by L. M. Justus
I turned to face Sarah. The corner of her mouth lifted in a grim smile and she gave me a slight nod.
I shook my head, realizing I might never comprehend the Queen’s motives. It didn’t matter whether I understood anyway–this was the end for her, and the beginning for us. The start of a life without her terrorizing us at every turn.
“It is time.” Marcel’s voice rang out clearly. “We must exit the room now to avoid the sun. The humans may remain, if they wish to do so. And you have this choice also of course,” he added, looking at me.
“I’ll stay,” I said because it felt like the right thing to do.
“Me too,” Sophie said, grasping my right hand in hers. We shared a look and I squeezed her hand to let her know I had her back.
“Same here,” Trudy said, taking my other hand. I gave her a nod.
Justin and Alexandre exchanged a glance. “It seems macabre, but we’re too curious to leave,” Justin said.
“All right,” Marcel said. “Everyone else follow me, please. I will open the upper doors shortly.”
“I’ll see you in a minute,” Sarah said. She patted my arm before leaving with the other vampires.
The heavy wood doors closed with a resounding thud behind us. The Queen spoke one last time. “Good luck in your quest. The journey, should you choose to make it, will be fraught with danger. But you have what you need to get started, correct?”
I quickly reviewed the important pieces of information she’d shared with me. “Yes, thank you,” I said.
A screech of metal jerking into motion from above made me jump. As one, we looked up at the ceiling where a seam along the middle began to part. The crack widened slowly and sunlight streamed through. The Queen’s eyes widened in a mix of wonder and horror. A bright curtain of light washed over her and she caught on fire.
She screamed.
Her voice cut out almost immediately as her body disintegrated into ashes. My mouth hung open while I watched the blackened particles drift to the floor.
The ceiling doors reversed, closing back up, sealing us in darkness. I closed my eyes, waiting to adjust to the dim candlelight.
The main doors of the room creaked and my eyes popped open. Marcel re-entered the chamber, followed closely by Gabriel, Nathaniel, and Sarah.
I released Trudy and Sophie and went to embrace Sarah.
“It’s over,” she breathed.
“Yep,” I said.
“She’ll never bother us again.”
“Nope.”
I raised my head to find Nathaniel gazing at me intently. “Do you know the location of the information the Queen mentioned?” he asked.
I replayed the vital parts of the Queen’s memories one more time. “Yeah. It looks like we’ll be making a trip to England.”
“You realize the vampires in Europe will try to stop you if they discover what you are doing?” Marcel said. “They will not want you to succeed in making them human again.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I . . . will not stop you,” he replied hesitantly. “Honestly, I do not think you will achieve your goal. But I will help you by funding your trip, if you truly desire to attempt this.”
I turned to Sarah. “Is it worth the risk?”
She searched my eyes and then looked around the group. “I can’t decide for everyone, but yes, I think it’s worth it. I want to try.”
Even though I’d kind of known she would say that, I felt proud of her determination. I was also glad to have a plan moving forward. “Okay then,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
“You know you’re not leaving me behind, right?” Sophie said. “A few weeks ago, all I wanted to do was get the hell out of here and head back home. Now that’s not an option because I’ll get arrested the second I step foot outside. So . . . I’m going too.”
“I cannot let you go without my assistance,” Nathaniel said. He placed his arm around Trudy’s shoulders and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her head. Then he whispered to her as if they were alone in the room, but I couldn’t help hearing him say, “I could not live with myself if I let them leave on such a dangerous endeavor on their own.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Nathaniel,” she replied.
I couldn’t help smiling at the love shining on her face. Sophie elbowed me in the side and winked, making me laugh.
“Oh, and of course I’m also in,” Trudy added.
Alexandre cleared his throat. “Uh, would the funding of the trip include two more people?” He gave Marcel a pleading, puppy dog look.
“Say yes, say yes!” Sophie said.
Marcel rolled his eyes and sighed. “Mais oui, mes amis,” he said.
Gabriel smiled. “That means yes,” he clarified.
“So that settles it,” I said. “England, here we come. Let’s find the original vampire, smoke his ass, and be done with this mess for good.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and my heart lifted. I was so ready to turn the page on this chapter of my life and move onto the next.
Stay tuned for Darkness Trilogy Book Three:
EMBRACE THE DARKNESS
Acknowledgments
While the actual writing of a book is a solitary endeavor, many other people besides the author are involved in producing the final product. I would like to thank the following people for helping me complete this novel:
My ever-supportive husband, Chris. I promise you, this book would not exist without him. I love writing, but it can be very tough at times and I would have given up ages ago if it weren’t for him. I’m so lucky to have him!
My three amazing children, Emily, Tyler, and Jessica. Thanks again for letting me get some writing time in peace and quiet. Did I mention how lucky I am?
The members of my writing group, Caroline, Gayle, Jeff, and Kelly. You guys continue to give me excellent feedback–yes!
My beta readers, Sandra, Meghan, Eric, and Caroline. I’m so glad you caught some of my stupid mistakes, but you also help boost my confidence and make me feel good about my writing.
Derek Murphy of Creativindie Covers for designing another amazing cover!
And to you, my readers. You’ve helped to make my dreams come true, and my sales have far exceeded my expectations, thanks to you! As always, I would love for you to leave me a great review on Amazon and/or Goodreads and spread the word about my books.
Visit my web site at http://www.lmjustus.com/
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