Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

“But she…” John nods to me, “…may be able to. Look, you’re powerful, and you have a bonus on your side that none of us have…” He pauses. “Death.”

I cringe before I tell him, “He doesn’t always come.”

“When hasn’t he come when you needed him?” Tatiana asks.

“When I was sixteen, and I got attacked by that vampire,” I remind her. I shudder at the recalled memory...

* * *

I was walking home from one of my trips to the market, and on my way back I took a detour. I shouldn’t have. I knew better. But I wanted to, and when I did, I found a vampire in our ward who was smoking a cigarette. He eyed me, and he was much faster than me. He got to me, and before I could stop him, his fangs sank into my arm, tearing at my flesh. I screamed, and then all the lessons Tatiana had taught me kicked in. I used a spell to get him off of me. It knocked him out, and he collapsed onto the ground, then I ran. And never looked back.

* * *

“He didn’t come then?” she asks.

I shake my head. “And you know how bad I was after that.” I didn’t leave my bed for days. I had no energy and everything in me was gone. It didn’t just scare me, it did something else to me as well. Made me see the world differently.

“Yes, okay. So, you don’t know when he comes,” Tatiana remarks.

“No, I never have.”

“Right! So, we can’t bank on him. But we need to work out a way to get Tanya back. We don’t know what the queen is doing to her, and Tanya isn’t as strong as us.” Tatiana looks down. “She’s softer, more caring…”

I nod. I get it, I do. She’s older than me and has way more training, but somehow, I can take her down in minutes and it shouldn’t be that easy.

“You can try to break into the castle, but it won’t be easy,” John says.

“Crystal Castle is impossible to get into without the queen knowing,” Patrick declares. We all turn to look at him. “You’ve heard the stories, right? About wolves turning to ash on the spot. She has some strong magic runes protecting it.”

When the queen first came to power, the wolves tried to rebel, and in return, most died attempting to dethrone her. Some witches as well, since the wolves and witches have been allies for a long time. Not long after, the wards were created, and the only time the wards are all open at any one time is when we shop at the quadrant. We aren’t meant to socialize with anyone other than our own breed. The queen doesn’t want us together at any time. The witches and wolves combined seem to be too strong a foe for her. Even though she is a witch herself.

“Unless you have an angel.”

We all stop at that voice.

Very slowly, I turn around, my sister already gripping my hand in hers.

“You aren’t welcome here, angel,” John hisses.

I tighten my hand on Tatiana, knowing full well it’s not Grim. Looking up, I see the angel, Bronik, staring at me and smiling. He looks me up and down, then turns his eyes to Tatiana. A growl comes from John, which only makes the angel smirk at his indignation. This makes John angrier, and he steps forward, putting himself in front of Tatiana.

“I could have your witch, wolf,” Bronik states categorically and without reservation.

It happens fast.

John shifts.

Then in one swift leap launches himself at Bronik, who does nothing but smirk, then side-steps, pushing him as he does so John lands in a crumped mess on the ground. Patrick starts to shift too, then howls are heard all around us. I shiver at the sound and push myself closer to my sister who is busy staring at John, willing him to get up. Eventually, he pulls himself up from the ground. His white fur with a black stripe down the middle is ruffled. Tatiana goes to step forward, but I pull her back. When she spins around, her eyebrows are pinched together, as more howls seem to be coming ever closer.

Bronik turns his stare on us as Patrick finishes shifting. When Patrick moves toward the angel, Bronik pulls the same move he used on John. But Patrick seems to be ready, after watching John fall, and stops. His claws, all black, reach out and barely manage to swipe at the angel’s white shirt, tearing it. Bronik glances down and then back to Patrick with another smirk on his face. Then, in two seconds, as if everything goes in slow motion, he leans forward and slaps his hands together in front of Patrick’s face, and I watch in horror as he drops to the ground…