“What is this we hear?” Niall boomed out. Viola shrank back from his immense presence. She regretted shifting to human, but she wanted to hold Sergei in her arms.
“It is with great sadness, All Knowing,” Sergei bowed his head in reverence, “that I must tell you Cassandra is dead.”
“Who killed her? And were you her Protector at the time?”
Viola felt ice chill her all over. She had forgotten that part.
“She was killed by the Cult of Humanity. But I was not her Protector. She had asked for me, merely to prove a point to Viola. She had flown on ahead, and when they attacked, I was too late to save her. I stopped them before they could take her body to perform the ritual one.”
“Did you purify the scene with fire?” One of the elders, a red Celtic asked.
“I did.”
“Viola, is what he says true?” Niall turned his golden stare on her.
Viola closed her eyes and waved her hands around. She didn’t gaze into the weave, but she could still feel a pair of eyes looking at her from the beyond. The gaping hole she sensed was stitching itself back up. Soon Cassandra would be absorbed in the weave, now that the Cult’s spell that had trapped the Queens was destroyed.
“Yes, and Kira says that justice is done. Cassandra killed her.”
The elders frowned and talked among themselves. Only Justice glared at her. She waited for him to call her out on her lie. To name Sergei as the murderer. But he didn’t. Still she felt judged and accepted the guilt. While she didn’t directly command Sergei to kill Cassandra, she knew what he would do if given the opportunity. Did that make her as bad as Cassandra? Not yet, but a part of her felt she made a turn that she could never return from. She could live with that, if it kept Sergei by her side and her eggs safe.
Epilogue
One year later
Viola was ready to knock on the door to her parents’ house when the door was flung open.
“Where are my grandbabies?” Her mother cooed, plucking the two little dragons out of Sergei’s arms.
“Francine, let them come through the door first,” her father said and opened the door wider to welcome them in.
But her mother had already left them on the doorstep while she brought little Ivan and Tatiana up to Viola’s old room. A room that was now redecorated into a dragon nursery.
“You know, for someone who hates dragons so much, she’s definitely come around.” Viola peered up the stairs, listening to the sound of her mother singing a lullaby.
“She still hasn’t warmed up to me,” Sergei said.
“That’s because she still hasn’t forgiven you for whapping her upside the head with your tail in the hospital room.” Viola followed her father into the kitchen and sat down.
Sebastian was making a turkey dinner, for no other reason than it was Sunday and she was coming to visit. It hadn’t been all roses and candy for her mother and Viola these last few months. But it was nice to get to a point where there weren’t any more accusations and general nastiness going on—thanks to the transformative power of grandchildren.
“Did she ever sing to me like that?” Viola asked.
Sebastian took a great interest in basting the bird. “I’m sure she did,” he hedged.
“I didn’t think so.” Viola’s head reared back as a vision suddenly over took her.
Help me.
Another Queen was in danger. But Viola had her own team now, and with the help of Kira, Amaranthe, and Justice, this Queen, like all the others, was as good as rescued.
“Uh, Dad, we’ve got to go,” Viola said, gathering Sergei up with a look. “Is it okay if we leave the twins here for a few hours?”
“Your mother will be thrilled,” he said. “Do you need any help?”
“Nah,” Viola said, clasping Sergei’s hand. “We’ve got this.”
The End
Did you love this Entangled Select Otherworld? Check out more of our titles here!
And for exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more…
Be sure to like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt is a hybrid author who has over thirty short stories published in small press and ezines, and a variety of novellas and books online. Her Club Inferno series from Random House has been in Amazon’s Top 100 ebooks sold, Barnes and Noble’s Top 10, and has over 200 four and five star reviews on Goodreads. Jamie has collaborated with celebrities on books and novellas, and her work is available in several countries. Her hard cover debut was with adult film star, Jenna Jameson’s SPICE, the third book in the Fate series. A past president of the Connecticut Romance Writer’s of America, Jamie conducts several writing workshops a year and has a social media Klout score of 62.
Sign up for our Steals & Deals newsletter and be the first to hear about new releases from Jamie K. Schmidt and other fantastic Entangled authors!
Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!
Discover the Emerging Queens series…
The Queen’s Wings
FBI dragon Reed’s disdain for humans can’t mask the magnetic attraction he has for Carolyn, but when she tells him she’s going to shift into a dragon he thinks she’s crazy. A female hasn’t been hatched, or shape shifted, in over a thousand years. He’s proven wrong after Carolyn shifts and is named the new Queen on the block. When the Cult of Humanity kidnaps Carolyn to sacrifice her, Reed must face his fears—and feelings, racing to save the woman he realizes he can’t live without.
Discover more Entangled Select Otherworld titles…
Blood Moon
a Moon novel by Lisa Kessler
Nadya Dalca has been bitten by the last living genetically enhanced werewolf, and with the poisonous blood now coursing through her system, it is only a matter of time before Nadya’s fate is sealed. Caught up in a maelstrom of grief and bitterness, Gareth Takoda has been isolating himself from his Pack. But when he is charged with watching over Nadya’s first transformation—or bear witness should it go horribly wrong—Gareth is torn further by unwanted desire and the need to protect what is his.
Angel Lover
an Angel Assassins novel by Tricia Skinner
The Nephilim are bound. Their powers cursed. But half-angel Kasdeja will do anything to free them from Heaven’s tyranny. When Kas is approached by a striking, mysterious woman, she tells him his greatest enemies hold the key to his freedom. Mariel’s directive is to seduce the gorgeous Nephilim. But her assignment isn’t just seduction. It’s destruction.
Pale Moon Walking
a novel by Paula Altenburg
US Marshall Sam Kyote has been sent to the dry old town of Coyote Bluff to recuperate from a top-secret government experiment that’s left this law man a little…well, different. But Sam’s about to find out that the town of Coyote Bluff has a whole lot of secrets. Most of which lead to Libby Mayden—the sexy, long-legged, and tight-lipped sheriff who saved his ass from an alien ambush. But as a searing sexual attraction ignites between them, Libby will be forced to choose between her secrets…and her heart.
Crazy Over You
a Taming the Pack novel by Wendy Sparrow
Waking up with a naked woman holding a knife at his throat is just about the last thing Sheriff Travis Flynn expected. LeAnn Wilcox isn’t looking for love…especially not from some wolf in sheriff’s clothing. She operates on the other side of the law. The cool, logical Sheriff has finally met his match, but LeAnn’s life is at stake if she won’t claim her place in the pack, especially once his control over the pack is challenged and her brother’s fate is questioned.
okFrom.Net
The Queen's Flight (Emerging Queens) Page 24