Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

“No, never. We have never left our own ward,” Tatiana states.

“Okay, well, let’s hope we don’t die.” I laugh at his choice of words, and Tatiana simply looks ahead.

The forest is in front of us and it’s beautiful. Green trees and flowers are showcased in every color—pink, blue, yellow, there are so many to choose from.

“Its beauty is deceiving, so I’ve been told,” Patrick says. “It wants to lure you in to trap you. Once its deception is complete, then it will kill you.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s the stories… have you not heard of them?” Patrick asks.

I shrug. “Some, but I assumed they were just that, stories, to scare the kids into not entering.” As we start toward it, Tatiana looks ahead, not saying a word, watching everything around her with cautious eyes.

“I’m sure some are, but I’m positive some are probably true. The stories have to come from somewhere, right?” Patrick says.

“Why are you here?” I ask. “You don’t owe us anything. So, why are you here with us?” Tatiana slows her walk, and I know she wants to know the same thing. “It’s our sister we are risking all this for.”

Patrick pulls his bag up farther on his shoulder. “My mother used to tell me stories of the prophecy when I was a child, of when the last king ruled. He wasn’t a bad king and we didn’t have wards then. But we needed order, which he didn’t know how to provide.”

I remember the king—he was young, and he was murdered by the current queen, who was sleeping with him. Well, so the rumors say.

“Our people were dying, and the vampires were slowly taking over our towns. So, we put our faith in the witches. They are, after all, who the prophecy was meant to be about. But at that time it states ‘her reign will be no more,’ and we didn’t have a queen, so no one really took it seriously. Until it was forced on us because…” he takes a deep breath as we step closer to the forest, and soon, there will be no going back, “…she died.” He pauses, sucking in a breath.

“My mother, when the queen came into power, when she put up the wards and the witches and wolves fought back, she died. And before she left, she asked me to believe that one day, no matter what, I would do the right thing and help make this world a better place. She believed I would somehow help, and when you fell into my arms that day, I believed her. Because I knew right then and there you were special. Something about you screams it.”

As he finishes his words, we remain silent. I glance to Tatiana, who’s smiling. Tatiana has never let me believe I am better than anyone else. After all, we are all equals and fighting the good fight and keeping our heads down. Family above all else. If it came down to picking to save the world over Tanya, I would choose Tanya. There is no other love or stronger bond than family.

“You may very well die for your mother’s beliefs,” Tatiana says as we walk past the first tree. They are all lined up so straight, you can’t see the next one after it unless you are out to the side. It’s as if they have been planted that way and have been growing for centuries.

“Then I will die knowing I did the right thing.” I cringe at his words. “And protecting my alpha’s mate,” he throws in.

Tatiana’s head swings back and she eyes him. “I’m no one’s mate.”

“Yes, you are. And because you are, you are my alpha.” He bows his head, and Tatiana’s jaw locks tight.

“Maybe I’ll kill you myself,” she says, dropping down to a crouch and placing her hands in the soil. We wait for her as she buries her hands deep into the soft ground. Tatiana has strong powers when it comes to the earth—it’s her strongest source to harness energy. She can read it better than anyone I have ever met.

“I don’t get it,” she says, pulling her hands out and wiping them on her black pants. “I just don’t get it,” she says it again, this time shaking her head as she stares at the forest floor.

“What?” I ask, stepping closer, and when my hand touches hers, I feel it too.

“It’s all dead,” she whispers.

Taking a deep breath, I drop my hand away from hers and look at the forest.

How can that be?

How can it look so alive, yet feel so dead?

“That makes no sense. We can see the flowers,” Patrick says, stepping up to one of the trees and reaching down to pick a pink flower growing around the base. We all look at it, as confused as he is. When he drops it to the ground, it dies right in front of us, shriveling into nothing but an ugly representation of what was once gorgeous.