Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

When the vampire finally gets to Patrick, he refuses. “No,” is all he says before he turns and walks away. I run to catch up to him.

“I’ll be fine, Talia. You can go back now.”

“I took a lot. I didn’t mean to,” I say, my voice tight. “Please don’t do that again,” I whisper.

Patrick turns to look at me. His eyes, which are usually hopeful, are sad, and his mouth sits in a thin line, and I wonder is he in pain, or is it me?

“If you need it, I will do it again,” he says, nodding his head and turning away. His upper body is bare from shifting, and I can see all the hard edges and the scars that mar his back. It doesn’t lessen his attractiveness—it only improves the way he looks.

“Patrick,” I say his name, and he turns back to me.

“I get it. I see it with two clear eyes, Talia. You aren’t the same as us mere mortals. You were born to be more, do more.”

“I am the same,” I say in a voice that whispers lies.

“You aren’t. But there is nothing wrong with that either. You have to stop apologizing and do what you are meant to do. Kick ass.”

“Will you let me try to heal you?” It’s not something I have ever done on anyone other than Tatiana and Tanya because it does slow me. A lot.

“I’ll be fine.”

“It was me who drained you. Please, let me.” I offer him my hand and he glances at it with his deep brown eyes before he makes a move to step closer and places his warm hand in mine. I suck in a breath and close my eyes as I hold on tight.

“It won’t hurt.”

“It didn’t hurt last time.”

“What did it feel like, when I took?”

“Like I was coming down from a high and I needed to close my eyes. That I had no choice but to close them.”

His words both shock and amuse me. Tatiana never really explained it to me. I always assumed I knocked them out and that was it.

“I hope this time I don’t knock you out.” I smirk and close my eyes as I start a small chant and feel the slither of power as it reaches his. It dances with it, healing it as it goes.

“You’re smiling. Tell me why,” Patrick whispers.

“It’s like dancing with your gift. It’s magical.”

“Talia.”

Patrick pulls his hands free and breaks the connection as my sister reaches us. She looks at my glassy eyes, before she turns to Patrick. “Don’t let her do that again.” Tatiana’s hands start touching me to make sure I’m still awake.

“She offered. She said it was painless,” Patrick defends.

“It is, but it also knocks her out for days if she does it too much. It drains her.”

“Fuck, she didn’t tell me that.”

“Of course, she didn’t,” Tatiana says, then looks to John. “Please carry her.”

“I can,” Patrick says, and before she can say no, I’m swooped up into Patrick’s arms and smothered in his warmness before I fall fast asleep.

“How long is she going to be asleep for?” I hear the complaints, but I can do nothing, my eyes still too heavy.

“She needs to wake. If she doesn’t, she may as well be dead.” I hear a grunt and then nothing more as sleep takes me once again. I dream of him… I dream of Death. What a silly thing to dream of. But did I expect anything less than dreaming of him?

This time, I pull myself awake, and when I do, someone is standing above me, her blue eyes smiling as they stare at me.

“You’re awake.”

I go to move, but I can’t. My hands are tied to the ground and so are my feet. Screaming is not an option, as something is swiftly shoved in my mouth. My heart starts to beat so fast in my chest that I feel it vibrate all through me.

I can’t move, and she has me.

Where is my sister?

Where are Patrick and John?

Oh god, what did I do?

“I expected more of a fight, to be honest. I was prepared. Brought out all my big guns and everything.” She bites her cherry-red lips and showcases her bright white teeth. Her gown is silver and large, her boobs basically hanging over the top of it, and I’m afraid if she leans any farther down they will, in fact, fall out.

Turning away from her, my eyes search for a possibility to get out, but there is none. When I look to the door, I see Bronik standing there watching us. Her eyes follow the direction of my glare and she sits next to me.

“So, I heard about your friend.” My eyes leave Bronik to find the queen observing me. “How he saves you. And we cannot have that now, can we? So, I created this room. With the help of a few angels, of course.” She smiles and it’s evil—all the way to the bones evil. “You see, no angel can enter, not even the grim reaper himself.”