Tattoos and Cupcakes (Amulet of Queens Book 1)

by Everly Taylor

  “The importance of you learning to use your power directly is more vital than ever before. The darkness that resides in the amulet is syphoning off bits of your magic as it’s channeled through it, building its power to fully release itself. If you don’t use it as a conduit, then that is less power it can use to grow,” she informed.

  “Well that sounds pretty ominous,” I quipped. I didn’t really know how to accept all of this. Going from a piece of costume jewelry, to a possible tool of mass destruction of worlds was kind of difficult to wrap your head around.

  “Indeed it does. You are the only one who can stop this from destroying our worlds, Selena. You don’t need the amulet to use your magic. You can stop Sylred, and you can stop the darkness that he is trying to release.”

  “This still doesn’t tell me how you’re sick. I get that the bond is with the amulet, but you’re dead, right? Well, deader than a vampire. Ugh, that doesn’t even make sense when I say it outloud, but you get what I mean. So wouldn’t that sever the old bond so a new queen can then form her own?” I asked. I wasn’t really sure how that worked, but if the amulet couldn’t provide a bond for more than two queens at a time, as I had been told, then I was sure I wasn’t wrong on this.

  Approval shone behind her eyes. “You are a quick one aren’t you? This is good since you will need that going forward. You’re right, it’s not the amulet that drains my power. Not long after I was sent here I was given a greater purpose, other than just existing here to welcome the new queens and to watch over the ones in your world. It is the primary purpose why we all exist here. As the darkness has slowly been released, it has been more difficult to keep that contained and safe. It has taken a great deal more magic than ever before and is quite taxing, to say the least. Hence my appearance as you saw it.

  “This is my burden to bear though, not yours, so we won’t go into those details at the moment, as you have enough to concern yourself with, dear.” Lamia smiled reassuringly at me.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you?” I felt a deep connection with these people and I knew whatever they needed, I would try to give them.

  “Let’s begin your training. The best help you can give is learning and accepting your magic, so we can conquer this darkness before it grows any stronger.”

  “Where do we start?” I inquired.

  “You are going to start with Calledora, you need to learn control and she is the best one to teach you that,” Lamia stated. “Then you will come back to me and we will teach you how to actually use what you have inside you.”

  “Alright,” I agreed hesitantly. Not really sure how Calledora was going to teach me control, I had very little of that, and I was clumsy as all get out. If anyone could do it though, I was sure it was her.

  Calledora stood and started to leave the room. I followed her, turning back to Lamia at the last minute. “It was nice to meet you Lamia,” I said, making her chuckle.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Selena

  I shut the door behind me and we made our way back down the hall, exiting through a side door into a courtyard I hadn’t noticed before.

  The massive flying buttresses slashed through the sky above us, jutting out from the side of the building. They looked so strong and beautiful up close like this. I ran my hand down one thinking about all the things this building must have seen.

  Between two of the large pillars stood a double fountain, the water bubbling cheerfully down into the pool waiting below. The trickling sound was oddly soothing as the water hit the surface.

  “What are we out here for?” I asked, as Calledora stopped next to the fountain, staring off toward the woods.

  “You need to learn to center yourself before you can learn control,” she turned back to me, “and since your mind is all over the place, you need to be able to focus if you are to succeed.”

  “I can focus,” I argued.

  She arched her brow at me, clearly disagreeing. “Alright, we will test it then. If you pass we will turn right around and go back to Lamia.”

  “And if I fail?” I inquired.

  “Then we do it my way and you quit questioning me,” she stated.

  “Fair enough, so what is the test?” I wasn’t sure exactly how she expected me to demonstrate control, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it?

  “You possess a great deal of natural power Selena, so much so that it is already manifesting itself even without training. If you have as much control as you say you do, then you should be able to focus and read my mind,” she challenged with a grin. It was as much a dare as it was encouragement.

  “What am I supposed to read in your mind?”

  “That’s the whole point of reading my mind Selena,” she replied in her frustratingly vague way.

  How the hell was I supposed to do this? I didn’t even know where to start when it came to reading minds. Was it like the superheroes that had x-ray vision and they could just see right through to their brains, little thoughts ping-ponging around in there? Eww, no. That was definitely not how you read someone’s thoughts. No one would willingly go around looking at gross brain matter.

  Maybe it was more like alien probes and you had to imagine your finger going in their ear or some shit. Think E.T. phone home. Ugh, this was not working. I had to come up with some legitimate way to actually get inside her head. Not this crazy off the wall shit.

  I looked at Calledora, willing myself to see what she was thinking. What would someone like her think about? She had been dead for how long now? I didn’t even know the answer to that. Did she mourn over a long lost lover or think instead about global pollution?

  There was no way I could figure out what the hell she was thinking. For all I knew it was probably some random ass color or number she kept repeating in her head, waiting for me to pick up on and shout out to the world. Isn’t that how magicians did it?

  I breathed out a breath of frustration. “This is never going to fucking work Calledora, I have no clue what you expect me to do.”

  “You have no clue because you can’t focus.” Well, at least she agreed that I had no clue, so that was something anyways. “Do you give up now? Are you ready to start training?”

  “Blue, you’re thinking of the color blue,” I blurted out.

  Calledora smirked. “Not even close Selena, but nice try. Sit down and we will get started.” She motioned to the grass near the fountain. Giving in I took my seat. She was right, I had no clue and I needed to work on it if I was going to succeed.

  “The first part of control is clearing your mind. You can’t have control if you have too many other things crowding your thoughts,” she explained.

  “How the hell am I supposed to do that? Of course I’m going to be thinking about other stuff.”

  “Focus, Selena. Try closing your eyes and listening to the sounds around you. When you feel a thought surface or start to push through, imagine yourself gently pushing it away and focus on only that sound again. Clear your mind until only a pure space is left, one that will allow you to channel whatever thoughts you wish.” Her voice was soft and melodic, almost putting me in a trance. Something told me this was one of her vampire gifts, but at the moment I didn’t want to question it since I needed to learn this skill more than I needed to protest.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on what she had told me to do. A sound, what sound could I focus on? Like when I first came here, there were still no sounds of birds, so I couldn’t focus on that. Why weren’t there any birds? I meant to ask Calledora about that. I opened my eyes, starting to ask my question when I saw Calledora giving me a look, the one that only mothers or grandmothers can give. The one that says, really, I just told you something and already you’re not doing it? Quickly I shut my eyes and tried again. She kind of was right, I had a focus issue, but I would never admit that to her.

  Okay, take two, and for real this time. A sound, I had to focus on a sound. The tinkling of the waterfall caught my attention. I guess that would be
as good as any, it was relaxing and earthy sounding. So do I just sit here and focus on that or what? She hadn’t really given me any other instructions, had she?

  The fate of the worlds was resting on vague instructions from a dead vampire and someone who was completely clueless about all of it. I wonder what the guys would think about everything I had found out.

  Oh yeah, I wasn’t supposed to be wondering. Push it out Lena, I thought to myself. But where, exactly, do you push your thoughts to? Is it like a boomerang, so you toss them away but they still come hurling back at you eventually? Or is like the explorers that thought the world was flat and bon voyage my wonderful thoughts.

  This wasn’t working at all. Even thinking about pushing my thoughts away was leading to more thoughts. Fuck, think Lena, think about not thinking. Ugh.

  I was so frustrated I was ready to give up. I took a deep breath and focused on the sound of the water splashing as it landed and willed myself to relax. They said I was born with the power and I had the magic inside of me. Maybe I just had to do this my way. If I couldn’t stop thinking, then maybe I didn’t have to.

  Instead of pushing my thoughts away I encouraged them. What would a clear space look like? One that was conducive to open thinking and movement, one that allowed my thoughts to flow freely without being hindered by the chaos around me.

  A room slowly began to form in my mind. At first everything was empty, hollow, and white. Damn, it reminded me of an asylum, all it needed was padded walls. The hell if I was going to have a loony bin in my head.

  Windows formed, letting in moonlight as the walls turned a pretty shade of blue. It was a calming color so I thought it was fitting. If not, guess I could always change it later, I chuckled to myself. The rest of the room quickly took shape, hardwood floors and a few pieces of art made it bright and cheery, someplace I wouldn’t mind thinking about when I had to clear my thoughts.

  I took another deep breath and focused on what was around me. The tinkling water was the only sound penetrating my thoughts as the moonlight from the windows shone in on me, bringing me comfort and a sense of belonging as it calmed me.

  Focusing this time, I pictured Calledora standing in the room with me. Her long black hair hung down her back, a slight smile on her face still challenging me, daring me to succeed. I smiled back at the Calledora in my mind and opened my eyes to see the real one still seated in front of me. Meeting her eyes, I knew instantly what her thoughts were.

  A tear ran down my cheek as I got up and hugged her. I wasn’t a hugger, but this was different. “I’m honored to have met you too Calledora.”

  She swallowed her own tears and hugged me back. “I am so proud of who you have become, despite my mistakes in the past.”

  I pulled away from her. “We all make mistakes Calledora, it’s what we do with them that matters. As far as I’m concerned, you have done amazing things from yours,” I told her.

  “That means a lot Selena, thank you.” She smiled, letting go of my hands.

  I grinned big. “So does that mean I passed?”

  Calledora laughed at me. “That means you passed. A lot quicker than I expected too, considering how easily you become distracted.”

  “Eh, nothing a little crazy house won’t fix.” I shrugged, laughing at my own joke as she looked at me curiously. “Never mind,” I said shaking my head. “So what’s next?”

  “Now you continue your training with Lamia,” she replied.

  “Wait, I don’t have to practice that or anything?” I asked, surprised.

  “No, if you centered yourself enough to penetrate my thoughts, then you will have no problem focusing yourself to learn your magic. After that, it will continue to come more naturally to you the more you practice it,” she explained.

  As we turned to head back toward the sanctuary I was suddenly filled with a sense of urgency to get back to the club. Something was about to happen and I knew I needed to be there to help them. “Calledora, is it normal to have thoughts about things that are going to happen?” I questioned her as we walked back into the building.

  “I have never heard of vampires having premonitions before, however with you I don’t know what is possible. Why do you ask?” She looked at me in concern as we stopped in front of Lamia’s door.

  “I just have this overwhelming feeling that I need to get back to the men, Valentina, and Sam. I can’t explain it, but I know something bad is about to happen,” I rushed out.

  “Let’s talk to Lamia about it and see what she says,” Calledora suggested before pushing the door open, again letting me enter before her.

  I walked around to the front of the chair, and found Lamia with her eyes closed. She appeared to be resting. “Maybe we should come back another time Calledora? She’s resting,” I said softly as Calledora crossed the room to where I stood.

  “No, she’s not, she is restoring the magic to the sanctuary. She will be with us in just a moment.” Calledora took her seat on the couch, a signal that I should do the same. I couldn’t take my eyes off Lamia. She looked like she was sleeping, and if she weren’t already dead, I would say she looked dead.

  Abruptly she sat up, her eyes bright and alert, instantly smiling when she saw us sitting on either side of her.

  “Ah, I see you did well then?” she commented.

  “I’m not sure if it was well, but I did it.” I shrugged.

  “Of course you did. So what is concerning you then? Surely you’re not scared of a little bit of magic?” She laughed.

  “It’s not that. After training with Calledora, I suddenly felt like something was going to go immensely wrong back at the club, and I have an urgency to get back to them before it happens,” I told her.

  She nodded her head. “I see. It seems now that you have opened the channel within yourself some of your other powers are already manifesting themselves. This one is not so much a premonition since you didn’t see what was going to happen, but more intuition since you felt something was going to happen.”

  “I caution you however,” she continued, “to rush back now untrained would be unwise. You need to complete your training in magic if you are to be of any use to them. You still have time as long as we work fast.”

  I hesitated a minute, not sure exactly how to answer. I knew that training was necessary, but I also wanted to get back to my life. I needed to return to the men who I had started falling for, to my best friend, and to my family that I had been neglecting since all of this started. It wasn’t like I exactly chose to put my life on hold to be here for some conquest to save the world.

  I thought about it though, there was no changing the darkness being released into the world, no changing the fact that the people I loved were in danger. If I cared so much about those in my life, then I knew deep down I needed to be here to train, to learn to protect them even if it meant being away for a little while.

  “Alright, let’s do this,” I agreed.

  “Let’s begin,” she stated. Suddenly we were standing on top of the hill where I had originally learned to fight as a vampire. Lamia and Calledora stood there casually as if this were an everyday occurrence to them.

  “What the fuck? Can’t you warn a girl next time?”

  “I figured that was faster than walking, and I didn’t want to use my cane,” Lamia cackled.

  “You don’t even have a cane.” Calledora laughed at her.

  “Well it sounded good though, didn’t it?” she asked me as I shook my head at the banter between the two of them.

  “What are we doing out here?” I asked.

  The sun had set behind the trees and the moon had risen bright in the sky. At least tonight it was a full moon so it was easier to see by. The lone tree on the hill cast its eerie shadow down the slope, mingling with ours as we stood there, ready to do whatever the hell it was that we were out here doing.

  “Training of course,” Lamia answered with a grin. “So you need to focus, find your center.” Her voice was smooth with that slight scratchi
ness to it that made me think of someone’s really old grandmother, sweet and endearing.

  Focus Lena, I told myself. Slowing my breathing, I cleared my head and centered myself.

  “Now look inside yourself, find that faint glimmer of magic that has been there forever, but has been denied for so long.”

  I searched, trying to feel something, but it all felt the same. At my neck the amulet hummed, what I recognized now as a call for power. I started to reach for it and had my hand slapped away.

  “No Selena, inside yourself. Ignore the amulet for now,” Lamia ordered sharply.

  “I don’t know if there is anything there,” I insisted.

  “Focus and try again, it’s there,” she said as I closed my eyes again. “It might feel like a buzz or a spark somewhere deep inside you. Everyone is different. Look for that something other that you have ignored since you were born. Just as with you being a vampire, it is there waiting to be freed.”

  Again I looked within myself, there had to be something here. They had been right about everything else so I knew they were about this too. How did I find that spark hidden inside me though? I didn’t think it was a matter of saying, ‘Hey take a right at the small intestine and the spark is hanging out next to your kidney.’

  I needed to do this my way too, like I had before. I couldn’t search for some spark inside me, that just sounded like some kind of corny ass bullshit. Instead, I considered if I were some magic waiting to be released, what would I feel like?

  Probably like pent-up sex, honestly, hot and ready to burst at the seams. It was kind of how I felt right now in my core, the muscles in my stomach clenching with unrepressed energy. Whatever was bottled up there made me want to squirm as it tried to burst free at the first thought of someone giving me release.

  I paused and thought for a moment, that couldn’t be right, could it? I was definitely not feeling pent-up after the night I had with my guys. Maybe this was the magic inside of me. Tentatively I reached out with my mind, feeling for it, and letting the magic inside me know it was okay to be free now.