by Mary Duke
QUEEN
THE BLOODLINE SERIES
BOOK THREE
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication | To Jillian, thank you for dealing with all my “Here read this, and tell me it doesn’t suck.” Messages. I wouldn’t have got this far without you!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Connect with Mary here:
Dedication
To Jillian, thank you for dealing with all my “Here read this, and tell me it doesn’t suck.” Messages. I wouldn’t have got this far without you!
Chapter One
“Has it really been a month?” I asked Damari as we pulled off the road when the GPS beeped that we’d arrived.
“A little over it actually,” Storm chimed in from the back seat.
I opened the door and got out; I needed to stretch my legs.
“We’ve been busy,” Damari said walking around the front of the Jeep to stand beside me.
“You could say that,” I smiled, looking up at him before giving him a quick kiss.
“Well,” Storm said from still inside the jeep. “If you count the days we didn’t sleep, it’s technically only been about two weeks.”
We laughed.
Damari scanned the trees, “Are you sure this is the place?”
I typed in her coordinates; as far as I know, nothing has changed.
Storm stuck his head out of the window, “Ummm.”
“Nothing with the time and place has changed,” I corrected myself before I got another lecture from him. “I know that everything has turned upside down with the Dark Fairies and the Reapers.”
“And...”
“And you’re stuck here babysitting us, instead of getting in on the action.”
“Mmmhmm,” Storm mumbled, lying back down on the seat.
Damari started to walk with me, “Have you talked to her?”
“Few texts here and there,” I replied. “Those couple of phone calls, which you heard. Aside from that, I haven’t heard a word. What about Kyrell?”
“Same,” he answered. “Though he has promised that he would explain some things once he got here.”
“Would you look at that,” Foley’s beautiful voice rang from behind us.
“YOU!” I said letting go of Damari’s hand and rushing to give her a huge hug.
“Me!” She shouted back as she always did. “And you, the two of you!”
“It’s been too long,” Damari said joining in the hug fest.
“Who’s that?” I asked just realizing there was someone behind her.
“Oh,” Foley said stepping back and grabbing ahold of the girl's arm. “This long white haired beauty is Catrina; you can call her Cat, everyone does.”
“Hi,” I said reaching for her hand.
“Hello,” Cat said, her voice much deeper than I’d expected and her grip stronger.
“Cat’s the only way I was going to get out of there,” Foley explained. “Sorry I didn’t’ mention her before, top secret, wasn’t allowed.”
“Like I would have said something,” I chuckled, offended.
“Oh no, love. I knew you wouldn’t. But they screen everything, believe me, If I would have told you, they would have known, and it would have been something else I would have had to deal with.”
“Gotcha.”
“So,” Damari said sizing her up, “What makes her the key to your escape?”
Foley wrapped her arm around Cat’s shoulders, “Cat here has several very unique talents.”
“Stop!” Cat said, scanning the treetops. “We’re not alone. Someone is coming.”
“It’s Kyrell,” Storm said, making his way out of the Jeep.
Foley’s face lit up. “You didn’t say he would be here too!”
“I said we’d all be back together,” I assured her.
“It’s okay, Cat. He’s a friend.”
“He’s a Reaper,” she countered.
“He’s my Reaper, and I’m ordering you to stand down.”
“Your Reaper?” Damari snapped back.
“Okay, I’ll share with you,” Foley chuckled, but only on the weekends.”
“You traded in the cloak and death aura!” I said as Kyrell landed, his wings retracting and disappearing as his feet hit the ground.
“I had to. Embracing the new seems to keep everyone happy,” he mumbled.
Foley wrapped her arms around his neck, “Well, I think they make you look sexy!”
Kyrell bit the inside of his cheek, “You’ve changed so much.”
“As have you,” Foley said taking a step back to admire the finely tailored suit.
“Don’t remind me,” he said shaking his head.
“Now,” Storm said walking closer to Cat, obviously mesmerized by her beauty. “You were about to tell us about your friend's talents?”
“Aside from being married,” Foley shot at Storm before turning back to us. “Cat here is one of those rare individuals who has the ability to create and jump through gates. So I can literally be here one minute and back at the prison...I mean castle...the next.”
“You have a castle?” I questioned.
“Forget the castle, do you know what this means?” Storm questioned.
Foley held up her hand, “That’s not all. She can also kick some serious ass and has a very unique, I don’t know if you’d call it brand, but brand of magic. Guys, she makes my shit look tame.”
“And she’s on our side?” Kyrell questioned, cautious.
“I am,” Cat answered for herself. “I’ve spent most of my life in hiding, knowing that if I were to step out of the shadows while the wrong family ruled, I would become a slave. Foley, however, stands for everything I believe in. A society where I’d want to raise my future children, a Realm in which everyone is safe. If there’s a way that I can ensure that happens, I’m going to do everything I can.”
Kyrell nodded.
“So,” I said. “How is Royal life?”
“It’s a Royal pain in the ass,” Foley said rolling her eyes.
“I second that,” Kyrell added.
“Yes, I’m sure you can relate. Now tell us what’s up with you.”
“I want to hear more about you first. How are the Dark Fairies taking to the switch? Are they divided?”
“Actually, they’re not. It’s odd how they came together. At first, we were sure there was going to be a huge uprising, especially with my sister being the one that killed the Queen,” Foley answered.
“To be honest,” Cat said. “Everyone was sick of her shit. She used our name and reputation to get what she wanted; she never put any of us first.”
“That, I think, helped. That and the prophecy, it was definitely seen in a whole new light. Before they believed the sister that destroyed the way of life was bad, but when it happened the way it did, the truth behind the prophecy was revealed.”
“Well, it sounds like out of the two of us you are the bearer of good news,” Kyrell said forcing a smile.
“Why?” Damari questioned, “Things not like you remember?”
“Not even close,” Kyrell answered shaking his head.
“You couldn’t have expected it to be,” I chimed in. “I mean I knew nothing before,
and I know little now, but you’ve gone through three leaders before you all in a 72-hour span.”
“That, believe it or not, is not the hardest thing to deal with,” Kyrell said leaning back against the Jeep. “Like I’ve said, Reapers have rules, they follow whoever is next in line.”
“Well then, if they have to follow you, what’s the problem?”
Kyrell looked up to the sky for a moment, trying to align his thoughts. “They are quick to pull the, I left card, and that they know there are other places I’d rather be...it doesn’t help that I acknowledge that every chance I get too. Aside from that, well because of that, they don’t trust me. They’ve made it obvious they’d rather have the top-ranked general, Marrinox, as the new king, and to be honest, I’d hand him the goddamn throne. Hell, I’d give the asshole whatever he wanted so I didn’t have to be there.”
“Let me guess,” Damari said. “That’s not the way it works.”
“Fuckin’ A. The position can’t be handed over, it has to be won. However, there are two things standing in the way of that. One, Thaddius is gone, who the fuck knows where, with my sister, both of which are in line for the throne. Thaddius, me, and then McKinnon, though if McKinnon came back they would gladly bow down. Secondly, I don’t want to die, at least not yet. We’re getting to that point,” he said pointing at us. “But I’m not there yet.”
“So,” Foley said. “Unlike what we thought, you’re the one with the race split down the middle.”
“More like fourths,” Kyrell sighed. “Those dead set on the old ways, that followed my father, those that wanted my mother to rule, those that will follow my sister anywhere, and the remainder who honestly would follow anyone but me.”
“Give them time,” I said. “When they learn who you are, and what it is you seek, their loyalty will fall upon you.’
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Kyrell smiled, not as optimistic as I was.
“So,” Foley said. “The wolves, where do they stand?”
“Scattered,” I answered honestly. “Though they seem to be coming together.”
Damari chimed in, “We’ve even got a few scouts that have come from the Crimson wolves. Swearing their loyalty.”
“See,” Foley added. “I told you that they weren’t all the same.”
“I know,” I answered. “My mother, my family for that matter, it was their life's work to see us all as equals. I was always taught that there would be outsiders, but I don’t know. As much as I want to believe them, to trust that they are on our side, part of me hates them simply for being who they are.”
“And that’s okay,” Kyrell said.
“No,” Cat butted in. “You can’t judge all based on the actions of a few. “I’d like to think I’ve learned a great deal about the three of you from Foley over the last month. In that time, those are words I never believed would come out of your mouth. I never saw you as a coward.”
“A coward?” I repeated questioning her word choice.
“Absolutely.” She responded not backing down. “You need to have the courage to lead whoever will stand behind you right now. Do you hold grudges against me or my family? We are dark Fairies, we’ve been hunting you tirelessly for months.”
“But that wasn’t you. You were not hunting me, were you?”
“No, I was not, but I know of many who were forced to scout for you, in fear of what would happen to their families if they did not.”
“This is different.”
“It is no different,” Cat continued to argue. “It is fine to have your guard up, and it is fine to listen to your gut, but you have to look to the future. What’s going to happen after this war, what’s life going to be like for them when they lose? If you show that you’re not some evil bitch and that those who repent their sins will be welcomed, you’re going to find that many who follow blindly will see the light.”
Chapter Two
“Okay, I’m sorry. I can’t be here,” I said as Foley pulled the dragon’s egg out of her bag.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I forgot how much it affected you two.”
I nodded, before sprinting down the road until the screaming inside my head became tolerable.
“That has to be the weirdest feeling,” Damari said coming to a stop beside me.
“That’s nothing,” I replied holding up my hand. “Try having someone else living inside you.”
“Living inside you? You’ve never said it like that before.”
I shrugged my shoulders; it’s just the way I felt. I mean with the more rings we collected, and the more bones I absorbed, I could feel Kamara growing stronger.
“So,” Foley said, looking to everyone as she sat the egg on the table. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen. I’ve never tampered with this level of dark magic before.”
“Maybe you should let me do it?” Cat questioned. “Or at least take point?”
Foley hesitated before stepping aside. “I’m trusting you with this.”
“You trust me with your life, remember?” Cat said trying to make a joke.
“This is more important than my life,” Foley snapped back.
“Got it,” she said, picking up the egg before slowly dragging it just off the surface of the map they’d laid out in the trunk of the jeep, muttering her go-to locator spell.
“What are those?” Storm questioned, pointing to the moving dots that began to appear on the map.
“If I had to guess,” Kyrell said. “I would say those are real living, breathing monsters.”
“If the moving ones are monsters,” Foley said. “Then these clumps would be unclaimed rings?”
“I’d bet money on it.”
“These brighter ones?” Storm questioned, pointing to the few that flickered on the map. “Do you think those could be bones?”
“It’s quite possible,” Kyrell answered. “Or it’s some other treat the Original Coven has left behind.”
Storm took his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture, instantly sending it to everyone. “There, now we all have it if we happen to need it.”
“Looks like we have some new leads.” I said opening the text message from Storm.
“Hopefully these are better than the ones we picked up from those Keepers’ phones.”
I cringed. If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that those phones were a setup. Location after location filled with dead Hollow Wolves: all of which were tested on. They were images I would never be able to get out of my head.
“Is it safe to go back?” Damari questioned.
“I’d assume so, they did what they had to,” I replied heading back towards them.
“Where are we going to first?” Damari asked once they were in earshot.
“We’re going to test the waters first” Foley answered. “Go with one of the closest, but smaller troves.”
“Do you think the dots are rings, or what?” I questioned.
“Yeah,” she answered. “The ones that aren’t moving we figure are the unclaimed ones. The ones that were moving...which you can’t tell from a picture, those we are guessing are the monsters.”
Damari pulled his phone from his pocket, “Which ones of these are the monsters? How many of them are there?”
Kyrell pointed out a few of the clusters. “If I had to guess, I would say there are at least a hundred of them.”
“There’s no way we can take them all on at once,” I said, my heart beginning to race.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Cat said. “I mean I’ve never fought one, but I’ve seen it from Foley’s standpoint. If I could make a suggestion, I would say between now and whenever this war is, we need to find a way to eliminate them by the masses. Hell, I don’t know... Blow them to pieces with one of the humans’ missiles, I don’t care how.”
“We’ll figure something out,” I said, trying to remain focused on finding the rings, knowing now that they were the best bet we had to defeat the monsters. “Now how do we travel with you?
I’m guessing we’re all going to go as one now?”
“Yes,” Cat answered, holding out her hands towards the road. “All you have to do is walk through.”
“Well, that’s not fishy at all,” Storm muttered under his breath.
I half smiled, agreeing with him.
“Come on guys,” Foley said. “I trust her. You can trust her. Look, I’ll go first.”
As Foley disappeared through the gate, Cat’s attitude changed quickly. “Now get your fucking asses through, before I do, or you're stuck here. I have no idea what’s on the other side of that gate, other than the location on the map. She’s alone.”
Not knowing what we were going to find, it didn’t take much to impress us.
“I see we weren’t the only one who got the memo,” I said as Kamara trailed behind Foley peering over her shoulder as Foley opened boxes and rummaged through papers.
Kamara turned towards us. “I know this place, it was one of the places I came to just get away.”
“And you couldn’t have told me about it?” Storm questioned.
“I couldn’t remember where it was. My memory...it’s broken.”
“It was the spell,” Cat answered. “The one Xander used to have you split into pieces, it split your memory too.”
“Oh?” Kamara questioned turning towards Cat. “And who is this?”
Foley answered. “This is Catrina, she’s with me.”
“Yeah,” Kyrell added sarcastically. “She just so happens to be able to make gates, dark magic, and knows all about the spell used to split you into pieces...”
“Now that you put it that way,” Storm said, turning towards her. “It is odd that you just show up when we need you having the ability to do everything we need.”
Cat smiled, not taking offense. “You know, I expected a lot of resentment and questions, so while I welcome them, I will not tolerate disrespect. I am an open book; ask me anything, and I will answer truthfully. I won’t keep it a secret as to who I am, what my family has done, nor will I sit back and let others judge me for it.”
“Cat,” Foley said stopping her before she said any more. “I don’t think now is the time.”
“Now might be the only opportunity I have. I don’t know what we will find here, what she remembers, or if she’ll remember what happened. I have to tell them.”
