Enchanting Raven (Curse of the Vampire Queen 2)

Nodding, Rhyland offers me his hand. “You can tell us on the way to town.”

I hesitate, but only for an instant. Then I place my hand in his, trusting him for the first time in a long time.

Relief washes over his features as he rushes toward the door, pulling me with him.

Ava has collapsed to her knees, her face strained with pain. “I can only hold her for a couple of minutes. Then I have to let go and transport myself out of here. If I don’t do it, I won’t have any magic left.” She sucks in a breath as light shines from her hands. “Get as far away from here as quickly as you can.”

Kingsley nods. “Thank you for this. The next time we see each other, we owe you a favor.”

She lets out a strained laugh. “You’ll owe me more than that, and I plan on collecting.”

Nodding, Kingsley tosses me a knife. Strangely, I catch it effortlessly without even cutting myself. Not having too much time to think about my sudden awesome catching skills, I tuck the knife into my thigh holster and focus on running out of the tent and across the snowy, iridescent field.

“What about my mom and dad!” I shout to Rhyland over the howling wind. “And the guards!”

Rhyland glances over at Kingsley on the other side of me, the two of them trading a look.

“They’ll be fine,” Rhyland assures me, staring straight ahead as we sprint at an alarming speed.

“No. I’m not doing this lying bullshit with you anymore.” I slam to a stop, my hair whipping in my face. “No more lies!”

Rhyland grinds to a halt, kicking up a cloud of snow as he whirls around toward me. “Raven, we don’t have time for this. We need to go now before Nadine gets free or other creatures show up.”

“Then tell me the truth.” I swing my arm around at the empty land and tents. “Where is everyone?”

His throat muscles work as he swallows hard. “They’re gone.”

“Gone where?” I demand, stepping toward him.

“We don’t know,” Kingsley says, his cheeks glazed over with snowflakes. “When I went to get Ava, I couldn’t find anyone else.”

I hug my arms around myself as snowflakes tumble down on me. My parents are gone? Gone? “Where was Ava when you found her?”

Kingsley stares at the tents behind us. “She was in her tent. Nadine had jumped her and hit her with a sleep spell. Luckily, I could wake her up, but everyone else …” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I don’t know what happened to them.”

“So, the guards … my mom and dad …” Tears burn my eyes as the wind touches them, freezing against my skin like little crystal raindrops. “They’re gone?”

“We’ll find them,” Rhyland promises, scraping the frozen tears from my cheeks. His lips are dark red, his face glistening with frozen snowflakes, but his eyes burn the promise into the chilled air. “I swear we will.”

“What if they’re dead?” I whisper hoarsely.

Rhyland cups my cheek and forces me to look at him. “If they were dead, she would’ve left the bodies for you to see. Trust me; the queen fights dirty like that.”

His words give me a drop of hope. I just wish I knew where they went. Maybe I should go look for them.

“I know you’re upset and you want to go look for them,” Rhyland says, as if reading my thoughts, which maybe he did, “but right now, we need to get you someplace safe until we can figure out a way to stop the queen and the curse.”

“I’m not so sure the curse is even working anymore,” Kingsley mutters as he stares at me.

Rhyland’s head whips in his direction. “How do you figure that?”

Kingsley’s gaze flicks from me to him. “Because we’re talking about it.”

“But then, we’re free, right?” Rhyland points out, his grip on his sword loosening.

“No, we’re not.” I’m the one to speak. “Because we didn’t break the curse. She decided to end it by killing all the creatures who played a part in it. At least, that’s what Nadine said.”

Rhyland’s gaze blazes fiercely against the darkness settling over the luminous sky. “Well, that’s not going to happen. We’re going to run this time and fight against her, and not let her turn us against each other.” He sticks out his hand. “In fact, we should all take an oath to promise to trust each other, no matter what.”

Kingsley sighs, but puts his hand on top of Rhyland’s. “I promise to trust you two, no matter what—no matter how much you get on my nerves.” The corners of his lips quirk.

Rhyland rolls his eyes. “And I promise to do the same, no matter what happens or what I think I see.”

I wonder if he’s referring to seeing Kingsley and I kissing and biting each other in the bed that night before the curse happened.

Their gazes shift to me, and then they patiently wait in silence for me to make my decision, even though we don’t really have the extra time to spare.

Can I trust them? Will my mind let me get past everything I saw and thought I’ve seen over the centuries I’ve been alive?

“Fine.” I put my hand on theirs. “I promise to trust you two, no matter what happens. No matter how bleak things look.”

Smiling, Kingsley pulls away and claps his hands. “Good. Now let’s get the hell out of here before the evil bitch comes looking for us.”

Nodding, we sprint off toward the Land of Moonlight with nothing more than our trust for each other and the hope that we can put the puzzle together. I just hope we can outwit the queen this time around. And that everyone—my parents, Rhyland and Kingsley’s parents, even Ava—makes it out of this alive.

Kingsley

Do you ever get the feeling that you’ve been stuck in a curse for most of your life? Because I have. And I’m not talking about the actual curse all of us have been trapped in for centuries. I’m referring to my own personal curse. The curse that started when I fell in love with the same vampire my twin brother fell in love with.

I’m not even sure I realized I was in love with Raven until Rhyland declared that he was. We were sixteen and had just finished walking her home after spending a night in the forest goofing around. For the most part, things had been fairly quiet between the two of us as we walked the short distance from her house to ours.

But then he broke the silence. And I mean shattered it to the point that it never truly repaired.

“I think I’m in love with her,” he spoke abruptly with a crease between his brows.

“In love with who? Lana?” Lana was the vampire he had spent the last few weeks making out with.

Kissing was all he had done with any vampire, and I often wondered if it was because he was too scared, or if he was saving himself for someone. The latter always made me roll my eyes. My brother had always been sort of a romantic. Me, I was more of a joke-about-your-feelings-and lets-have-some-fun-without-the-complications sort of vampire. For a reason, though. A reason I refuse to talk about to this night, because the pain is too much to deal with.

He shook his head, his gaze drifting to the night sky. “No, not Lana.”

“Okay.” Confusion danced inside me. My brother was anything but a player so I couldn’t figure out who he was talking about. “Mind sharing who, then, because I don’t think I’m going to figure this mystery out on my own.”

He sighed heavily. “Raven. I think—No, I know, I’m in love with her.”

My chest suddenly tightened in the strangest way. “Raven. As in the vampire who’s been our best friend since before we could walk?”

“That would be the one.” He shifts his gaze to me. “I don’t know why you seem so surprised. I mean, I know she’s not your type, but she’s definitely mine.” A smile rose on his face. “She’s beautiful and funny and loves adventures. And she knows how to handle our jokes. Not a lot of vampires do.”

“No, they don’t,” I agree.

While I was the jokester in the family, Rhyland enjoyed joking around almost as much as I did. Since we were twins and were practically inseparable, it wa

s a little too much for most vampires to take on. Raven, though, always knew how to handle us and laughed when a lot of other vampires didn’t think we were funny.

He rubbed his hand over his head, seeming stressed out. “Do you think… Do you think if I told her how I feel, she’d freak out?”

No, probably not. In fact, with the way she looked at him sometimes, I was betting she was in love with him too, even if she wasn’t aware of it.

Jealousy stirred inside my chest. I’d never been the jealous type before so the feeling was alarming. And it was jealousy that made me say what I said next.

“I think you might freak her out. I mean, you’re her best friend and she probably doesn’t see you like that. And if you told her and she doesn’t reciprocate your feelings, then your friendship will probably be ruined with her. And so will mine,” I told him. “I think you should wait. Maybe your feelings will change over time. Or maybe you two will grow closer. Who knows, but it’s probably best to see how things play out first before you put your heart out there.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He forced a smile. “Thanks for talking to me about this. And for talking me out of doing something stupid.”

I nodded, feeling guilty as hell. “Sure. That’s what I’m here for, right?”

He laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that I had just misled him on purpose. It was a selfish move and whenever I look back on that moment, I wonder where we’d if I had told him the truth. If I had told him to tell Raven he loved her. Perhaps they would’ve been together for a couple of years by the time Rhyland was chosen king and could’ve handled the situation better. Perhaps Fate wouldn’t have chosen my brother as king at all, or not chosen Nadine as queen—although, I still question to this night if that was a mistake. Or perhaps the two of them would’ve been long gone by the time Rhyland was announced king, tucked away in the deep woods in the Land of Moonlight, Rhyland learning how to control dragons and Raven planning all sorts of adventures.

But none of that ever happened. Instead my brother made a deal with the fey devil herself. A deal that led us to this curse. And if the curse is ever fully broken, he’ll end up with Raven—that was his end game in the curse. And me, well, I’ll get what I deserve for the role I played in the curse—a broken heart and a lifetime of misery.

“How much farther until we reach the entrance!’ Rhyland shouts over the howling of the wind.

I shield my eyes from the snow flurries whipping me in the face. We’ve been walking for hours and I swear to God that damn Welcome to the Land of Moonlight sign keeps getting further and further away.

“I thought we would’ve made it by now!” I yell, clutching my sword.

The metal handle is starting to freeze to my palm, but I refuse to set it down. Not until we’re safely tucked away in a hotel where I know Nadine, and any other of the queen’s minions, won’t find us.

“I swear we’re getting farther away,” Raven mutters, her lips turning blue.

“Are you cold?” I ask, confused.

Vampires never get cold, but she looks like a frozen snowwoman demon right now, which yes, are real, and we’ll probably run into a few while we’re out here.

She nods, puzzlement etched into her face. “It’s so weird.” She wraps her arms around herself, shivering. “I’ve never felt this cold before.”

I reach to tug my shirt off to give it to her, but Rhyland tugs his off first.

“Put this on.” He offers her his shirt.

She shakes her head, strands of her raven black hair blowing in her face. “No way. You’ll freeze to death!”

“I’m already dead, sweetheart,” he teases with a grin.

My lips twitch in annoyance. That’s my nickname for her.

When she makes no move to take his shirt, he pulls it over her head.

“T-Thanks,” she chatters, slipping her arms through the sleeves.

He smiles, but shoots me a quick nervous look.

I know what he’s thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing. Why is she so cold? Is it because of the curse? Or something else? At this point I have no damn clue, but my blood is on this is the queen’s doing.

We start walking again, toward the wind, which makes our vampire super speed almost useless. My legs are starting to get tired, probably since I haven’t fed in a while, and Raven’s eyelids keep lowering as if she’s about to fall asleep.

I’m about to suggest we take a break and then one of us carry her—preferably me—when two figures emerge from the cloud of gusting snow in front of us. I lift my sword, preparing for a battle, when they step into the moonlight.

“Harper and Dex?” I don’t release my grip on my sword, unsure if I can trust them. “What’re you two doing here?”

Dex steps toward us, and I notice he has Raven’s lilywolf tiger cradled in his arms.

“Aeribella?” Raven starts to run for her, but both mine and Rhyland’s arms dart out, stopping her.

“Careful,” I warn. “They might be working for the queen.”

“I assure you, we’re not.” Dex hikes closer and Harper skips behind him, which would seem like an odd thing to do considering we’re stuck in the middle of a blizzard. But Harper has always been a bit of a strange creature.

When I point the sword at Dex, he slows to a stop.

“How do I know that for sure?” I ask. “And how did you even get here?”

Dex nods at Harper. “She found me hanging around at the entrance.”

“Doing what exactly?” I question, inching the tip of my knife closer to his throat.

“Trying to get in here so I could warn you.” He glances at Rhyland, Raven, and me. “And to escape.”

“Escape what?” the three of us say at the same time.

“The rebellions.” Worry creeps into his expression. “Something happened and they’re… They’re taking over Mystic Willow Bay. And they might be heading here.”

“How do you know that?” I ask. The tip of my sword grazes his neck and he gulps. “Unless you were talking to the queen, which would mean you’re a trader.”

“I didn’t talk to her,” he promises. “When the smoke showed up early and you guys took off, she took over the castle. I was supposed to take off to my home, but I didn’t make it out in time, so I hid in the secret passages with Aeribella until I could escape. While I was hiding, I overheard some things.”

I trade a worried look with Rhyland then glance back at Dex. “What sort of things?”

Dex swallows hard. “That the queen can’t come here.”

“We already knew that,” I say. “You need to give me a better reason not to kill you.”

“Kingsley…” Raven starts but trails off as Dex says, “I think the queen might also be planning on sending an army of created vampires here to track down Raven. That is, if Nadine doesn’t bring her back.”

I shake my head. “I need you to take a Blood Oath before I can trust you.”

Dex nods and then we quickly do the oath. By the time we’re done, I know he’s telling the truth. I also know we’re screwed if we can’t form our own army to help fight against the queen. Our only hope is Raven and her moonlight blood. She doesn’t know it yet—because of the curse—but she may be one of the most powerful moonlight creatures that has ever existed, which could help us build an army.

It also could—and has—put her in very grave danger.

Raven takes Aeribella from Dex and hugs her close. “I’m so glad you’re here and safe.” She smiles at her pet.

Seeing her happy makes me the slightest bit relieved. But when she finds out the entire story, the parts not everyone knows about the curse—the parts I played a role in—I’m not so sure she’ll remain happy. I could tell her right now—the curse doesn’t seem to be working anymore—but I’m afraid she might take off.

No, when I tell her, I need to be someplace safe where she can flip out and yell at me. Because she will.

“We need to get to someplace safe in

town!’ I shout over the wind.

“I know a place,” Harper chimes in. “It’s not directly in town, but hardly any creature knows it exists.”

“Even better,” I say and then the five of us—well, six counting the lilywolf tiger—hike further into the Land of Moonlight, further into one of the most dangerous lands that’s ever existed.

But that’s okay. I’ll risk my life if it means saving Raven’s. I just hope she’ll forgive me when the full truth comes out. But I’m worried that my life might be in danger when it does.