Tattoos and Cupcakes (Amulet of Queens Book 1)

by Everly Taylor

  The light dimmed as I made my way farther down the path, the canopy of trees closing in around me, and dappled light flickering across the trail while I walked. The soft ground beneath me sunk under my feet in places, evidence that few traveled this trail before, since it was not well packed.

  The surrounding forest was oddly quiet, no sign of life skittered across the trail or scampered through the woods as would normally be expected in a dense wood like these. Birds didn’t even chirp, or flit in and out of the foliage above my head. It put me on edge because nothing about this scenario was right.

  I followed the route for what seemed like ages before it finally began to widen, the light growing brighter and the mossy forest floor starting to be interspersed with grass. Finally, it opened to a bright blue sky shining as a backdrop to a huge structure across a grassy field.

  Maybe I could find some answers there. At the very least, maybe there was someone who could point me in the right direction. Crossing the field I studied the building ahead of me. It seemed very much out of place standing alone in the middle of a clearing like it was, but then again nothing about this place added up so far.

  The dark grey structure reminded me of an old gothic cathedral with its two massive spires shooting toward the sky, their points elaborately decorated. Intricately designed stained glass windows adorned the entire front of the building. To the right of the structure, flying buttresses jutted from the side, proudly supporting smaller versions of the elaborate spires, their pillars thick and substantial.

  Cautiously, I approached the enormous double front doors. They were set back in a recessed portal as elaborately designed as the rest of the building. On either side of the door, smaller versions of this one stood. I debated on which one to enter through. I guess it didn’t really matter, whoever was inside was either going to be pissed I was here or not despite which door I chose.

  I moved up the short set of stairs to the main door and raised my hand to knock. Before my fist could land on the heavy wooden surface, I was caught off guard as it swung open. I expected to see someone standing on the other side of the threshold, but it was empty. Peering in I tried to see if I could see anyone around the corners of the doorframe. “Hello?” I called.

  There was no answer, just a slight echo of my voice. Someone had to be here though, since I could hear music playing through the corridor. “Hello?” I called out again. No one returned my call so I hesitantly entered the building.

  I was astounded by what I found inside. A huge vaulted ceiling rose high above me, the ribbed pattern crisscrossing, making star designs across the roof. The large arched windows threw rainbows of colors across the floor, their stained designs making the already stunning room even more beautiful. Placed above those were smaller round windows in their own arches, less heavily colored to allow the cavernous room to be lit naturally by the light outside. Exquisitely decorated pillars stood down the edges of the chamber, creating archways as you walked to the front of a large main area.

  It appeared very much like a church with long rows of pews lining each side of the walkway. The only difference was there were no religious figures on display here to indicate that it might be a religion sanctuary. There were no bibles or hymnals in the backs of the pews, no cross at the front of the church, not even scripture or figures of biblical importance in the stained windows.

  Seeing a deep alcove off to the side of the raised platform in the front, I decided to look there to see if I had better luck locating someone. That seemed to be the general location I heard the music coming from, maybe it would continue while I searched, and I could find someone and figure out a way to get back to reality.

  I reached the platform and was drawn to the middle of it, instead of off to the side as I had intended. In the center stood some sort of altar, but not what I would have expected in a place like this. Instead of a traditional podium, this was an actual fucking altar. It was big enough for a full-grown person to lay down on it and still have room. I had no clue what it was made out of, but it was different from anything else I had seen so far in the building.

  Dark marble, or whatever it was, formed the base, shiny and reflective with thick veins of grey running through it. The base rose to my hip before being topped with a thick slab of white marble, having the same heavy grey veins running through its glossy surface.

  I had no clue what the hell this thing was for, but I had no intention of finding out either. At this point I wasn’t so sure finding someone to help me was worth it, nothing good ever came from body-sized altars raised in front of a fucking room. Not to mention the front door had opened by itself, nope, I was good on the freaky shit for the day.

  Deciding I would be better off trying to find help elsewhere I spun around to leave the way I had entered. I jumped as I turned, at the bottom of the platform now stood a tall, very finely dressed woman. Six other women, dressed equally as nice, stood behind her watching me in silence.

  “Where the fuck did you come from?” I asked. Probably not the best hello, but they snuck up on me.

  “Hello Selena, we have been waiting a long time for your arrival,” the tall woman in the front said, her voice smooth like silk. My jaw dropped, how the hell did she know my name? I studied her for a second, trying to figure out what to do. If I charged them and made a beeline for the front door would it be enough of a surprise to make my escape?

  They didn’t look that old, but they didn’t look all that unfit either. The woman in front of me looked vaguely familiar, but there was no way I knew her. She had jet-black hair that hung long and straight to her waist, accenting her narrow hips. Returning my scrutiny from her dark eyes, she watched me unashamedly, her sharp cheekbones giving me the impression she wasn’t one to be fucked with. Her long, floor-length gown looked more like she was ready to go to a formal ball instead of walk around some not-church. Since the others were dressed the same, I figured there was the weird ass dress code around here. Why not, nothing else was fucking normal.

  “Who the hell are you?” I inquired, wincing at how sharp my words came out. I really shouldn’t piss these people off.

  “Do you not recognize me?” she asked, watching me closely for a minute.

  I looked at her again, my eyes widening in recognition. This was the woman I had drawn in my sketchbook on my birthday. Coincidentally the first day I had met Adrien and Damien also. Not only was it the same woman, but I had drawn her wearing my amulet. She nodded her head in approval at seeing that I remembered where I recognized her from.

  “How?” I questioned simply.

  “You have great power Selena, if you only let yourself. The day you drew me your powers were just manifesting themselves in a vision. In your case, it was one of the past, but we will get to that soon enough. Here, let me introduce myself.” She bowed, glancing up when I snorted a little at the crazy gesture. “Is there a problem?” she inquired.

  “Ha, no. Just why the hell are you bowing?” I gave a little laugh again, unable to help myself.

  She cleared her throat. “In time you will understand. As I was saying,” she bowed again and stood straight, “I am Queen Calledora, welcome to the Well of the Queens.” She gestured to her sides and the women behind her bowed low as she had. I swallowed hard, her voice ringing through the chamber with purpose that even I couldn’t deny.

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks for the welcome, but all I really want to know is how do I get back?” I wasn’t going to beat around the bush, I came here to find help and she seemed to know something.

  “Will you do the honor of walking with me Selena? I will give you the answers you seek on our journey. I find it easier to accept unwanted news while you’re moving.” She smiled thinly at me, giving me a choice to join her or not, but also making it clear that if I refused, my answers would be also. It was no wonder this woman was in charge around here.

  “Alright, but you’re answering my questions,” I added firmly, starting down the stairs of the platform and joining her.

>   “Of course.” She nodded her agreement as she turned, and we started walking back toward the front entrance, the other woman remaining behind.

  “So who are those other woman, your servants or something?” I questioned, curious why they had been so easily dismissed.

  “No Selena, they are past queens, as am I. It is as I told you, this is the Well of the Queens, we gather here once we pass to watch over the current and future queens, to guide them and ensure their success. Such is one of the many powers the amulet provides for us.”

  The front door opened again of its own accord as we approached, permitting us passage outside. “Care to explain that one?” I requested, motioning to the open door. It seemed the longer I hung around here the more questions I had, and the fewer answers I was getting.

  “You are tied to this place, and it to you. When you approach the door it will automatically accept you and allow you entry, as it would with any of the queens. However, if someone else were to find their way to this land, they would be denied entry into our sanctum as they do not belong. It would take a great deal of force and magic to breach these walls unless permitted,” Calledora explained.

  Well, it seemed like a reasonable explanation, at least as reasonable as you could when talking about vampires, magic, and things that go bump in the night. “Wait,” I said, stopping at the top of the stairs as a thought occurred to me, “queens? So you guys are like Valentina?”

  Glancing at me from the bottom of the stairs she smiled. “If by like her you mean also a vampire then yes, we are like Valentina.”

  I let out a small sigh, things just kept getting better, didn’t they? Joining her at the bottom of the stairs I looked at her closely. The sun shone bright on her hair and still it remained jet-black, and her eyes were bright and watchful as she studied me in return. “Where exactly do you fit into all of this?” I asked.

  “It is as I told you Selena, I am a past queen, so I am here like the others before me,” she explained softly, averting her eyes.

  “Which past queen are you Calledora?”

  I saw her look uncomfortable for the first time since we had met, and while it hadn’t been long, I had the impression this woman always exuded confidence. Yet here she was shifting on her feet and looking like she was going to evade my question. “Calledora, which one?” I repeated.

  “I am Valentina’s mother,” she admitted, as a soft tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry. Shit.” Why the hell did I have to push so damn hard for something she clearly didn’t want to tell me?

  “It’s fine really, you needed to know eventually. It’s just seeing you again for the first time since I held you as a babe brings back so many memories, so many things that I wish I had done differently. Yet here you are regardless, strong and beautiful and the most powerful queen this world or any other has ever seen.” She wiped the single tear from her cheek and took a deep breath before smiling at me. “It really is good to see you Selena.”

  “It’s good to meet you too,” I replied. “So if you are Valentina’s mom, that would make you my grandmother right?” I inquired, a huge smiling spreading across my face.

  “Well not in the traditional sense, but I guess it would. Valentina was my chosen successor and you are her daughter, so that would make me your grandmother,” Calledora answered.

  “So I can call you Grandma Callie?” I questioned, laughing at the look of shock on her face.

  “No, you may not call me Grandma anything,” she replied stiffly.

  “How about just Callie? Vampirina Callie? Your Callieness?” I laughed again at how appalled she was.

  “How about we just leave it with Calledora?” she retorted simply, before turning and starting to walk away again.

  I ran a few steps to catch up with her. “Calledora it is,” I acquiesced, falling in step with her. “So what are we doing out here?”

  “There are a lot of things that we need to go through, and why not enjoy the outdoors while we do it?” she reasoned.

  “Fair enough.” I shrugged.

  “Do you know anything about when or how you were conceived Selena?” she asked.

  “I already know about the birds and the bees thanks, but don’t think I needed to travel by blood to learn that lesson,” I said sarcastically. When she looked at me blankly I laughed. “Guess that’s a little after your time. I don’t know too much, just something about magic, powerful vampires and tada—me.”

  “That’s the cliff notes version anyways,” she quipped in a rare moment of humor. Well then, guess my joke wasn’t a little after her time, point taken Grandma. “The three clans were in a time of great turmoil and I was fighting to find a way to bring peace among us. I had forbidden your mother from being with your father, as it would only cause greater strife between us. She wouldn’t hear of anything other than what she wanted. She can be very stubborn in that way,” she lamented, sighing.

  “So you know who my father is?” I asked, hopeful.

  “Hmmm, yes I do.” She held up her hand before I could ask my next question. “No, I cannot tell you who he is, it is not my place to do so. When the time is right that will be revealed to you.” She was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. “They decided that their infatuation with each other was worth risking peace for the clans. I found your mother in her room on the night of the blood moon, your father having just left. They had joined together, careless to the havoc that their actions would cause.

  “On the rare occasion that there is a blood moon the night is full of power and magic. It thrums through the very air around those who know it’s there, or even those that have magic of their own but don’t realize it.” She looked at me pointedly. “There was even more power that night because not only was it a blood moon, but it was the last and longest blood moon in a series of lunar tetrads. The power had been building with each moon that passed and on that night it was at its peak.

  “It wasn’t just your parents that felt it that night, all of us did. The magic was busting from the air, needing a place to go. When they joined they unknowingly acted as a conduit for the magic to be released into something else. Something that by all laws of our kind should have never been possible, but with great power it did. And so you were conceived.” She turned and looked at me as we reached the top of a hill. The building lay below us in the field, its bright windows a contrast to the dark stone.

  I stood quietly next to her, processing what she had explained. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about how two vampires could have conceived me. I guess I just assumed it happened and that I wasn’t anything different. “Why does that have anything to do with me being here now?” I asked.

  “It’s time you accept who you are Selena. A vampire and a creature of great power, capable of magic beyond comprehension. You are meant to unite the clans again,” Calledora said with conviction. I almost wanted to believe her, but I had gone my entire life without showing signs of any of this.

  “I’d like to help you, really I would, but I think you might have the wrong girl. My entire life I have been completely un-extraordinary, never have I shown any signs of this great power you talk about, not even one baby vampire tooth.”

  “The amulet brought you here Selena, you are not the wrong girl,” she argued, calmly meeting my gaze.

  “Maybe it brought me here so you could punish me for tainting it with my unworthy blood or some shit?” I tried.

  “Not likely, ash is more its style,” she smirked at me.

  “No fucking kidding,” I agreed. After a moment I continued, “I’m not sure I can do what you’re asking of me.”

  “We can be very persuasive with your training Selena. I know that you have it in you. Now you have to know you have it in you.”

  “We?” I repeated, my eyes widening in surprise when I looked at her. Her fangs had now descended, and her eyes were dark and dilated.

  “Yes, we.” Calledora motioned around us. Surrounding us on the hill
were the other queens I recognized from earlier, and they had brought company.

  Chapter Twenty

  Selena

  “What the fuck is going on right now?” I yelled, spinning around and watching the women climb the hill from every side.

  “You need to accept who you are Selena and that starts with accepting what you are,” Calledora explained, squatting lower in a fighting stance.

  “I don’t even know what the fuck that means! How the hell do you expect me to know what to do?” I shouted, borderline panicked as they closed in around me. Clearly they were all vampires, their long canines sharp and deadly, were evident through their lips.

  “Figure it out Selena, the answers are inside you.” She rushed forward, and at the last minute dropped to a low crouch, swinging her leg out and kicking mine from under me. I went flying ass first down the hill, letting out an “oomph” as I hit the grass for a final time before skidding to a stop.

  “I suggest you get up quick and figure it out Selena,” she said, nodding to someone standing behind me. I didn’t even have time to question it as the woman rushed toward me, her fist blazing straight for my head. Jerking to the side it barely grazed my cheek, but it still hurt like hell.

  “What the fuck Calledora? Call them off! I don’t know what you want me to do!” I shouted, running back up the hill and away from the crowd closing in around me.

  “Accept who you are Selena, once you do, even this large hoard will be nothing for you to handle by yourself.” She lunged at me again, knocking me to my ass and I lay there, splayed on my back winded. “Feel it Selena, inside you, the something other, it’s there waiting to break free. It’s untamed and wild still, but you need to let it loose.”

  One of the others came over and swung a foot down toward my head. I rolled out of the way just as her foot hit the grass next to my head so hard it sent dirt flying across my face. “Are you fucking crazy?” I asked, looking up at her. She smiled, showing her fangs—the bitch actually smiled even though she almost just crushed my fucking face into the ground.