The New Queen Rises

by Dawn Gray

  How and where?

  Come; I’ll show you.

  I looked at Quinn as Michael and I stood up and walked away without a word. He brought me into the basement, and led me down a path to a room. He knocked on the door and when it opened I saw quite a few people just standing around. He pointed at a tall, moderately built girl in the corner and she walked out. He walked the two of us to another room, where he first bit her, and then he passed her over to me. I latched on to her neck and felt my teeth grow sharp, filling the hole that Michael had made.

  "Don't worry about her, Ash. Take what you need," he said. Before I knew it, she was dead in my arms. I looked up at him and pushed her away, but strangely I felt no remorse for what I had just done. "They come here a lot, just looking for a way out. We have them sign an agreement; they're blood for a place to stay. It's written in the contract that they might die because of it, but they sign it anyway."

  I’m tired now, I said softly to him. He smiled and took my hand, then led me up to a back door in the kitchen and up the back stairway to my room. He left me sitting on the bed, but before he closed the door, he looked at me.

  "Please, be careful with Quinn," he pleaded.

  "I will," I replied and watched him close the door. I fell asleep in the t-shirt and shorts that I had changed into before our little family meeting, with a strange feeling of warmth and security.

  Nightmares plagued my sleep and I woke up quite a few times in a cold sweat. The second time that I sat up quickly, I felt someone sleeping beside me. When I got close enough to see, I found out that it was Julian. I touched his shoulder and he rolled over to look at me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me down to him. I put my head on his chest and he fell back into his sleep.

  When I woke up the next morning it was still early but Julian was gone, probably eating breakfast all ready. I changed my clothes, knowing that it was going to be hot. I put on a sports bra and some jean shorts and grabbed a tank top, just in case. I walked out the front door and started to walk around the inner ring of the property.

  Where I ended up was on the rocks just past the beach house again and I sat and watched the water in front of me. I could hear splashing to my left, looked over towards the bonfire site, and saw someone swimming around. Slowly, as my curiosity became more and more, I made my way over to stand just on the other side of the rocks, where I could see whoever it was but they couldn't see me.

  I watched him dive in and out of the water, and I knew who it was because of his presence, but was I really up for another encounter with Quinn so soon after last night? I tried to hide the best I could, but he slowly turned and looked in my direction. I turned and tried to pretend that I wasn't watching him, when he came around the corner to see who his Peeping Tom was.

  "I had a feeling it was you," he whispered in my ear. I still felt strange about his sudden affection towards me. "Weren't you going to come out so I could see you?"

  "Actually, I was kind of enjoying the view from where I was standing," I said and turned towards him. "I was watching you be free."

  "I'm always free."

  "No, you're not," I told him. He laughed at me and put his arm up against the rock to support some of his weight.

  "Suddenly, you're an expert." He smiled at me.

  "I notice things, I observe," I replied, crossing my arms.

  "So tell me, oh, great one, what have you noticed about me?" He questioned. I stepped back and looked him over, then started.

  "When you're alone, you're eyes are lighter, as if a certain weight is lifted because you don't have to impress anyone, you can be yourself," I told him. He nodded as I went on. "When you're near people, you seem to insist on being the cool, calm one, always with the level head, never letting anyone see your fears or your worries. You're eyes get darker and they hide your emotions quite well, but not well enough. When you're near your brother, you feel that you have to be better, like it's a contest to see who the better man is, but sometimes you're the only one playing," I whispered to him.

  "And what about with you?" He asked.

  "You're looking for a fight, an argument, something that makes your blood hot, so the feelings are more intense," I replied and laughed at him. "You need an adrenaline rush to keep you going and arguing with me does just that," I answered him calmly. He stepped closer and I stepped back.

  "You want me so badly to just give into you, but I won't and that makes you mad, gets your blood pumping, makes the chase more exciting."

  "I want you any way I can get you," Quinn said, stepping closer again as I backed away.

  "Do I make your blood boil?" I asked him smiling. "I'm something that you can't control and it drives you insane."

  "I don't want to control you; I want you to give in willingly," he whispered. I finally stepped back into the water and looked down, then up at him. "You seem to have run into a corner."

  "There's always a way out," I replied quietly.

  "Show me. Make me believe that you mean that." He smiled and stepped closer. I turned and quickly climbed up the rock, catching him off guard so he couldn’t grab me. He followed me until I ran down to the beach, then he stood, less than five feet away.

  "So, what do we do now?" I asked him. He smiled at me and stepped closer. "Are you going to grab me and throw me down in the sand?"

  "The idea had crossed my mind," Quinn replied. I kicked off my shoes, threw the tank top in the sand and ran out into the water. I dove under and came up just around the corner, in chest deep water. Quinn swam out and stopped by me. "That's not fair, you let yourself get caught."

  "Wouldn't you like me to stop playing games?" I asked him. He nodded and stepped up closer to me. He reached out and touched my hair with his fingers, and even then, I could feel the pulse. I reached up and put my hands on his chest. He put his hand down as I ran my hands over his wet skin. "This is very strange."

  "You're not the only one who thinks so," Quinn said and quickly took my hands off his chest. "You have to stop that."

  "Why?"

  "Let's just say it's sensitive to touch, especially yours," he replied.

  "I thought that's what you wanted?" I asked him as he put a hand on my waist and pressed his body against mine.

  "Not yet, not here," he murmured, as he leaned down to me and held himself within a half an inch from my lips, and he looked into my eyes. "I don't know what to do anymore, Ash. I want you so bad it hurts, but I don't want to give in yet, I want it to build."

  "You're an unusual man," I said and touched his lips with my tongue. He jumped slightly at this. "Most men would love to be here holding a woman like this, and give into their passion."

  He moved his lips from mine and moved my hair out of the way, then leaned down and kissed my neck, along my veins and down my shoulder. He kissed me until he was back at my neck and then he opened his mouth and ran the tip of his fangs along my skin. This gave me goose bumps and I put my arm around him to hold him closer. He continued to tease me then he grabbed me by the hair, tangling his fingers in it, but not hurting me at all. He bent my head back, kissed my chin, then down to the hollow of my neck, and further, until my top stopped him.

  He came back up and kissed my neck again, my breathing was heavy and he knew that he had me. I looked up at the sky as he ran his teeth over my skin again and put a little pressure on my neck with the tips of his teeth.

  "Do you want this?" He asked me softly in my ear and continued his soft kisses.

  "Yes," I responded to him, as he breathed heavy near my ear.

  "Relax," he said quietly and moved back down to my neck. He kissed me lightly, and then pressed his teeth into my skin. It felt like a pop when they broke through, but the pain was different this time, it wasn't as intense and slowly faded as the feelings of ecstasy moved close to the top. We stood there clinging desperately to each other as he sucked on my neck, but I could feel the control he had, the way he controlled the blood flow. I knew he was only taking a little, but it felt exqu
isite.

  I couldn't help the small noises that escaped my lips from time-to-time as I let my eyes close and I gave in to him. He pulled away gently, but I still hadn't moved from where he held me. His fingers untangled themselves and he held the back of my neck now, kissing my chin, and then he brought my head up straight so that he could kiss my mouth.

  I tasted the blood on his lips, my blood, and it made me hunger for more. He let me lick, kiss, and suck on his skin, whichever way it had to be for me to get the blood off from him. He closed his eyes now and let me suck on his neck, but I didn't bite though. He slowly pushed me away and looked at me with droopy eyes. I touched his hair and face and he looked at me, almost drunkenly.

  "We have to stop," he said is a whisper. I smiled at him, knowing that I had broken whatever wall he had built up years ago. Quinn showing some restraint was almost enough to make me laugh, but I didn't feel like laughing right then, I felt like giving in. "Ash, listen to me," he said and stared me in the eyes. "Now is not the time."

  "But, I want you," I told him softly. He put a hand on my cheek. I smiled at him and he saw the sharp tips of my teeth. "I want to taste you."

  "God, you're making this so hard," he whispered as he bent his head to the side, letting me get close to his skin. I bit down softly, then harder to break the skin. It was my first time doing that alone, without someone starting it, but Quinn didn't seem to be hurt by it. When the blood began to flow, he began to moan.

  Suddenly, he pulled me away and looked at my face. He wiped the blood from my chin and smiled at me. "Not too much," he told me and touched my hair; his voice was calm and quiet. "You're very good at that."

  "Yeah, but I'm feeling quite funny from it," I told him. What I felt was drowsy and he picked me up out of the water and brought me on shore. He carried me over to a blanket, which I had seen him sitting on earlier that morning, and laid me down on the blanket. I fell asleep shortly after he put me down. When I opened my eyes, Lauren had joined him on the blanket and they were talking.

  "How do you feel?" She asked him. He smiled, and then it faded. He had almost let his guard down and that wasn't like him. "Does she make you feel warm?"

  "You're very nosy for such a little girl," Quinn said playfully but didn't answer her question. "So, what about you and Julian?"

  "What about him?" Lauren asked.

  "You two are rather close lately," Quinn pointed out.

  "You're both rather loud right now," I said and sat up looking at them. "Gossip, gossip, gossip, that's all you men do around here."

  "We're just comparing notes," Quinn said sarcastically. I laughed at him. "What?"

  "Rookies," I replied and smiled at them. "The whole lot of you, just rookies. With the exception of Lauren."

  "You've got a bad attitude," he said and came close to my face. I smirked at him and then stood up.

  "You think that's bad, you haven't seen anything yet," I replied and walked towards the house. As I walked up towards the back door, I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. He looked like he was drunk, stumbling around, but I could feel him and I knew that he was hurt. "David?"

  I walked towards him and when I got close enough, I could see the arrow sticking out of his side, from one side to the other. I stepped down to him and he looked at me.

  "What now, Ash?" He asked me and smiled as the blood ran from his lips. "Are you going to kill me now, take me when I'm wounded?"

  I watched him sit awkwardly on the ground and I knelt beside him, then I shook my head.

  Michael!

  What? He answered me as if I was interrupting something.

  Your friend, David, is out here with an arrow in his side.

  I’ll be right out.

  "You're lucky that I'm nothing like Quinn," I told him, as he looked at me weakly. "Michael's coming out to help me get this thing out of you."

  "Why would you help me, I lead you right into a trap?" David asked softly.

  "Hell, I knew what I was getting myself into when I went with you. We all make our own choices, David; you just picked a different choice to go with. I'm not going to hold that against you, unless of course it gets me killed. Then I'm coming after you," I said as I sat with him and looked at his wound. Michael ran down the grass, with Julian right beside him and the two boys helped him into the house.

  I walked into the dining room and looked at the table in front of me. There was something about it that didn't seem right, and I smiled as looked at the dishes. The placement was wrong, I thought to myself. This cup should be where that saucer is.

  My eyes lit up as the dishes started to move to where I had wanted them. This was something new and interesting. I lifted my hands and watched as the entire table settings came off the table. Plates, flatware, glasses and goblets, napkins and centerpieces were all floating in the air. I walked over as they moved and stood in the middle of them, looking for strings. I laughed when I saw none and moved out from the circle of glass.

  My hands shook and so did the dishes, so I thought I would play. I twirled my finger in a circle and watched each plate and saucer spin on its own, and then I twirled my hand and watched the whole thing began to spin in a circle. I felt someone watching me with awe in their eyes, but it wasn't until she gasped, quite loudly, that I turned and looked at Lauren. As soon as my concentration was broken, then dishes all fell to the floor.

  I ducked and covered as glass shattered around me, then I stood and looked at the mess that was on the floor. I turned and looked at Lauren, who was smiling at me, but then I saw Quinn and Julian run in behind her.

  "Son of a bitch," Julian said looking at the piles of glass on the floor. I looked at him, not used to him just coming out and swearing, but then he looked at me and pointed. "What the hell is this?"

  "An accident," I replied and shrugged.

  "Yeah, but how did it happen?" Quinn questioned also. I looked at him, then pointed to the tablecloth and looked back at him as it rose off the table and folded itself neatly into a square. Quinn's eyes showed confusion while the rest of his face continued to look the same, but Julian's mouth dropped as he looked at the cloth, then at me. "Well, it's safe to say that she has her powers now."

  "Unbelievable," Julian said and stepped up beside me, facing behind me. "When did this all start?"

  "Just a few minutes ago," I replied as I watched Quinn, my mind suddenly on what had happened between us earlier in the water.

  I don’t need to see this, Ash, Michael's voice interrupted my thoughts.

  "Sorry," I said aloud and watched him walk around the corner and stop to look at the mess on the floor.

  "Well, it's time to make the house Ashley proof," he said sarcastically. I smiled and then covered my eyes and looked back at the mess.

  Later on that afternoon, when everyone else was sitting in the television room, I snuck up and knocked on David's door. He yelled for me to come in. I stepped over the threshold and looked at him. He was sitting on the bed with his shirt off and a bandage wrapped around his torso, where the arrow had been.

  "What do you want?" He asked me

  "Why are you so bitter to me? I didn't do anything to you," I replied and stood at the end of his bed. "Although, I should."

  "Go ahead," he sneered. I crossed my arms and shook my head.

  "It's not worth it," I replied to him. "Besides, who do you think told them to let you go in the first place, Gandhi?"

  "Why would you want me released?" He questioned.

  "Simple, you're going to help me get my son back," I told him. "Or,” I said as he shook his head, "I’ll make your life a living hell."

  "How can you do that? You're just a mortal," he laughed. I leaned over the bed and put my hand on his left side, pressing my fingers against his wound. His face grimaced and he snarled at me. I smiled and my eyes started to glow red.

  "This ‘mortal’ can tear you apart," I told him in a whisper, then the door opened slowly and a maid peeked in. "I'll come back later. Don't disappear."r />
  I smiled at him as he stared at me as I walked out the door. I knew that I had him thinking and that was a good thing, but what was he thinking about was the question.

  11

  I got dressed around twelve and went out the front door, heading for the carriage house. I had nothing particular in mind when I pushed open the doors to the garage where the boys’ cars all sat. There were three of them. Michael's Jaguar, which was a bright red, an almost blood color, which explained Michael's nature. Julian's Mustang, a nice dark blue, almost like the night sky, this let you see his dark side. Finally, Quinn's Porsche, its black shine seemed to reflect the moon perfectly. I walked around this car, touching almost every curve of it. No wonder Quinn found this car to fit his personality. It was black, just like his darkness, very sleek and trim, like his body and very, very powerful, just like him.

  "You're not thinking of borrowing it again, are you?" A voice asked me. I jumped, so caught up in the car that I never felt his presence. I turned and smiled at Quinn.

  "Actually, I was thinking about taking the Jag this time. I'm sure Michael wouldn't mind," I replied and leaned on the hood of his car. He stepped up to the open doorway and leaned against the door with his shoulder.

  "Going somewhere?" He asked me. I shrugged.

  "You know me, wherever the moment takes me," I replied without any intention of giving him a straight answer.

  "You're very uncooperative tonight," he whispered to me.

  "And, you're very nosy." I smiled back.

  "I just want to make sure that you're safe." I walked up to him and touched his chest lightly with my left hand.

  "Quinn, how can I not be safe? I have at least one of you following me around at every second," I replied and walked passed him.

  "It's because we care."

  "I know that," I said and turned back to him when he turned around. "But, I need my time too," I replied. "I need time to have a level head."

  "You always do."

  "No, I don't." I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. "When you're around, my mind thinks of crazy stuff and all I want to do is be held by you, which is not a bad thing, but when I move away to try something else, Julian's there with his little bit of wisdom to share. After that, it's Michael, who's with me almost every second now that we're connected. I just need to be alone, Quinn. I want to be alone."