The Reign of Darkness

by Britney Jackson

  “Nah,” Kara said, a weak smile pulling at her lips. “It was all good fun.”

  The princess rolled her eyes. “There is nothing fun about any of this.”

  “You said you imprisoned your mother,” Kara said, as Princess Myrinne picked up the bowl of salve again. “But how do you imprison a vampire? There’s no type of steel or wood that a vampire can’t break. How do you keep her inside?”

  “Well, first,” Princess Myrinne said, as she returned to applying the salve, “we don’t build with steel or wood here. We use marble. Even if a vampire were to break through marble, it would create a lot of noise. The guards would notice.”

  “And when the sun is up?” Kara said. “What is there to stop her, then?”

  “The position of her cell,” Princess Myrinne told her. “We ensured that most of the kingdom was shielded from sunlight—when we first built it. But we left one opening, in case we ever needed to imprison someone. Sunlight streams in around her cell, during the day. If she ever escapes before nightfall, she’ll burn.”

  “And yet, she escaped, anyway,” Kara said, “and she killed your people.”

  “She killed some of my people,” Princess Myrinne said, picking up a roll of bandages, “and she had help. My own people betrayed themselves for her.”

  “We lost a lot of people at the Tomb of Blood—because Alana swayed a lot of them to her side,” Kara admitted. “But none of them survived the night.”

  “My mother’s followers won’t, either,” Princess Myrinne told her, as she looped the bandages around Kara’s middle. “They’ll be executed before dawn.”

  Kara rolled her eyes. “You’re supposed to cut off the head of the snake,” she scoffed. “Not the tail. If you want to stop the attacks, take out the source.”

  Princess Myrinne pulled the bandages tight—so tight that Kara tensed in pain. “She is…my…mother,” she said between clenched teeth. “And the queen.”

  “It looks to me like you’re the queen,” Kara said. “You rule, don’t you?”

  “Only out of necessity,” Princess Myrinne said. “I’m the high priestess.”

  “Which means what, exactly?” Kara said, watching as the princess circled around her. “What does the high priestess do? And how does it relate to Rose?”

  The princess froze, her pale blue gaze shifting toward Kara. “It doesn’t.”

  The corners of Kara’s mouth curved into a smug, knowing smirk. “Liar.”

  Princess Myrinne picked up a robe and tossed it at Kara. “Get dressed.”

  Not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing how hard that would be, Kara waited until the princess turned around to try to put on the silk garment.

  Kara had almost gotten the silk clothing pulled around her, when she felt a familiar tingling under her skin. She glanced at the door—at the exact moment that Rose opened it. Rose took one look at Kara’s face and rushed to her side.

  “Here, let me get it,” Rose said, taking the robe from Kara. She carefully slipped it around Kara’s shoulders, her bright blue eyes narrowing, as she noticed the flush of Kara’s skin. She cast a quick glance at the princess. “It’s a little strange, isn’t it?” she said loudly. “That it seems like she’s in more pain now than before.”

  Kara shuddered a little—because even though she was in a great deal of pain, Rose’s touch still affected her. Especially when Rose’s fingers brushed over Kara’s bare stomach. “I’m fine, love,” she said, as Princess Myrinne paled in fear.

  “Are you sure?” Rose whispered. “I hate seeing you in pain like this.”

  Princess Myrinne glanced back and forth between them—both alarmed by Rose’s concern and curious about it. She’d never seen two people so affected by each other. They seemed to lean into each other, their bodies almost touching.

  Kara leaned her head against Rose’s, her fingers sliding along the gentle curve of Rose’s jaw. “I promise I’m fine,” she murmured. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  At that, Princess Myrinne forgot her interest in the blood bond, instantly remembering her earlier suspicions. She swept her gaze over Rose’s body, glaring at Rose’s empty hands. “I thought your lover asked you to get something for her.”

  Rose glanced nervously at the princess, fear running cold in her veins.

  But Kara immediately slid her hand beneath Rose’s shirt and pulled one of the daggers from the belt she’d given Rose. She held it up, waving it. “She did.”

  Rose watched silently, her skin tingling in the places Kara had touched.

  The princess narrowed her eyes at Kara. “You needed another weapon?”

  “I can never have too many weapons,” Kara said easily. “Right, Rose?”

  Rose nodded shyly. “She does love her weapons,” she told the princess.

  Princess Myrinne glanced at Rose and bowed. “Of course, my Eklektos.”

  Barely a moment passed before a male vampire, dressed in black, leather armor, appeared in the doorway. “Your Highness? May I speak to you? Privately.”

  Rose didn’t miss the fact that his brown gaze shifted in her direction.

  Princess Myrinne seemed to notice it, as well, and cast a suspicious glance at Rose. Then, she drew her cloak closed over her dress and followed the warrior.

  Rose and Kara remained silent—staring at each other—as they listened to the soft click of Princess Myrinne’s shoes. They waited until the sound faded, until they were absolutely certain the warrior and the princess were out of earshot.

  “She asked where you were,” Kara explained quietly. “I lied. Obviously.”

  Rose nodded, glancing down at the dagger in Kara’s hand. “Thank you.”

  Kara shrugged one shoulder, immediately wincing afterward. “Anytime.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Rose said worriedly. She stepped closer and opened the robe, her fingertips brushing Kara’s skin. “You’re in so much pain.”

  “I’m fine,” Kara said, her eyes fluttering closed, as Rose’s fingers traced across her stomach. “Just tell me where you went. You said that it was important.”

  Rose’s gaze darted up toward Kara’s face. “You’re not going to like it.”

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “Try me,” she challenged. “What did you do?”

  Rose sighed and glanced at the door behind her. She used her telekinetic abilities to close the door and lock it—just in case. When she turned back toward Kara, she found Kara’s eyebrows arched even higher. “I…went to see the queen.”

  Kara’s mouth fell open. She leaned closer and hissed, “You did what?”

  “I know,” Rose said with a regretful look, “and to make matters worse, when I was sneaking to her cell—the word sneaking being used loosely here—I knocked over a big statue. Which is probably what that guy’s telling the princess.”

  Kara stared at Rose, her light blue eyes wide with disbelief. “A statue?”

  “Yep. Totally broke it,” Rose muttered. “I told you I’m not good at this.”

  Kara let out a breathless laugh, “That’s an understatement.” She crossed her arms and smiled. “So, did you learn anything new from the Psycho-Queen?”

  “I did, actually,” Rose said. She shoved her hands into her pockets, her gaze on the floor, as her mind whirled with what little information she’d learned.

  Kara watched Rose, her brows creased with concern. “Are you all right?”

  Rose sighed, “Do you ever feel like your life is just this massive puzzle?” She shrugged tiredly. “And you only have the tiniest fraction of the puzzle pieces you need in order to put it together, and none of the pieces you have fit together.”

  Kara leaned against the bed, listening attentively. “Is that how you feel?”

  Rose nodded sadly. “It’s my life, but I feel like I’m the one who knows the least about it. How am I supposed to solve the puzzle without the pieces?”

  “You keep looking for the other pieces,” Kara suggested, “until you find the ones that fit, unti
l you can see the picture forming. You have to keep looking.”

  Rose’s azure-blue eyes shifted up toward Kara’s face. “Where do I look?”

  “You don’t need me to tell you that,” Kara said with a soft, affectionate smile. “You’re brilliant, Rose. Solving puzzles—that’s your skillset. Not mine.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Rose mumbled. “I don’t feel that skilled at it right now.” She frowned thoughtfully. “The queen kept talking about that stupid prophecy that everyone’s hiding from me. I don’t know if I can trust her, though.”

  “Maybe not,” Kara said, stepping closer to Rose, “but my philosophy has always been: if someone is hiding something from me, I’m going to find out why.”

  “The queen said I should look in the temple,” Rose said, “for journals.”

  Kara nodded. “Then, after sunrise, while everyone sleeps, I’ll sneak into the temple and search for them. I’ll bring them to you, and we can go from there.”

  “You said I,” Rose said with a worried frown. “As in…without me.”

  “No offense,” Kara said with a smile, “but I’m good at this, and you…”

  “Are not,” Rose finished the sentence for her. She sighed, “I know.”

  “Subterfuge just isn’t your forte,” Kara said gently. “At least…not yet.”

  Rose nodded. “You’re right. I’d just slow you down,” she admitted easily. “I just…worry about you doing this by yourself. I mean, what if they catch you?”

  “Rose,” Kara said with a sly smirk. She stepped forward, slipping her arm around Rose’s waist, pulling Rose closer, so she could whisper, “You and I both know that, if anything happens to me, you’ll bring the entire kingdom down.”

  Rose felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, a warm rush of desire traveling through her body, as Kara’s body pressed against hers. “Yes. I would.”

  Kara smiled. She tilted her face closer, her lips nearly touching Rose’s, as she whispered, “They know that, too. Trust me. They’re not going to hurt me.”

  “I trust you,” Rose told her, breathless from the tantalizing closeness of Kara’s lips. She ached to lean in, to close that little bit of space between their lips.

  A knowing smile pulled at the edges of Kara’s lips. “I know. I want you to trust yourself, too. Trust your gut instincts. You may not be good at sneaking around or lying, but you’re good at other things. Problem-solving is one of those things. You always know what questions to ask. You always know where to look.”

  Rose shook her head. “I don’t,” she insisted. “Not this time. I’m lost.”

  “No. You’re just doubting yourself, like you always do,” Kara said. “You knew that you’d find a puzzle piece with the queen, and you did. Now, where do you think you’ll find the next puzzle piece? Think about it. Trust your own mind.”

  Rose started to argue, but then, she realized, “Princess Myrinne.”

  Kara’s lips curved into a proud smile. “Then, you’ll question her next.”

  “But first, you need to heal,” Rose said, “which means you need blood.”

  Kara’s light blue eyes darkened with hunger. “I do…really need blood.”

  Rose swallowed at the feral look in Kara’s eyes, her stomach flipping with excitement, as she thought about Kara biting her. Before she could say anything, however, she heard the door rattling behind her, as someone tried to open it. She winced guiltily, as she remembered locking it. She unlocked it with her telekinesis.

  Princess Myrinne opened the door, pinning Rose with her narrowed, pale blue gaze. “You can take your lover back to your room now,” she said, her tone clipped, “my Eklektos.” Her gaze shifted toward Kara. “I’m sure she’s hungry.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Rose said with a frown. “Could I, umm, talk to you later?”

  Princess Myrinne turned to Rose, her pale blue eyes narrowing. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to, won’t we?” she said. “Since you’ve spoken to my mother.”

  Rose offered her a guilty smile. “Sorry about the statue.”

  The princess crossed her arms. “And the warriors you incapacitated?”

  Rose winced. “Them, too.”

  Kara smiled at Rose, her brows high. “You incapacitated her warriors?”

  “Don’t look so impressed,” Rose whispered. “You’ll make her angrier.”

  The princess just scowled at both of them. “Meet me in the temple later,” she told Rose, “alone.” She did a quick bow. “If it’s what you wish, my Eklektos.”

  Rose pulled Kara’s arm around her—to help carry Kara’s weight. “I’ll see you, then,” she said, as she helped Kara walk past the princess, toward the door.

  Kara grabbed the doorframe to stop them. She turned back toward the princess. “I want a bottle of blood-wine,” she said with a sly smile, “for my pain.”

  Princess Myrinne’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “I don’t have any with me.”

  “Liar. It’s in your cabinet,” Kara said. “I saw it when you were gathering supplies.” She smiled. “I’m in a lot of pain, you know—because of what you did.”

  Rose shot a suspicious look at Princess Myrinne. “What did you do?”

  Princess Myrinne straightened, glancing back and forth between them. She quickly retreated to her cabinets and pulled down a jar of wine and an empty bottle. She poured the dark red liquid into the bottle without spilling a drop, as if she did it all the time. “Here,” she snarled, thrusting the bottle into Kara’s hand.

  Kara grinned and took a sip of the blood-wine. “I appreciate it, princess.”

  “Get her away from me,” Princess Myrinne said. “Please, my Eklektos.”

  Rose just lifted her eyebrows. “I’d really love to know what I missed.”

  —

  “Oh my god,” Elise gasped, moving out of their way. “What happened?”

  Rose carried Kara over to the couch, weaving between Erik and Elise, who were camped out in their room, waiting for them. She dropped Kara on the couch, watching as Kara drowsily tipped back a half-empty bottle of blood-wine.

  “The usual,” Kara said dismissively. “I got drunk. Someone stabbed me.”

  Elise shot a questioning glance at Rose. “Colina said you were going on a date or something,” she said in a baffled tone. “I take it the date didn’t go well?”

  “Oh, yeah, it was romantic,” Rose said sarcastically, “especially the part where the ten-thousand-year-old Psycho-Queen and her army tried to kill Kara.”

  “Rose defeated the attackers by herself,” Kara said. “Sexiest date ever.”

  Rose blushed, as Erik and Elise shot a curious look at her. “She’s drunk.”

  “So we can see,” Elise said, as she watched Kara sprawl out comfortably.

  “It must’ve been something strong,” Erik said, “to have lasted this long.”

  “It’s called blood-wine,” Kara said. “Rose made me drink it, so we could make out.” She lifted the bottle to her mouth, drinking more. “She likes the taste.”

  Rose blushed—again—as Erik and Elise frowned at her. “That’s out of context,” she mumbled, “and it…sounds weirder than what actually happened.”

  “Well, I’d hope so,” Elise said, giggling, “because it sounds pretty weird.”

  Erik studied the opaque bottle with a frown. “Blood-wine? What is that?”

  “Probably wine, spiked with blood,” Elise assumed. “Like what I drink.”

  “Wine-Guy said it’s different—that it’s more like wine made from blood than wine with blood,” Rose told them. “Of course, then, he tried to kill me, so…”

  “Wine-Guy?” Erik repeated. “You’re starting to sound like Audrey.”

  Rose shrugged. “I didn’t get his name before I ripped his heart out.”

  Erik’s smile faded. “Before you…what?”

  “What does it taste like?” Elise asked, directing the question at Kara.

  “A little like fruit,” Rose said with a frown
, “but more like blood.”

  Erik and Elise both gaped at her. “You tasted it?” Erik asked.

  “I told you!” Kara said with a delirious laugh. “She was kissing me.”

  Rose smiled awkwardly, as Elise and Erik pinned her with puzzled looks. “Anyway,” she said, her face hot, “don’t you want to hear about the crazy queen?”

  “Honestly, Rose,” Erik said, “people try to kill you so often, it’s not even interesting anymore. This wine-kissing-thing, however, sounds very interesting.”

  “Of course,” Rose said with a sarcastic smile, “and I’m sure you’ll be glad you found out about the wine-kissing-thing when Psycho-Queen tries to kill you.”

  Erik sighed, his eyes narrowing. “Why do you have to be such a killjoy?”

  Rose felt something sharp scrape against her wrist, and she looked down to find her drunk girlfriend nibbling on her wrist. “Umm, do you think you could give us a few minutes of privacy?” she asked Erik and Elise. “Kara needs to feed.”

  Elise watched with wide, blue-gray eyes—her smile bright and sharp. She sounded as if she were barely holding back laugher, as she replied, “Apparently.”

  “But who’s going to protect us from the Psycho-Queen?” Erik whined.

  Rose jumped, as Kara nipped lightly at her wrist. She shot a glare at Erik, but before she could respond, Elise grasped his shirt and dragged him to the door.

  After they left, shutting the door behind them, Rose turned toward Kara, shivering a little, as Kara licked her wrist. She reached out, carefully removing the bottle of wine from Kara’s hand. “Let’s just…set this aside for a minute, okay?”

  Kara whimpered. “But it tastes so good,” she murmured, as she rubbed her face against Rose’s hand, like a cat. She licked Rose’s wrist again. “Like you.”

  Rose could barely think with Kara practically chewing on her. Kara’s grip on her arm tightened, and then, she tugged Rose down onto the couch with her.

  Kara looped her arm around Rose’s waist, as Rose landed clumsily in her lap. She pressed her mouth against Rose’s shoulder, nibbling with her fangs. “I’m so weak. So hungry,” she murmured into Rose’s skin. “I want to eat. Want you.”

  Rose didn’t have time to respond to that—because Kara suddenly leaned back, her gaze drifting down toward the silk shirt Rose wore. Her light blue eyes darkened at the sight of Rose’s only-partially-covered breasts. Rose let out a soft, surprised gasp, as Kara suddenly pressed her mouth against Rose’s chest, pressing kisses against the exposed flesh. With a soft groan, Kara slurred, “Pretty boobs.”