Page 64 of Queen Takes Blood
Blood that smoked and flickered with molten flames on the golden floor.
My first thought was that she’d somehow sucked Smoak into her. But my sunfire still flickered deep inside me.:What’s wrong with her?:
She sent me an image of flames licking inside Dawn. Charring her from the inside out.
Her back heaved. Wracking sobs tore out of her throat, the pitch rising to a punishing wail of pain. She surged up off the floor and white wings exploded from her back. Frantic, she rose up into the air, wings beating so mercilessly that feathers fell to litter the floor. I scrambled up to my knees, head tipped back, staring at her beautiful form in awe. I didn’t know queens could transform.
With every beat of my heart, I willed her to fly higher. Escape the endless sun. Find the edges of Heliopolis and jump off into the cool darkness that must lie hidden somewhere.
For one sweet moment, her wings blocked the blazing might of Ra’s sun.
More feathers rained down, along with droplets of blood. Mine, hers, both. Smoke curled around her. Her mouth gaped open on a never-ending scream laced with flames. I clapped my hands over my ears, horrified but unable to look away. Her skin blackened into charred wisps that flaked off. More flames broke free of her body, yet her screams continued. High, shrill agony that went on and on.
Until my blood burned her into a sooty, misshapen lump that collapsed to the floor. Still smoking.
35
VIVIAN
Awhite feather fluttered down to softly drop onto my thigh. I closed shaking fingers over it, hiding it from view. One unburned feather. For me.
My ears still echoed with the sound of her screams. As long as I lived, I would never forget the sound of her pain. The horror of knowing thatmyblood had done that to her.
Worse, though, was the absolute destruction of the most beautiful experience I’d ever had in my life. It would be forever tainted with her gruesome death. Her wings outstretched against the punishing sun of Ra, even as she burned into a black smear on the golden floor of his temple. Leaving behind a few blood-stained, scorched feathers and a misshapen crown, the sun rays melted into lumpy stubs.
Slumped on my knees, I stared at what was left of Dawn Aos. Sorrowing for what could have been. Whatshouldhave been. My queen. Dead.
A slow, mocking clap echoed through the temple. Instantaneous fury blasted through me, pushing me to my feet. I crushed the feather in my good hand, resisting the urge to reach for the pommel of one of the swords I wore on my back. Smoak’s flames licked inside me, stoking the fire.
Fire. Pumping through my veins. Ra’s foul gift that had killed Dawn.
I was a fucking timebomb. Anytime a queen tried to take me…
Quivering, I fought to hold my scream of rage inside me. I wouldn’t give him the fucking satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. My pain wasn’t for his, or anyone’s, entertainment.
I eased the crushing grip on the feather, sheltering it in my palm. Straightened my slumped shoulders. Lifted my chin. And met my father’s brutal gaze head on.
He gave me a sardonic grin. His eyes had gone back to the molten gold color, the same as the rest of his body. His moment of insane rage passed as if it had never happened. “A true spawn of Helios. Come, beg your boon from the Almighty God of Light.”
Fucking asshole. Every word he said was meant to poke my pride. To rub my nose in the fact that I was useless to him. I wasn’t a queen of his line. So what if his fucking blood could burn the witches he hated so much into a crisp. So what if I learned from every Soldier of Light and became the bestlivingwarrior in Heliopolis.
Nothing would ever be enough for him.
Something deep inside me crumpled. Destroyed as easily as the lion head on his throne. But I refused to let him see how much I hurt.
Stiffly, I stepped closer to his throne. Making sure to give the blackened file of feathers a respectful berth, even as tears stormed inside me. Tears I dared not allow fall. He couldn’t know that Dawn’s death had destroyed something beautiful and fragile inside me. Instead of dropping to my knees—as he expected—I crossed my good arm over my chest and bowed at the waist like a soldier. “I have only one request, Your Imperial Majesty. I ask that I be allowed to leave Heliopolis.”
I expected him to rage and bellow, melting the Sun Throne into a misshapen pile of melted gold. Tensed, I braced for a burning lash across my back. Another slash of his burning will.
Instead, he fucking laughed. A deep belly chuckle that drew my head up warily.
“Ah, Vivian, spawn of mine. You make your sire proud. When you return to Heliopolis, I look forward to hearing how many witches you’ve destroyed with your fiery blood.”
I fought to keep my face smooth without revealing the queasiness in my stomach at the thought. The disgust, horror, and finally, doubt.
Had I asked for exactly what he wanted? Goddess. I couldn’t bear watching another queen die like Dawn.
Even as I yearned to feel that bliss again. The sweet surrender of my blood feeding my queen.
