The Witch Queen Read online

  Only until tonight, though, because tonight I was leaving.

  “Let’s go,” I said in a low voice.

  Breakfast with Morda and her inner circle was held in a private dining room inside Morda’s quarters. An elegant room with off-white stone flooring, light gray walls, and a long glass table housing twenty chairs.

  When we arrived, most of the witches were standing around the table, and their servants stood by the walls, all waiting for Morda, who, it was said, only came in once everyone had arrived.

  I immediately saw Soraya, Liliana, Adya, Polina, and Vera. They all wrinkled their noses at me.

  Two witchguards burst into the room through an archway and positioned themselves by the wall, their enchanted escrima sticks in hand. Not five seconds later, Princess Morda walked in, looking powerful in her long, fluffy, dark gray gown.

  “Please, sit down,” she said in her firm tone.

  Only after Morda took the chair at the head of the table did the other witches sit . Soraya sat to her right; Adya sat to her left. The rest spread out on the long table. I ended up in the middle, squeezed between Liliana and Polina.

  Male servants, dressed in gray pants and sporting naked chests, brought out the food and set it around the table. There was everything to choose from—sour bread, sweet bread, cakes, pancakes, waffles, eggs of all kinds, bacon, ham, salami, smoked salmon, croissants and other pastries, fruits, porridge, and more. As for drink, there were at least eight kinds of juice, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and even wine and champagne. It was a feast.

  Imitating the other handful of servants in the room, Keeran came forward and served me: a piece of cake, a slice of bread with blueberry jelly, some smoked salmon, an apple, and grape juice.

  Everything looked delicious, and I was ready to dig in.

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” Vera said from across the table.

  “Oh, me too,” Polina said, turning to me. “What a feat! You went to the most powerful vampire coven around and succeeded.”

  “Tell us about it,” Adya asked.

  And just like that, I lost my appetite. I glanced at Morda, and sure enough, she was watching me. “I don’t think our host would appreciate hearing the gory details over such a nice breakfast.”

  Morda tsked. “Oh, go ahead. Give them all the juicy details.”

  I hadn’t even told her the juicy details. In fact, I couldn’t tell them all of the details. They couldn’t know how Drake had claimed me, how we got close, how I ended up falling in love with him, how I was willing to sacrifice everything for him.

  Staring at me, Soraya leaned on her elbows and steepled her fingers. “So?”

  I took in a sharp breath. “There’s nothing much to tell. I was accepted for the tour and was prepared when the vampires attacked in the ballroom. However, Lord Reynard was killed.”

  “That’s quite intriguing,” Morda muttered. She nodded at me. “Go on.”

  “It all became a little chaotic because the vampires weren’t expecting it.” So far no lies. But they all started now. “I was taken with the other blood slaves saved for later, but soon realized I wouldn’t be able to look for the coven’s heart if I was locked away. So, when one of the princes wanted a new blood slave, I did my best to be chosen.”

  “So you were bitten by a vampire?” Liliana asked.

  “How was it?” Adya asked.

  “Did it hurt?” Vera asked.

  “No, no,” I added quickly. Also a lie, but I had only been bitten by Drake because I had allowed him to. “To my surprise, the prince only wanted company.” For some reason, I didn’t want them to assume I had been bitten or raped by the vampires. However, Morda’s frown told me she wasn’t happy about that. Whatever. “I had some freedom with him, which was perfect. The princes had instilled a ten-day mourning period following Lord Reynard’s death, so the castle was quiet. It was easier to roam around. I sneaked into Lord Reynard’s office and found out where he was keeping the coven’s heart.” The rest was mostly the truth. I told them about finding Lord Reynard’s treasure room, about being attacked by Sarki, about killing her, and the fighting. “With the heart’s power, I was able to fight my way out of the castle. The vampires pursued me, but I escaped.” I stared at Morda. “A few hours later, you found me.”

  “Wow, that is quite the tale,” Liliana said.

  “I can’t believe you did all that,” Adya said.

  “Quite the hero,” Polina said.

  Wait … did they? … No. They didn’t. They couldn’t. What, now I was some kind of legend for having survived DuMoir Castle and bringing back the heart? That was crazy.

  “Thea,” Morda started. “We should meet later and discuss some things about the vampires.”

  My stomach clenched. What did she want to know? Did she doubt me? Did she see through my facade? “Of course,” I forced out, feeling incredible vulnerable.

  She glanced to the wall behind me, and I was sure she was looking at Keeran. Then, she returned her cool gaze to me and asked, “Was the servant I sent you enough to satisfy you? Or should I send another man? Or perhaps men?”

  “No, no,” I sputtered. “No need. I’m quite well with Keeran. In fact …” I cleared my throat and forced my fake bravado out, the same one I had used so many times on Drake. “I was wondering if I could keep him to myself. You know, at least for a while.”

  I did not intend to touch him, but if he stayed by my side, he would be safe. At least until I left tonight—if I didn’t convince him to run away with me.

  A wicked smile stretched over Morda’s lips. “Because you brought the heart back, I’ll grant you one reward. Do you want Keeran as your reward?”

  “Yes,” I said, no hesitation.

  She stood from her chair and took two steps back. “Come here.” Dread filled me. Slowly, I rose from my chair and went to her. She looked at Keeran. “You too.”

  Keeran’s face paled, but he held his head high as he approached us. “Yes, your highness?” he asked, bowing to her.

  Morda grasped my wrist and Keeran’s and joined our hands. His eyes locked on mine, and I was sure mine reflected the apprehension stamped on his. Morda placed both her hands over ours. A bright light shone from her palms, warming my skin and sending a jolt over my arm, to my chest.

  I gasped and Keeran coughed.

  Morda dropped her hands. “Done.”

  “Your highness?” I asked, confused.

  “I’ve bonded you two,” she said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Now, you two can’t be apart for more than a short time, otherwise the servant will hurt, and no other witch may touch your servant without being burned.” I gaped at her. By all that was sacred, what had she done? “You’re welcome,” she said with a smile.

  “T-thank you, your highness,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Ignoring Keeran and me, Morda faced the other witches at the table. “We’ll soon have a meeting where I’ll inspect each of you.” She stared at the witches, me included. “I’ll use my magic for a pregnancy test. If you’re not all pregnant by then, you’ll be punished. No, actually, I might execute you.”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  After dropping a bomb like that, Morda picked up the hem of her gown, spun around, and sauntered out of the dining room.

  Whispers rose from the table along with the witches. Some of them gathered, all talking about the upcoming pregnancy check.

  Meanwhile, my heart thundered in my chest. Pregnancy check? By all that was sacred, how would I get pregnant? If I had to, there was only one man I would sleep with, and right now, he was too far away.

  Keeran stepped closer me. “Thea, about this bonding spell …”

  “Not here,” I whispered. We couldn’t risk anyone hearing us. “Let’s go back to my bedroom.”

  We left Morda’s chambers and walked by one of the groups in the hallway. At first, I didn’t pay any attention to them—they were probably worried about getting pregnant and le
tting out their frustrations—but then I noticed Ebby, a weak witch I hadn’t seen in a while, was right in the middle and her eyes were full of tears.

  My step faltered.

  “What are you doing here?” one witch asked her, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “I-I was just walking by,” Ebby said in a trembling tone. I hadn’t been close to her, but I remembered she being even weaker than I was before I left for my mission. She had always been teased and bullied by the other witches. It seemed nothing had changed.

  “Why?” another witch asked. “There’s only Princess Morda’s chambers on this side of the mansion.”

  “She must have tried to sneak in.”

  “Maybe she tried using a spell to sneak in.”

  “Maybe she was trying to cast a spell to have Princess Morda like her.”

  “Morda is too strong to be affected by a spell like that. It must be something else.”

  One of the witches poked her in the shoulder. “What did you do? Which spell did you use?” She pushed Ebby back again, causing her to trip on her feet.

  I clenched my fists and stepped into the group. “Excuse me,” I said, my voice loud and clear. The witches stared at me with confusion and reservation across their features. They practically idolized me. I had to use that to my advantage. I flipped my hair and lifted my chin high. “Would you mind if I have a word with Ebby? I need to discuss an important matter with her.” The witches exchanged nervous stares. “I hope that is okay,” I insisted, putting a hard edge to my voice.

  “S-sure,” one of the witches said. Together, the witches scurried away.

  I hooked my arm on Ebby’s and pulled her farther down the hallway, away from everyone else.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her in a whisper.

  She stared at me with her big green eyes. “Why do you care?”

  I flinched, not expecting that reaction from her. “I was trying to help.”

  She wiped at her eyes. “I don’t need your help.” She humphed before scurrying away.

  I stared after her. Poor girl. She was probably so used to everyone picking on her, that she didn’t know what to do when someone was kind to her.

  Shaking my head, I resumed my walk with Keeran close on my heels.

  Once we were safe inside my bedroom, Keeran took a vase-like position along the wall, and I sank on the love seat, trying to process all that had happened in such a short time.

  What now?

  Now that Morda had bonded me to Keeran, I couldn’t run away without him. And if I didn’t run away, Morda would perform the pregnancy test on me and I would fail it. She would kill me.

  I wasn’t ready to die.

  I looked at Keeran. But I also wasn’t ready to sleep with another man. I guess I would never be. My heart, body, and soul belonged to Drake.

  Unless …

  “Thank you,” Keeran said. He was still against the wall, but his eyes were full of emotion. “I know you told Morda you wanted me to stay with you to protect me from the other witches.” He pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry it backfired. I’m sorry you’re bonded to me now.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said. “But I need a favor from you.”

  He took two steps closer. “Anything.”

  My mind set, I rose, grabbed a notebook and pen from the drawer in one of my nightstands, sat on the edge of my bed, and wrote a quick note.

  I folded the note and handed it to Keeran. “Here.”

  Brows curled down, he took the note. “Who is it for?”

  It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only choice I could think of.

  Finally, I said, “Drake.”

  8

  Drake

  I got back to the castle a little before midnight.

  “There you are,” Luana said once I entered my chambers.

  I was surprised to see her. I thought she wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. “When did you get back?”

  “About three hours ago,” she said, looking a little mad at me. “It was a little tricky to get back into the castle, but here I am. Though, when I got here and didn’t find you, I thought …”

  “What?”

  “That Alex had found out about your lie and killed you.”

  “If they had examined the wolf, they would have caught me, but they didn’t even care.”

  When delivering the fake werewolf, I had been on edge, but Alex and the princes bought it. Alex was still looking for a way to get to me, though. I glanced at her arm. It looked perfect fine.

  “I see your arm is healed and you’re well. I’m glad.”

  “Thankfully, the healer in my pack is experienced.” She looked at me, at my clothes, probably finding my sweatpants and a Henley as weird as I felt wearing them. “Where have you been?”

  “I was running an errand,” I said. She didn’t need to know where I had gone. No one did. “So, did you talk to your alpha?”

  “Yes.” She lifted her chin high, reminded me of Thea. A pang cut through my chest. “His name is Ulric, and he wants to meet you in two nights.”

  “He’ll help me?”

  “Right now, he’ll meet you so you can plead your case.”

  “Fair enough.” I sighed. Then, I finally took in her attire. A long, black dress. “Where are you going?”

  “You mean, where are we going?” she said. “A little while ago, you received an invitation from Lord Alex for a formal banquet in the ballroom. It starts in fifteen minutes.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Hell …” After running for hours, my muscles groaned and I could use a bottle of blood. All I wanted was nourishment and rest. I didn’t feel like going anywhere. But once more, I had no choice here.

  “I’ll get ready.” I started toward my bedroom, but stopped and looked at Luana. “If you’re going with me as my blood slave, then find another dress. Something more revealing. Something red and provocative.”

  A knot appeared between her brows. “Why?”

  “So Alex and the princes buy that I’m into you and have forgotten all about Thea.”

  I couldn’t read the emotion that flashed in her eyes before she showed me indifference again. Shrugging her shoulders, she marched to her bedroom. And I went to mine to get ready.

  I could have used a long bath, but settled for a quick shower. After putting on my formal clothes—black tuxedo, dark red shirt, and black tie—I went back to the living room.

  “Is this better?” Standing in front of the sofa, Luana spun around. A dark red dress with a low neckline, tight torso, lace around her midriff, and a long slit up the side of her legs.

  “Much better,” I said, realizing she was prettier than I first realized.

  “I was hoping you would say no.” Groaning, she hugged herself, hiding her waist. “I really don’t like this dress.”

  “You’ll be fine. All you have to do is put on a show.”

  She groaned again. “Another thing I don’t want to do.”

  I scoffed. “We all do things we don’t want to. For example, I’m here, aren’t I? Though I wish I weren’t.” I offered my arm to her. “Let’s go.”

  Rolling her eyes, Luana rested her hand on the inside of my elbow, and together, we walked down to the ballroom.

  While approaching the entrance, a thought occurred to me. Alex hadn’t stripped me of my title, but he had taken everything that came with it. Did that mean I was supposed to use the entrance on the main level, or could I still use the royalty entrance atop the balcony?

  To irk him, I chose to go through the same place I always had. With Luana by my side.

  When we entered the ballroom, Alex and all the princes were already on the landing, looking down at the guests.

  Wait, guests?

  The air rushed out of me once I realized the place was filled with humans.

  I halted beside the other princes, but before I could ask what was going on, Alex opened his arms high and shouted, “Let’s feast.”

  The vampires posi
tioned along the walls lunged at the human guests, who as usual were too dazed, too drugged to react. No one screamed, no one cried, while the vampires bit their necks and drank their blood.

  Behind me, Luana’s heart sped up and her hands closed tight around my arm.

  Alex, who stood at the edge of the stairs, glanced over his shoulder at us. “Go on, princes. Feast.”

  Without hesitation, the princes—Dorian, Aston, Nolan, Patrick, Cain, Gray, and Phelps—jumped off the landing and grabbed a human or two for themselves.

  My stomach turned.

  A satisfied grin took over Alex’s features. “Aren’t you going to feast, Prince Drake?” He looked at Luana. “Or is your new pet keeping your satisfied?”

  “What are you doing, Alex?”

  “Lord Alex,” he rasped, clearly irritated. “I’m doing what we should have been doing for centuries now. Bringing humans to the castle once a month instead of twice a year. Why almost starve ourselves when we are stronger, faster, better?”

  I clenched my teeth. “Did you talk to the princes about this?”

  “Are you jealous you aren’t included in such decisions anymore?”

  I didn’t dignify him with an answer, but my silence was enough.

  To be honest, I wasn’t jealous. I was disappointed. Maybe if I had been there, if I could have uttered my vote, the ruling would have leaned the other way. Maybe we wouldn’t be massacring humans for Alex’s pleasure.

  “The princes barely had any say in this,” he continued. “Now that I’m Lord of the castle, I do what I want.”

  That was so goddamn wrong …

  “That isn’t how things are done here,” I said. When Lord Reynard ruled, he always listened to his princes, and before important decisions, he always held a vote to make sure it was fair.

  “It is now,” he snarled. “Don’t you forget, Prince Drake. You are here, alive and kicking, because I’m allowing you to be. I can end you—” He snapped his fingers. “—just like that.”

  I didn’t dare tell him he was dreaming. I was older than he was, only by a couple of decades, but that meant I was stronger. If we ever dueled, I would kick his sorry ass from here to the moon and back.