But now Kelia was here. She had captured his heart—from what he had said before—which indicated he was ready to leave his past behind. But clearly his past was not ready to leave him.
"Ma'am?"
The Lycan's low voice snapped Kelia out of her thoughts, and she refocused her attention back on the three options at hand. She immediately nixed the idea of the white dress. It looked too much like a wedding dress and weddings were the last thing on her mind. There was also a red dress and a green dress. She had worn red before, and found that she liked it very much, but she had never worn a green one—not one cut in such a way—that she could not help but be drawn to it.
"The green," Kelia murmured, finding it difficult to say the words.
The Lycan's lips curled up, and she nodded, still unable to look Kelia in the eye. She removed the dress from where it hung and went behind the changing divider. Kelia assumed she needed to follow.
The Lycan stripped Kelia of the towel and placed a crisp shift over her head and fit it to her body. When she finished with that, she assisted Kelia with dressing in the gown. It possessed less skirts than gowns usually did, something Kelia preferred because it was easier to maneuver in. However, the corset the Lycan tied onto her chest caused Kelia to gasp for air. She had not worn a corset since her time on Port George, and even then, it had never been this tight. However, it had the desired effect of pushing up her breasts until they nearly reached her collarbone.
Once that was completed, it was time to slip into the dress. It was cut low in front in the shape of a square, the sleeves barely covering her shoulders. The dress itself clung to her body and swelled at her hips before falling to the floor.
"Would you like slippers to go with this, ma'am?" the Lycan asked.
Kelia shook her head. "I'll have my boots."
The Lycan led Kelia over to a boudoir and gently placed her hands on Kelia's shoulders to sit her on the edge of the bed. After slipping on Kelia's boots, the Lycan did Kelia's hair and makeup. It felt as though Kelia would be attending some sort of ball rather than a supper with a Shadow Queen who hated her.
"What is your name?" Kelia asked the Lycan after she put on the finishing touches and wove a flower through Kelia's hair.
The Lycan blinked, almost as though she was confused by the question, before she tilted her head forward so more of her black hair fell into her face. Immediately, her fingers shot up and curled the strands behind her ears.
"Anya," she murmured demurely, though her lips curled up into a gentle smile. "My name is Anya, ma'am."
"Thank you, Anya," Kelia said in return, "for all of your help. It must have been hard work. I know I did not look my best when I first arrived, and I appreciate the effort you put in cleaning me up and making me look more presentable."
"Oh, no." Anya shook her head. She finally caught Kelia's eyes in the mirror before them. "You're wonderful. We all speak about who it is that finally caught the attention of Drew Knight, and I am not disappointed. The Queen, herself, is the most beautiful creature but..." Her gaze shot to the door, as though she were afraid the Queen would rip the door off its hinges and come after her. Still, the Lycan pressed on. "She's rotting on the inside, a black core like a bad apple. Drew Knight had never been the sort of man you tied down. He preferred his freedom, freedom she did not want to give because she was afraid once given, he would never return. So he took it for himself and she has been heartbroken ever since."
Kelia played with the material of her skirts, the soft clothing clinging to her thighs. It was difficult to talk about Drew. It was difficult to hear about him. However, she forced herself to nod. She had done enough crying today.
Her stomach interrupted their conversation, and giggle bubbled out of Anya. Kelia smiled as well. It was a sound she did not expect from such a place, but one she would treasure because she did not think she would hear another in a long, long time.
"Are you ready, ma'am?" Anya asked.
Kelia stood. "Please," she said. "Call me Kelia."
Another small smile. "Kelia," she said as though she wanted to test out the word. "Are you ready?"
Kelia's stomach rumbled before she could respond. Could one be ready for what was to come?
As they headed down the staircase, the aroma of onion and spices floated in the air, tingling Kelia’s tongue and making her mouth water. Being on board a pirate ship filled with Sea Shadows left much to be desired when it came to sustenance as a human, so she was looking forward to an array of foods she had not had in a long while because they would rot on journeys when confined to a ship. Cheese was especially important to her; she would not be surprised if she found herself stuffing an entire block of it in her mouth.
Or perhaps that was her hunger talking.
The lavish dining room was filled with more light than Kelia expected. A large chandelier hung low over the dining table with multiple candles overhead. They smelled of lavender and reminded Kelia of those candles her old friend from the Society had. The thought of Jennifer made Kelia's heart sink, but she cleared her throat and twisted her fingers, hoping to cause any memory of Jennifer and her betrayal to disappear.
The Queen had not arrived yet. However, there was a spread on the table, food Kelia wanted to grab and devour. One of the servants pulled a chair out for her at the end of the table, and she slid down, shoving her hands between her thighs in order to prevent herself from doing just that.
The entranceway to the kitchen was in the back. There was a small door off to the side. Besides her and the servant that had just walked away, she was the only person in the room.
There was a tinkling above her, and she glanced up to see the chandelier moving to a slight breeze Kelia did not feel. She clenched her thighs and took a deep breath, trying not to think about the possibility of the chandelier plummeting to the surface of the table and setting everything, Kelia included, on fire.
A door creaked open. Kelia snapped her head up, instantly rolling her shoulders back so she appeared more confident than she felt. But it was not the Queen. It was only a servant—a different one this time—holding a jug. The servant walked directly over to Kelia and poured a crimson-colored liquid into her goblet. Kelia stiffened, flaring her nose and trying to decipher what that was.
Not wanting to risk it—even though her throat screamed at her to down the entire glass regardless that she had nothing in her stomach to counter the drink—she glanced up at the servant. Like Anya, the woman did not look at Kelia.
"What is this?" she asked. The question was blunt, but Kelia did not care.
The servant opened her mouth, ready to respond, when someone interrupted her.
"Wine," the voice said. "Concocted right here, on this island."
Kelia turned her head slowly, her heart rapidly pounding against her chest like the wings of a hummingbird flapping wildly. The same voice from behind the door.
The Queen.
When Kelia finally locked eyes with her, her mouth got drier than it already was. She could not blame Drew for his infatuation with her. The Queen breezed gracefully to the table, dressed in a surprisingly simple dark violet gown that left her shoulders bare and her cleavage teasingly cut out of the front. Her flawless, olive-colored skin nearly radiated, and her straight, dark hair swept elegantly into an updo. She was taller than most women—slender and curvy and strong—and didn’t need the subtle makeup on her face.
Everything about her was feminine and delicate, except her brown eyes. They were filled with power, like she knew what she was and reveled in it. Kelia instantly knew the woman used her fragile looks to her advantage. Everyone seemed to want to save her when the truth of the matter was she could save herself.
A servant popped out of nowhere and pulled out the chair opposite Kelia. The Queen took her seat, gracefully sweeping her skirts to the side.
"Kelia Starling," the Queen said, looking across the narrow table at Kelia. Besides the meat, there was nothing inhibiting their view from one another. "It is
a pleasure to finally meet you."
Kelia forced a smile and leaned forward. Her hunger was forgotten now that she was in the presence of the Queen, though the scent emanating from the variety of food still tried to steal her attention.
"You must be hungry," the Queen said. Kelia glanced up and found a hint of an amused smile touching her face. "Please, fill your plate and then fill it again. Eat as much as you would like."
Kelia hesitated. Just the mention of food made her stomach growl even louder. As much as she wanted to be prideful, she could not. She reached out and started scooping mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, meats, chicken, rolls, and gravy onto the porcelain plate. The Queen did the same. In fact, Kelia was surprised to see the amount of food on her plate, for a creature of darkness that did not need to consume it.
When Kelia finished loading her plate, the Queen leaned back in her chair.
"We have much to discuss, Ms. Starling," she said, that same small smile on her face as she picked up her fork. "Please...eat."
Chapter 27
Kelia didn’t hesitate. But she should have.
She started eating while the Queen took the crispy golden bread from a silver tray that radiated heat as though the rolls were fresh from the oven.
The Queen broke the bread, but didn’t actually eat. Shadows didn’t desire food the way humans did.
Each bite melted in Kelia’s mouth. The taste warmed her tongue. She consumed faster than she could enjoy, but she did not mind it. She needed to fill her belly first, and then worry about the actual taste of the food once she was not so desperate with hunger.
"Are you enjoying it?" the Queen asked. Her elbows rested on the table, her fingers steepled. She peered across the table at Kelia like a cat that was clearly up to no good.
Kelia turned to the potatoes when her stomach twisted. She paused, waiting to feel what seemed to be upsetting her stomach, but after nothing more happened, shook her head and continued to devour her food. She was so focused on that one task that she had completely forgotten the Queen had asked her a question.
"I do not even remember what it’s like to be human." The Queen took a long sip of wine from her goblet. "Your food offers little in taste or sustenance to me."
Kelia chewed as she cut another sliver of meat, but paused as she suddenly realized what struck her as odd. This island was too empty for Shadows. Where was their blood supply? Could their desire for blood be magicked away?
"I have grown accustomed to blood from the purest of resources, you see," the Queen continued. "But it is so hard to find pure people anymore, unless we consume the blood of children, and while I do pride myself on my vicious nature, I cannot seem to indulge in that. I do not want the responsibility of caring for Shadow children. My God, that would be a travesty."
Kelia wasn’t certain how the Queen expected her to respond to that, so she did not respond at all. Instead, she continued to eat. When she remembered to drink, she would wash down her food with her wine before filling her mouth with more potatoes, meat, and bread.
She didn’t think she would ever stop eating. Aside from some scraps and an apple from Navven, she’d been five days without food. It was enough to weaken her sensibilities, and if she planned on escaping this island at some point, she needed to be at her healthiest. She would not survive otherwise.
"I cannot even remember when I was born." The Queen inhaled deeply. "I remember nothing of my past, before this life I was forced into. The East India Company took advantage of me, you see. They turned me into this monster. But what used to be a prison is now my freedom. I have so much power running in this body that I do not know what to do with myself."
Kelia burped suddenly. The sound came out of her mouth before she realized what had happened. She felt her cheeks turn pink, especially as the Queen tittered to herself. Even her laughter sounded posh and elegant. How had she burped? Kelia would never burp like this, even in front of people she did not care about. She did have a sense of pride, after all.
"When I was transformed, I took a new name," the Queen said, still smiling. "Tatiana de L'obscurité, Royale. Queen Tatiana of Royal Darkness. If they wanted to damn me with this curse, I would be the wickedest Sea Shadow who ever lived, and that meant with them as well. The East India Company could not control my feelings or my thoughts, so I bided my time until the moment was right, and I unleashed my power on them. I let them know we could work together as equals or I would take over. They could not match my power."
Kelia's stomach churned once more. This time, it was deeper, more guttural. She paused again, waiting for her stomach to settle. She had satiated the majority of her hunger, so she was not completely desperate for food, but she had intended to finish what was on her plate.
A servant came by and filled up her goblet before disappearing, leaving Kelia and the Queen alone with their food once more.
"Do you know who helped me break free of the chains that bound me to the company?" the Queen asked, slowly coming to a stand. She walked around the table and, when she reached Kelia's side, squatted down on the balls of her feet.
Kelia swallowed the food that was in her mouth, surprised that the Queen would be informal with her—kneeling down, practically on her knees, the hem on the gown filling the space around her.
The Queen reached up to cup Kelia's face with her hand, and Kelia stiffened under her touch.
"You really are quite beautiful," the Queen said. "In your own unique way, of course." She dropped her hand but only to start playing with errant strands of Kelia's hair, wrapping the locks around her long finger and gently tugging until it pulled at Kelia’s roots. "I remember I used to want blonde hair when I was young. I thought only the pretty girls had fair hair. But I was wrong."
Kelia's stomach shook. She could not describe it in any other way. She struggled to hide how much her stomach was bothering her.
"I found Drew on his ship—the Wraith," the Queen continued, slowly unwinding the strand of hair from her finger. "He was weak, but he was captivated by me. Even now, I still remember the look in his eyes when he saw me. The ship had crashed to shore. The men were dead. He was the only survivor. The East India Company had been after him for years. He was a pirate, slippery like an eel, intelligent like a dolphin." She smiled fondly at the memory, dropping her hand to her lap. "I needed to feed. I had fed on everyone else, but I wanted Drew's blood to enjoy, not to use as mere sustenance. So I kept him for myself, against the Company's wishes, without their knowledge. I fed him. I took care of him. If it were not for me and my generosity, he would have died that day."
"How did the ship crash to shore?"
Kelia did not know why she needed to hear the answer. She did not expect any words to come out of her mouth now that her stomach was in such pain.
"Why do you ask me this, princess? What is going on in that head of yours?"
"Drew is...an excellent captain." Kelia had to pause, waiting for a particularly painful wrench in her gut to ease, if only slightly. "I am sure that...such a thing does not change, even...over a course of...a century. What...what caused the ship to crash?"
The Queen's lips curled into a feral grin and she stood.
"Clever girl," she said, stepping around the chair so she stood at Kelia's other side. "I caused the ship to crash. If I pleased the East India Company, I got to kill Drew's crew. They found out about him, of course. They find out everything. I was tempted to kill Drew as well, though the Company wanted him publicly hanged from the gallows, a form of entertainment for the people on Port Royal and, more than that, a warning to all pirates who acted against the crown. However, I kept Drew to myself. And anyone who dared try to take him from me, I ripped to shreds. They stopped sending men after me after I killed their fifth lieutenant."
Needles seemed to be poking at Kelia from the inside. She let out a whimper and hunched over, clutching her stomach. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. She should not have trusted the food from this monster.
"That was
when I realized I had more power over my domain than I believed," the Queen said. "When I fed from Drew that first time, I was careful. He did not know what was happening, and neither did I. Something was different. I did not set out to kill him. Watching him transform... I felt my heart swell. It was a beautiful thing, creating a companion so this forever life would not be so lonely. Drew would be my partner forever, and we could transform others and raise them, like a pack of children or an army."
Kelia opened her mouth to reply, to point out that children and armies were two very different things. However, the Queen kept sharing, and Kelia was in such terrible pain that even if she had the opportunity to speak, she would not be able to take advantage of it.
"Drew was the great love of my life," the Queen said. "And anything that comes between us needs to be put down.” The Queen leaned down, her breath cold against Kelia’s ear. “You will no longer come between us, princess."
"And what if..." Kelia whimpered and clenched her teeth to keep any more at bay. She did not want this beast to have the satisfaction of knowing she was hurting Kelia. "What if Drew is the one...getting in the way of you two. Because...because from what he tells me, he wants...wants nothing to do with you."
The Queen reached up and grabbed Kelia's hair, pulling it back with a tight fist. Kelia had to close her eyes. Her scalp was not the only place the pain came from. She was forced to stretch her torso, which caused her stomach to tumble with pain. If she bit any harder on her bottom lip, she was certain she would draw blood.
Gift of Darkness: Book 3 in The Vampire Pirate Saga Page 21