I cross my arms and stare him down. “Is that look supposed to mean something? I’m not a brooding, asshole, vampire, smoldering gaze reader.”
He heaves a sigh, the fire in his eyes fizzling. “We really need to get going.”
I sigh, too. If he wants to tell me something, why can’t he just say it? Unless he can’t.
Sighing again, I backtrack to my bed. “What should I do with her while we’re gone?” I scoop Aeribella into my arms, and her eyes pop open as she lets out a yip, wagging her tail. “I don’t think I should bring her, but I can’t just leave her here unsupervised. She needs someone to take care of her and feed her.”
Kingsley walks across the room and lightly pets Aeribella’s head. “Dex can do it. He’s the one who’s been taking care of her while you took the longest nap ever.”
Huh. So Dex was in my chambers while I was out and more than likely saw the opened journal. Could he be the one who took them? Why give them to me just to steal them? It doesn’t make any sense.
I hold Kingsley’s gaze. “Yeah, that was pretty strange. Usually, I can barely sleep more than a handful of hours, yet I’m suddenly passed out for three days straight?”
“I think this castle is making you lazy,” he teases with a grin.
“Well, either that or someone slipped me some sleep magic.” My voice is light and playful, but my gaze never wavers from his.
“Why would anyone do that? Besides, even if someone tried to slip you something, your Blood Protector would’ve noticed and saved you.” He winks again. “I have a hero complex and would never pass up the opportunity to save a damsel in distress.”
“I’m not a damsel in distress. And you might not be as great of a protector as you think. Not when I can control you like a puppet.” To prove my point, I tap my toes, dance around, then wait for him to mimic me.
He stands motionless in the doorway, his lips kicking up into a smug smile. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re going to have to find other ways to make me obey—the aftereffect of the oath wore off last night.”
“I could always just command you to do whatever I want.”
“Go ahead, then. Command me to do something.”
“I …” I internally grimace. The idea of making any vampire do something just because I’m queen makes me feel awful.
If by some miraculous miracle I manage to actually get crowned this time around, I just might be the worst queen in history.
Speaking of which …
“I don’t want to make you do anything now, except answer a question for me.” Although I highly doubt he’ll answer, I still have to try.
I set Aeribella down on the bed and fold my arms across my chest. “Who was the queen before me?” I want to tack on before I started this vicious cycle living the same life repeatedly, but I’m not sure that’s the right move for now.
Kingsley lifts a shoulder. “I can’t remember her name, but from what I heard, she was awful.” He strolls out of the room before I can even take my next blink.
A drop of my queen power must be kicking in because I saw it. The way his nose twitched. The thing he does when he lies. How I know all this is a mystery. The answer probably lies somewhere in my forgotten memories.
I really need to figure out a way to remember everything over my past lifetimes. If I do, I might be able to piece together the truth and move on from this cursed life.
Raven
Kingsley and I barely speak as we make our way down the hall. When we arrive at the tall, double doors of the dining room, he offers me a smile then draws a door open and gestures for me to go in first.
Fidgeting with the choker, I slowly enter the dimly lit room staying close to the walls that are lined with vampire guards, decked out in black pants, matching T-shirts, and lace-up military boots. Sitting at the table, reading a book, is my mom. Rhyland sits across from her, chatting with a pretty, dark-haired woman a couple of years older than me. With her pale skin and deep red lips, I’d assumed she is a vampire, if she didn’t have a wand in her hand.
A witch.
Why in the weirdly bloodsuckers is a witch here?
Could she be the creature creeping around in my bedroom? They do have the power to become invisible. Why would she want to sneak around in my room, though? I don’t know her … At least, I don’t think so.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Rhyland.” She tosses her hair off her shoulders and shoots him a flirty smile. “It’s been way too long this time around.”
Rhyland’s smile is fake, his expression a bit distant. “Sorry, but with everything going on, I’ve been too busy. You should already know that.”
“You’re always too busy.” She nibbles on her bottom lip and bats her eyelashes. “We should hang out sometime this time around. Maybe go up to the lake or something.”
I bite back a laugh. The lake is where creatures in Mystic Willow Bay go to hook up. This witch is coming on to him, even though he’s the king and is technically supposed to be with me. Good thing I don’t have any jealousy issues. Well, kind of.
Okay, I’ll admit, as I watch her reach over and stroke her fingers along the back of his hand, a tiny drop of irritation prods my chest. I blame my reaction on that damn memory. It stirred up too many strange emotions toward Rhyland.
Thankfully, as the witch creeps her fingers up Rhyland’s arm, he shifts uneasily and moves out of her reach.
“Sorry, Ava, but I’m the king, which means I’m tied to the queen.”
“Always an excuse.” She pouts out her bottom lip. “I don’t know why you even try anymore, or how you can like her.”
“You don’t know how I can like her?” Rhyland questions while rolling up the sleeves of his dark grey shirt. “Have you met this Raven yet?”
“Yeah, we went to high school together this time around,” she says with an eye roll. “She seemed like, I don’t know, sort of like a loser if you ask me. A little know-it-all, always wanting to fit in, which isn’t surprising, all things considering.”
My mom’s gaze snaps up from her opened book. “I think you need to—”
Rhyland holds up a hand. “Let me handle this.” His eyes darken as he leans toward Ava. “Raven is—”
I clear my throat loudly, not wanting to hear if foul or kind words leave his lips. At this point, I’m not sure I could handle either.
Their gazes dart toward me, and my mom smiles while Ava shoots me a nasty look. And Rhyland? Well, a trace of a smile starts to rise on his lips until his gaze descends to my neck. Then his already pale skin goes fang white.
“Good evening, sweetheart,” my mom says as she closes the thick, worn book.
“Hey.” I smile then flick a glance at Rhyland.
He’s stiff as a board and fidgeting with the leather cuffs on his wrists. “Hey,” he manages to get out evenly with a stiff smile. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, but I find it really crazy I slept for so long.” I drop down into a chair at the end of the table. “I must’ve been super tired or something.”
“You’ve been through a lot the last couple days.” Rhyland glances at the clock. “It was bound to catch up with you.”
“You’ve been through a lot, too.” I stare him down, wishing upon wishes he would give me something—any hint at all—of what is going on. But if I’m right about Kingsley being cursed into silence, Rhyland could be as well. “Yet you didn’t pass out for three nights straight.”
He shrugs. “I’m used to this sort of stuff.”
“Yeah, I wonder why.” You’re used to this stuff because you know what’s going on and have lived this life who knows how many times.
He offers me a puzzled smile, his gaze descending to the choker again. “You look … nice.” His brows dip, then he pushes back from the table and rises to his feet. “We should get you fed before we leave. Get rid of those dragon burns a bit.”
My fingers drift to the flakes of ember flesh at the base of my neck. “Does it really matter if it’s showi
ng while we’re in the Land of Moonlight? I mean, we’re going there to get the cure, right? So, creatures are going to know I’ve been burned.”
While I hate to admit it, I’m craving the taste of his blood. But craving blood means losing my inability to think rationally while I’m feeding, which gives him plenty of an opportunity to cast another sleep spell on me.
I need to regain control of my blood hunger.
His brow crooks upward. “Do you want those burns to spread all over your body? Because, personally, I don’t.” His gaze sweeps up and down my body, then he sucks his lip between his teeth. “And it’d be a shame to ruin something so gorgeous.”
I stare at him, unimpressed. “Seriously?”
He gives me an innocent smile. “What? I’m just telling the truth.” He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “And giving you a compliment.”
“You sound like your brother.” I try not to shiver as he drifts his touch from my hair to my jawline to my neck.
He frowns. “Kingsley told you the same thing?”
“He said I look”—I make air quotes—“ ‘fucking hot.’ ”
The muscles in his jaw spasm. “Well, you do, but he shouldn’t be telling you that.”
“Why? Don’t I deserve a compliment?” My featherlight, flirty tone makes me cringe.
What in the flirty vampires am I doing? Since when do I flirt with Rhyland? Especially after learning he lied to me.
Then again, he’s accused me of flirting with him before, and I think I was …
Seriously, what is wrong with me! How can I flirt with a vampire who’s lied to me and is probably part of this curse?
“You deserve a lot of compliments. I just want to be the one to give them to you.” He slants forward and put his lips beside my ear. “How about we go back to my chambers so I can feed you and compliment you some more without an audience?”
My gaze roams over his shoulder to where Ava is watching us with a scowl on her pretty face. My mom has her attention on us, too, along with most of the guards and Kingsley. I almost feel as if I’m part of a play and they’re all eagerly waiting to see how the scene is going to play out. Maybe they’ve watched it before? Just how many vampires know we’re reliving the same life repeatedly?
Although, I did overhear Rhyland and my mom whispering about how things are different this time—how I am different—so perhaps this scene is new.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” I whisper. “And why do they seem, I don’t know, eager?”
He brushes my hair away from my shoulder, kissing my earlobe. “They’re just waiting to see how close their king and queen are getting.” Another brush of his lips along the side of my ear. “The closer we get, the more powerful we become.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
“That’s a very good thing.”
Does power have anything to do with breaking the curse? “Why, though? What happens if we become super powerful?”
He rests his head against the side of mine and breathes in my scent. “A lot of things could happen.”
I resist the urge to close my eyes and sink into his embrace, despite how much my body wants to. “You’re being vague again. And I know you’re doing it on purpose.”
He runs his hand along the curve of my shoulder to the base of the neck. Then he smooths the pad of his thumb along the rose pendant of the choker. “I know I am.”
“So, you admit you’re keeping things from me on purpose?” Did he just confess he’s been lying to me?
He tenses. “We should go to my chambers and get you fed.” He moves back from me, his expression blank, mirroring the Rhyland I’m used to hating. “We need to leave soon.”
“Fine.” I aim for the same expression I used to give him back when he treated me like vampire scum. But seeing and feeling that memory of when we were friends has somehow erased some of my hatred for him, so all I end up doing is staring at him.
He shifts his weight under my unwavering gaze, his own gaze dropping to my choker again. “That looks really good on you, by the way.”
“Um, thanks.” Not the reaction I was hoping for. What I really wanted was for him to demand I take it off so I’d have an excuse to drill him with questions.
He starts to smile, but then fear floods his eyes as he sniffs the air. Every muscle in his body winds tight, as if a jolt of electric magic zaps through his body.
“We need to go now,” he practically chokes out, snatching my hand and dragging me to my feet so swiftly the chair topples over.
“What’s going on?” I demand, stumbling to keep up with him.
The guards are on the move, drawing their weapons as the air suddenly reeks of burnt flesh.
“Nothing.” He quickens his pace. “We just need to hurry. We’re on a strict time schedule.”
“Then why the hell are the guards drawing their weapons?” I toss a glance over my shoulder then suck in a sharp breath.
Flooding the dining room is a cloud of purplish smoke.
Just like the smoke that flooded the forest in my memory.
Raven
“Just keep walking,” Rhyland mutters under his breath as he rushes down the hallway, clutching my hand tightly.
“What is that smoke?” My long legs struggle to keep up with his long strides.
His gaze darts to mine. “You saw the smoke?”
“Yeah …?” Confusion laces my mind. “Didn’t you?”
He searches my eyes then looks away, accelerating his pace. “We need to head straight for the Land of Moonlight. You’ll be safer there.”
“Safer from what—”
A cold breeze slams me from behind.
I stumble in my heels and start to fall, but Rhyland moves lightning quick, swinging me around and catching me in his arms.
“Thanks,” I mutter, working to get my feet under me again.
Instead of releasing me, he scoops me up.
My lips part in a protest. “Hey, put me down, dude.”
He shakes his head, hastily shifting gears and zooming down the hallway. And I mean really zooming, the surroundings nothing but a blur. I can’t even tell if we’re in the castle anymore or outside.
I wiggle in my arms. “I’d rather just run myself.”
“I know.” His intense expression softens. “And when your queen powers kick in, you’ll be able to outrun me. But right now, we need to move quicker than you can run.” Somehow, he accelerates even more, air swishing over me and blowing my hair into my face.
Wow, just … wow. I mean, most vampires are speedy and everything, but this is just fast. So fast I’m starting to get motion sickness.
Not wanting to yack all over him and myself—well, mostly just myself—I bite down the urge to vomit, shut my eyes, clutch the front of his shirt, and bury my face into his chest.
“Raven?” Rhyland utters softly. “Are you still with me?”
“Yeah … Why wouldn’t I be …?” My voice sounds distant, like a fading memory.
He curses. “You’re fading early this time … Please hang on, okay? Fight it …”
I open my mouth to tell him I’m not fading, that I’m right here, but no words leave my lips as wisps of smoke snake around us and slither into my lips.
I open my mouth to scream, but everything goes black.
“Hang on, Raven,” Rhyland begs through my thoughts. “Just hang on.”
“I’m trying …” is the last thought I have before the darkness swallows me up.
Raven
I rest my head on Rhyland’s shoulder. “Will you miss me when you’re king?”
We’re out on the balcony of the castle, his soon-to-be new home, staring out at the tiny night fairies dancing in the forest. The crowning party is in full swing downstairs, the music and chatter drifting through the night air. We’re risking a lot being out here by ourselves. If the wrong vampire sees, then word would get back to my sister. But it might be the last night we can be friends, and knowing that
… we’re both acting a bit irrationally.
“Of course.” Rhyland rests his cheek against the top of my head and whispers, “I want this.”
“Being king? I know.” And I’m happy for him. I just wish my sister wasn’t going to be queen so we could at least stay friends.
“No, not king.” His hand finds mine in the dark. “This. You and me. The peace. The quiet.”
“Oh.” I lace my fingers through his. “Your friendship means so much to me, too … I wish we could stay friends forever … Maybe there’s a way we could?”
Silence grips the night air, except for faerie laughter and the whisper of violins.
“I don’t want to stay your friend forever,” he whispers quietly, tracing the folds of my fingers.
I feel lost and stupid. So very stupid. “Oh … I don’t … You don’t want to be my friend? But I thought … What?”
He chuckles, lifting his head. “I love it when you ramble.” He fixes his finger under my chin and tilts my head up so my gaze meets his. “I haven’t wanted to be your friend for a while.”
I frown, unsure whether to be hurt or irritated. “Well, I’m sorry you felt obligated to. I guess this king thing must be a huge relief for you, then.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He smiles, but nervousness fills his eyes. “I mean, I …” He takes a breath. “I wish I could be more than friends with you.”
I stare at him stupidly as I process his words, unsure if I heard him correctly. “Wait, are you saying …?” I bite my tongue. No, there’s no way Rhyland can see me like that. I must be misunderstanding him.
“I’m saying that”—he nervously wets his lips then leans in until our mouths are a sliver of an inch apart—“that I want you.” His lips softly touch mine. “Want this.”
“You want to kiss me?” I whisper shakily. What in the magical kingdoms is happening right now?