Page 31 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

Were they really going to force me to stay here and learn to be a vampire queen? What would happen when I inevitably bombed at the whole queen thing? They’d probably eat me.

Oh God.

I swayed on my feet, my knees threatening to buckle. Corry placed a hand on the small of my back, steadying me. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered in my ear. Even though I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, it was still nice he was trying to comfort me.

When I foisted my attention back to the Elders, they had now gathered together in a small circle before their thrones, whispering among them. Their heads were bowed, six strangers determining my own fate for me.

I felt like I might be sick.

They debated for what felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been that long by the position of the moon, still suspended just over the ocean, barely kissing the horizon.

Finally, they parted, and all of them resumed their seats.

Sharpe cleared his throat, his voice as cool as moonstone. “A decision has been made, Ms. Baxter.”

My heart plummeted to the deepest pits of my being. Whatever the decision, it hadn’t gone in my favor, by the emotions nestled in the slash between Sterling’s snow white brows.

Vincent must have gathered that, too, by the way he tensed beside me.

“There is a way to honor both Thomas Knight’s dying wishes and our age-old tradition,” Sterling edged.

There was a suck of breath in my ear from Vincent and a soft gasp from Corry in my other. “How?” we all said at once.

“You be queen. But before you are crowned, you must select a mate for yourself to serve as your king. Seeing as you don’t seem to get along well with Mr. Feral, the court has decided that you may choose your king among all four of Thomas Knight’s progeny. You will have four months to make your decision.”

My head was a hurricane of thoughts. My entire body went hot and cold.

“Four months? And what happens if I don’t pick anyone by the end of those four months?”

Whatever cool mask of indifference Sterling was trying his best to keep up, it was crumbling. Sharpe spoke for him.

“As a member of vampire kind and a soon-to-be representative of the Cape Cod Coven, you are governed by this council, Ms. Baxter. You are under strict orders to choose a king for yourself in four months’ time. During the decision process, all four princes will assist in teaching you the ways of our kind. Four months will be plenty of time to know who among them will be best suited to rule alongside you.”

My fists clenched so tight at my sides my knuckles hurt. Ice filled my chest, and all the blood in my body seemed to rush into my cheeks.

These people weren’t listening. Then again, it was becoming abundantly clear that my opinion wasn’t valued in the slightest here.

“You didn’t answer my question. What if I don’t pick any of them to be king? What if I refuse?”

By the lethal, glass sharp glares of the Elders, I almost regretted the insinuation of rebellion.

But these assholes had to know if they were going to force me to do something I didn’t want to do, that I wasn’t going to just lay down and let it happen to me.

Sharpe’s nostrils flared, and for the first time ever, anger banked his eyes. “It will be in your best interest to choose, Princess. If you do not, this council will allow the princes to do the choosing.”

The ice in my chest rapidly spread through my entire body. “What does that mean, they do the choosing?”

“The males will fight amongst themselves, and the strongest among them will earn the right to be your king. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, I strongly advise that you make a decision beforehand.”

Chapter seventeen

It's a Date

Thishadtobesome kind of dream. Any minute I would wake up in my room, and all this would have been some wild nightmare. I’d still have a weak heart, which would suck, but at least I wouldn’t be a half-freaking vampire, being forced to choose a mate like I was some hunk of meat.

Although, this stupid meeting made it clear that’s pretty much all I was to them. A blood heir to the old king’s throne, so the Elders can feel good about honoring his dying wishes while giving all the real responsibility to one of his progeny.

My entire body went cold, hot, then cold again. I wanted to defend myself, but I couldn’t summon the words that were swirling around in my head, like chunks in a blender. Not only was I being forced to stay, but I was being ordered to choose a mate.

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