Page 9 of The Light Falls
Meri: Who told you? Tell me you’re not becoming friends with Cormal? Seriously. I’m begging.
Meri: Met Kaius. He introduced my new guards. 6 hotties incl. twins. I’m not even kidding. Twins. Groan. Will send a pic. #tryingtoactlikeaqueen
Meri: I’ll ask Solandis about visiting. She knows more than I do about this rabbit hole I’ve fallen into…
The second text is from Callyx. I smile.
Callyx: Why the hell would you want to leave the Underworld for the Fae? They’re vicious little fuckers on a good day.
Callyx: Congrats on your new crown. Don’t forget about us lowly peons, okay? I miss you. And Solandis.
Callyx: Lucifer’s sending me on a mission. Text when you get a chance and watch your back.
Meri: It smells better here. And everyone is so beautiful. No more foul-smelling, ugly ass demons catcalling me. Plus, they gave me a gold crown and hot guards. What can I say? I’m easily bribed. Be careful. Miss you too.
The third text is from an unknown number.
Unknown: Congratulations. What I have created, I can destroy.
I sit straight up in bed and stare down at the phone. Fear skips down my spine and beads of sweat break out on my brow. When I reach up to swipe them away, the glowing tips of my fingers light up the bed. Magic. I’m not defenseless anymore. She thinks she can threaten me. At the thought, my fingers curl into a fist.
Closing my eyes, I search for the bond between Leandra and me, the one she used to track and control me all my life. It’s time I sent a message back—a magical hit to remind her of my new powers. But when I reach for the thread, it isn’t there.
Did it move?With a frown, I continue to search my body for the tiniest of threads with her signature. I find nothing. It’s gone.
For over nine hundred years, I’ve felt her inside me like a spider in its web, watching and waiting to deliver its poison. She must have felt it the moment the bond broke. No wonder she sent a text. With a smile on my face, I pick up the phone.
Queen Merindah: Leandra, you evil bitch. Bring it on. I’ve got a huge score to settle and a hell of a lot of power at my disposal. Look for the gold palace, I’ll be the one wearing the crown.
My hands are shaking when I lower the phone, but damn, it felt so good. All those years I bit my tongue, holding back the words I wanted to spew at her. Free. Free. Free. I am free. If she thinks she can destroy me, let her try. The magic in my fingers becomes a ball of power in my hand. I’ll be waiting, and I’ve got a hell of a lot of anger to get rid of.
CHAPTERFIVE
MERI
Bright light shines directly on my closed eyes. With a groan, I turn my face in the other direction, but there is no escape. Blinking, I lift my lids a fraction and see the sun shining through the window. My hands automatically reach for the covers, but the only thing under my hands is… rough and dense like wool? Confused, I sit up and glance around me. Why am I on my bedroom floor?
With a huge yawn, I stand and look longingly at the comfy bed. Once I’m awake though, I can’t go back to sleep. What time is it? I look at the nightstand, but my phone isn’t on it. Grinning, I raise my hand and a second later, my phone lies in my palm. Using magic feels weird. Awesome, but weird. My first thought is to look for the phone not make it come to me.
I walk over to the mirror and admire the crown on my forehead. Queen Meri. Queen Merindah. Besides the magic, it’s still hard to fathom that I’m a queen. How long will it take to sink in? A year? A hundred years? Will I find a mate and give birth to princes and princesses? A big snort escapes, and I slap a hand across my nose and mouth.
Dirt flies to the ground in front of me. I lift my arm up to eye the cuff of my sleeve where black smudges the edges and skims the back of my hand. What in the world? I bend down to scoop up the dirt and freeze when I see the same dirt covering my feet. There’s only one explanation.
Fuck! The nightmares must be getting stronger. Instead of waking up in a cold sweat, they’re trapping me in the dark. Where did I go? And more importantly, how did I get back? Did the guard, Ansel, follow me and bring me back to my room when he saw what was happening?
Heat flares on my cheeks when I think about it. What must he think of me? A queen who sleepwalks because she can’t control her demons. Should I talk to him about it? Or Kaius? I cover my face to escape the evidence staring back at me. Shit.
A brisk knock at the door startles me.
“Your Majesty, Eris told me breakfast will be here in ten minutes,” Ansel’s quiet voice informs me. “Princess Solandis will be joining you.”
Scrambling out of my top, I immediately run to the closet. It’s completely full of clothes. Row upon row of tops, pants, dresses, shoes, jewelry, and everything else. I choke out a strangled laugh. There’s even a stand with at least ten pairs of sunglasses on it. But it all looks so, so… fancy. Where the hell are the jeans or leggings?
Spotting a dresser, I pull open a drawer and find underwear. Bingo. I grab a pair. Yanking open the next one, I see it’s full of bras. I grab one and slam it closed. My luck runs out when I open the third and fourth drawers. More lingerie. The kind you wear for someone special. I can’t help but reach out to run a finger over the delicate lace but stop when I see the dirt.
Another knock at the door. Panicking, I look around, trying to find something to wear and catch sight of a wild woman in the mirror at the back of the closet. The crown shines brightly in the dim closet. I take a deep breath in, hold it, then let it out. I do this two more times.
You’re a queen with magic. Use it.
