The Werewolf Queen

by Brandi Elledge

  “If the ogre tries to eat me,” Stephan said, “I’m out.”

  I shrugged. “We all have to draw the line somewhere.” Cecil had woken up and did the unfortunate thing of opening his mouth, and now he was asleep again. Thanks to Kong, he was going to have so many knots on his head when he finally woke up, but I had no sympathy for him. One would think he would have learned by now that he did not have a friend amongst us.

  Lil landed on Camden’s shoulder. “What’s the plan boss? Time is a-tickin’.”

  “We leave now to take Cecil and his sister to Merek’s.” My heart dropped. I wanted a bath. “We need to take the plane, so this time you’ll have to stay behind, Lil.”

  Her hands wrung together. “I feel like I’m lettin’ everybody down. Maybe I could just fairy dust myself for a bit and then—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Bumblebee. They will have me,” Stephan said. “Who else could they possibly need?”

  Surprisingly, Lil had grown attached to the vampire. Instead of reprimanding him, she winked at him like he just gave her the biggest compliment. I had gone through a portal, and they had bonding time. Didn’t seem fair.

  Camden went off to his study to call in his twelve guards to meet us outside by his private airstrip. Stephan went off to do whatever Stephan needed to do to prepare. Lil made the ogre several sandwiches, taking him out to the patio where he could eat, and she could question him in private. I think she could sense what I saw in him, and she wanted to know how deep his wounds went. Too tired to get off of the couch, I stared off into space, thinking about how much I missed Jo.

  A phone on an antique table beside the wet bar rang. After the thirtieth ring, when I realized that no one was going to answer it and the caller was tenacious to say the least, I clambered to my feet.

  I grumbled the whole way. “Hello.”

  “Dude. Did I not time that right? Why did it take you so long to answer the freaking phone?”

  “Jo! You have no clue how much I have missed you.”

  The line was quiet for a second. “Why would I not know? I’m psychic. You know this. I know you’re blonde but dang, girl.”

  “Oh, shut it,” I laughed. “So, any more visions that I should know about?”

  “Maybe. Last night I saw a wheel of crowns. They were going around and around like a merry-go-round. Where they stop no one knows. Crowns, keys. Keys, crowns. All connected. A hamster wheel and flustercluck of claiming thrones.”

  “Yeah, um. What am I supposed to do with that info?” She sighed into the phone. “Never mind. So, you’ve only got a minute before ‘hottest’ comes to get you. So, I need to ask you the important questions.”

  “Oh, I’m fine. I mean, you know the—”

  “Dude, I know you’re okay. When I said important, I meant like that kiss between you and Camden. I am so jelly. Now, on a scale of one to ten, what would you rate that? Ten being the highest. It seemed like a ten from my point of view. It was smoldering, intense, and looked like you would combust. I mean, smoking!”

  I laughed like I always did whenever Jo was around. “You are medicine to my soul.”

  “Aww, friend,” she said. “You so mushy today. Dial that Hallmark back a bit and tell me the number.”

  “Eleven.” I thought about the kiss and sighed. “For sure.”

  “And with his awesome hearing, he just heard that. Considering he is at the doorway but don’t worry. He doesn’t know what we were talking about. But now he’s intrigued because I’m still talking about the thing he doesn’t know about, and I can promise you he will ask questions. If he doesn’t, I’ll quit my day job and start reading tarot cards.”

  I palmed my forehead. With friends like this, who needed enemies? “You are totally insufferable.”

  “Oh, stop,” she sighed. “You’ll thank me later. Again, it’s a promise.”

  I hung the phone up, and of course, I found Camden exactly where she said he would be. He stood there, leaning on the doorjamb with tan arms crossed over his chest. His black hair hung over his brow, stubble was on his face, and he flashed a sexy smile. Whew, that man was so hot, he could make anyone combust.

  “What’s eleven?” he asked.

  “My dad’s shoe size.”

  His smile grew as he moved towards me. He stopped when he was right in front of me. Placing a hand under my chin, he said, “Maybe, but that is not what you girls were talking about. Try again.”

  “Don’t we have a horrible man to go fight, and aren’t we on a strict time frame in which to deliver the evil, red-headed siblings?”

  He brushed my hair away from my face. “I think I have time, considering it’s going to take my men half an hour just to fuel the plane. Tell me and we will go.”

  It was like ripping off a Band-Aid. The problem was I was the slowest ripper-offer in the world. “Okay. Fine. She asked me about our kiss. I rated it on a scale of one to ten.”

  He smiled as his eyes dropped to my lips. “And you rated it an eleven?” At my nod, he leaned in so close that I held my breath. “Let’s see if we can get it higher.”

  “But... but we have boundaries.”

  Right before his lips met mine, he said, “I’m extending the boundary lines.”

  My hands traveled up his chest and through his hair where I gripped two fistfuls, bringing him closer to me. It was too much, and yet I couldn’t get enough. Never enough. I felt every inch of him pressed up against me. The scent of something exotic wrapped around me like a cocoon. His stubble rubbed against my skin and it felt terrific. His hands were everywhere, and all I could think about was my need for more. The greedy need was what had me pushing away from him.

  A look of hurt replaced the confusion on his face. I rubbed my swollen lips. “I just—we just can’t. If you refuse to see where this thing between us could go, then I can’t let myself fall for you.”

  What I didn’t say was that it was too late. He was like an addiction. The more I was around him, the more I wanted him.

  He shook his head like he was in a fog. “You’re right, of course, and I already know where this will lead. To heartache. Lots of heartache.”

  My chin lifted. “Maybe. But being too scared to try for happiness, if only momentarily, is just plain cowardly in my opinion.”

  I took a wide berth around him and breathed deeply the whole way to the airstrip. I was trying my hardest to get his scent out of my mind and heart. The beautiful pine trees stood proud and strong, and that was how I would stand when my mission here was done. He had the key. He would keep his vow by returning the siblings, and my part in this game would be done. I’d be free to go home and do normal teenager things. One lone tear trailed down my face, and I angrily swiped it away. Just because I finally found someone who made my heart sing when he was near didn’t mean I was supposed to be with him. In fact, as soon as we were done with keeping the vow Camden had made, I would teleport myself home.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The private plane was full of bodies by the time I arrived. Twelve stone-faced wolves sat in the back. Stephan sat in front with Cecil and Celia. Cecil was still in his chains. No one had bothered to free him, and Celia was tied up with rope. Both had duct tape on their mouths. It was for the best. Thanks to Kong, Cecil probably suffered from multiple concussions. Celia glared at me as I walked by. How anyone tied up like a pig at a barbeque could manage to still look condescending was beyond me.

  Stephan was currently taking turns staring at each of the siblings while he ran his tongue over an elongated fang. I should probably intervene, but I wasn’t feeling it. Kong sat on the floor in the middle of the plane—the only place the giant would fit. There were three seats left. I chose to sit next to one of the werewolves, so I didn’t have to sit next to Camden. When he boarded the plane, his eyes searched for me and disappointment colored his face. He wanted to sit next to me, but he also wanted to keep me in a nice, tidy box that I couldn’t step out of? No, thanks. I closed my eyes, so I wouldn’t be tempted t
o look at him again.

  I must have fallen asleep because Kong shook me awake right before we landed. “Time to go crush.”

  I patted his hand. “Yes, Kong. We can play crush the skulls if things go wrong.”

  “But not that one.” He pointed to Cecil.

  My brows scrunched together. “Did Ariana talk to you?” At his nod, I asked, “And what did she have to say?”

  “No crush that one. Rest, I crush.”

  I held his hand as we exited the plane. How was I going to convince Kong to go back home with me? There was no way he would fit in our trailer, and no one from my town had probably ever seen an ogre. He would be miserable from all of their gawking and taunts. My heart sank even further. Kong would have to stay here.

  He squeezed my hand. “Sad friend?”

  I smiled just for him. “Not when you’re around.”

  His gigantic face split into a grin showing chunky teeth with gaps between them. We walked behind the small group, until Camden stopped everyone at the gate. “We have the key now, and they will try to take it back from us. They can’t but they’ll try.”

  “Where is the key?” I asked.

  He looked at me longingly for a minute before clearing his throat. “Stephan, could you take care of Cecil and Celia?”

  I watched in fascination as the vampire barked a command and the siblings fell asleep. That vampire had some amazing skills for sure. I would siphon off of him more if it didn’t hurt my head so damn bad. Plus, I could actually feel his bloodlust. That was a definite no thanks.

  “Half of it is in a sealed vault, and the other half is in a lair behind my house,” Camden said.

  “I knew I smelled dragon on you,” Stephan said.

  “Whoa, you have dragons? Like real dragons.” Wait until Jo heard about this, if she hadn’t already seen it with her own eyes.

  Camden gave me a smile. “Yes, and I’ll show them to you when we get back.”

  “I’m leaving when I get back. I’ll have to take a rain check.”

  He stopped walking and gave me his full attention. His fists clenched by his sides. “If you think that is wise.”

  “I do. I’ve done my part here, and I’m anxious to get back home to family and friends.”

  There was something he wanted to say, but when he noticed we had an avid audience, he nodded curtly and strolled to the guard at the gate. I could just read his mind to see what was on the tip of his tongue, but that felt like a violation of privacy, and I couldn’t do it to him.

  When the guard saw almost twenty people, two who were tied with chains and ropes, walking up the paved road, he grabbed for his walkie-talkie. Camden didn’t say a word; instead, he grabbed the guard by the neck and banged his head on the station he was working at. He then reached over and hit a button, and the gate swung open. We all marched towards Merek’s estate.

  It was daylight, so any rogue vampires he had would be inside asleep, but one would think there would be some activity. There was nothing. His grounds were completely quiet. The air grew thick, and every step I took felt like I was treading through high-waisted mud. My legs grew heavy.

  “He has cast a ward,” Camden said. “There is a bubble around his property.”

  “Why would he do that?” I asked.

  Stephan popped his neck. “This is like Vegas. Whatever happens in the bubble, stays in the bubble, and busybody Sharon two miles down won’t be calling the cops.”

  “I guess he figured out that we stole his key and if he has his children back, then what’s to stop him from killing us, huh?” I said out loud to no one in particular.

  Merek came bounding out of his house. On the roof, men’s heads popped out over the ledge, and they were all pointing guns at us. My guess was there were silver bullets in those guns. Merek clapped his hands. “Well done. CG, I knew that you would be able to accomplish the impossible. Come, kids.”

  The siblings walked to the best of their ability towards their dad, where he immediately started cutting the ropes off of Celia. Cecil’s chains were magicked, so after a couple of attempts, he had to give up. He removed the duct tape from their mouths. That’s when the whining began, this time from both of them instead of just one.

  Kong took a step forward, but I squeezed his hand. “Sorry, friend. Maybe later.” He looked defeated that he couldn’t crush them.

  Stephan clapped the ogre on the back. “Come on, big fella. I’ve got a job for you.”

  “Your children are delivered to you… alive,” Camden said. “Let everyone here recognize that I have honored my vow.”

  “You have,” Merek said, nodding, “but unfortunately, you have also stolen something from me, and I’m going to need it back.” Merek noticed the vampire and the ogre strolling towards the house. “And where the hell do you think you’re going?”

  Stephan had his hands in his pockets. His signature move. “I’m here because that crazy soothsayer told me to be. The way she gives commands to everyone is deplorable. The woman thinks she’s Beyoncé.”

  Stephan and Kong went in the side door to Merek’s house while Merek just stood there with his mouth open. I heard something break. Stephan was laughing and someone was swearing. Kong must have finally got to crush someone.

  Several guns cocked. My head tilted back to look at the men on the roof. I imagined Chron’s aura as I concentrated on the weapons. Merek pointed at us while he shouted, “Fire!” But it was too late. I removed all of the guard’s guns from them. They clattered to the ground, and Cecil stomped his foot as best as his shackled feet would allow and crossed his scrawny toothpick arms over his chest. Was he throwing a temper tantrum? When I thought he couldn’t get any more disgusting, he went and surprised me. Ugh.

  Merek flapped his flabby arms, making him look like a pterodactyl. “Carmen! I summon thee.”

  Smoke began to swirl around our legs and in our moment of shock, Merek and his kids made a run for the house. Good luck with that. The vampire was in there with Kong, and both were in a crushing mood.

  Camden said, “I hate freaking demons.”

  Carmen came in the form of a twelve-year-old girl. What the hey? She had long, strawberry blonde pigtails with ribbons and baby blue eyes matching the dress she was wearing. “Once I get free of that fat arse, I’m going to melt his flesh from his bones.”

  Oh, wow. Obviously, she wasn’t a kid. She noticed me looking at her. “What? Haven’t you ever seen a kid before? My father—you know the self-righteous Demon King—got a little mad at the rumors circulating about my future powers and thought it would behoove me to lose my shell, so here I am, sporting this body. Do you know how hard it is to get laid like this? I look like that kid from the Brady Bunch.” She studied the dead ends of one of her braids. “You summoned me, fatso, now what?”

  Merek, the coward, stuck his head out from the door. “Summon as many as you can and kill them.”

  Carmen rolled her blue eyes and scrunched up her adorable face. “I’ll be back in a flash, but this better not take too long. Stanley is getting flogged today, and I did want to witness it.”

  She disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Camden swore. “Son of a—”

  “What are we going to do?” I demanded.

  “Well, we really shouldn’t kill Carmen. Since she is the Demon Princess, her father will come after us, and it’s not that I can’t defeat him, but if we could avoid that battle, that would be great. Carmen is brilliant; she knows that it doesn’t matter how many demons she brings with her, she’ll die if she goes up against me. My guess is she’ll do her best to stay out of the way while we fight off her army and kill the summoner. Once Merek is dead, she is free of his command.”

  “Then we need to hurry.” I walked towards the house when someone opened fire. I closed my eyes and waited for the sharp pain of the bullet to enter me but nothing happened. Camden had jumped in front of me and was riddled with holes. I found the guard who had shot him. Pulling the late Zander’s aura to me, I made the guard turn the gu
n on himself. His eyes widened as he pulled the trigger. I felt no remorse. He had shot my wolf.

  I knelt down next to Camden. “Are you okay?”

  He grunted. “Been better.” I watched in amazement as the bullets popped out of him.

  He stood while I studied his black shirt hosting at least ten holes in it now. Crazy. I would have been dead, but here he stood just moments later.

  “There are about a hundred guards or soldiers—whatever you want to call them—inside his home. They are made up of rogue werewolves, vampires, and witches. He has invited a lot of Degenerates here today, and soon we will be dealing with demons, too. I’m sure Carmen will probably stall for as long as she’s able.”

  “She’s a good demon? I mean, those exist?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but she hates Merek more than us, and she can beat him. Plus, you either have to be a powerful witch to summon a demon, which he is not, or you have to have something on them. She has probably been waiting impatiently for someone to kill him. Either way, we need to hurry.”

  I nodded. “The vampires will rise soon. We need to handle them now, and I can do that by myself. Go deal with the wolves.” He hesitated for a moment before he took off towards the back of the house. I tapped into Zander’s aura once again and called all vampires to come outside. Reaching out to one at a time would’ve been more effective, and if we had time I would have, but we didn’t, so I concentrated on them all. Lumping them together, I told them to rise and come outside. Some were strong and fought my persuasion, but others were eager to please me. My legs began to shake, and something warm trickled down my chin. I wiped the blood away. Slowly but surely, they all tumbled out onto the yard where smoke rose from their skin. They began to scream and thrash around on the ground as the sun did its part. I just had to convince them to stay out in the rays a while longer. My knees buckled. The smell of burnt flesh filled me until I felt nauseated.