“You wish to be Queen? A vampire whore? The only way you can take my position is to end my life, and I assure you, Avery, you never will!” Margaret hissed as she raised her hand to strike me with her magic.
Laura’s hand rose to block the spell as mine lifted, calling for her flesh to wither. My lips moved as our coven behind me began chanting, and as I watched closely, her body begin to shake in pain as water was pulled from her flesh. It was the same spell I’d used on Grigori; that I’d used to slaughter an entire hive of highly trained ancient vampires. Her mouth opened and a scream tore through the meadow. I didn’t move, didn’t twitch as I focused my energy into consuming hers as her companions watched helplessly from the shadows where they had hidden. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her skin turned to a husk, and the wind carried her magic to me on a gentle breeze as I consumed not only her magic but her insides to heal the damage that had been done to mine. It was how I healed, how I was able to remove a little damage, and yet I’d never wished to take from my sister witches until now. I consumed her, healing my womb and the damage to my internal organs that Grigori had done when he’d ripped my daughter out of me.
The entire field watched in stupefied silence as I consumed her ashes until nothing remained. My fingers turned black as it crawled up my arms from where she healed me while I consumed her through dark magic. It sucked her dry, turning her to mere ashes that wafted on the wind and entered my body through the points she healed. The moment it was finished, I turned to the others who had come here with her.
“My daughter is not a monster. There are no laws that state she shouldn’t be alive, not anymore. Should any of you feel differently, speak now. I am Avery Ilsa Cheveron, the oldest witch in this state and Queen by right; I have lived among you as the Unspoken Queen, silently leading you from the shadows for over two hundred years. I have chosen to remain uncrowned and have now murdered your Queen. By right, I can ascend to her throne, and none of you could argue it,” I uttered hoarsely as my body adjusted to the power I had just consumed.
“You will never lead us! You are tainted by him, your lover for whom you whored,” Joffrey seethed. I moved space and time through a single whisper of magic and the air filled with the scent of coppery blood as he looked down, where my hand was pushed through his chest and had ripped out his heart. The entire field erupted into chaos as vampires faced witches, and witches met them head-on in open battle from opposing sides. I watched silently as Conner took the head off one witch before he spun, slashing through another, who crumpled at his feet.
My eyes viewed the blood, the gore, and then landed on the last witch who had yet to fall. She was powerful, and yet she seemed immune to the death of those who fell around her. The moment I started forward, her green eyes held mine.
“I do not wish to engage you, for I am not here to demand you surrender. I am here to crown the victor of the battle. If you kneel, I will crown you Queen, Avery Cheveron.” Her eyes glowed from within, power exuding from her, and I stalled before her.
I turned, staring at Conner and Hope, who both watched me with pride. They had no idea what it meant to be crowned Queen to Witches. I shook my head as my heart squeezed with what it would mean for them if I accepted it.
“Laura Aria Cheveron will be crowned Queen of the Witches,” I said, hearing Laura’s sharp intake of breath. “I cannot be Queen, because I am in love with a vampire. I choose him. I choose love. I will not wear the crown that will stand between us in all things. Laura will be Queen, and I will stand beside her, ready to defend my Queen should the need ever arise. This is my oath, bound by the blood of my blood, and sister of my soul. I relinquish my right to rise to Queen and forfeit it at this time to someone better fit to rule us,” I whispered thickly as I turned, finding Laura’s eyes wide with horror as I kneeled to her. “Rise, my Queen,” I said through a smirk as laughter danced in my eyes.
“You’re an asshole, Avery.”
“You knew whom I would choose, and you are the only one fit to rule us. You will make a fierce Queen, and your decisions will be based on what is best for the coven as a whole. I cannot make that promise. I love Conner, and I am a mother to a vampire who carries my bloodline. I will always choose what is best for them, and that is not something the Queen can do. You are strong enough to do this, and I will be at your side every step of the way. We all will be. I spoke to the others before I made this decision. I didn’t make it lightly. I love you as my sister; you know that. I would never be able to give my whole heart to the coven, as Conner has had it since the moment he saved me.”
“I’m really mad at you, so stop making my heart ache, asshole. I accept, but on the condition that we create a coven that is one with the vampires. I want a united hive that allows us to live as one. I want a place where those who are broken and hurt can seek shelter and find sanctuary. I want a world in which both will accept your daughter, and create a new, better world for her to live within. That is my request to ascend to Queen, Avery. Yes or no?”
“I don’t know if I can…”
“Agreed, but only if you do me the honor of being my wife, and become my immortal mate, Avery Cheveron,” Conner said from directly behind me. I turned, finding him down on one knee with a delicate, silver band that had once belonged to my mother held between his fingers. His eyes searched mine as he waited for my answer. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I don’t want to live in it without you. I can’t ever take away the pain of the past, or the shit I did when I thought you had betrayed me, but I do know I want to try. I want you; I’ve always wanted you since the moment you whispered my name and tried to protect me from the sickness that ravaged through you. I love you, imp. I love you so much it fucking aches. Marry me. Marry me, and be my Queen and rule at my side.”
“Yes,” I whispered through tears that choked off my words.
Conner rose from the ground and held me in his arms as he kissed me before every witch and vampire present. His hands smoothed down my back as he rested his forehead against mine.
“I’m going to love you until the sun burns out and this world dies around us. Even then, I will love you from this life into our next, my soulmate.”
“Does this mean I don’t get two Christmases?” Hope asked, and we turned, staring at her. “Mayhem said if you guys didn’t hook up, I would get twice the presents.”
“She takes after you,” Conner uttered against my ear.
“Pretty sure she takes after both of us, which is way worse than just one of us.”
“Wait, witches will live with us?” she asked excitedly and started jumping and clapping her hands as if she were a child.
“Eventually, but there are many things that need to happen before it can be arranged,” Conner said softly. “First, I have to marry your mother before she changes her mind.”
I smiled at him as something slithered over my flesh. My smile faltered and I turned to stare at Laura, who frowned as she watched me with a foreboding stare. “Did you feel that?” I asked, and we both looked up at the sky as the moon was blocked out by darkness.
“Something dark is coming,” she said.
“Something evil is in the air,” I agreed.
“Darkness is falling, and no one is safe, you must come to this very wicked place.” We turned, staring at Hope who watched us through black eyes. The glyphs that covered her bare shoulders pulsed with power and I frowned as she turned, staring at the moonless night. “Come one, come all, it’s time to gather at the ball. There are hexes in the air for those who care,” she whispered. As we watched, her eyes turned back to violet and she frowned. “Something wicked is coming; what will you wear? Choose it carefully, for you may find more than hexes to be dancing in the air.”
“Hope?” I whispered as she shook her head and smiled at me.
“Is she a seer of darkness?” Laura asked as she moved to my daughter,
placing a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes turned white as she saw what Hope had just seen. “No, not evil,” Laura groaned. “It’s way worse. I’ve been summoned to the Witches’ Ball in New Orleans through Witch Radio, which apparently happens to be your daughter, somehow. Something is trying to warn us against it though, as if there were clues in the invitation. I must call the western side of the state and see if Brandt is aware of it or has felt the darkness in the wind. He and Claire have been very helpful in the last week, even with everything they have going on, and other issues they’ve had to deal with.”
“So, we don’t go then,” I offered. “Not if something is trying to warn us against it.”
“I’ll go,” Laura stated as she brought her hand down and turned to me. “It’s not a request that we attend; it’s a decree that all covens send at least two witches to attend it as representation. I am the newly appointed Queen, and I have been personally summoned to attend it. I will go. You can hold the coven down and deal with whatever the hell he is speaking about. I’d rather not be saddled down with paperwork anyway. Payback is a bitch, Avery,” she said with a sassy smirk lifting her lips.
“I think I can handle paperwork,” I said as I studied my daughter’s slumped shoulders. “Hope needs time to get to know her aunt though, and with everything here being mundane and up in the air, you could take her with you. Get to know your niece and show her around to those who will accept her.”
“I don’t think that’s a wise choice,” Conner injected, his hands reaching for mine as he shook his head. “You just said there is darkness in the air; she’s our daughter.”
“Addison is right; Hope is both of us, Conner. She is stronger than you think she is and carries a very powerful bloodline in her veins. You and I will smother her light trying to protect her; it’s a given. She is our daughter. But she has to get out there and spread her wings, and she also has to be allowed to show the world that she is a force of nature, one who won’t be fucked with. We can’t do that for her, only she can. Laura is the second strongest witch alive, second only to me. She will protect Hope, and it’s a ball for Goddess’s sake. How dangerous can it be?”
“She knows little of our world, other than what she’s learned on YouTube or the internet,” he argued.
“She’s two hundred years old and has never been kissed. You can’t just step in and be her father, no more than I can just become her mother. You also can’t stop her from growing up. Besides, I don’t plan to let you out of bed for at least a few weeks. Let Laura take her and send Mayhem with them. Lord knows he will scare off anyone stupid enough to try to touch our daughter unwantedly.”
“Are you serious?” Hope asked, and I turned, staring at Laura, who smiled at me.
“I’m honored that you trust me enough not to fuck up your daughter, Avery. I’d be honored to take her with me to the Witches’ Ball. I won’t even talk mad shit about her father while we are away,” Laura said and scrunched up her nose as Hope flung herself into her arms. “You must get that from your mother,” she chuckled as Hope bounced from foot to foot, excited.
“This is amazing!” she beamed as she started towards us and hugged us both as we placed our arms around her. I stared at Conner over her dark head and smiled as tears swam in my eyes. “I don’t care about the past, or what happened, but I am glad you’re my parents. I am also happy for you both, and glad you’re putting it all behind you and will be getting married. You both deserve to be happy.”
“She gets that from me,” I said with an embellished wink to Conner.
“She got a lot of things from you, imp. Her astounding inner beauty and diversity is something I will never argue over because it’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place.”
“Is now a good time to tell you that I stole a womb?” I whispered and Hope stepped back, making a grossed-out face as she back pedaled towards Laura, who stood away from us with the coven, going over her plans for New Orleans.
“You stole a what?” he asked.
“I took a womb so that we can try again. Johor was allowing hers to go to waste, and I want babies with you. I want my forever with you. I don’t care if we’re immortally hexed, because as long as I have you, nothing else matters. I want a son, one who is as brave and strong as his father. I want you. I want everything back that was stolen from us, and I want to start trying for a son right now. Let’s not wait or waste time. Let’s start our forever right now.”
“I love you, sweet witch. I don’t know how you can forgive me, or how I will make up for what happened to you, but since you’re immortal, I have plenty of time to do so.”
“I don’t need you to do anything other than love me. Take me home, I need to bathe, and then I need you to make love to me. I love you, Conner. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”
~The End~
Wicked Hexes
Wicked Hexes is coming in October 2019, Laura’s story! Make sure to stay tuned in the Midnight Coven group for updates on all exciting things Coven related.
About the Author
Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She’s an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.
http://www.facebook.com/authorameliahutchins
http://amelia-hutchins.com/
Immortal Promise
Vampire Mates
Kim Loraine
It’s been close to seventy-two hours since my life was changed irrevocably. I walked into a coffee shop and laid eyes on the woman meant for me. Like a scene from a Greek tragedy, that was the same moment she’d been brought to death’s door. I’ve spent three nights waiting to see if I’ve done what a mate should do for his woman—save her. No matter the situation, my instinct screams for me to protect, defend, and claim her. My eyes burn from the effort of keeping them open as, once again, I feel the sun begin to rise even from the safety of my home. I will not sleep until I know she is mine.
“Brandt, Elaine has transitioned. This one is a lost cause,” my friend and fellow vampire Mattias says.
A growl builds in my chest. How can he expect me to give up so easily? “Stay out of this. You have what you want. I can sense the spark of life in her.”
He approaches, and I shoot him a glare that would wither a lesser man. “She’s gone. You can’t stay here like this much longer.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to in order to serve her when she rises.”
Letting out a sigh, Mattias places a hand on my shoulder. “I am taking Elaine back to my clan at sunset. She’s still in the haze of her transition, but soon she’s going to ask about Claire. I have to tell her the truth.”
Claire. My mate’s name is like a stake through my heart. All this time by her side and I never knew. I run a finger over her pale cheek. “Claire,” I say, testing out the feel of her name on my tongue. I want to say it and have her eyes flutter open, for her to offer me a smile, for her lips to utter my name as well.
“I must tend to Elaine. Please, consider what I said, Brandt. You need rest.”
I shake off Mattias’ hand and return my aching gaze to Claire’s eerily still form. “Safe journey.”
I feel it when he leaves the room, and soon my eyes are too heavy to keep open, the sting in my blood feeling more like fire. My lids slide closed, and all I know is darkness.
* * *
“Where the ever-loving fuck am I?” A woman’s voice shakes me from my rest.
I bolt upright, gaze trained on the brunette in my bed. “Claire,” I breathe.
Her eyes widen, and she backs up, clutching the sheet and pulling it up to her chin. “Who are you? How did I get here?” Then her memories must flood back, because she turns the color of bone and lets out a cry as she touches the now healed wound across h
er neck. “He…he slit my throat.”
“Easy, love. He’s gone. Never to harm you again.” I reach my hand out, but she flinches away.
“Everything hurts. It’s so…loud in here.”
“It’s your transition. You must feed before you’ll feel as you should.”
“I…feed?”
Slicing open my wrist with my own fangs, I offer her my blood. “From me.”
“Fuck you, asshole. Is this some kind of twisted game? I’m not drinking your blood.”
“You will if you want to live.” I know instantly that was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes show nothing but fear in their depths.
“What happened to Laney? Where is she? Let me go. Please. I won’t tell anyone where you live. I promise.”
“Claire, your cousin is fine. Her mate turned her and saved her life.”
“I…I should be dead.”
I shake my head. “You’re a vampire. You’re transitioning because the man who attacked you slit your throat, but I saved you. I turned you. But you have to drink now or your body will reject the change. You’ll be truly dead.”
I stand over her, holding my wrist close to her lips. I know I’ve got her when she inhales through her nose and her pupils dilate at the scent of the blood. She licks her lips, and my fucking cock goes rock hard at the sight of her pink tongue darting out of her mouth. I could force her, use my power to transfix her and command her to drink, but I won’t. She needs to do this of her own free will.
“I don’t want to be a vampire,” she whispers.
“But you don’t want to be dead either.”
Her brow furrows. “No…I don’t.”
“Drink, my mate. Then we’ll move through this together and come out on the other side.”
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