Ranor’s eyes widened, and he blinked. “Yes, Your Majesty.” A lock of his dark brown, almost black hair fell in his eyes as he dipped his head. “Of course, Your Majesty. The highest taste in gold.”
Find out how much there is, the draken commanded.
I relayed the question, tapping my nails on the chalice as I waited.
“This is but a fraction of the treasures that the king,”—Ranor coughed, his wings snapping behind him and his face reddening as he quickly blurted—“I mean you, own, oh incredible, powerful queen. Witches enchanted the entire collection, ensuring it will never need to be polished.”
The Winged Soldier’s hasty correction wasn’t lost on me, but luckily for him, the discovery of these riches pleased me. He would keep his head. For now. Perhaps if he was very good, he might find his way into my bedroom later. I eyed his physique, from his powerful jaw to the musculature hiding beneath his tunic.
Yes,I mused, reaching over and stroking his black wing.He would make a good bed-mate.
It had been far too long since I’d had some fun.
Ranor remained as still as a statue as I walked around him in a circle, eyeing him carefully. I was a queen, after all—I did not go to bed with just anyone.
Focus on the gold,the creature inside of me growled, forcing my eyes away from the guard and towards the shelves stacked with treasure.Look how beautiful it is. You can think about trivial matters such as carnal pleasure later.
You’re right, I replied. The chalice dropped to the floor, rolling away as I ran my fingers over a gilded mirror the size of a small child.Who needs males when you can have something like this?
My reflection stared back at me through the polished gold. I tilted my head, studying the queen staring in the mirror. Silky locks of straight black hair fell to my waist, shimmering in the torchlight. My nose was long and thin, cutting the perfect symmetry of my face neatly in half. My lips were my best feature. As red as roses, they instantly drew the eye. My skin was pale, and hints of the dragon flickered in my eyes. The sleeve of my gown—the same color as my hair—lifted as I raised a hand, running it down my cheek, revealing the faint sheen of scales that had taken up permanent residency under my flesh. The most expensive jewels in the land hung off my neck and ears, matching my heavy crown inlaid with sapphires.
Some people might have found the amount of jewelry I wore offensive, but they didn’t understand. This was my right. I was queen of two countries, and soon, I would rule the entire continent.
Once we find it, there will be no one capable of stopping us,the creature within me crooned.
My lips tilted up into a wolfish smile.Exactly. I will do whatever I want.
Growing tired of looking at my reflection, I moved away from the gilded mirror. Strolling through the underground keep, I cataloged each item in my mind. Those of greatest value, I touched, letting the beast within me purr in pleasure at the presence of such great treasure.
Hours went by.
All of this wasmine.
These riches. This country. These people. The Winged Soldier behind me. They were allmine.
This treasure was so much—and yet it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until I proved everyone wrong. Dante thought he destroyed me that day in Drahan, but he was wrong. He might have called me a worthless dragon-whore and stolen the one thing I held dear, but I had the last laugh. The night I returned to his castle and slit his throat, spilling his blood all over his precious throne room, he learned his lesson.
After I stole his life, I took his crown and his country.
Soon, the entire continent was going to be mine.
Confident in my right to anything I wanted, I turned around. Ranor stood nearby, watching with one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on his torch.
Yes, he would do nicely, after all.
Crooking my finger in his direction, I said, “Come with me.”
Like a good soldier, Ranor followed willingly as I led him to my bedchambers.
Tonight, we would play. And tomorrow, if he was lucky, I would let him live to see another day. In the same way that the rest of the Four Kingdoms would have to do, Ranor had learned his lesson quickly.
No one—male or female, king or queen, elf, vampire, fae, mermaid, werewolf, shifter, or even human—was going to stand in my way. I would not rest until I was the most powerful one of them all.
The Walls are Closing In
XANDER
The wailing wind battered against the too-small walls of this gods-damned cottage. The clock on the wall kept time fastidiously, the minutes passing ominously by.Tick, tick, tick.Every second, my need to leave increased. It was like an itch beneath my skin that I couldn’t scratch. The map was heavy around my neck, a constant reminder of the quest we had embarked upon.