The Vampire Queen

by Brandi Elledge

  Stephan looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. He was still handsome, but there was a haggard air about him. “Yes, with my blood. It is very potent and as your sire, I can command you to do things, and you have to obey.”

  “You commanded me to heal?”

  “More or less.”

  “I appreciate that you were saving my life, but just so that we are on the same page, unless I’m dying, don’t you command me to do anything against my will.”

  “I understand that you are upset but know you are my charge and I your master. I do not need permission from you, even when it concerns you.”

  Stephan’s cell phone rang, cutting off my next biting words.

  “Ah, Ariana, so nice of you to call.” Then he stood there, barely moving, without saying a word. Whoever was on the other line was giving him no other option but to listen. After a long stretch of silence, he said, “Reading my future now, too? It seems as if you are everyone’s soothsayer nowadays. Isn’t that violating some sort of supernatural law? Because this could be considered a conflict of interest between multiple different parties.” The laughter left his voice as he listened to whatever the speaker was saying. “Why would I do that, Ariana?” His eyes met mine briefly and narrowed. “Consider it done.”

  After he disconnected the call, my eyebrows raised in question. “Well?”

  “That was… I hate to use the word friend, so I’ll say an ally of mine.”

  “A soothsayer who obviously can predict the future from what? Her intuition and magic?”

  “Yes.”

  My fists clenched. “Well, where the hell was she yesterday?”

  Giving me a pitying look, Dani said, “Maybe she needed this Tandi instead of the girl who wears pink.”

  My glare was for Stephan and Stephan alone. There was no justifying Greta’s death.

  “She told me that it’s my turn to find one of the keys. Again, I hate to use the word friends, so my allies Jamison and C.G. have found their keys, and now it’s my turn.”

  “I know a little about the keys, but tell me more. I want to know everything.” At his pointed look, I said, “I’m listening this time.”

  Dani found busy work in the kitchen while Stephan sat on a stool. “There are two groups of supernaturals. The Lux and the Degenerates. The Lux are basically the good guys who have made a home here on earth without causing danger to anyone. While the Degenerates want to come here to rule it. In order to do this, most humans would not only find out about supernaturals, but would die at the hands of one. Over the centuries, the keys have been stolen from the Lux guardians and have found their way into the hands of the Degenerates.”

  “How did this happen? And if the Degenerates have the keys, why is the world not already destroyed?”

  “The keys were stolen because the Lux safeguarding them were not strong enough. A long time ago, there was a battle between the two factions, and the Degenerates who weren’t killed were dragged back through the portals to live their lives in a different plane that was supposed to be sealed off. But there were a few who escaped, and they went into hiding. They laid low for a while until they came up with a plan to get their hands on the keys. They haven’t destroyed earth because they enjoy it here too much. Crime rates are up, but the earth keeps spinning. However, the more Degenerates that cross over, the more dangerous it is for humans, and the less chance we have of keeping the supernatural community hidden.”

  “When the Degenerates stole the keys they did what? Opened up the portals to earth?”

  His light brown eyes flickered with rage. “Some portals were opened but not all. That’s why it’s important that the remaining keys are found quickly.”

  “Remaining?”

  “Two have been retrieved back by the Lux. I am to go after the third under the soothsayer’s orders. The two werewolves who possess them now will guard the keys with their lives. Even death himself couldn’t pry the keys out of their hands… Well, he probably could, but considering his sister is mated to one, I highly doubt he would.”

  “So, the soothsayer called to tell you to retrieve the third key, but will you?”

  He gave me a sad look. “You can’t fight destiny.”

  I thought of Greta. “Maybe. Maybe you’re right. But that doesn’t mean you have to just give up hope either.”

  He reached out and grabbed one of my hands. I gave a pull to escape his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go. “Tandi, you are to have a part in finding a key. The soothsayer said that the one who killed Greta is also the one who has the key. She told me that you are the piece that I will need to lead me to the key.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  Dani whipped her head around and leveled a look at Stephan. He gave her a warning stare in return that didn’t leave me feeling reassured.

  “No, only that she said you were going to get a chance to wear that fancy dress. Apparently, we are going to be invited to a ball, and it is imperative that we attend.”

  “How do you know that she is telling you the truth?”

  His phone rang and Dani laughed. I crossed my arms while Stephan had a polite conversation with whoever was on the other line. After several minutes, he hung up and gave me a smirk. “There is ball tomorrow night at a governor’s mansion in Georgia not too far from here. I told Pierre that the three of us would be in attendance.”

  “What is this ball for?”

  “The governor usually has a party every year to get support from the vampire community. Considering that he is one himself, it’s a very clandestine event where no humans will be in attendance,” Stephan said. “Usually, I decline the invitation, but it seems that fate has other intentions.”

  “I would like to train tonight.”

  His eyebrows furrowed “Train?”

  “Yes, I want to learn how to fight. We will start now and not stop until daylight.”

  “We?”

  Now, it was my turn to smirk. “Yes, we. What’s wrong, Prince? You scared that you won’t be able to teach me how to fight? It would say a lot about you if I were a complete failure in every aspect, wouldn’t it?”

  Dani laughed. “Better watch out, brother. This kitten has claws.”

  I didn’t wait for him to answer me, as I headed out into the forest like a woman on a mission. As I made it to the open pasture, Stephan flashed in front of me and started my training. Apparently, he had mastered different forms of martial arts in his downtime, which made him the perfect teacher. The first thing he taught me was to hit someone where it would cause the most damage. Because his hands were constantly on my body, I made sure to have my walls up, so he wouldn’t know exactly what his touch did to me. He didn’t say a word unless it was to correct me in my fighting positions. After hours of conditioning me, my muscles screamed in agony, but I ignored them all. His lips curled up in a sexy smile as I blocked his punch. I could tell I was impressing him with how fast I was learning. This Tandi had a reason to learn quickly. Thirty minutes before sunrise, Stephan took me to where Greta was buried and then left me alone, so I could have some privacy as I wept over her grave. Placing a hand on the fresh dirt, I smiled through the tears. Karma was a bitch, and I was going to let her enjoy ripping hearts from the vampires who had ended Greta’s life.

  Chapter Seven

  As soon as the sun went down, I jumped in a bubble bath and while I soaked, I thought of what tonight might reveal. Would I learn who sent those vampires who took my Greta’s life? The selfish part of me didn’t care about Stephan’s mission of finding the key or the soothsayer’s prediction. If she wanted me to help her, then she should have called a day earlier to warn us of the danger we were about to be in. When my water had turned cold and my skin was the equivalent of the backside of an eighty-year-old, I got out of the large tub. There was a knock on my door as I was putting on a silky robe.

  “Come in.”

  Stephan opened the door, and the way his eyes devoured my body, I knew the things Greta had said about him bein
g a lady’s man were completely true. I felt hot and tingly as his gaze roamed over me. I waited for his eyes to travel back up to my face. “Can I help you with something, Stephan?”

  His eyes dropped to a box he held. “I have a present for you.”

  Usually, his voice was gruff, but tonight it was soft. He probably was going easy on me because he knew I was still grieving and three seconds from snapping. As he handed me the golden wrapped box, I asked, “What for?”

  “I think that you deserve it. This is what I was away on business collecting.”

  “And here I was thinking you left because you needed a break from the defective vampire you created.”

  “Do you want the present or not?”

  I tore into the wrapping paper and opened the box. Rubies were encrusted in a dark metal cuff. I realized I hadn’t said a word when he nervously asked, “Do you not like it?”

  “What’s not to like? It’s beautiful.”

  “As long as you wear it, you can—”

  “Feel the sun on my face again,” I finished for him. I didn’t realize how much I missed the sun until I felt tears trailing down my face.

  “Right now, your body is on a different schedule. As soon as you adjust to being a vampire and are able to stay up when the sun rises, I’ll take you out for a morning stroll.”

  He stepped closer to me, wiping the tears from my face. “Tandi…”

  “Save me from your ‘it’s going to be all right’ speech, and let’s find the bastards that did this to Greta.”

  He took the box from me and slid the ruby cuff on my wrist. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Thank you for this,” I said. He still hadn’t let go of my hand, so I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were on my mouth. My stomach fluttered with anticipation.

  There was a loud knock before Dani strolled into my room with her garment bag slung over her arm. “Hey, guys. Whoa, am I interrupting something?” She glanced at my hand and let out a yelp. “Is that what I think it is?” At my nod, she said, “Oh, my gosh, do you know how hard it is to get a metal cuff? Oh, wow.”

  I turned to thank Stephan again, but he had already disappeared from my room. Dani grabbed my hand and was inspecting the cuff with its rubies, like she was contemplating its worth.

  “You come to get ready with me?”

  “If that’s okay?”

  “Absolutely. I can do an amazing smoky eye if you want me to do your make-up.”

  She threw her bag on my bed. “Yes. And I’ll curl that gorgeous hair of yours. I can’t wait to see Stephan’s face when every male there is tripping over his feet to introduce himself to you.”

  I wanted to hear her answer, so I asked, “Do you think Stephan would care?”

  “Good question,” she said.

  I waited to see if she would add anything but when she didn’t, I said, “Hopefully, no one there will know that I’m a little different.”

  “My brother was trained by the Queen to value the strongest vampires and have little tolerance for the weak, so tonight you are going to show no fear.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Yes, you can. Plus, you are gorgeous and have a body that creepy, middle-aged white men write poems about.” At my chuckle, she pointed a finger at me. “Seriously, as soon as you enter that ball tonight, you are going to be causing sexual frustration and damn it, you better own it.”

  She was looking at me so seriously I had no other choice but to agree. “I don’t know what to expect from tonight.”

  “None of us do. We will just wing it.”

  As I went into my closet to bring out my dress, I felt a lump in my throat when I remembered how Greta’s eyes had lit up when I had modeled it for her. That’s what sealed the deal. As I struggled to fight back my emotions, I said, “Winging it. That is a horrible plan, but since we don’t have a better one, we will wing the hell out of tonight.”

  Two hours later, we headed down the long, spiral staircase. Stephan stood at the bottom with his hands in his pockets, watching me like a lion watches its prey. There was such hunger in his eyes that mine widened, and I nervously licked my painted lips. I came to a stop directly in front of him, waiting for him to say something, anything, but he just stared until Dani cleared her throat from behind me. That weird feeling in my stomach returned.

  He was the first to break eye contact as he looked over my shoulder at his sister. “Dani, you look lovely.”

  She squinted at him like he was stupid. “Of course, I do, and isn’t Tandi here absolutely breathtaking?”

  His eyes drifted back to me before he gave a curt nod. Two seconds ago, he looked at me like he was undressing me with his eyes, and now he was dismissive.

  Dani insisted we all take pictures. It was her way of trying to make up for the things that I was currently missing like prom, all while trying to bring some normalcy back into my life. Even the lordly Stephan was forced into standing beside me while Dani clicked away. There was at least a foot in between us, and he stood so still that Dani put the camera down and gave him a look, which he returned, and the silent communication between the siblings went on for at least a minute. I wanted to say, “Hey, I don’t want to take pictures with the asshat anyways.” My mental shields must have been down because his head swiveled toward me, his eyes narrowing. Dani started clicking away again. I was completely shocked when he put his arms around me and pulled me tight against him, until I felt a wall of muscle behind me. I made sure my mental shields were up before I thought about how amazing he felt.

  Dani barked, “Act like you’re enjoying it people. It’s a party, not a vasectomy.”

  “Well, it could be both if Stephan asked me nicely,” I said.

  I felt his chest rumbling through our embrace. I tilted my head back to glance up at him to make sure it was laughter, and he wasn’t just convulsing. He stared down at me with a genuine smile, making my heart constrict.

  “Is this the part where I dip you for visual effect?” Before I could scowl at him, he was bending me towards the ground, the ends of my hair grazing the floor. Dani laughed, bless her sweetheart. She knew she couldn’t fill the void in my heart left by Greta, but she was trying to make up for me missing prom, and it made me love her even more.

  After many silly photos that made my heart smile, we all gathered our things and hopped into one of the many black cars Stephan owned. We had driven south, leaving the beautiful mountains of northern Georgia behind. None of us spoke on the way, whether it was because of tension, anxiety, or our moods didn’t welcome chatty banter, I couldn’t say. Regardless, I was content on being out of the house and going to my very first party for the Undead, even if the night turned to total crap. At least I felt like I was doing something to find out who was involved in Greta’s death. Giving a side glance at Stephan, I studied his profile. There was no doubt about it: the man was heart-stopping handsome. He was always so well put together, and tonight was no exception. I knew that it was some sort of ruse to downplay the lethalness barely hidden under the surface, waiting to be unleashed.

  Chapter Eight

  When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was how breathtaking the property was. The mansion was beautiful with its big columns out front of the white, plantation-style house. There were several mossy green trees lining the walkway to the inviting porch that was made for sipping juleps. It was picture perfect. As we entered the large foyer, I had to smile at the irony. This huge mansion with its Southern vibe held many different friendly faces and was the epitome of hospitality, and yet every person currently studying me with such acute interest wasn’t wondering which Baptist church I attended, but rather what my darkest desires were. I could tell by the way some of the men were licking their lips while scanning my body.

  Releasing a small shudder at the thought, Stephan grabbed my elbow and whispered, “Remember, most of us can smell fear, so right now I need that overbearing, feisty, temperamental Tandi at the forefront.”

  I automatically lifted
my chin up and whispered back, “I do not have a bad temperament. I am meek and sweet.” Glancing down at where his fingers were still gripping my arm, I said through clenched teeth, “And if you don’t unhand me this very second, I will show you how I can make you pee blood with my free hand.”

  His eyes twinkled as he released me, but not before his fingers gently brushed the inside of my arm. “Good girl. Now, let’s head towards the ballroom and mingle. Stay beside me the whole time.”

  Dani swiped three flutes of champagne from a tray as a waiter was passing by. I immediately drank the one she handed me in record-breaking time and snagged Stephan’s glass before she could pass it to him, downing his in one gulp. Dani hid her glass behind her back. “Sorry, sister. I don’t share my men or my bubbly and not necessarily in that order.”

  Stephan was staring at me, his brows raised. I shrugged. “The thought of dancing with dead people makes me nervous, and another thing while we’re on the topic. None of them are going to be looking at me like I’m tonight’s dessert because I’m like one of the club now, right?”

  “First of all, alcohol has no effect on you, so the champagne was meant to be savored and secondly, Tandi, you do realize that you are now ‘Undead’ as well, don’t you? And I can assure you, no one will be sinking their fangs into you.”

  I rolled my eyes because flipping him the bird in front of a ton of vampires was off the table. As he ushered me into the middle of the ballroom and Dani followed closely behind us, I found myself in awe of the grandeur around me. The ballroom was half a football field in length, and everything was marble from the floors to the walls to the massive columns running from ceiling to floor. Enormous chandeliers hung from the ceilings, casting a warm orange glow over everyone in the beautiful room. The Governor was great at his job or was skimming from the top, either way his mansion was beyond amazing.

  Dani gave Stephan a knowing nod that could have meant a million different things and sashayed off towards the beverage table offering many different types of blood, even the rarest form, Rh-null. Stephan whisked me from vampire to vampire, introducing me while he announced the full vampire’s name along with what area they were from, like I would remember any of this tomorrow. I had no interest in remembering every vampire here along with their territory, but thanks to my Southern roots, I just smiled and waved.