The Demon Queen

by Brandi Elledge

  Um … what? Why would I do that? Half of the supernatural community was out fighting for the keys. I had my own battles in my own backyard; why would I want to involve myself in another battle?

  “How did you know I was searching for the key?” Austin asked in a deadly tone. I sat back in my chair, folded my legs underneath me, and mentally clapped with glee. I loved it when shirt hit the fan.

  “Easy, big guy,” Tally said. “I’m friends and advisor to the Fae King and have a great rapport with a soothsayer.”

  “Yeah, I hate to break up whatever negotiation is going on here, but how do you think this guy can get my shell back?” I said. “I mean, you would have to be pretty sure of yourself in order for me to vow my help.”

  The man leaned forward in his seat. “But would you vow to me your help in securing the key if I could get you your shell back?”

  I was so over this whole conversation. “Yeah, if you could. But if is a pretty big word.”

  “It’s only a two-letter word to me.” He smiled, lighting up the universe. “Go ahead and vow it, because not only will I get you your original body back, but then we will secure the key.”

  Mary/Sarah screeched, “You can’t take help from her. She’s a demon. They can’t be trusted.”

  I shrugged because Mary had a point. Austin smiled at his disgruntled girlfriend. “Yeah, but babe, a vow is a vow, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t double cross me.”

  I almost laughed, such arrogance in that statement. What part of the most powerful demon in the world did he not understand?

  “So, you both are witches?”

  Sarah looked miffed. “I’m a witch, and Austin is technically born of the witch family tree, but he’s so much more.” She started open her mouth to expand, but Austin squeezed her leg. Interesting. She turned to him and begged, “Please tell me you’re not seriously thinking of helping this hideous creature?”

  “Awesome,” I said. “So Mary, why don’t you go—”

  “Carmen,” Tally shouted. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  I jumped to my feet. “Why? So we can talk about my feelings? Or how I should really try to dial back my anger? Enough is enough. I don’t know this chick, and yet she wants to judge me. Fine, but I’m going to rearrange her face.”

  “Carmen,” Tally snapped.

  I glared at my therapist. “What if I told you I think it would help sort through some of those issues I’ve been having?”

  Tally seemed to weigh what I said. He drummed a finger on his chin while he pursed his lips. My shrink was so dramatic. I loved it. “No, and listen, we need them as badly as they need us, so don’t screw this up.”

  Sarah sat as far back in the cushions as she could possibly get while Austin just casually took in the scene. Obviously, he wasn’t afraid I would hurt his girlfriend, so that made me wonder for the second time what power he hid.

  I sat back in the chair with a huff.

  “So, Carmen, do we have a deal?”

  I looked at Austin. “That’s Queen to you, and I vow to help you find the key if you retrieve my shell for me.”

  Vows were unbreakable. Punishable by death if broken. Rumor had it the soothsayer herself would send out fallen angels to extract payment if a vow was broken. I expected him to take a moment to really weigh his options, but he just gave me a smile instead. “Deal.”

  Sarah threw up her arms, making choppy motions like a ninja on drugs. Austin leaned in and whispered calming things into her ear. I may or may not have groaned loudly.

  Tally clapped his hands together. “We will talk about how we are going to retrieve the shell as soon as we get back to the queen’s chambers. The three of us leave now.”

  That got Sarah’s attention. “Make that four. My boyfriend will not be going alone with that creature.”

  Austin clenched his jaw, a telltale sign his girlfriend’s screeches were getting on his nerves, too. Why was he even with her? Yeah, she was beautiful, but she was equally loud and obnoxious. Maybe she had a trust fund. That made me laugh and caused Tally to give me a cautionary glance. He probably thought I was having homicidal thoughts.

  Sarah clutched her pearls to her chest. “Is she crazy?”

  I tilted my head to the right like I was listening to someone. “What, Lola? Huh? No, you can’t take over, silly. Remember the last time I let you gain control? You murdered everyone in the room. You’re going to have to take a backseat on this one.” I slapped my forehead. “Oh great, now the Cajun wants to come out and play, but I can’t let him because we will all end up shirt-faced and will literally waste the whole day playing beer pong.” I made my body convulse. “Damn it, Lola! I said, not now.”

  “Austin,” Sarah shrieked. “Who is she talking to?”

  After a few moments, I pretended I was wiping a sweaty brow. “Duh,” I said, “I’m talking to my multiple personalities. Doesn’t everyone have at least a few?”

  Sarah looked horrified while Hotness just stared at me.

  Tally groaned. “Really, Carmen? You are not helping the situation at all.”

  Whoopsie. I gave a little smirk, as I watched a rattled Sarah rub her pearls and draw her knees up to her chest. Personally, I thought I was hilarious.

  Poor Sarah was still shell shocked, but Austin sat there and listened with interest as I explained where my shell was held. He acted confident, but I knew how difficult it would be to retrieve my shell. My father and uncle had it locked in a safe in the underworld in an enchanted maze. They couldn’t physically destroy my shell because they weren’t powerful enough. But had they made it so I personally could never retrieve it? Yep, they sure had. Mother sucker shirt humper.

  Tally waited patiently while I tapped my foot on the hardwood floors. We stood by the entrance as Sarah made an overnight bag. Finally, she emerged and locked up what appeared to be her house. Apparently, Sarah and Austin weren’t in the “roomies” status of their relationship yet. Austin grabbed Sarah’s hand, and I grabbed him by his oh-so-muscular shoulder, along with Tally, and transported them to where the shell was. My domain. The underworld.

  Chapter Six

  If everyone was wary of a fairy living in the queen’s quarters, then the demons went a little ballistic when I added a witch and whatever the hey Austin was to the mix. Word spread like wildfire that the crazy queen had finally gone around the bin. What these ash-holes didn’t know was I already resided in crazy town. I was just better at hiding my crazy than most. I held a mandatory meeting with the twelve under lords. Just in case some of them decided not to show, I sent a message around the levels, letting the under lords know those who didn’t come would lose their head to a spike. I call this method “motivation 101” and it usually worked.

  We had arrived early for the meeting held in the center of level six in an onyx room. I headed to the black throne sitting in the middle of a raised stage. There were a couple of chairs on either side of my throne. Austin and his girlfriend, upon my instruction, sat to the right of me while we waited for everyone to arrive for the meeting. We faced a long rectangle table and twelve empty chairs. The under lords were really testing my patience. They weren’t certain of how powerful I was without my shell, so they acted out in little acts of defiance. Trying to test me daily. Soon, they would figure out I wasn’t as powerful as all of them combined, and if they chose to band together, they could bring me down. I sighed as Sarah whined again. The girl had not stopped yapping since we’d arrived. The air was stale. The floors looked dirty. Her hair now smelled like smoke. The horrid demons kept looking at her, and she wanted them to stop. She didn’t feel safe. They should have never agreed to come here.

  After a few minutes of hearing her benching, I felt like I was about to blow. Even poor Tally had put some distance between himself and the whiner. I sat on my black throne, my crown cocked to the side, contemplating murder. I mean, Austin was a very attractive man; it’s not like he wouldn’t be able to find another girlfriend. I might actually be doing him a f
avor.

  As the under lords started to file in to sit in their assigned seats at the large, rectangular table facing the throne, I leaned into Austin. “Muzzle your girlfriend, or I’ll have to do it for you. She cannot disrespect me in front of these demons.”

  He gave me no lip but instead offered a half-smile and a salute before he whispered something to Sarah. I had a few moments of blissful silence. Austin sat up straight, as he studied each of the under lords. His gaze continually came back to the under lord from level eleven—Maligno, my uncle. As my eyes clashed with my uncle’s, we both understood it was only a matter of time before one of us attacked. Who would be the first to strike? He finally broke eye contact, and my uncle’s lips slightly curled when he noticed Austin’s gaze. I glanced at the man sitting next to me. He was becoming more and more interesting by the minute. Something at the back of my head struggled for information that wasn’t there. Like puzzle pieces that wouldn’t fit together. Who exactly was Austin?

  I whispered, “Do you know my uncle?”

  His electric blue eyes jerked to me. “Personally? No.”

  Without my shell, I couldn’t tell if that was a lie, but it felt like one.

  I’d table that for now. I let the room grow quiet, as I acknowledged all twelve under lords, and they leered back at me. They were composed of various types of demons, but they had one thing in common: they were all evil. I felt it from where I sat. They searched for any weakness they could find. If they knew I planned to make a go of getting my shell back, they would all unite and just try to kill me now.

  Two of the demons on the far left loudly discussed my ordered release on the young witch they’d captured. Their thoughts on my actions held a few unkind adjectives. I pretended to ignore them, which was more than I can say for Austin. He hung onto every word, and whether the demons cared they had a captivated audience was beyond my knowledge. I had to choose my battles if I wanted to win the war.

  I cleared my throat. “I’ve called this meeting today to let you know who these people are who have graced us with their presence. This is Austin and his girlfriend, Sarah, but feel free to call her Mary. They are here to spell my quarters from enemies. Spread the word. Also, let everyone know if they try to hurt either of my guests, I will kill them outright. Do I make myself clear?”

  There were a few mumbles. Then the under lord from level four spoke up. “Why would you need someone to cast spells around your quarters? Do you not feel safe, my queen?”

  The last part came out as more of chuckle, causing several of the under lords to laugh. I really hoped I wouldn’t have to use my powers, but I couldn’t allow the demon’s taunt to go unchecked. I extended my hand. With tired eyes, I watched as black smoke turned into a wisp, uncurling itself from my fingertips and slowly crossing the room until it wrapped around the demon. It encased him like a cocoon. My smoke dragged him across the table he sat behind and across the floor, until he was directly in front of me. I stood from my throne, and with my bare hands, I broke both of his horns from his head. He howled in pain, and I did my best not to flinch.

  “I do not think it’s a surprise there are a few of you trying to undermine my authority.” My gaze landed longer on my uncle before I made eye contact with the rest. “But please know this, it will take more than just a few of you to bring me to my knees and even then, I will bow to no one. Do I make myself clear?”

  The demon before me nodded, along with the other eleven under lords sitting behind him. I let the smoke tighten briefly around him before flinging the demon across the room. That was it. My power was almost depleted from that little show, but I couldn’t let them know that. None of them knew exactly what my power range was in this borrowed form, and I aimed to keep it that way. Head held high, I sneered. “Meeting’s adjourned.”

  After everyone had filed out, I caught Austin studying me with his startling blue eyes.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing. I was just thinking if you’re that powerful without your shell, maybe it’s not a good idea to make you more powerful than you already are.”

  I wagged my finger in front of his face. “Nuh-uh-uh. A deal is a deal. In fact we need to get started now.” I was too weak without my shell, and that little stunt I just pulled proved it.

  Austin nodded. “I agree. In fact the sooner we get you your shell, the sooner we can go after the key.”

  He sounded so sure of himself. “I have a book. It belonged to my father. It talks about the enchanted maze. It’s vague, but there might be something in there that will help you if you would like a look at it.”

  He shook his head. “No, thanks. I think I’ll be just fine. In fact this will all be a piece of cake.”

  Seriously? I released a heavy sigh, as I shifted the weight of my crown. It was a pity he’d probably die. What sucked worse was I wouldn’t get my shell back.

  Ever the gentlemen, he helped Sarah stand from her chair. She tossed her silky hair over her shoulder and gave me a once over. “You disgust me.”

  “Well, good, Mary. Then my job here is done. We couldn’t have you full of joy and cheer down here in the underworld, now could we? It would ruin our image.”

  She stormed off in the wrong direction. I couldn’t help but chuckle when Austin had to track her down and point her in the right direction. Some things I would never understand. I straightened my crown for the umpteenth time as I left the throne room.

  Chapter Seven

  The four of us gathered in my chamber. I had a feeling Sarah would not like this next part, so I let Tally take the lead, as I sat down in front of the fireplace and held my hands to the roaring fire. I let my eyes almost fully close as I studied the three of them through this poor soul’s lashes. Becky had no eyelashes. No eyebrows. But dang if she didn’t have hair coming out of her chin. I plucked three stubbly hairs just this morning.

  The fairy settled onto an armchair facing the fire while Barbie was like a leech on Ken. Never letting him out of her sight, it was apparent there was some separation anxiety there. They wouldn’t separate, and it was giving me anxiety.

  Tally cleared his throat. “The tension in this place is at an all-time high. We need to go into the enchanted maze sooner rather than later to retrieve the queen's shell. This is where we will need to separate. I’ll stay behind to watch Miss Sarah.”

  Sarah stuck out her bottom lip. “No, Austin. Don’t leave me. Take me with you.”

  “It wouldn’t be safe.” He gently pulled her hands from his thigh. “It’ll only be for a day. Maybe not even that long.”

  I rolled my eyes. No one besides the Demon King, my father, and his brother had made it through the maze. It was a forest of magic spells that my uncle had set in place to ensure I would never be able to retrieve my body. If Austin was willing to risk his beautiful hide to find my shell, who was I to stop him? But the arrogance in which he treated this mission could not bode well for us. I must not get my hopes up.

  Sarah was practically wrapped around Austin, like a gigantic suction cup. She was so clingy I had to hold down my bile. As three pairs of eyes glared at me, I realized I had said this out loud. Sarah tapped her foot on the floor. Was she waiting for an apology? Well, this was about to get awkward.

  “I’m sorry that you are so clingy.”

  “Oh, that’s it!” Sarah took two giant steps towards me. Fire danced in the little witch’s hand. I never stood up but waited for her to get closer to me. When she was a foot away, I reached out with my hands and smothered the fire before she hurt herself. She was sputtering. I almost felt bad for her.

  “Um, dude. Born of fire and all that.” She was breathing so hard I was scared smoke was going to come out of her nostrils. “Maybe you could try another trick?” I suggested helpfully. At her look, I clucked my tongue. “Oh, dear. That’s all you can do is create small balls of fire?”

  “You are ugly. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, you will never find anyone to love you.” There was probably a lot of truth to
her words. “From what I hear, your own father and brother couldn’t stand the sight of you so much they tried to rid the world of you.”

  Both Austin and Tally started to speak, but it was too late. I was pissed. With a wave of my hand, I moved her body across the room and into a chair. I mumbled a few Latin words, and she was rendered mute and immovable. With that little burst of power, I was completely tapped out, but it was worth it. Her eyes frantically looked to Austin.

  “No, this is where I rule, little witch. He can’t help you. This is how it’s going to go. Your boyfriend and I are going to see if we can retrieve my shell and when we get back, you will be free, but mark my words, you don’t want to get on my bad side. You think I’m ugly now? Beauty is only skin deep, but I’m rotten to the core. My ugly will give you nightmares, so do yourself a favor and behave.”

  My eyes darted to Austin, who stood there with his hands crossed in front of his broad chest. He gave me a tiny nod. “Your house, your rules.”

  Sarah stood there with her mouth agape. Not to identify with the cray-cray, but I could kind of understand her confusion. Austin didn’t want to defend his girlfriend? Demand that I release her? I cocked my head to the side. Nothing seemed to add up when it came to the mouth-watering, power-hiding male standing before me. He was just another anomaly in my life, but maybe I would find out his secrets soon.

  Tally broke my train of thought. “I will watch her for you.”

  I took several calming breaths before I nodded my thanks. I strapped my weapons, my two favorite blades, to my back and headed for the door with Austin trailing behind me. We were both quiet as we left my chambers and traveled through a series of tunnels.

  “The entrapped forest is actually on this level—level twelve. I have a question. Why wouldn’t you take up for your girlfriend?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Is it because there is trouble in paradise, or is it because you don’t want me to know how powerful you are? Or is it something I’m missing entirely?” When he was quiet, I continued, “Most would intervene on behalf of a loved one. Even the weak ones that don’t have much power, and yet you let me force her in that chair and restrain her. Why?”