Queen Heir (NYC Mecca series Book 1)

by Jaymin Eve

  She flipped it open, turning a few more pages, before stopping on one near the center. She nodded. “Yep, I can do this.”

  I stood and peered over her shoulder. The text was unreadable, all dots and swirls and runes. “Can you read that?” I asked, bewildered.

  She nodded. “Can’t you?”

  “Nevermind. What’s it say?”

  She set the book down and faced me, grinning. “It’s a transmutation spell to make our wolves look like ordinary animals. Dogs, rabbits, butterflies.”

  “Whoa,” I breathed. That was a magic Finn instinctively could do, mutate himself slightly, but no one knew how the familiars got the power. I’d never seen a shifter do it.

  “I’m not sure I can easily do a butterfly, but I could turn us into two dogs.”

  I grinned. A run through Central Park? That was exactly what I needed to calm my nerves before the coronation.

  “Do it,” I told her. Normally the Manhattan pack went on runs outside the city. Huge buses left three times a day for any who needed to get away and shed their skin. As an alpha and heir, I was more in control of my wolf. I could go months without a shift if I had to, but it wasn’t good for either of us. Since the buses weren’t an option for me … if Violet had a way for us to escape inside the city, I was going to take it.

  “Stop right there!” Calista shrieked, and we both turned to face her.

  “You will NOT experiment with new magic on the queen.”

  Violet rolled her eyes. “We’re just going for a run, it’ll be fine. I know I can do this. It’s simple really, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before.”

  But my advisor shook her head. “Try it on me first,” she instructed as she began to undress.

  Violet threw her arms up. “Fine.”

  Twenty minutes later, four of us were in our magical doggy disguises, and I had five of my royal guards leading us to Central Park. Calista, Violet, Finn and I were frolicking through the streets of Manhattan, followed closely by my guards, who were looking like New York City’s hottest dog walkers. Derek had wanted to run as well, but I couldn’t afford to lose all my dominants. Unfortunately I was queen now and people would want to kill me. So Derek had to be a walker, along with Ben, Victor, Blaine and Monica. They held our leashes loosely, which was always best when you were dealing with wolves. Even with the logical human side of me in place, I hated being caged and would fight. Instinct could only be pushed down so far.

  It was still early and not many people were on the sidewalks, only a few joggers and the random girl doing the walk of shame. I looked over at Violet, who was a beautiful tan Labrador, and had a sudden thought. Maybe this was the spell that woman was using to disguise her familiar. That meant she had knowledge of old magics, and also had a powerful magic born at her disposal. Before I could think more on it, we entered Central Park. The guards unclipped our leads and Finn took off running. Grinning, I followed him, with Violet and Calista hot on my heels.

  Despite the fact we looked like dogs on the outside, on the inside it was the same as always when I shifted to wolf, the animalistic side of me rising to the surface, the less complicated emotions, the freedom. Nothing had changed for me yet, I was still only connected to the mecca at the level of heir, but for some reason I could feel the magic everywhere. Should that be happening before I was crowned?

  As the wind brushed through my fur and my paws pounded the ground, I reveled in the fact that this was all mine now. This city, these wolves, my responsibility and my people. The very energy of the world was thrumming through me. Along with the realization that this would be my last carefree moment before the responsibilities of being queen were placed upon me.

  Calista slowed as we saw a woman jogging with her gray pit-bull. The dog met my eyes briefly and then cowered, running past us as quickly as possible. I chuckled internally, and as I turned to meet up with the rest of the group, a flash of white caught my eye. It quickly disappeared, before reappearing again in the midst of some bushes. I had to blink twice, wondering if I’d just lost my mind. There was no way … that was one animal I’d never expected to see again. Finn must have felt my shock because he let out a whine and ran to my side.

  What is it? He stepped in front of me in a protective gesture.

  I couldn’t even fathom it. I’d seen her blood all over the library, and her body lay frozen in the palace. It wasn’t possible.

  I think I just saw the late queen’s lynx.

  What in the hell was going on in my city? A secret heir walking around with a lioness familiar, and now this? But it couldn’t be Ragnar. Once a queen dies her familiar dies too. Still, something inside me pushed to check it out further. Finn and I were a little separated from the others, so when we both dashed into the bushes, following the trail of the lynx, no one noticed. My guards and Calista were going to kill me, but I had no time to call for them. If that was the queen’s familiar, he could be gone in moments. Plus I had Finn, and not much could best him. He’d even had control over Larak until the snake went for the underhanded sneak attack. Should have cooked that little creep.

  Is there any possible way her familiar could not have died with her? I asked Finn, our pace picking up as we dodged around trees and trash cans.

  No, we are even more tied to you than you are to us. We cannot live without our heir.

  That damn snake flashed across my mind again, and a shudder tore through me.

  I can’t live without you either. My soul and yours are equally linked.

  I could feel his love and joy. We were soul bound, best friends. I wanted for nothing more than him to live forever with me.

  The faint scent of the animal I was following led me into a denser part of the park, which was a relief because even disguised as dogs, if animal control got wind of us roaming around there’d be trouble. We were relatively covered by all the bushes.

  Over there! Finn said with urgency, and I caught sight of another flash of white.

  I was full-on sprinting now, uncaring about the people around, barely even noticing as they screamed and dashed out of the way from two huge dogs.

  Finn and I were fast, I had no idea if we were actually chasing the queen’s familiar – seriously, it was impossible – but whatever we were chasing seemed even faster. The edge of the park was closing in, and there was now no scent, no trail, and no sight of any white animal.

  I was panting a little, Finn not at all.

  Maybe I imagined it, I said.

  There was a small, white creature, but I never got a good enough look to confirm it was the lynx.

  I shook out my fur, pacing a little, my snout close to the ground as I continued to scent.

  We know that it’s most likely not, but I’m starting to wonder now if it was another familiar, like that lab/lioness that followed you.

  Were there like a bunch of heirs and familiars stashed around this place? Finn didn’t reply, instead he started loping away from me, heading out of the nature reserve and into the city. He was not moving fast, and there was less fierceness than usual on his doggy face, but I could sense he was following something.

  Even though I knew I should get back to my guards, I took off after him, wondering what the heck he was doing. I didn’t like leaving him alone in the city with so much craziness going on. He’d been followed only a few days ago.

  He led me across some streets, along a small alleyway, which smelled horrific to my extra sensitive wolf nose, and then back into another section of Central Park. It was damper here, the scent of water permeating my nostrils.

  There was also a weird humming of energy in the air, which felt like the mecca, but then also not like it. Finn’s pace never increased, but he had begun snarling, fangs on full show. I had almost caught him now, which meant I slammed into him when he ground to a sudden halt, right before a small body of water. It was one of the lakes where you’d usually find lily pads and ducks this time of year. There was nothing across this one though, nothing to disturb the water beside
s a faint shine, almost like a slick of oil coating the surface.

  What is it? What did you see?

  Finn turned to me, and I could see he wasn’t sure. Something had drawn him here though, and that made me take a second look around. I paced closer, avoiding actually touching the water, but still trying to see into the depths.

  I didn’t like to go into water like this when I was a wolf. Our animals couldn’t really swim; our bodies were too dense and we tended to sink. Frolicking in shallows, perfectly fine. Swimming … hell no.

  The shine was iridescent, almost like a dark version of the magic-born wolves’ coat, shimmering and undulating across the still water. Why was it rippling like that? There was nothing disturbing the water, and yet it was almost as if beneath the water a darkness lurked.

  Suddenly, energy slapped out at me and I took a step back. Finn fell into my side as a beast shot up out of the oily water. My wolf acted on instinct, growls ripping from my chest as I fell into a pouncing stance. The thing rose higher, sending cascades of water out around it.

  What the hell is that? I asked my familiar. This was no beast I had ever seen before.

  Finn’s voice was flat and low. I think it’s an ercho, a dark fae … you need to run now, Ari. Run and I will hold it off.

  Like hell, I said. I would never leave Finn to fight off this … ercho thing.

  It rose to hover just above the water, staring at us with its freaky blood-red eyes. It was like a cross between a bat, vampire, and human, standing around five feet tall, with black leathery skin and large wings, which were almost translucent. I could see the veins crossing through them. The face was bat-like, with red orb-like eyes, no real nose, and two decent sized ears. Two very large and prominent vampire fangs adorned its mouth. The body was humanoid in shape, but with no discerning of male or female. The hands were clawed, feet the same, and I was pretty sure there was a tail somewhere behind it too. This was dark magic.

  I was about to ask Finn what the hell this thing was exactly, and if he knew how to kill it, when it attacked. Moving swiftly it dived for us, or more correctly, for me. Ignoring Finn, the thing emitted a high-pitched screech that almost deafened my wolf. I hit the ground, shaking my head to try and clear the ringing. I felt claws grasp onto my back, and with way more strength than I’d expected, it wrenched me up and lifted me into the air.

  Finn, who wasn’t as affected as me by the screech, was following below. With one growl, all fangs and fury, he leaped and smashed into the side of the bat thing. He was back in his normal wolf form now, looking extra-large and ferocious. All three of us hit the ground, and Finn was back up and tearing into it with a wildness which would have scared me if I didn’t love him.

  My familiar was so calm most of the time, I forgot there was a deadly killing machine lurking beneath his pure white fur. The ercho was not going to take it lying down though. It fought back just as hard, and as I dived in to clamp my muzzle across one of its wings it sliced me across my flank with a row of spikes along its ribs that I hadn’t even noticed. The wings must have hidden them.

  I fell to the side, shaking off the pain and dragging myself up. Blood was spurting across my own white fur and onto the ground. Finn’s fury was beyond words now. I could see images in his head, and they were dark. Energy poured from him as he slammed the creature to the ground with one huge paw, and then used the other to disembowel it. Its skin was hard and leathery, and despite my familiar’s razor sharp claws, he barely cut through it.

  The ercho turned his eyes on me one more time, before managing to shove my wolf, and then with a final screech that dropped me to my belly again, it dived into the water. The shine dispersed everywhere for one second, then suddenly the water was calm and clear. No shine, no sign that some freakin’ creature had just crawled out of it.

  Finn was growling low as he crossed to me and licked up the side of my flank where I was injured. Immediate relief coursed through me.

  I’ll heal in a moment … just need time.

  He shook his head. There is no time. The ercho wanted you. It was going to take you into the water. I need to get you to the royal home, and then to the coronation. I will always protect you, but adding the mecca energy to yours will be another barrier against this threat.

  He knelt on his front paws, and with barely any help from me, lifted my body and let me slide down over his head and onto his huge back. He started moving, fast enough to get us out of there, but not so fast that I would slide off. My side was killing me again, but I could deal.

  Finn had saved my life. I’d been completely unprepared for the speed and strength of that thing. It was nothing like any shifter I’d ever fought.

  So … that’s a dark fae?

  Finn growled again. I could feel the rumbling within his big body. There are myths about the Otherworld. That there is a section reserved for a fae that is akin to the devil himself, where he lives with his creatures of great darkness … such as the ercho.

  I had no idea what to say to that. If anyone else had just said that to me I’d have laughed my butt off, thinking they were joking. But Finn would never joke about something so serious.

  How do you know all of this? I asked my familiar. Finn never usually kept things from me, but he had definitely never mentioned an ercho to me before.

  Finn’s chest rumbled. Ragnar told me once and I thought it was a fable or just a spooky story. Not worth repeating, more like gossip.

  I let that sink in. The queen’s lynx and Finn often went hunting together in this very park in the dead of night. He even considered Ragnar a friend, so it didn’t surprise me that they would share stories during their hunting trips. What did surprise me was that Ragnar would speak about the dark fae; how did he know about them? Another Red Queen mystery, for sure.

  Focusing on Finn, I nuzzled my face into him. Thank you for always being here for me, I said. I love you.

  And I you.

  There were shouts as my dominants came into sight. I knew Finn had been hiding us the best he could, but that was only from the humans. My guards and friends would see the truth.

  Calista was the first to reach us. She was back in human form and had found clothes somewhere. “Arianna! What happened?” She turned to Ben, who was the first of the guards there. He was shirtless, which explained the clothes. “We need a healer immediately. The queen is injured.”

  Ben reacted in an instant, his phone already out, but before he could dial, Violet popped out of the bushes close by. She too was human and dressed in her full Renaissance garb, although I was sure it was some type of spell. “I got this, Ben. Just keep watch.”

  Ben looked like he wanted to protest, but clearly I was looking a little worse for wear, because he relented. He stepped back and joined the rest of the royal guard, who had formed a circle around Finn and me, hiding us from sight. Blaine was kneeling down, his hands on my muzzle, gently stroking it.

  “You’re going to be fine, Princess.” I would have laughed, except I kinda felt like I was dying. He didn’t call me princess much anymore. That was an old nickname from when we were younger. First it had been a jerk thing because I was a queen heir, so sort of a princess, and he thought I was spoiled, but then as we became better friends it was a term of endearment. He hadn’t used it for a long time and it brought me comfort now.

  I found the energy to lick his hand and show him that I understood and loved him too.

  Blaine remained near my head as Finn lowered himself to snuggle against my back. Together with Violet he made sure to gently hold me in place.

  The magic born shot me a sad face. “Sorry, girl, this is going to hurt a bit.”

  She placed both hands on me, and I prepared myself as best I could. Blaine remained at my side, his huge body offering warmth and the comfort of pack. The burning in my side was intense, and as I growled and whimpered, Finn joined me in my head. My familiar’s anger was still raging within him, but he managed to calm himself enough to wrap around my mind, talking endlessly
, offering his support as Violet knit my muscles and bones back together. That creature had almost torn out my entire side.

  When she was done, both Violet and I were huffing, almost as if we’d just run a marathon.

  “Okay, you better tell me exactly what attacked you,” she said, “because that was like no wound I’ve ever had to heal before. I’m not sure you would have been able to heal that as a wolf. It would have certainly taken you a lot longer than usual.”

  I was back on my paws, but was still unsteady. There was a weakness in my energy now, which I sensed was going to take time to fill, time I didn’t have. Violet dragged me into a very dense set of bushes, as my front legs collapsed a little. She waited for Blaine to gather me up and silently follow her. She wanted me to change back, that much was clear. It was risky doing it here, but my people were keeping watch and I needed to be able to tell them exactly what had happened. Maybe Calista or Violet would know something; they were both smart, well read – and Calista had many years of knowledge on us.

  The change back was more painful than usual, and took me longer. Blaine never left my side except to growl at Derek, who was trying to crowd in with us. He knew that Derek and I were no longer together, and that I would prefer that particular dominant not see me in this sort of vulnerable state.

  For a second it had seemed as if an argument would ensure, but luckily Derek just huffed out, running his hands through his gorgeous hair, and took off.

  Fifteen minutes later I was sprawled across the ground, feeling a little like I’d just been hit by a bus.

  Clothes were handed to me, and with a little help I slipped on the tights and plain black shirt. No underwear, but that was fine. Just had to make it back to the royal home.

  Finn and Blaine were firmly glued to my side as I emerged from the bushes, and the rest of my people circled around me again. The guards were on high alert, and I wasn’t at all surprised to see more of them in the general vicinity. Ben was giving them hand signals, and I figured he was the one who had called for backup. Derek was stoic-faced, and I knew his feelings were going to cause more problems. I was loath to have to remove him from my inner dominants, but he was going to force my hand sooner or later. My own stupid fault, really, for getting romantically involved. I should have known better.