newly turned vampires. All women.
Jaxton and the rest of the team were currently working on stomping outthatidea. Anyone who did something like that would be found guilty of breaking the law. It had only taken four public killings to get the point home. There would be no purposeful killing of humans just to bring women to Madrigal. It would happen naturally, over time.
I still wasn’t quite sure howthatwould work. The idea of converting humans didn’t sit well with me, but Aaron assured me it wouldn’t matter. We could never eliminate all the vampires who refused to submit to proper rule, and they would go on converting new humans, many of whom would come to Madrigal to live.
