She grinned, flashing her straight teeth. “And what a prize it will be.”
The crown. It truly was everything.
* * *
Adelie and I shuffled to the elevator, our arms laden with luggage and shopping bags. We bumped sides repeatedly as we staggered our way past all of the luxury cars. I had barely found a place to park, taking thirty bloody minutes.
I grunted as our shoulders bounced off each other again. “Where the hell is our complimentary service? If the fucking overlords want me here this bad, then why isn’t someone here to greet us?”
Cameras were all over this place.
There wasn’t a chance they didn’t know that we had arrived.
“Apparently, being a possible candidate doesn’t hold much sway.”
“No shit,” I grouched. “This is ridiculous. We could have stayed at Japri’s tiny ass hotel and received better care.”
Adelie nodded her head in agreement. “That’s the honest truth.”
A masculine throat cleared behind us, loud and clear.
As one, Adelie and I jerked our heads back.
My eyelashes fluttered as I stared. Dammit.
Adelie’s mouth gaped, and then she whispered, “Think they heard us?”
All five overlords were standing far away.
Directly next to my car.
A couple of them even leaned against it, their bodies relaxed. A couple of arms crossed over muscular chests. A few heads cocked. One even sat on the parking garage floor with his legs crossed. Each was dressed in simple black slacks and dark button-down shirts.
And all were staring straight at us.
I swallowed on a dry throat. “Yes, they heard us.”
Adelie and I stood in place, unsure what they were planning to do.
Or what they wanted us to do.
They took the decision out of our hands…
Moving as one unit, they turned away from us.
And walked up the incline.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Fuckers.”
Lord Xenon glanced back while still strolling away. He merely raised an arrogant eyebrow. The look told the whole story. Even if I became queen, they would still be above me. They had done their time as rulers, and I hadn’t done shit except exist long enough to be called on as a possible candidate for rule. He turned his attention back to where he was walking, all five of them disappearing around the corner.
My fangs descended. I shouted, “Fuckers!”
They may be egotistical. But so was I.
Perhaps we would be a perfect match to work together.
Adelie bumped my shoulder as she groaned, turning back around to start our trek to the elevator once more. She muttered softly, “Try to keep yourself somewhat under control, Gwen.”
I snorted. “If they had been close enough, I would have punched one of them.”
“That’s quite Queenly of you,” she grumbled, full of sarcasm. “You might as well not unpack if you go in with that attitude. You’ll be leaving sooner rather than later.”
I turned and trudged behind her, attempting to catch up. “Fine. I’ll keep my fists to myself—as much as possible.”
“I really should have stuck a therapist in with that group.” She sighed.
“Live and learn, my friend. Live and learn.”
Adelie bent at the waist and used her nose to press the button for the elevator.
My eye twitched. “I think we both have a few things we could work on.”
Her laughter softened my heart. “Oh, Gwen. There aren’t enough lessons in the Bible to help us.”
The elevator dinged, and the door opened.
It was full. Of overlords.
I blinked in confusion, not moving.
Then the door shut after Cato—my father—pressed a button.
Adelie choked on air. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
I dropped all my bags and banged on the elevator doors as it traveled up…and up. “You motherfuckers! That was not funny!”
My friend snorted. “It kind of was.”
“Traitor,” I hissed.
She merely stared up at the numbers. Patient. “You should probably start picking all that stuff up. The elevator isn’t that slow. It’s actually relatively fast.”
I bent and started grabbing items off the dusty concrete. “I’m pissed.”
“Yes, I caught that.”
I grumbled and wobbled to my feet, trying to hold all of my goods again.
It took five minutes for the elevator to come down.
Why? Because the numbers danced up and down. Up and down. Up and down.
Only fifteen floors above us. Still in the enormous parking garage.
I was seething at the overlords’ antics. My fangs glistened in the horrid lighting.
Adelie barely contained her mirth as we—finally—entered the elevator.
She blinked. And then burst out laughing.
“Goddammit!” I shouted.
Every single button had been pushed, the numbers glowing red.
Like multiple vampire eyes staring at us, fully powered.
Adelie murmured, “Well, you get to see every floor. Reacquaint yourself.”
I slumped back against the wall. And relaxed myself.
I couldn’t make a scene on my first day here. Too many vampires about. Vampires who would be my people if I became queen.
I sighed after we stopped for the sixth time. “Tell me they gave me a room that’s halfway decent. Please.”
“If they didn’t, I’ll give you mine,” she reassured. “The last thing you need to be worrying about is your room. I won’t have that. You have—we have—worked too hard to prepare you for this. Keep your head on straight, and you’ll be fine.”
Easier said than done. But I would give it my all.
Finally, when we entered my room first, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a full apartment. Separate rooms for entertaining—personal and business.
“See?” Adelie stated with a smile on her face. “This is nice.”
“It is,” I conceded. I dropped my bags and luggage onto the plush carpeting. “I can do this, Adelie. I can. I know it.”
That crown would be mine. My throne. My people.
I would be queen.
CHAPTER SIX
~ GWYNNORE ~
I stuck my head out my door and glanced left and right. No one was in sight…not even my best friend. Perfect. I slipped outside my room, done unpacking my many new belongings. I had one person I wanted to see in this rock castle. I just needed to figure out how to find him without alerting anyone else I was looking for him.
I walked with purpose down hallways.
This was the royal section of the castle.
That much I remembered.
Oddly enough, I didn’t have to look long.
I stopped dead in my tracks at a small alcove carved into the rock. The man I was searching for was sitting on a curved bench cut into the mountain. A plush, crimson cushion rested on top of the bench for comfort. And the bench was made for two people, enough room for me to sit down next to him.
The overlord didn’t look up from his book as I walked forward with hesitant steps—even though he damn well knew I was staring at the top of his head. His red hair had grown since I last saw him over two hundred years ago. His locks were unruly around his lowered rugged face— too damn good looking for his own good. I knew a spattering of freckles dotted his nose and the curve of his cheeks.
My last lover. Who had left me for the crown.
I sat down silently next to him.
Only then, did he place his book on his lap and stop reading. He waited silently, neither one of us looking at one another. We both sat face forward with our hands in our laps, quiet in our own thoughts.
Eventually, I stated softly, “You saved a spot for me.”
He hummed under his breath. “I knew you would come. We left a lot unsaid.”
I fidgeted with my fingers in my lap and p
eered down to them, picking at my fingernails. “I only have one question I want answered by you, Lord Pippin.”
“I owe you that much.” The overlord leaned back against the cave wall, relaxing further. “I probably owe you more than that, Gwen, if I’m honest with myself.”
I cleared my throat and lifted my head. I turned my blue gaze on his brown eyes, not flinching under his heady, direct regard. I’d cared deeply about this vampire at one time—and it still hurt.
But I kept to the matter at hand. I questioned, “Is it worth it? The crown?”
His cheeks puffed out as he released a heavy breath. “Yes. Yes, it’s worth it.”
“Over everything else?”
Lord Pippin’s eyes flicked back and forth between mine, resolute in his stance—and much colder than he had ever been before he was a royal. “Yes. It’s worth everything.”
For how long we stared at one another in the resulting silence, I couldn’t say. Time merely ticked by in an endless count that neither of us was willing to break.
One side of my lips curved up at the edges. “You’ve changed. It’s all in your eyes.”
His chuckle was quiet. “My reign as king wasn’t as long as some, but it kept me busy for a few hundred years. I’ve learned more than I ever dreamed possible. Experienced even more craziness.” His head of red hair tipped toward me. “As you may too if you become queen.”
I sat back on the bench and pointed at the book in his lap. “I gave you that.”
“I know. I was feeling sentimental, I suppose.”
I poked at the old tome. “I’m surprised it held up so well.”
“Well, I never really liked the damn storyline.” He snorted under his breath. “But you gave it to me, so I kept it.”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. Then I stood up and brushed off my pants—there wasn’t a speck on them though. “It was good to see you again, Lord Pippin.”
“And you as well.” His brown eyes danced with a trickster amusement. “Try not to cause too much trouble while you’re still only a possible candidate. All right, Gwen? You don’t want to get kicked out before you even have a chance.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll try.”
Abruptly, it was an overlord staring into my gaze, all his previous humor gone in a blink. “Try real hard, Gwynnore. That’s your only warning from me.”
I swallowed on a dry throat. I whispered roughly, “Yes, you’ve definitely changed. Good day, Lord Pippin.” Then I turned and walked away, the man I had known no longer in existence.
* * *
I roamed the hallways, attempting to familiarize myself with the layout, and, even more so, trying to forget the man I once knew. Both would happen with time. That was all an immortal had… Time to change. Time to pass. Time to thrive in.
Still lost in my own thoughts, I found a small kitchen at the end of the royal area, the area secluded against all others living in the stronghold. My nose had inadvertently led me here, the smells divine pouring from the space. My stomach growled as I stepped into the adorable kitchen.
“Nope. Fuck no.” Lord Otto jammed a pointed finger at the entrance I had just come through. “You are not allowed in here. Not yet.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Oh.”
All of the overlords, minus a certain redhead, were sitting or standing around the kitchen, munching on some type of noodles with spicy sauce.
Again, my stomach growled. Louder.
Lord Xenon’s short black hair gleamed under the harsh lighting. With no inflection in his tone, he ordered, “Quit standing there like a lost puppy. Turn around. Leave. You do know how to do that, right?”
Lord Otto’s surfer looks, blond hair and blue eyes, were deceiving as he stood from his chair in growing agitation. He snapped his fingers in front of my face hard. “Hello, Gwynnore. Can you hear us?”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“Then take a fucking walk out of our space.”
“Okay.” Still, I stood there for a moment too long.
Lord Belshazzar’s head tipped to the side as he swallowed a bite of his meal, his long black hair brushing over his left shoulder. He rested a hip against the counter. “Have you run into trouble already, Gwynnore?”
Lord Pippin’s words haunted my thoughts.
Trouble. I couldn’t cause trouble yet.
“Nope.” I quickly turned around and hurried to the door. But I stopped cold…when my father stood in my way. I peered up into his brown eyes. His black, straight hair just like mine, shining under the light, even if he kept his short and mine was long. I cleared my throat and spoke to my father for the first time in almost a thousand years, my voice the most chilling it had ever sounded, “I’m leaving, Lord Cato. If you would move to the side…”
He didn’t budge as he stood with his bowl off yummy food directly under my nose. “I think you’re lying. Your demeanor has completely changed since we last saw you. And not really for the better.”
My nostrils flared with fury.
I needed to leave before I said anything horrible.
I pivoted around him and quickly left.
As if he ever gave a damn about me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~ GWYNNORE ~
Summoned. I’d been summoned.
It was now time.
I would know today if I was the Queen Novitiate.
Adelie rushed to ask, “Are you sure you don’t want me to grab a blood donor before you go? You could sip, and then meet the overlords.”
“I’m sure.” I bounced in place, shoving excess energy away. “If I go in there blood drunk, it wouldn’t help matters.” I had to play it cool until I was chosen as the candidate.
In the past day, since I arrived, the overlords had become a pain in my ass.
Dinner last night?
Oops. My food was burnt to a hard crisp.
Breakfast this morning?
Damn. The cook ran out.
Lunchtime fare?
What? What’s lunch? No one had heard of it.
Adelie was horrified—and embarrassed—too. She was treated the same as I was.
So I wouldn’t offend them anymore until I knew I was the one contender. I would respect them, as they should be respected. My ego was taking a backseat while my brain ran the show for the rest of the evening. A few hours wasn’t an issue. Growing up in my grandfather’s household, with elitists galore entering and exiting, I had learned how to play the game at a young age.
I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. One more minute before I needed to leave. My attention turned to my friend, and I asked for the hundredth time, “Am I dressed appropriately for this?”
The invitation clutched in her hand was wrinkled from her own nervous gestures, but she lifted it high into the air. “Again, it says casual attire for the possible candidates.”
I peered at myself in the mirror and ran my fingers through my black hair.
My new black leather jeans and simple black cashmere sweater was casual. The guns strapped to my legs weren’t, but I wouldn’t go anywhere without them. I was leaving my sword behind, locked tight in my closet. It was simple and warrior-chic, as I had always been.
My black boots…may have sparkly black laces, but I needed a little flash.
The guns in their holsters didn’t count.
My makeup was done with expert fingers—Adelie’s.
I either resembled a model gone crazy or a soldier gone soft.
I liked both of those instances.
I may overcompensate on my apparel at times. I knew this. I was only five foot two inches in height, and my shorter stature had always bothered me. Adelie was my only acquaintance who was shorter than I was, raking in a grand height of five foot nothing.
I ran my fingers through my hair once more. “Time to go.”
Adelie hugged me in a quick embrace. “You got this.”
I sucked in a large lungful of oxygen, inhaling her scent. “I do. I’ve got this.”
Then I was out the door of my apartments in the blink of an eye, not peering back at my friend’s hopeful and determined face. If I didn’t accomplish this goal, not only would I be devastated to have to wait again, but also so would Adelie. I couldn’t be a failure.
My steps were measured and precise as I walked through the halls of the stronghold. Pictures, modern to ancient, hung on the black stonewalls. The quiet lighting was intimate and natural to the senses. Errant lounges or chairs lined the halls for whatever purpose a vampire could want them for—pleasure or business. The grand staircase was a chaotic curve and retreat, only to twist again, enough to boggle the mind.
When my feet landed on the massive foyer tiles, I kept them silent. This area echoed, all the way deep into the castle, the ceiling so tall no human eye could see the top. Large windows framed the doorway—black wooden doors meant to be in a fairy tale with giants—all the way up seven stories. Lighting hung on the rock walls, casting shadows to and fro.
I let out a shaky exhale and continued my trek.
Many vampires passed by. A few on cell phones, more wiping the blood from their mouths.
The chattel quarters weren’t far away. Little nips were taken by any who wanted.
My fingers wiggled down at my sides. Almost there. Almost there.
Six more turns down hallways, and the area quieted.
Private overlord caverns were in this section. Even their offices close by.
I stopped at the far door. This was the room.
I took a moment to collect myself before turning the doorknob.
I stared inside, my stomach dropping and fury burning in my throat.
Those. Motherfucking. Bastards.
All eyes turned in my direction.
Four other possible candidates stood before a raised dais. The overlords rested on their ornate chairs atop a lifted area, four body lengths taller than I was from the floor. The space echoed just as greatly as the foyer as I closed the door with false calm behind me. This was a true cavern deep inside a mountain, the smell of damp stone and dirt attacking my nostrils.
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