Queen of the Vampires: Snow White Reimagined with Vampires and Dragons (Seven Magics Academy Book 3)

by RaShelle Workman

  “Alright.” I took a step toward Christopher before pausing. “Aren’t you worried someone will see you?”

  He already closed his eyes but opened one. “Do I look the least bit concerned, little vampire?”

  “No, you really don’t. And I’m hoping it’s because you know what you’re doing and not because…” I trailed off. I didn’t want to call him crazy. That would be rude.

  “I’m not crazy—well, at least no more than can be expected after six thousand plus years of life. I do possess a good deal of magic, remember.” He closed his eye. “Trust me. The only reason you can see me is because I want you to.”

  “Right.” I kept forgetting about magic, even though I was part of that world now. A supernatural creature. Shaking my head, I moved briskly toward Christopher. The closer I got the faster I went, until I was in his arms, my face buried in his neck. It was good to see him, to feel his body against mine, giving me a sense of security. My heartbeat quickened with happiness at having him near.

  But he wasn’t Dorian. At the thought of him, pain radiated through me.

  “Don’t ever leave without telling me,” Christopher said fiercely, his fingers winding through my hair.

  “I’m sorry,” I responded, forcing away the tears stinging my lashes.

  “What’s the dragon still doing here? Doesn’t he have someplace to be? A nap to get to?” he asked, his words filled with irritation.

  “I need to talk to him. He’s waiting until I’m done with you,” I said softly, trying to smile.

  Christopher met my gaze, his eyes filled with longing. “If I have my way, we’ll never be apart again.”

  I hugged him, though it didn’t feel the same. Things changed. It didn’t matter that Dorian was gone. I felt what real love was supposed to be and knew that wasn’t how I felt for my hunter. “I won’t be long.”

  “Promise?”

  I watched his face, the way he looked at me, and was grateful he cared so much. “I need to speak with Abernathy. Alone.” I looked away, hoping he wouldn’t be upset but determined to stand my ground. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to know about the black gem in my pocket. I wanted to understand what it was first. Created on the altar from Dorian’s blood and mine. I needed to know what it meant, and I knew if anyone would have the answer, it would be the dragon.

  “Fine,” he replied after several long seconds. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I pulled him close, kissing his cheek. “Thank you, Christopher.”

  He cupped my face in his hands, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. Electric shocks of longing coursed through my body. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

  I swallowed, nodded. “I will. Later.”

  He pressed his lips to mine, a kiss filled with promises. Compared to what I felt with Dorian, there were big differences. When we separated, he sighed. “Tomorrow, Frosty,” he said, and brushed the tip of my nose with his finger.

  Chapter 22

  When I was sure Christopher was gone, I hurried back to Abernathy. He smacked his lips and opened one eye. “Awww, young love.” He paused. “We both know it isn’t real.”

  I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. It wasn’t his place to say anything. After Dorian’s kiss—the love that had surrounded me, filled me—I knew the dragon was right. But Dorian was dead.

  “Love is dense,” Abernathy continued.

  I snorted; grateful I could jump on his unusually bad comment. “That’s romantic.”

  A laugh resounded in his throat. “What I mean is, real love is more than what you see, what you feel, in the moment.”

  “Really?” I asked with thick sarcasm, but I was interested. It wasn’t like I ever had someone to talk to about love.

  “Certainly,” he said with a wink. “Think about a lush forest, rich with all manner of foliage. A person could spend eons discovering its secrets and still not find them all. It’s the same with love. True love, anyway.” He gave me a pointed look. “Deep, abiding love is discovering something new and wondrous about the other person, even after spending a lifetime together.”

  “I like that,” I said, my mind wandering back to Dorian and our kiss. “What about true love’s kiss?” My face grew hot. I was embarrassed to be talking to a dragon about something that sounded so juvenile.

  He laughed again and it sounded like thunder. “You want to know if you will become human again if you receive it.”

  I nodded, blinking back tears. Juvenile or not, it was in my thoughts and I craved an answer.

  “Hmmm.” He extended his wings, turned, and looked at them. “Is that what you want? To become human—at least partially so—since you were never fully human to begin with.”

  I didn’t. Without a doubt I knew that. “No, but what would happen if I received it now? Since I’m the Seal and a vampire.” I coughed, trying to work through my feelings. Things were so different. True love’s kiss didn’t matter anymore. I knew that. When Professor Pops told me about true love’s kiss, the Seal wasn’t even in the picture.

  “Ah.” Abernathy smiled and licked his teeth. “That’s a good question.” He closed his eyes. “I have theories, but not exact answers.” He opened his eyes, catching me off guard with his stare. “There has never been another like you, Snow White.”

  “That’s what I figured.” I scanned the sky, searching among the brilliant stars for courage.

  Abernathy clicked his claws against each other. “Enough of that. What do you really need to discuss with me? I know there is more.”

  There was. A lot more. “It’s…” I paused, readjusting my inner turmoil. I hadn’t meant to bring that up, about the kiss. But I was glad I did. There was no going back to ordinary. Abernathy made that clear.

  Reaching a hand in my pocket, my fingers found the gem. Its smooth surface was slightly warm. I pulled it out, holding it up for Abernathy to see. The flecks of color glistened in the moonlight. “This,” I said timidly.

  Abernathy shook his mane, tilting his head to one side. “Unexpected,” he said slowly, his voice filled with wonder. “Tell me how you came to have that in your possession.”

  I explained what happened and how it formed on the altar from my blood and Dorian’s.

  “Did you show the hunter?” he asked, his voice so low, I wondered whether he said the question aloud.

  I shook my head. “No. Only you.” It was apparent whatever it was, the gem was something special.

  “Good.” Twin wisps of smoke plumed from his nostrils and he breathed out heavily.

  I waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. “What is it?” I asked, placing a hand on a hip.

  A palpable current of energy churned the chilly air. A snap, like a fierce worry, rolled off the dragon. Whatever the gem was, it didn’t fill Abernathy with joy, that was for sure.

  “Between your fingers—that gem—it is the beginning and the end. I cannot tell you more. I will say this though. Keep it with you at all times, understand?” He stood and I had to tilt my head to see his face.

  “I don’t. Why can’t you be more specific? Tell me what it is.” I stuck the gem back in my pocket, afraid that having it out in the open was somehow wrong. Dangerous, even. Abernathy was infuriating. “The beginning and the end tells me nothing.”

  “If I’m more specific, then it’s possible others will find out what you possess. Once the words have been spoken, they can’t be taken back.”

  “Fine.” I tucked my hands in my back pockets. If he wouldn’t be forthcoming on the gem, maybe he would be more helpful with plans to save my mother. “What about my mom? How are we going to get her out of Mizu?”

  He lowered his head. “Quite simply, you aren’t.”

  I started to protest, but he went on.

  “You must confront the vampire queen, convince her she’s made a mistake, strip her of her power, and return magic to the other creatures. She must allow you to take over. When she is no longer ruler, you can release those in captivity.
Once those two things are done, the balance of the seven magics should be restored.” He paused as though deep in thought, and I waited. “Killing her won’t solve anything. You must make her see the harm she’s causing and make her step down.”

  I huffed. “Yeah, right. I’ll just show up in her land and have a conversation with the vampire queen. She’ll be more than happy to acquiesce. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled by the idea of me taking over and releasing all supernatural creatures under her control.”

  “Sarcasm is unbecoming,” Abernathy quipped, smacking his teeth together with a snap.

  “Stop kidding around. I need to save my mother and then I can go after the vampire queen.” I held out my hands in front of me, pleading with him to do as I asked. “Tell me what I need to know about Mizu Atlantica.” My bottom lip quivered at thoughts of what Devoran might be doing to her. “My mom… I can’t leave her there.”

  Abernathy closed his eyes. “You know all you need to know of Mizu. It was created to protect magical creatures from Sharra. Once you’ve dethroned her and her magic is no longer viable, Mizu will cease to matter and those within will be returned to this realm. Simple as that.”

  I gasped. “You promised me.” His words sounded like excuses, like what a lazy dragon might say.

  He growled. It was soft but menacing. I crossed a line, but I didn’t care.

  “I think it’s time I tell you a secret,” he said.

  “What secret?” I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. This conversation wasn’t going anything like I expected. I thought he would tell me about the black gem. I hoped it was a way to stop the vampire queen or, better yet, a way to restore balance to magic. I thought it was the answer to all my problems. Something that would mean Dorian’s death wasn’t meaningless. Though I already knew that wasn’t true. His sacrifice saved me and all of Earth’s creatures.

  Instead of enlightening me, Abernathy made the gem out to be something sinister. I swallowed back a string of curse words that floated through my mind.

  Abernathy let out a roar. Startled, I fell backward. My hands crunched against the hard, dead grass. A stream of fire went into the sky and the air became thick with smoke and the stench of sulfur. It stung my nose. A golden shimmer surrounded the dragon, so he glowed. The light became so bright I had to look away.

  After several seconds the light diminished. I coughed and squinted, trying to see the dragon through all the smoke. But he was gone, and a man came forward.

  Chapter 23

  “Kenmei,” I whispered, bewildered. “What happened to Abernathy?”

  “Take my hand,” he insisted.

  I shook my head. “Where’s the dragon?” Had Kenmei killed him? Was everything the vampire queen said about him true? Was Kenmei evil?

  “Shiryo-san, it’s me,” he said and crouched so we were level. His eyes flashed, and the endlessness that was in Kenmei’s eyes vanished. Instead, his eyes glowed amber.

  Abernathy’s eyes.

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Not impossible. Let me show you.” He held out his hand again. Nervously I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

  “Does Pro—Adam Henry know?” I asked, searching his face, trying to see Abernathy in there. Even though the dragon was a hundred times my size, I felt more at ease with him than I ever felt with Kenmei.

  “Yes, he knows. After so many years, how could he not? Even the vampire queen knows.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?” And then I understood. The vampire queen had bitten him, changed him. He was the first hunter. She tasted his blood, probably more than once. “Yet she changed you anyway. That must’ve been quite a feat for Sharra. Having a dragon do her bidding.”

  He smiled sardonically. “I was never in my dragon form while in her service. When she changed me, I was in this form.” He pointed at his very human-looking body, that of a middle-aged Asian man. “It wasn’t until much later that she realized what I was, but I refused to take on my dragon form for her. It was a constant battle between us.”

  “Why would you even allow it?”

  He chuckled lightly. “It was a rough time in my life.” He gave me a sideways look.

  “Did it have to do with love?” I was only half joking, but his eyebrows raised.

  “Very perceptive.” He clasped his hands behind his back and turned his attention to the sky.

  I wanted to ask him more. Get the details. It was weird to imagine dragon love or even Kenmei in love.

  “May I take you somewhere?”

  “Sure,” I said, in no hurry to face the realities that lay inside Professor Pops’ mansion. The truths about myself that I would have to tell him and the brothers.

  “Thank you.” He squeezed my fingers. “Don’t let go.”

  “Okay.” My stomach felt a little queasy.

  Kenmei moved one hand in front of him.

  Professor Pops’ mansion and yard began to blur like watercolors in the rain…

  In an instant, Kenmei and I were on a dirt road. The sun hung high above and, off in the distance, I saw a golden dragon circling in the air.

  “Is that you?” I asked, still unsure about where we were and what I was seeing. More than that, I was still having a difficult time believing Abernathy and Kenmei were one in the same. My mind ran through all of the different times I talked to the dragon, even with Silindra, and Kenmei. The strangest recollection was when Kenmei told me to talk to Abernathy. Which meant he was, in fact, sending me to talk to himself. I shook my head.

  Maybe the dragon was crazy.

  “Yes,” Kenmei answered, bringing me out of my thoughts. I watched his features soften. “Listen.”

  I clamped down on another question and strained to hear what he wanted me to. Finally, I heard it. Singing, like the song of a beautiful bird, but the voice was that of a girl.

  As one, Kenmei and I glided closer, like moving in super-fast forward. We went off the dirt road, passed some wild daisies and entered an orchard. It was filled with apple trees. The scented blossoms made everything fragrant. I spotted a girl only a few feet away.

  “Won’t she see us?” I asked, ready to hide behind a tree.

  “No. This is one of my memories.” A hint of a smile danced on Kenmei’s lips. He was happy. I felt it flow off him.

  I took a step closer, mesmerized by her song. She seemed so innocent, carefree. Her hair was long and golden blonde, the color of Abernathy’s mane. She wore a brown skirt and a white shirt. The sleeves were long and poofed at the wrist. Her feet were bare. On one arm hung a basket. As she filled it with apples, she sang:

  Carry me up to the clouds.

  Let me soar like the birds.

  I want to fly on the wings of love.

  Birds of all kinds fluttered around her, but they were silent. Even they seemed enamored by her voice.

  If I had feathers. A tail too.

  My love will ascend,

  carrying you and you and you.

  As she sang, she pointed at a different bird.

  Her song was like magic, calling to everyone who could hear. “Who is she?” I asked.

  “Can’t you tell?” he asked, distracted.

  I felt like I should know, but I didn’t. “She has a beautiful voice.”

  “That’s Aurora,” he said, nodding, his eyes never leaving her.

  “No,” I began, but regarded her more closely. She looked almost exactly like the girl in the fairytale-inspired figurines and pictures my stepmother used to keep in the house. “Wow,” I said.

  “She’s exquisite, isn’t she?”

  She was very pretty. “Yes,” I answered, keeping a step behind Kenmei as we moved nearer.

  “Aurora is the reason I first took on a human form.” He chuckled. “Before I met her, I didn’t even know I could transform. It was my love for her that inspired the change.”

  We both watched as Aurora plucked an apple from a tree and placed it in her basket.

  “Wow,” I said again.
<
br />   “I had all this magic, but no one to love. It was her song that drew me. And once I heard her laugh, that was it. I was gone. In love.”

  “She sings beautifully,” I breathed, trying to understand how a dragon could fall in love with a human.

  “If those birds possessed my magic, they would’ve become men as well.”

  I snickered, checking his features to see whether he was serious.

  “I’m not kidding. Even now, I can remember the love that beat in their tiny hearts for her.”

  I saw the look on his face and knew he wasn’t. Even I sort of loved her now. Her words swayed in my head and filled my heart. “Does she possess magic?” I asked, shocked I could be twitterpated after a few seconds of hearing her sing.

  “Yes, Shiryo-san. Aurora was the first enchantress, though she didn’t know it. Her song bewitched all who heard her, but not to the extent that I lost control of myself. Her magic awoke my amorous feelings, and I wanted to experience them. With her. So, I took on this form and became Kenmei.”

  “Did it work?” I asked, surprised. “Did she love you back?”

  His brow furrowed and pain changed his expression.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  He cleared his throat. “Don’t be. Though she didn’t return my love, we became great friends. Even after she married, we visited together often. I taught her how to use her magic. And she assisted in creating the book your friend Cindy keeps. The Eye of Abernathy.”

  “Ohhhhh.”

  “That’s right,” he nodded, and a whimsical smile smoked across his lips. “She loved me, but it wasn’t the kind one feels for their eternal mate. Still, I wouldn’t trade a second of the time I spent with her.”

  Loneliness oozed out of him. But I knew he had family, though I only met his grandson, Hiro. “Your grandson loves you though.”