Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

I watch as she visibly relaxes at his touch.

Will I ever have that? I want what they have—to love somebody and be loved in return unconditionally.

Witches marry witches, it’s how the world works.

Wolves marry wolves, it’s how it’s been done for centuries.

Yet, here my sister is, falling for an alpha wolf who picked her as his mate.

The world is clearly changing, and I can’t help but wonder if I have something to do with that.

Chapter Twenty-One

The sun falls behind the earth and the night sky is nothing but blackness, as if it’s ready and waiting for us to strike. Does it know what is coming? What is about to happen? How many lives that could be lost in this process?

That’s not something I want to think about, but it’s not something that leaves my mind either.

Death.

And not my Death. No, he will outlive all of us.

“They have the advantage during the night,” I hear one of the wolves complain as we all start walking. The closer we get to the castle, the colder I seem to get.

I’m half-listening and half looking ahead to check where we’re going. But as one of the female wolves turns back and looks to another, I see something. It’s small, almost like a glimmer, so I stop and narrow my eyes, but the wolves don’t even pause. As she gets closer, I watch in absolute horror as her body hits the glimmer and is cleaved in half, literally.

“Stop.” My voice is loud, and everyone does just that, apart from the wolves at the front who have just seen their friend sliced in half. Not the half separating the top half of her body from the bottom, but vertically straight down the middle. They scream and start to run back to us. I look closely as the glimmer shimmers even brighter then turns black.

It’s a wall of blackness.

Not like the barriers. No, this one is more lethal.

“She can’t have that type of magic. That’s most definitely not witch magic,” my sister says. Stepping closer, she lifts her hand up, but I reach her and pull her back.

“Don’t touch it,” I say to her softly.

I hear some of the wolves crying behind me as Patrick comes to stand next to me. “I’ve seen this once,” he says. He looks back to John, who nods in agreement. “When they created the borders, the wolves didn’t take kindly to them, so this here was put up for a short amount of time to keep us where they wanted us. It was there until the barriers were created.” He turns to me. “This is demon magic.”

“Of course it is,” my sister curses. “Does she have a demon in her back pocket or something and just rubs him to make her damn wishes come true?”

“Well, I don’t really like to be rubbed. But if you are offering.” We turn to see a demon standing behind us. And not just any demon, but the one that keeps popping up. “How’s your day been, Wings? Any developments on saving your sister?” he asks as John curses at him for even speaking about my sister.

Tatiana touches John’s shoulder to soothe him as the demon clicks his fingers and the dead body disappears. “Ugly thing to look at, right? I don’t like to look at death.” A shiver runs over his body and he smiles. “I’m willing to help break this wall,” Valefar says, eyeing me.

“What is the price?” Tatiana aks, and he clicks his tongue at her.

“Too clever. You are too clever.” The demon steps to the wall, places his palm on it, and doesn’t get singed or cut in half.

“I want you for one night,” Valefar says, then locks his eyes on me.

My mind can’t register what he is saying.

Did he?

What the fuck!

“Do you think I am a whore?” I ask him in disbelief.

I hear the soft chants from behind me and see my sister giving the demon a death stare, her eyes cast on him as she says a spell.

“Knock it off, witch, your magic will not harm me,” he says, as if it’s a joke, and laughs before he looks back to me. “It’s not for sex. I simply wish to spend an evening with you.”

“Nothing sexual?” I ask, clarifying.

“Nothing. Unless you ask for it, that is.” He winks, and I nod my head, looking past him to the wall, which is impenetrable. “Break it.”

“No can do. A door is all I can manage.” He waves his hand and, just as he said, a door appears. “Tick-tock. You have exactly one minute before it starts to close. And be prepared, she’s waiting and setting traps as we speak. She wants you dead and will do anything in her power to see that through.”

I walk forward and decide I should be the first to step through. Valefar watches me with eager eyes, as if he thinks I may not do it. But, of course, I will, I don’t want to see anyone else die because of me. Taking a deep breath, I take the first step, and when nothing happens, I keep on moving through.