The Red Queen

by Meg Xuemei X

  And her half-sister hadn’t gotten over him. How was Lucienne going to untangle this thread? It had been messy before Bayrose and Violet entered the frame.

  “Vlad should be returning anytime now.” Lucienne tried to keep her voice even.

  Just then, a stir rose from the sitting room.

  Lucienne turned her head in the direction of the commotion. A lock of her hair caught in the ivory comb in Bayrose’s hand. She ignored the tug of pain and fixed her gaze on the figure in a trench coat at the door.

  Vladimir stormed in, bringing in the scent of snow and wind and herbs. Two guards moved toward him, but neither stopped him.

  “Vlad!” Bayrose dropped the comb and sprang toward him.

  Vladimir stopped in his tracks, his hazel eyes narrowing on her. Before she could throw herself into his arms, his hand shot out, grabbing the girl’s throat. “What are you doing here?” His voice was cold, and his stare colder.

  Bayrose gagged. Tears of pain streamed down her face.

  Lucienne was at their side in a second. “Vlad, let her go.”

  Vladimir turned to Lucienne, the cold, hard look in his eyes shifting to tenderness. And in their depth was heartbreak and yearning. “Lucia,” he said in a husky voice. “You have no idea how treacherous this viper is.”

  “What you call a viper happens to be my sister,” Lucienne said. “Now let her go before you choke her!”

  Vladimir snickered. “Sister? You believe her crap?”

  “Bayrose is my half-sister,” Lucienne said. “DNA tests can’t lie. My mother is here too.”

  Just then, Kian strode in. He must have heard the report of Vladimir’s arrival before the Czech prince had landed. “Let Lucienne’s sister go, Blazek,” he ordered.

  Under Lucienne’s glare, Vladimir finally released Bayrose and shoved the girl aside. “I don’t care if she’s your sister,” he said, “she can’t be trusted.”

  Bayrose caught her breath. “I’m sorry, Prince Vladimir,” she said in a mist of tears. “I never meant to deceive you. My late father played me as well.”

  Vladimir turned to Lucienne, his hungry gaze roaming over her face as if he wanted to make sure every line was the same as in his memory.

  One of Kian’s aides stepped over to Bayrose and directed her to the couch in the sitting room. Kian and the rest of the men also receded from the bedroom to give her and Vladimir some privacy.

  Lucienne’s gaze didn’t leave Vladimir. His wheat-colored hair was cropped short. He looked leaner. His once square jaw was angular now, which gave him a harder look. His hazel eyes moldered to golden fire, burning brightly for her. Her disapproval of his rough demeanor toward Bayrose vanished. All was forgiven. Her joy at his returning overpowered all the heartache and disappointment since he'd left.

  “Vlad,” she whispered and smiled.

  With one long stride, he eliminated the distance between them and crushed her against his chest. She read the message—he’d never let her go. Never again! And she didn’t want him to.

  He must have come to see her as soon as he’d gotten off the jet. His new scent of snow and herb confused her for a second, but his usual aroma of wild river and sunlight anchored her. She needed to hold onto something familiar. She leaned her face against his unshaven jaw as he nuzzled against her hair, as if needing to reconcile her scent with the one he'd remembered.

  She pulled herself a few inches away from him just to look up at him, to see if he was real. “You're truly here, Vlad,” she said in amazement and ache. “You're here.”

  “I’m here,” he confirmed, then over her fluttered look, added, “I won’t leave again.”

  A shadow shoved into Lucienne like an invisible knife. It was the same force she’d felt before, but now she was at her rawest moment in Vladimir's arms. While she had no shield up, the shadow oozed into her brain like slime.

  “Can’t resist me, can you?” Lucienne heard herself purr.

  Wait. Had she just said that? No, no, no. Don’t lose it. Lucienne hissed at the shadow and shoved it out of her head, but its slime clung to her mind. Lucienne gritted her teeth and tried to peel it from her brain tissues. She must give Vlad a few good hours before she lost it. He’d just come back.

  Her will and the shadow played seesaw, and she was up and down, struggling to regain her balance.

  “I can never resist you, láska,” Vladimir said. “You never need to doubt that.”

  She felt her cheeks go up in flames. Did he realize that she’d started saying the dumbest things? But he didn’t seem to care. He gazed at her as if she was all he had in the world. How could she get the message through to him? Warn him of her borderline state? The malevolent shadow aggravated, in a strange desperation to pin her down. It wasn’t from her poison. It was an alien element. She was sure of it. If Ash were here, he would give her aid to cast out the foreign element invading her. Where was he?

  But if Ash were here, how could she handle her feelings toward both of them at Vlad’s return?

  Vladimir brushed a kiss on top of her hair. Lucienne clung to his trench coat and pulled him closer. She desperately needed his strength. Get out! she commanded the shadow in her mind. Vladimir tightened his arms around the small of her back, sensing her need. She felt his need for her was even greater. How could she give herself to him while she engaged in a heated battle with the alien thing? She dug her fingernails into his arm. The natural pull between them, different than the bond her and Ash shared, enhanced and pushed through.

  Her old love stood right here in front of her. No, he was still her love. And his blazing, forever love for her shot through her, shining so brilliantly. Suddenly, the slime was gone from her head.

  Lucienne wiped the sweat off her hairline with the back of her hand and tilted her head to gaze up at him. “You look exhausted. When was the last time you slept?”

  “Not in a while,” he admitted. “I like to sleep on my own bed.”

  He’d once mentioned that he’d give everything just to share a bed with her. In order to break her Siren’s curse and be with her, he’d gone deep into the enemy’s heart to retrieve Nexus Tear. “When you have the last element,” he’d said, “we’ll have a shot at being with each other completely. I’ll finally get to sleep with you—if you want, too.”

  He must have seen the glint of desire in her eyes. A smoldering desire immediately roamed across his darkened hazel eyes. He seemed to have a hard time reining it in.

  Lucienne’s pulse quickened. Her lips parted involuntarily. Her blood flowed hot. Too much heat. More than she could handle. Then the redness hit, so fast, before she could register it.

  Red was passion, and passion was inside her like fire. She was burning. But she felt good.

  A whimper from the sitting room pulled them from the moment. Lucienne turned her head. Bayrose stared back at her with undisguised enmity.

  “Ooo, someone is jealous.” Lucienne winked at Bayrose and moved closer to Vladimir to press against him. She liked to have her half-sister watch. “Vlad,” she now purred loudly, and smirked at her sister’s sizzling anger, “where have you been? I was looking for you all over! I missed you terribly. Didn’t you know?”

  The whispers from the sitting room dropped to a hush. The guards rose to their feet. Kian was on the move in a second. Lucienne threw her head back and giggled. She had such an effect on men.

  Vladimir looked alarmed. “Láska?”

  The Czech word for love. She was his love. She knew.

  The prince darted a glance at her dress. That reminded her. She’d been so distracted by his possessive lust that she forgot to check what she was wearing. The gray on her looked so dull. “Wardrobe malfunction,” she said with a groan. “It happened again. Aida! Aida is getting old and forgetful. You’ll have to forgive her, but don’t you worry, Prince Vlad. I’ll go change. I know you love me wearing red.”

  A storm moved into his eyes, sweeping away the ravenous desire in them. In the wake of the storm came an ocean of
grief that could break anyone’s heart. What saddened him so? Lucienne didn’t need any more sorrow. Lately, she’d seen it over and over—in Kian, in the guards, in almost everyone! She must host another party to cheer them up. That firework dinner party hadn’t gone well. Next time she’d make sure her mother didn’t crash her party. She wouldn’t allow wicked sorrow to drag her people down.

  “This silver dress is perfect,” Vladimir said urgently, his warm breath on her earlobe. As she was distracted by his breath and scent, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to sit on the sofa in the corner. And he made her turn away from the window and the forest of red maples beyond.

  “I must show you what perfection is,” she said, protesting in his arms. As soon as she had her fabulous red dress, he’d see. With her red dress, she always felt prettier, cleverer, and more in control.

  He held her hands to prevent her from leaving. He was so possessive even without seeing her in a red dress. If she put on the high slit gown, he’d never let her out of his sight. Lucienne tried to retrieve her hands. Instead of letting her go, he shouted at the guards in the sitting room, “Everyone out. Now!”

  Kian stood between the bedroom and sitting room, watching her warily. He regarded Vladimir for a second, and the prince gave him a curt nod. Kian gestured to the guards, and they filed out.

  “I'll stay.” Bayrose approached Lucienne. “I’m her sister.”

  “I don’t give a damn who you are,” Vladimir said. “Get out.”

  “Lucia, you want me to stay with you, don’t you?” Bayrose asked. "We're family."

  “If you want to stay, then stay,” Lucienne said with a shrug and turned to Vladimir with a giggle. “Bayrose is a family and she likes to watch.”

  Vladimir gave Bayrose an angry stare before looking upon Lucienne with all the gentleness in the world. “I haven’t seen you for so long, miláček,” he said. “Would you deny me a small wish to be alone with you for a few minutes?”

  Lucienne gave him a sultry look. “Since you put it that way—” She turned to Kian and Bayrose and said with a flutter of eyelashes, “Prince Vlad needs some alone time with me. I’m his sweetheart. You two gotta go.”

  Biting her lip hard, Bayrose turned and exited. A guard pulled the door closed behind her.

  “I stay.” Kian strode toward them and sat on a chair across from her and Vladimir, without invitation.

  Lucienne widened her eyes, surprised that Vladimir didn’t protest, but then she nodded an understanding. “I don’t want to fight Kian, either. Last time we fought, I almost killed him. So I’m being careful now. I don’t want to do anything that I’ll regret later. But be warned. Chief McQuillen is notoriously overprotective. He’ll frisk you before he lets you be alone with me. If you’re carrying any weapon, now would be a good time to hand it over to him. He won’t have a problem with you if you just cooperate.”

  The outside door flung open. Lucienne took a peek. Ashburn charged in.

  “Ash!” Lucienne rose and cheered.

  Vladimir got to his feet too, frowning in displeasure. “Can’t he just be gone for once?”

  “Like hell I’ll let you do that without my presence,” Ashburn said.

  “Do what?” Lucienne asked, scanning the faces of the three men. “Ooo, mystery!” Her eyes sparkled. She spent her whole life trying to unveil one mystery after another.

  Vladimir stood facing her, putting her face in his palms and gazing deep into her eyes. “We’re going to do something together.”

  “A game?” she asked eagerly.

  “Láska.” Vladimir leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "Remember, I’ll never harm you."

  So the game had started? A thrill ran through her, even though she didn’t know the rules of the game. But who cared about rules? “Harm me?” she laughed. “Worry about yourself.”

  She looked up through her thick lashes and darted a glance at her other companions. Ashburn was as tense as a turkey at Thanksgiving, and Kian looked torn between hope, desperation, and apprehension. They both seemed ready to jump on the Czech prince if he cheated, like good judges in the ring.

  She stood for several more seconds before losing patience. Was this how the game was played—she and Vladimir stood with their foreheads against each other and saw who moved first? She thought the prince would reintroduce some new excitements after his long absence. Disappointment seeped into Lucienne, but she was in a predicament. If she moved first, they would declare she lost. And she didn’t like losing. She needed to come up with a quick excuse to end this dumb contest.

  Scent of herb and snow.

  Hmm. Vlad had developed a new aroma. Was that why she liked him better this time? She vaguely remembered they had some issues of late. He’d wronged her, but she couldn’t keep track of what that was. She hadn’t been blameless either. At times, she’d been dismissive, even cruel, toward him.

  Let bygones be bygones.

  A trail of cool air whiffed into where her third eye leaned against Vladimir’s.

  What was that? She tried to pull away, but Vladimir held her face tightly between his rough palms. “Shush, Láska,” he whispered. “It’s fine. I love you. I’ll never hurt you again.” His voice sounded affectionate yet broken.

  Had he broken her heart before, or had she broken his?

  Scent of herb and snow.

  Her Czech prince had changed. The sunshine boy now had cool air in him. It was welcoming; especially when her body started growing uncomfortably warm.

  Fire, like a sentient being, dwelled in her. She was drawn to its dangerous beauty. In the scorched wildness, it beckoned her near. And she did. At its center was the deepest darkness, same as the black hole at the core of the sun.

  Fire burned her skin. Its orange spark singed the streaks of her midnight hair. She was the moth. But she shouldn’t be. The Siren was never born to be the moth. But the unnatural fire was irresistible. Lucienne kept inching toward it—until the cold air came. It solidified into walls of ice and cut off the dark fire’s reach for her.

  Her body and mind started cooling.

  Clearness and lightness returned.

  Blink.

  She was home. In her bedroom.

  Vladimir’s forehead was still glued to hers. His breath was cool and ragged on her face. And he was trembling.

  She immediately knew what he’d done.

  She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed, breaking their connection.

  Vladimir stumbled and swayed. Ashburn and Kian each grabbed one of his arms before he fell on his knees. “It worked.” Her Czech warrior grinned at her in comfort and triumph. His face was ashen. A sheen of blood appeared along his hairline.

  He’d absorbed part of her poison.

  “How could you do this to me and yourself, Vlad?” Lucienne asked. She’d never felt worse, even though her body was feeling cleaner and lighter.

  His eyes turned dark and wild. The poison kicked in him, bringing the madness.

  Her hand shaking, Lucienne placed her palm against his face. “You should never have done this. This poison isn’t for you to bear.”

  He didn’t hear her, though her touch did something to him. He struggled against Kian and Ashburn, wanting to pull her into his arms to protect her, but his strength failed him.

  Lucienne turned to Kian and Ashburn. “Are you all in on this?” she asked coldly.

  “We need to buy you time, Lucia,” Ashburn said.

  “At his expense?” she asked, tears burning in her eyes. “Do you all think I’m that heartless? If I am, I don’t deserve to be healed.”

  “Lucia, sit down please,” Kian said. He let Vladimir lean on him alone, then nodded for Ashburn to calm her down. Kian’s free hand pulled out a phone and dialed a line. He barked an order into the receiving end.

  Lucienne shrugged off Ashburn’s hand on her arm.

  Duncan, who had escorted Vladimir back from Tibet, sprang into the room with Thaddeus. They each supported Vla
dimir by a shoulder and helped him out of the room.

  Lucienne followed. “Where are you taking him?”

  “His room,” Kian said. “He needs rest.”

  Ashburn blocked Lucienne before she got to the door. “I’m sorry, Lucia,” he said. “While he’s like this, he’ll need to be alone.”

  She glared at him. For the first time, she was mad at him more than anyone else. “Stay out of my way.”

  Ashburn didn’t flinch at her fury. “He’ll be fine, but he needs a few hours to recover. Your presence won’t do him good.”

  My presence doesn’t do anyone good. Lucienne sank into a chair near the door. “By saving me, you’re turning me into a monster.”

  “You’ll never be a monster,” Ashburn said. “You always come back.”

  “Stop talking to me, Ashburn,” she said and turned to Kian. “Promise me you won’t let Vladimir try that again, and I’ll forgive you. You know I can’t stop him when I’m in another zone, but you can.”

  “I can’t,” Kian said. “We’ll do what we have to do. And when he wants to heal you, no one can stop him. You know that too.”

  “This is cruel,” she said. “And he just came back to me.”

  “No crueler than you stopping us from helping you,” Kian said. “If you take hope away from us, you take everything away from us.”

  Lucienne closed her eyes. The cursed Siren’s line. She’d cursed everyone who cared for her. If Vladimir had never met her in Desert Cymbidium and hadn’t fallen for her, his life wouldn’t be like this— little joy and endless suffering.

  But if she hadn’t crossed paths with him, would she have been poisoned? Didn’t the same truth apply to Ash? The three of them were like forces of nature colliding against one another, but even disaster and ruin couldn’t tear them apart.

  Their love only burned brighter, yet neither of them had a future with her.

  The poison of the Siren’s love.

  With Vlad’s absence, Ash’s presence grew stronger. The Lure was calling her relentlessly.