Alexia pushed off the counter, forcing the memories back. Striding to the closet, she pushed aside her leather combat gear with more force than necessary, selecting instead a powder-blue chiffon toga, befitting the presence of her mother. The fabric slid over her head, settling in no more than a whisper on her flesh. Smooth and light, the texture was shockingly airy, the antithesis of the confining gear she wore each day.
At once, the air started to close around her. She felt naked. Exposed. She couldn't seem to drag enough oxygen into her lungs. Hastily, she reached back into her closet, her hands burrowing beneath a neat stack of pants. Closing her hand over a short throwing knife, she secured the blade in a thigh holster beneath her gown. With each tightening of the strap, her hands, once unsteady, became more sure and confident. By the time she'd secured the latch and stood, the threadbare line she'd been grasping tightened and drew her to the surface.
Exhaling, she moved to her bedside vanity and began methodically smoothing her hair. For some reason, the normal emptiness in the air smothered her tonight. Though the lack of men, females and children was always palpable, Alexia did not know anything different. She hadn't seen but the occasional natural-born vampire in years. They dwelled in a different compound set farther within the cliff walls. A place she wasn't allowed to go. Even her personal attendants were comprised of Lotharus's soldiers, as it was his orders keeping her and her mother separate from the colony.
Though he claimed it to be the best for their station, Alexia believed he did it as a way to keep them under his control, under his ever-watchful eye. Either way, it made her miserable. Again, something she assumed Lotharus intended.
In truth, she was no different than the souls rotting in the dungeon. Granted, she wore no shackles and her cage was bigger, less filthy. But she was still a prisoner.
Like him.
Closing her eyes, she shut out the thought. Instead, she called to mind a more serene memory, one of the only ones she had. From back when her grandmother ruled. The long-ago, lilting sounds of laughter and children at play echoed in her mind. Images of her running barefoot through the compound flashed behind her eyes. She felt the beaming smile on her face. Saw her long hair trailing behind her like a kite. Another girl whose name she couldn't recall chased along behind her. A friend, she thought with a wistful smile. How long had it been since she'd had one of those? How long had it been since she'd smiled like that?
A knock sounded at the door, jerking Alexia out of her memory. Standing, she rounded the stool and crossed the chamber. Ivan, one of Lotharus's most trusted men, opened the door before she reached it. His broad shoulders barely fit in the doorway.
"The Queen's been waiting for you."
CHAPTER FIVE
DECLAN HEARD HEAVY footsteps progressing down the hall. The swaying of chain links rattled along the stones with each step.
Closer.
Each sound brought closer what he knew would be his death.
Too spent from the crazy dreams and damnable collar, Declan closed his eyes. The animal in him immediately picked up what his eyes could not see. Cool night air with a hint of rain. He tipped back his chin, sniffing the sky. Filling his lungs with a deep breath, he shut out the drumbeat of the footsteps and focused on the sporadic yet heavy pattering of rain.
His dragon spirit howled for freedom, roared to taste just one drop of fresh rain on his flesh, rolling down his back. Beneath his skin twitched the wings, begging for the sweet release of slicing night's air with their instrumental precision.
The rain picked up, tapping against the earth and stones like impatient fingertips. He cocked his head toward the tiny barred window. Fat droplets splashed on the cliffs and slapped against the ocean water, which churned louder with each howling wind gust.
The cell door swung open. Two soldiers filed in, hauling him to his feet. Declan lifted a fist to fight back, confused when he could barely raise it to his chest. The collar weakened him more than he'd thought.
And that dream...
They slung their arms under his and proceeded out the cell door. The beast within whimpered when they tore him away from the window. The lack of air wounded him more than any amount of torture they could devise.
The tips of his toes slid on the floor as they led him down the long, winding corridors. Declan tried to keep his head up so he might learn where they kept him and discern a way out, but he couldn't. His head seemed weighted down, as if someone had strung an anchor to his neck. Dropping his chin to his chest, he closed his eyes and tried to gather the strength that still lived inside him in preparation for whatever they planned.
ALEXIA BRISTLED AT I VAN'S bravado, but said nothing. From day one, Lotharus had worked hard to undermine her position in the horde, especially around his soldiers. Bit by bit she'd watched as he'd tipped the power scales in his favor. When she'd finally had enough and demanded he stop, he'd taken a more drastic step to ensure she'd always feel inferior around him.
Although she did her best to move on from that night, the damage was done. The soldiers could not only sense her weakness around him, they could see it. Hell, she thought with a twinge of shame, even their dragon captive saw it.
Pursing her lips, Alexia swept past Ivan and into the hall, glad he remained behind. Sconces flickered and hissed as she passed. Their auburn light danced on the damp cave walls, casting shadows against them. Used to the clicking of her boots on the stones, the quiet shuffle of her slippered feet unsettled her. She focused instead on the cool metal pressing into the flesh of her outer thigh with each step she took. That felt normal...familiar.
As she made her way to the Queen's chamber, she thought about what she was going to tell her mother about the crystal. An ancient horde relic, the Draco Crystal had been in the safekeeping of her family for years. Yet only recently did they understand its true power. An earthquake had fractured the cliff walls, revealing half a dozen catacombs and vaults no one had seen in over seven hundred years. Among many of the olden treasures and artifacts found within were scrolls long forgotten and thought destroyed. One such scroll spoke of the Draco Crystal, of its power to rule all or destroy one. Of the terrible wrath and damage it had caused in the auld days and the subsequent reason for the scroll being buried.
Everything in Alexia screamed to abide the olden horde's wishes and keep dead secrets hidden. But Lotharus and her mother had other plans. They wanted to harness the crystal's power and use it against their enemies to ensure victory.
When a group of dragons had attacked last month, stealing the scroll, the captured dragon King and Queen were tortured and murdered. Now, with the stakes so high and both sides on the hunt, the race was on. Alexia knew it would only be a matter of weeks, even days, until this war would be at its pinnacle. Although she knew she should do everything in her power to ensure her people would be the ones standing on top, something about the crystal, about Lotharus's rampant bloodlust to find it, unsettled her.
Alexia rounded the corner. Dismissing the guard with a wave, she pushed through the giant double doors. They pivoted wide, revealing the bright splendor of the Queen's hall. Queen Catija's quarter had no receiving room. Instead, it opened into a dome reminiscent of an archaic cathedral or sanctuary, complete with fresco ceilings. Soft artificial light beamed from the top of the cavernous space. Alexia's eye was drawn upward, following the flowing arcs and sculpted curves of the vaulted ceiling.
While the Queen was the mirror image of her predecessor in appearance, unlike her grandmother, who enjoyed the finer things and believed in reform and harmony, Alexia's mother had barbaric tastes and a penchant for gore. Or at least she had in the past. A decade ago, just the sound of the Queen's name would strike fear in dragons and vampires alike. However, ever since Lotharus had entered the picture, first as her advisor and now as her future husband, she'd changed. Slowly at first--most had not even noticed the drastic transformation. But Alexia had.
Lowering her gaze to the gardens, a relaxed smile passed her lips. M
arble statues of Goddess stood beside white pillars wider than the boles of the large trees stretching upward, trying to reach any light they could, artificial or natural. Tendrils of lush ivy embraced the whitewashed walls and myriad birds flew freely around the underground garden. A lazy path wound through the space, forking into two passageways. One led to the conference quarter, the other toward the Queen's bedchamber door.
Alexia followed the footpath toward the meeting room, pausing at a fountain for the divine hunter, Diana. The ivory Goddess stared with wide, vacant eyes at the water pooled at her feet. She held one palm up, as if waiting for some sort of offering to be fitted atop it. The other slim hand extended forward, pouring a pitcher of endless water into the rectangular pond stretched out before her. Alexia followed her gaze to the pool. Beneath the shimmering water lay an intricate scaled replica of Davna Vremena, a land far beyond the mists of the Fatum, deep in the olden lands of their foremothers.
Although she could not see the model, she remembered vague images of it from childhood. Her grandmother used to bring her here, used to raise the small city from the bottom of the pond and tell her stories of a peaceful world where every creature of light and dark lived in harmony. Alexia suddenly yearned to see the monument again, if only to prove that such a place had once existed.
Taking one last look at the fountain, Alexia continued down the path. A frown tugged her brow at the sound of voices lingering over the constant trickle of streaming water.
"I do not think she's ready," a male voice said.
"She has not yet ascended." Her mother's voice answered, weak but confident.
"Even then, I don't believe she will be ready for the throne."
"Lotharus, though you are an olden, you have not personally borne witness to a princess becoming a Queen. The power she'll gain when she ascends will rival the Goddess herself. Combined with the training you've given her, my daughter will have ten times the strength of any one of those soldiers you hold in such high esteem."
"It's not her strength I'm worried about," he said. "It is her will. Her ability to rule to the standard of our ancestors...."
Alexia stepped out from behind the foliage. "My ability should be none of your concern." Lotharus turned to face her. As usual, he wore tailored black clothes. Their starkness stood in striking contrast to his sallow skin tone, and noticeably different from her mother's Mediterranean complexion, pure white gown and raven-black hair.
Light and dark. Good and evil.
"Ah, Alexia dear, you're here." Catija stepped forward to greet her, but her footing faltered and she wobbled.
"Mother." Alexia hurried to her side. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Catija dismissed with a wave. "Just a little dizzy."
Lotharus wound his arm around the Queen's waist, tucking her against him and pivoting her away from Alexia. "You need to feed, dear heart," Lotharus said, tightening his hold around her middle. "Come." He pivoted, walking them toward the council quarters.
Alexia trailed a few paces behind. Her gaze fixed on her mother's black hair, plaited down her back. The tip of her long mane brushed the spotless, shimmering floors like a broom, swaying side to side with each dip of her hips. She had such a youthful, vibrant body. No one could see that a silent yet threatening illness was plaguing her mind.
"The wedding and ascension are two days away, Alexia, and you have yet to select a gown," the Queen said over her shoulder.
Alexia opened her mouth, but promptly closed it. It was pointless to remind her mother they had selected the gown just last night. "I shall see to choosing a gown straight away," she replied instead.
"Good." Her mother smiled. "Lotharus tells me the community is eager to attend your ceremony. We wouldn't want them to be disappointed."
Alexia nodded, wondering exactly how her mother thought she should react. A group of strangers were excited to have an excused day off from work or labor. To them, the occasion of such fortune mattered little if at all. They came for the free food and spirits the festivities offered, not to wish her or her mother well. After all, she knew none of them, so it stood to reason none of them knew her.
Keeping her opinions to herself, Alexia followed the two of them into the conference room. The circular seating area reminded her of those Jacuzzis she'd seen humans use. However, this one was ten times the size and empty. Instead of water, the center bore a white stone table. It had a pedestal in the center and looked rather like a mushroom had grown from the ground, flattened and hardened in place.
After descending two steps into the circle, the Queen took a seat on the plush velvet cushions pillowing the bench. Her flowing white toga gown fanned out around her. The thick braid now rested over her shoulder, curling around her breasts to rest on her lap like a hairy python.
Alexia lowered to the floor, resting her hands on the table. Lotharus sat behind her, the fabric of his pants brushing the bare skin of her lower back. Shifting, Alexia sat up straighter, trying to keep from touching him. She glanced back to see him sitting with his legs open in a relaxed V, his elbows resting on the floor up behind him. His eyes regarded her with an eager tinge that sent bile rising in her throat before they flitted to a soldier perched in the corner.
"First things first." Lotharus snapped his fingers.
The soldier stepped forward. With awkward alacrity, he poured vintage blood from the royal cellar into three silver goblets. The Queen leaned forward, eagerly accepting and drinking her offer. By the masculine sound behind her, she knew Lotharus had swilled his down, as well. However, Alexia could not tear her eyes away from the goblet and decanter long enough to pick hers up.
Silver.
They were made of silver. Like the collar on his neck, eating through precious layers of his golden flesh....
"Are you not hungry?"
Startled, Alexia looked up at her mother's query. "No. I--I mean, yes." Recalling her weakness in the shower, she knew she should feed. However, her stomach rolled in protest.
When another minute ticked by and Alexia still hadn't taken the cup in hand, the Queen huffed out a breath and placed her empty goblet on the table. "Alexia, I know you heard us in the garden. But do not worry. Many have ascended before you, and many will make the journey after." Swiping a dainty wrist over her bloodred lips, she nodded her head and pointed to the tapestry hanging from floor to ceiling against the wall. "Your ancestors have long lived through much harder times than these and succeeded. You will, as well."
Alexia looked up at the family tree--a sickening reminder of her evil lineage and her utter lacking to keep up with it. Stretching up farther than even her keen eyes could discern were symbols and names of those who had come before her. Women who had overcome, ascended and conquered their fears and dominated those around them.
"For centuries, each female leader has been given a one-hundred-year incumbency to rule, and then the line passes on," the Queen continued. "This is the way it's been done since the dark times. The way it must be to keep this horde together, keep us strong. It will soon be your time, Alexia. Your obligation is to not only see us all through the next hundred years, but to keep our horde intact and in the seat of power amongst the other vampire clans."
I don't want to rule. Alexia nearly let the words fall from her lips. However, she did want to govern. Just not the way her mother had and especially not how Lotharus expected.
"Now." The Queen held out her hand. "Have you brought my crystal back, as I asked?"
Alexia stared at her open palm before blinking up at her mother. The words of her failure froze on her lips before she forced them out in a rush. "No, my Queen. It was lost."
"Lost?"
"Yes. But I have found something else."
Catija took her hand back and shook her head. "Let me guess, another Derkein. Lotharus, what on earth and sky should we do with her? I gave her one, simple task...."
"You worry without cause, my love," Lotharus said, a smile in his voice. "She will find the crystal and return
it to you."
Catija offered him a lazy grin. "Only because you'll be there to guide her."
"Stop speaking about me like I'm not here," Alexia snapped, rising up to stand. "I managed to catch that dragon lord without his help."
Her mother's eyes flashed, color flushing her usually sallow cheeks. "Yes. However, you have obviously yet to retrieve anything useful from it. I need that crystal. More importantly, you will need that crystal."
"Why? Because he says so," Alexia said, pointing to Lotharus. "Our foremothers ruled without fulfilling that scroll's prophecy. You ruled without it. I fail to see why I cannot do the same."
"Enough!" The Queen stood. "You ask what good is the crystal, and I ask, what good is another dragon carcass stinking up my horde?"
"If I may," Lotharus said, easing up from his perch. The Queen nodded and placed a hand over her heaving chest in an attempt to catch her breath. "That dragon lord may be of use to us. He is not just any winged snake from the flock."
Catija's brow furrowed. "Go on."
With a knowing smile, Lotharus moved beside her.
"That Derkein your daughter captured is the only son of the dead King and Queen."
"What?" Alexia breathed.
The Queen's face instantly paled. "He wouldn't possibly have told you this. How do you know?"
"I saw something. Something I've only seen once before." His cold eyes settled on Alexia. Their heated focus slid to her neck, lingering there before he met her eyes again. "Would you care to tell her, or should I?"
Alexia thought about holding her tongue. If it was true, the ramifications, the possibilities overwhelmed her. But then she realized it mattered not what she said or didn't say. Lotharus would tell her mother if she didn't. She sighed. "The dragon lord has fangs, like us."
The Queen covered her mouth with her hand. "Goddess, then it is him."
Alexia's gaze fixed on the look of horror on her mother's face. Something was wrong. Her mother, the most vicious and bloodthirsty Queen of the horde in centuries, was not scared of anything. But right now, she was terrified.
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