Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

Good Lord!

Scooting out of bed and edging around the two, I make an escape outside before I witness anything more disturbing. My exit goes unnoticed, their lustful eyes only for each other.

I get as far away from the house as possible until I can no longer hear their voices. Tilting my head up to the bright yellow sun, I close my eyes and absorb the warmth steaming down around me.

“You’re looking better,” a deep voice pulls me from my reverie.

Reluctantly, I open my eyes to Patrick. He is at my side and gestures for me to follow him on a walk. There is silence between us while we take in the freshness of the morning. We were lucky in Cardia. This didn’t exist back where our family came from. We had ruined it.

“You think she will make a good leader?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

“Your sister’s power rivals his. No one, especially a female, has ever rivaled him. So yes, I do think they’ll work. Even if others are counting on them not to.”

“Why would they think that?”

“The same reason you do. She’s not a wolf, so you can’t comprehend how it will work. We only shift when we absolutely need to, though. So, they are more alike than you think.” Patrick pauses, looking around the ward at the houses. “Some of the women here have tried their best to gain his attention, but he could tell just by their scent that they wouldn’t even get close to his side.”

As if on cue, a scream sounds from John’s house, causing the women in the area to stare longingly, pondering what must be happening.

What is happening?

I stop, looking between the house and Patrick.

“Relax.” He chuckles. “They’re just having fun. John won’t let up until Tatiana joins his side.”

The women who have been watching begin gossiping amongst each other, and I immediately feel uncomfortable. We don’t need enemies. There are too many of those chasing us already.

“They’re just not used to the idea of a witch climbing the ladder so quickly,” Patrick chimes in. With his hand at the small of my back, he steers me down the road.

“Have you been there? To the vampires’ ward?” I ask, sitting down on a large log by the bonfire pit. Small embers continue to glow, not having enough power to turn into a flame.

“No, I haven’t, but John has. He was the only one to make it out alive many years ago.”

A shiver spreads through me at the thought of the bloody battles between the wards.

Chapter Eight

Patrick leaves me with my thoughts to attend to his duties. Like the witches, the wolves have their own roles to play to keep their ward running smoothly.

I hear the slight crunch of footsteps behind me, but I don’t need to turn to know who it is. It’s easy to identify based on their stride. Tatiana takes a seat next to me on the log, bringing with her the heated stares from the females in the pack.

They are looking for a weakness. A reason to pounce. A reason to have us removed. And all because Tatiana had somehow become the chosen mate of the alpha. Her new life, should she choose to live it, will mean her love for solitude would exist no more. She is strong and confident. But being a witch in a wolf pack she doesn’t know? A wolf pack that so far hasn’t taken too well to her? I don’t know how she will live without changing a huge part of herself in order to fit in.

She is my strength, and I’m not ready to lose her so soon and unexpectedly. Sensing my fears, Tatiana places a hand on my shoulder, and it brings the usual comfort. I calm instantly, and we settle into an easy silence, still exhausted from the night’s events.

I’m first to talk, keen to put the witch hunt at the back of our minds, if only for a moment.

“I can feel your rage.” I smile.

Beside me, Tatiana sighs heavily. “He’s just so…” She closes her eyes and faces me, shaking her head. “Never mind.”

“Come on. Tell me,” I urge.

“This predicament is difficult to wrap my head around. Not for hundreds of years has this happened. Wolves and witches have little in common. I can’t see how this will work. I’m not one of them.”

“But it has happened in the past, and it will continue to happen. It’s happening to you right now, and I think you need to explore it. A wolf’s scent is never wrong. And besides...” I pause, stopping my smile from spreading farther, “…it’s not like the witches’ ward is loaded with prospects.”

Tatiana giggles at the understatement. The truth is, there are no viable options for the witches. Becoming the mate of a wolf—a hot wolf at that—is the best thing that could happen to Tatiana.