The Werewolf Queen

by Brandi Elledge

  She was wigging out. “Um, mad about what?”

  A long, gnarly finger tapped her chin. “Yes, I might have forgotten to tell you. Your brother was the one who silenced your powers for you. It needed to be done, or you would have suffered. The Vampire Queen would have come for you. Then she would have kept you her prisoner. You would have eventually met Stephan, but Camden… well, not in time. It would have—”

  “Let me guess. It would have put me on the wrong path?”

  She patted me on the head. “See? Logical. You’ve already calculated that your brother who adores you wouldn’t have done something he thought would have harmed you, and you know that masking your powers kept you safe.” She headed towards the servant steps leading to the second floor. “Now, things are coming through about that scoundrel.” She said the term like it was an endearment and not a slight. “If I have to think of the Fae Prince and his shenanigans, I might as well be lying down while I do it. At least with Jo in training, she will be able to help me with the switchboard. After all she got you two together, didn’t she? But the poor girl doesn’t know it yet. She has got to learn how to use her powers better.”

  We both were quiet as we watched her climb the steps, all while mumbling to herself about some girl named Charlie and her insecurities. Logical or not, I was a little upset with my brother. As soon as I saw him, we’d be having a little chat.

  “I don’t know if I could take all of those visions and different scenarios coming through daily,” I said. “I would go insane.”

  Camden chuckled. “And yet, she is probably the sanest of us all.”

  Well, wasn’t that a scary thought. I followed him into the living room where Stephan and Carmen were still ignoring each other. Lil was babying Kong, which was hilarious, considering she was the size of my palm, and Kong was a giant. Thankfully, Camden had high vaulted ceilings, and Kong seemed to be comfortable. I listened to everyone talk like they didn’t have a care in the world and wondered if it would ever truly be easy. Would there come a day when we wouldn’t be fighting for our lives or the lives of someone we loved? Or should I be grateful that if we were fighting, we were still alive? I rested my head on my mate’s shoulder as I drifted off to sleep, worried life would never be easier. But with work, it could be very enjoyable.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Savannah, Georgia was different from the small coastal town that I was born and raised in, but it held its own magical beauty. Magnificent trees covered in moss lined the cobblestone roads. Most of the downtown area was made up of big plantation houses that were relatively close to one another. Musicians played on the corners, and when the wind blew, I smelled a hint of jasmine.

  The scenery almost made me forget about the doom and dismay waiting for me. Almost.

  Camden had brought fifteen werewolves. It was a risk to bring just one, but it was a risk he insisted on. Ten of them were spread all over downtown Savannah, pretending to be homeless beggars. I walked alone up an uneven, narrow street when I saw Stephan. He was playing the violin. Huh. Go figure. Whatever the song was, it made me want to weep. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. That vampire was such a mystery.

  Camden was giving a fake tour to his remaining five werewolves. Three men and two women sat in the back of the horse-drawn carriage as Camden held the reins. He looked dashing in his top hat and coat. It was hard not to stare at him, but I somehow managed to avert my eyes. The whole way here he had reiterated a hundred times the importance of me ignoring them. I didn’t want to let anyone know that I had brought reinforcements; it could cost Jo her life.

  My steps slowed as I neared my destination. I crossed the street corner where Stephan was playing. He had a hat full of money and a handful of admirers. Total shocker, most of them were women.

  My feet felt heavy as I came to the gate of the graveyard. It was locked, so after I made sure that no one was watching, I jumped the fence and headed towards the marble angel that stood in the center of the graveyard. I had pulled Camden’s aura, which was now my new aura also, letting it wrap around me like a glove, so I already had a clue where the demons and the witch were. I was a little surprised when I saw fog snaking up around my legs. Somebody was wasting energy to produce that. They had the whole fear factor thing going on. Little did they know, I didn’t need the fog or the creepy graveyard to be scared. Or maybe they were making sure no tourists could see into the cemetery. That wasn’t a thrilling thought.

  The fog parted around me, allowing my eyes to see what my mind already knew. At least twenty demons and Celia surrounded me. She was like a severe case of gonorrhea. She kept flaring up when you least expected her. The biggest demon stood nearly seven feet tall with eyes the color of blood and wore a black crown that appeared as if it was made out of bones. A very mad Celia stood beside him, glaring at me. She must have missed me. Her hand reached up and squeezed his bicep. Yep, this must be the king.

  Not one to waste time, I directed my question towards him. “Where is my friend?”

  The king nodded to a stout demon standing slightly off to the side. The smaller demon took his cue and started walking over to an above-ground grave. I saw red as he peeled the heavy cement lid off. How long had Jo been in there? The smaller demon reached in and grabbed an unconscious Jo out of the grave. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out a scream, causing me to take two steps towards her.

  The one who I assumed was the king held up a hand. “Take another step, and I will have Blaken kill your friend.”

  I glared at the enormous demon, who was number one on my “people I would like to die” list, but first I had to get my hands on my friend. Then I could teleport her out of here, and the rest of the gang would come in and clean house.

  “Where are my manners? I am Dimitris, King of the Demons. I have been trying to secure this meeting with you.” He inclined his head towards Celia. “I guess I have you and my daughter to thank for sending me my new wife. I do hope she’s sturdier than the last.” I glanced over at Celia, noticing she had bruises marring her pale skin. “So far, she’s been a fascinating toy.”

  Eww. Gross. I refused to feel sorry for Celia. She brought this on herself. “Yes, my condolences are in order. Moving on. You’ve kidnapped my friend to bring me here. I’m here. Now what?”

  “Actually,” the Demon King said, studying me first then Jo, “that was something I’ve been meaning to ask your friend about. Rumor has it that if she doesn’t go crazy first, your friend here will be as powerful as Ariana one day. Could someone tell me why a powerful psychic didn’t see the Demon King coming?”

  I looked over at Jo, and she winked at me. I couldn’t believe it. She was becoming as bad as Ariana. Purposely getting kidnapped by demons, and now she looked as if she was perfectly content with the way things were going. I silently wondered if she was going to micromanage the rest of my life for me.

  “You know,” the Demon King purred, “I could give you anything your heart desires if you would join us.”

  “That’s going to be a hard no from me, but thanks for the invite.”

  He flashed a set of sharp teeth as he leered at me. “Of course. Blaken, release the soothsayer.”

  This was my moment. I lunged for Jo as she jumped to the side, avoiding my grasp. What the hell? Didn’t she get the memo? This was a rescue attempt, and she was blotching the whole thing. The demons moved in on us, but the king gave them a command in some foreign language, and they all stopped. Jo rolled on the ground as I tried again to get my hands on her. I barely managed to grab her jacket when she twisted and maneuvered herself, so she came out of her coat, and I stood there holding it in my hands. My mouth dropped open in shock. She was going to get us both killed.

  The Demon King stood there with a confused look on his face. Yeah, well, welcome to the party. Jo now hid behind a demon. She mouthed the word “sorry” to me, but I wasn’t having it. I screamed at the king, “What have you done to her?”

  “Nothing. But this is very interestin
g.” The Demon King observed both my friend and me. “Why were you trying to get to her? Where could you have possibly gone, and why didn’t the soothsayer want you to touch her?”

  Celia’s eyes rounded before she smirked at me. It was official; she was number two on my list of people to hate. “Husband, I believe the power manipulator was going to teleport her to somewhere safe. My father had a teleporter in his employ, and I’ve seen her take others’ powers.”

  “Is this true?” he asked. When I refused to answer, he asked Jo, “And why didn’t you want to go with her?”

  She didn’t answer, either. At least we were on the same page about some things.

  The Demon King was stumped, and I took perverse pleasure that I wasn’t the only one grasping for straws. “Word is that the King of Werewolves is your mate. We planned to lure you here, and if you refused to join forces with us, we were going to wait for your mate to try and rescue you. Then kill you in front of him, watch the king crumble, and take his key, but it seems as if that plan isn’t going to work now. If you can teleport, why are you still here?”

  Wasn’t that the million-dollar question? The closest demon to me was a good seven feet away. I could be gone in a split second, but thanks to my crazy friend, I found myself shrugging. The plan was to grab Jo and teleport her to where Camden was. That would give him and the others the green light to come slay some demons. Then I was to teleport Jo back to Camden’s estate. No one knew I was going to return to the graveyard to help fight, but it didn’t matter now since none of that would be happening thanks to Jo. Soon, though, my friends would figure out something went wrong.

  The Demon King narrowed his black eyes at me. “I feel as if I’m being played.”

  Again, there was a club. One I was unwillingly a part of. Everyone should join. It was loads of non-fun.

  The Demon King’s flat nose twitched. “There are others in the area. Grab the soothsayer.” The demon Jo was hiding behind snaked out a thick arm and pinned her to his chest. “If the power manipulator teleports, kill the girl. The only reason she has stayed this long is for the soothsayer. Why the soothsayer didn’t want to go with her friend, though, is beyond me. This changes things.”

  Damn it, Jo! The Demon King started speaking in that foreign tongue of his again, and one didn’t have to be a behavioral analyst to know he just commanded his demons to kill me.

  Celia flipped her long, red hair behind her shoulders and sneered. “I’ve never liked you.”

  I glared right back at her. “Really? No way. I would’ve never guessed. Your acting skills are superb.”

  The Demon King said, “That’ll be enough, Celia. Go stand over there before I get tired of your mouth and end you for good.”

  I gave her a wink and then made a shooing motion with my hand. She was obviously scared of her new hubs because she didn’t say a word to me as she headed to the opposite end of the cemetery.

  The Demon King said, “Brando. Now please.”

  One demon came towards me while the rest formed a tight circle around me. I was guessing this was Brando. He took out a long blade that curved at the end, and they all started snickering. Acting fast, I tapped into my ability to control minds. Stiffly, Brando pivoted to the demon on his right side. The blade swung at the shocked demon. Brando took off his compadre’s head before pivoting to his left. The next demon was ready for the attack. Unfortunately for Brando, he was a lot smaller than the other demon. The large demon snatched the blade and Brando died quickly.

  The Demon King started clapping. “You get more and more interesting. I think I’ll keep you, train you, and by the end of the calendar year, you will be my best weapon.”

  “Um, not likely. You’d have to sleep with one eye open for as long as I was held prisoner.”

  “You’re right. It’d be too much effort.” He made eye contact with the closest demon to me. “Kill her.”

  The demons advanced and I panicked. I might not be able to teleport, but no one said anything about floating. So that was how I got to the other side of the graveyard. I Peter Pan-ed my way across. It would be humiliating, but my pride was the least of my problems right now. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I focused on making the demons nearest to me kill each other. I stood back and watched as four of them ripped each others’ hearts out. Then I concentrated on the Demon King but nothing happened.

  “I can feel you tampering, but mind control doesn’t work on me.”

  The remaining demons fanned out. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  I heard them before I saw them. My grin was so big it almost split my face in two. They came in from all different angles. Camden strolled right through the front gates. Every eye was on him while Stephan flashed in front of a demon, grabbing him by the throat. Carmen jumped the side wall and the ground vibrated where she landed. Her braids were swinging about her as she attacked one of her own, causing the Demon King to sigh dramatically. “Why such disrespect for your father? Is it because I wouldn’t let you keep Celia’s body? Or is it because I won’t give you back your original shell?”

  “Oh, Daddy dearest. When have I ever respected you?” Carmen sneered. “You killed my mother when she tried to save me from your beatings, drowned my very first friend, killed my pet, and tortured me for telling a boy I loved him before you killed him as well. All because you’re terrified that I’ll be more powerful than you ever were. I think it’s safe to say I’m not a fan of yours.”

  The Demon King looked bored. “You’re not getting your shell back.”

  “Oh, but I have a feeling I’ll be walking away with your crown tonight,” she said.

  “Not if I kill you first.”

  Carmen shrugged with indifference, but I was left speechless. The Demon King definitely wouldn’t be getting the father of the year award anytime soon.

  The fighting began in full force. Camden had morphed into his larger, more impressive version. He was clearing a path towards me. I almost felt bad for the demons.

  Stephan was precise with his movements, and Lil was flying over the demons, shouting out commands to the rest of us. Her fairy dust didn’t work on demons, but that didn’t stop her from shouting out warnings. Camden’s werewolves were helping clear a path so that Camden could get to me faster. I was now immortal, but his need to be by my side was endearing.

  There was a chance if we killed the Demon King, the rest of his army would cease fighting. I focused my energy on him. Mind control? Maybe not, but I did have other talents that might work on him. I gathered Camden’s aura that was very much a part of me, too, now and threw out a hand towards the Demon King. His large body lifted several feet off the ground, flying into one of the many statues in the graveyard. The marble busted into tiny smithereens. He wasn’t dead, but I felt hope one of us could make that dream a reality soon. I saw Jo running through the graves with a demon on her heels. How did she escape? I teleported to the last place I saw her. Unfortunately, that took me farther away from the wolf that was hell bent on getting to me, and my actions had pissed him off if his shouts were any indication. The Demon King ran so fast it was almost too hard to track. His fist went flying into a statue above my head. I covered myself as marble rained down on me, and I barely had time to register he was in front of me before he shoved a shard of marble through my stomach. My knees buckled. He laughed. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, girly.”

  Somewhere close by, I heard Camden roaring my name. The Demon King crouched, so he was on my level. He smiled at the hunk of marble protruding through my stomach. “Here, let me help you with that.”

  He grabbed a hold of the shard and slowly pulled it out of me. I screamed. This could have been fatal—if I was mortal. The moment the piece of marble was free, he reared back to stab me again. There was one small problem with his plan. He had made me mad. I let my walls down, and with my new aura, stopped the marble from going into my chest again. Then I turned the object with my mind, thanks to Chron, and thanks to my mate’s st
rength, I rammed the marble into the Demon King’s heart. I had no time to celebrate before I sensed someone appear behind me. The last sound I heard was my neck snapping.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  I woke to wounded werewolves and dead demons.

  Score one for the home team. I rolled my head to the side to see Camden holding a heart in his hands. Considering that the dead Demon King had a hole in his chest the size of Mississippi, I guessed the organ belonged to him.

  “Hey beautiful. Welcome back.”

  “I so need a vacation. This week has been a doozy.”

  He laughed and continued to hold me. “This is your first time healing yourself. It can be draining.”

  I was one hundred percent okay with that. I was in need of some old-fashioned TLC.

  Carmen stepped over her father’s dead body. She leaned down and removed the solid black crown from the Demon King’s head. “Looks like there is a new sheriff in town.” She wiped the blood off the tips of the crown and then placed it on her head. Talk about a cold-hearted biatch. But I couldn’t help but admire her. She was wicked—wicked cool. The crown was way too big, so it slanted to the right. She gave us a finger wave. “I’ve got to go find your brother, Austin, so I can get my banging body back, and according to Ariana, he’s just the man for the job. Sayonara, suckers.”

  She disappeared in a cloud of smoke. If I weren’t exhausted, I would almost feel sympathetic for my brother. He was going to have his hands full with that one. I could give him a heads up that she was on her way, but considering he was secretive about his talents, I thought I’d leave him in the dark. Then maybe we’d call it even.

  As the exhaustion of my body healing itself began to fade, the battle was rushing back to me. “Where’s Jo? A demon was chasing her the last time I saw her.”