25. Diana
CHAPTER 25
Diana
T he click of the door hadn’t woken me, but I was unsurprised to find myself alone in the early morning darkness. Raven had to meet with Loch and Dom so they could check the grounds for the evidence we needed to nail Maverick and his followers to the wall.
But despite not waking to Raven by my side, I’d slept more deeply than I had in…perhaps my whole life.
Finding out all that had been done to keep both of us safe and alive so we had a chance to meet one day…that we were meant to be and I could finally embrace my feelings for him without guilt? It had soothed the ragged edges of my heart and soul in ways that I hadn’t even known I needed.
I burrowed deeper into the blankets, breathing in the smell of my mate, wishing we were somewhere far away, just the two of us.
But it wasn’t to be, at least not yet.
I had my own meeting scheduled. The ceremony to crown Elka as queen was tomorrow, and I wanted to give her as much help and information as I could before then. Because once I handed the reins over, I had to step back and put some distance between us. As much as I wanted to be with her and give her guidance for as long as she needed, if our people were to support her fully, she needed to do it alone.
With a sigh, I flipped my legs out of bed and stretched, my body aching in the most pleasurable of ways.
I dressed swiftly, and took a quick second to marvel at how much had changed.
No more binding of my breasts. No more trying to fit into a world dominated by alpha males. Fuck that. I would forever mourn the loss of my wolf, but I was a vampire now. And I would own every inch of me, proud of exactly who I was.
Only thirty minutes at most after Raven left, I was out the door and headed toward the floor above mine, to Elka’s rooms. The sun wouldn’t be up for some time yet, but even so, we both had items that would keep us safe from its rays. While I wasn’t fully sure that I would cook out there with my part human, former werewolf blood, there was no point in tempting fate, either.
She opened the door right away, dressed, her hair braided back from her face on one side. The room was lit up inside, pushing back the dark of the early morning.
“Diana.” She tipped her head, but I saw her catch herself from curtseying.
I tipped my head back. I was still queen, so I didn’t have to curtsey or bow. Not yet.
“Good morning, Elka. I thought we could go over the ceremony this morning, and what the first few days will look like after you’re crowned.”
“Of course.” She opened the door wider, and I stepped through.
We’d not been working on her memorization for long, not even an hour, when someone banged hard on the door.
“Diana!”
I shot to my feet and flung the door open. Lochlin stood there breathing hard, his face covered in filth, blood running down his cheek. “We were ambushed. They took Raven.”
He pushed something into my hand, but, even as he did, I was reaching for the bond to Raven, feeling him moving north, towards the forest. He wasn’t afraid. He was strangely calm.
Panic clawed at me, but I tamped it down. “How long?”
“The smoke bomb took ten minutes to clear. We couldn’t find our way out of it.” Dominic stood behind Lochlin. “Diana. I think…Raven knew it was going to happen, and he let it.”
I looked at the rolled paper in my hand that Loch had given me. Unfurling it, I recognized Maverick’s scrawling print.
Elka will marry me and we will rule together, or your bloodsucker dies. Meet me where you first found me so we can negotiate terms.
Come alone.
Elka read over my shoulder and let out a snort. “Is he out of his fucking mind? Does he think we’d believe that he’d leave Raven alive even if I agreed to marry his stupid ass?”
Lochlin’s rage-filled eyes swept past me and rested on Elka. “Princess, you are not marrying that piece of shit, not for any reason.”
I didn’t disagree with either of them. “I will go. Lochlin, get me one of the daggers?—”
“They took them,” he said. “The room was ransacked, all the daggers, in fact, all the pieces of tech we had to help the vampires with the sun are gone.”
I was moving, headed back to my room, readjusting my plan. I didn’t need the light of day. I could sense Raven, I could find him. “Then I will go now. There is time before the sun rises?—”
Dominic grabbed my arm. “Maybe an hour, at best, Diana.”
“Then I’d better haul ass,” I pulled away from him. “Don’t try to stop me, Dominic. You would do this for Sienna. And don’t follow me. I won't risk his life because your ego can’t handle being left out.”
He tipped his head in my direction and held up his hands in surrender, and, before long, I was in my room, whipping through my gear. I pulled on a couple pieces of leather armor, the bracers I liked, and two short swords. Fuck the shield, I was going in on full offense.
Turning, I let my fangs drop as I faced my brother and Lochlin in the doorway.
“If they think they are taking Raven, I will show them just what they are up against.”
Lochlin stepped out of the way, but I turned and went to the window. It was faster.
“Wait!” Elka yelled.
I turned and she tossed something to me. A vial of blood. I looked to her, and she nodded. “Kill them, Diana. Don’t leave anyone behind to fuck us over again.”
I tucked the vial into my breast pocket. “Consider it done, my Queen.”
With that I leapt from the window, landing lightly and then I was off. I could have taken a horse, but I was faster on foot. And I didn’t have time to waste.
The woods I knew so well whipped around me in a blur of darkness and foliage as I locked onto Raven’s signature in my head. I was getting closer, and now…pain ripped through him.
I stumbled as the first wave washed over me. Not that I felt the pain the same as he did, but I could sense just how bad it was. Like nothing he’d ever felt.
And the rage that followed blinded me.
I was sprinting again by the time Raven’s voice whispered through me.
Diana, I trust you to save me. I trust you with not only my heart, but my life.
I redoubled my speed. He was hurt, dying maybe. The sun was coming up and I had to get to him.
“This way!” A whispered voice cut through the otherwise silent forest, and I skidded to a halt, whirling.
Mary, Gavin’s widow, looked up at me from the fallen tree she’d been hiding behind. Her cheeks were red, as if she’d been crying, and her clothes were dirty and torn.
I crouched down. “What happened?”
She swallowed a sob, turning to the side. “It’s horrible, Your Majesty. That human…he’s gone mad with power since getting my husband’s wolf. I know I sided against you, but?—”
I waved off the concern, heart thumping heavy in my chest as another burst of agony ripped through my bond with Raven. “It’s in the past. How many men does Mav have with him? Is he planning to ambush me?”
“It was just him when I left. I think he wants to face you alone. The things he’s doing to the bloodsucker…” She shuddered. “Horrifying.”
I cursed, striding back in the direction I’d been moving. “Get to the keep.”
She caught me by the shoulder, jabbing her finger to the side. “You’ll come up behind him if you go around this way. I’ll show you.”
I shook my head. “Just explain. I don’t want you here when the fighting breaks out.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest but nodded. “I understand. Just keep moving until you reach that boulder, then take a right.”
“Ask for Loch once you get to the keep. He’ll make sure you aren’t harmed.” Then I dashed off in the direction she’d indicated.
I hadn’t expected her to defect, but it did make a lot of sense. Mav had gotten this far on charisma and subterfuge, but now he felt strong enough to throw that to the wayside and show everyone his true colors.
A decision that was about to result in his downfall.
I gritted my teeth through another round of pain, shifting my focus to stealth as I neared the boulder she’d indicated. With a little luck, I’d be able to catch him off guard and take him down before he had time to use Raven against me.
Raven appeared a heartbeat later, thirty feet ahead of me, his body crumpled.
Which was the only excuse I had for not seeing the trap.
A snare caught me as I took my next step, yanking me high into the air. The same wrap-around snare we’d used to great effect in so many of our conflicts with the other magical species.
The ropes shot around my upper body, binding my arms and legs tight.
“You see, boys? Predictable, just like I said.” Maverick came into view as I was lowered to the ground. The clan heads who’d sided with him lurked off to the side, but my focus was on the two people stepping up from behind him.
That bastard Teeter, who’d started all of this, and a disappointed-looking Mary. She shook her head at me.
“Why?” Had she learned the truth of her husband’s fate? I could hardly even blame her if she had. Self-defense or not, his blood was on my hands.
“I’m sorry it had to happen this way, Diana. The fault lies with the clans who’ve tolerated this for so long more than with you. A queen is meant to be her husband’s helper, not a ruler in her own right. And when we allow that to be subverted, what can we expect but chaos?”
I opened my mouth to reply but was unable to find the words. She had truly bought into all this?
Mav grinned, patting her condescendingly on the shoulder. “You did well, Mary. Your husband would be proud.” He glanced to his other side, gesturing for Teeter.
I struggled uselessly as Teeter and one of the clan heads dropped long pole snares over my neck, as if I were a wild animal. The nooses were tightened to a point where I could barely swallow. I reached for the well of power inside me but found it just out of reach.
Maverick strode forward and put his filthy fucking finger in my mouth to lift my lip. “See that? I told you! Those are fangs, boys. She’s not even a werewolf anymore.”
“You sure, boss?” Teeter stepped a little closer, but he seemed wary.
I, on the other hand, knew both Raven and I were fucked if I didn’t make my move.
Maverick snorted. “I’ll still marry that little princess of yours. Solidify the clans and make this place stronger than ever. Better than you could have ever made it. Because you are weak, ruled by your emotions and letting your pussy lead you astray.”
The clan leaders broke into a fit of laughter.
I could feel Raven coming around, so I sent a push of energy his way, in the hopes that it would speed up the process.
“Love isn’t weak, Maverick.” I could only whisper around the nooses. “Love is the strongest thing in this world. Love is what allowed my father to raise me, even though I was not his daughter by blood. Love is what gave my brothers the strength to stop Edmund. Love, Maverick, is something you’ve never known. And its why you’ll always be weak and afraid.”
The nooses didn’t tighten, if anything they loosened.
Maverick’s eyes burned with fury, but he faked a laugh. “Of course a woman would think love is strong.”
“Sun is rising,” Teeter said. “If she really is a vamp, then she’ll burn up next to him.”
“Stand her closer to her piece of shit lover.” Maverick grinned as he strode toward me.
I struggled and fought as an amused Teeter dragged me sideways, wishing more than ever that I still had my wolf. In my current form, the bonds were simply too tight. “Not so uppity now, are you?” he spat, yanking me the rest of the way to Raven’s side.
Mav chuckled, turning to face the clan heads. “This is what a real alpha does with bloodsuckers, even if your last queen was more interested in bedding them.”
“Already talking like you’re one of us?” I grunted, the ropes burning at my wrist as I tugged with everything I had.
“One of them .”
I ignored him, my heart thumping even faster as I realized how bad Raven’s condition really was. His shirt was soaked in blood, and his head was lolling to the side, wobbling as if he was in a daze.
“Raven? They’re going to burn us,” I spat, craning my neck out to try biting at the bonds at my wrist. The taste of iron pricked at my tongue as my teeth found flesh, but the ropes remained unsevered.
Not quite.
“It’s almost romantic, the way these two are about to die,” Mav mused. “You know, I would’ve married you, if you’d only behaved. I guess I’ll have to settle for that little bitch you want to take your place.”
I cursed as I glanced to the side, seeing the first pinpricks of light peeking over the horizon. Now or never. The noose stung on my neck as I coiled and tightened every muscle in my body, then roared, releasing them all at once.
In many ways, it was a pathetic display, sending me only a few inches closer to Raven despite the exertion. But a few inches was all I’d needed.
Mav scrambled forward as I stretched my hand upward, pressing my bloody wrist right to Raven’s mouth.
Raven’s fangs snapped forward in the blink of an eye, taking a long pull of blood that sent his eyes shooting open. “Frostbite?”
“We need to move!” I shouted, wincing as Mav surged into my peripheral.
Raven shot sideways in a blur, slamming head-first into his chest with a roar. His arms still hung uselessly at his side, but they writhed and twitched, as if the flesh and muscle were re-knitting before my eyes.
Mav cursed, his face alight with rage as he hurtled back, the word morphing into a roar as he shifted in a fraction of a second. He skidded to a halt, breaking into a full-on charge before Raven could free me from my bonds.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I reached for my magic as the clan heads strode forward, shifting one by one. If I could just access the same state as I had in the fight with the possessed Malach, we’d at least stand a fighting chance. I imagined unleashing it on them, trying to suppress the wave of guilt that washed over me. Even if they were my people, surely they deserved it for what they’d done, right?
But it was a truth my heart couldn’t accept, regardless of what my brain tried to tell it. The magic retreated from my touch, too wispy and ethereal to grab onto.
Mav snapped forward with his enormous jaws, but Raven dodged at the last moment, his shirt tearing as he slammed a freshly-healed fist into the wolf’s side.
The enormous beast let out a growl, but it hadn’t done any real damage. Mav’s wolf was larger than any bear, and he was built like a fucking tank. How could anyone even damage him with their bare hands, forget actually beating him?
My attention shifted to the approaching clan heads. “You say men should rule, yet you’re spineless enough to interrupt his duel? If Mav is the alpha because strength is what matters, then surely, he doesn’t need your help with a lone, injured man.”
The one in front growled at me, but slowed to a halt, and the others did the same just behind him. Teeter and Mary hung back even further, not even taking to their wolf forms. I growled as she met my gaze, and she lowered her eyes.
Mav sprang forward once again but caught a kick to the lower jaw. Rather than retreating from the massive enemy, Raven advanced, slipping just past every attack and following up with a punch of his own.
Mav’s teeth snapped as he sprang forward, moving even more quickly than before, and my heart skipped a beat as he threw his weight abruptly sideways, slamming shoulder-first into the vampire.
Raven grunted as his back smashed into a tree just behind him, barely recovering in time to duck under Mav’s follow-up swipe. The tree snapped in half like a twig from the force of the blow, crashing to the forest floor, but Raven had been doing more than dodging.
He let out a triumphant roar as his arm snapped forward, crashing right toward the monster’s chest.
Was he going for a fucking heart strike?
Mav’s body began contorting, and my jaw dropped as he shifted all the way back to human form a fraction of a second before Raven’s hand would’ve slammed into his heart. Whatever magic Mav had, it had allowed him to circumvent years of training. I doubted that even Loch could do it that quickly.
Not that it had done him much good.
Raven’s hand smashed through the now-human Mav’s shoulder with a sickening crunch, burying itself up to the wrist. He tore it free, cracking Mav across the jaw with a left hook before he could call on his wolf.
Mav scrambled backward, fur sprouting from his skin as he tried to shift once again, but Raven’s leg caught him across the forehead before he could. He tried again and again, but Raven was simply too fast, staying on him and knocking him back to human form every time he started to shift.
A burning pain at my cheek pulled my attention away, and my eyes snapped toward the sun. “The daggers!” If we didn’t get them in another minute or two, it’d cook us alive.
By the time I looked back to Raven, it was already too late. Mary had shifted, and her small, reddish wolf sprang into action, springing through the air with her jaws open toward Raven’s back. He spun in time to bat her aside, but Mav’s wolf roared back to life in the momentary lapse, smashing into Raven from the other side with a massive paw.
Pure rage washed away everything else as he shot backward, and I let out a scream. The shard’s power flowed through me all at once, and the ropes dissolved into dust in a flash of energy. Time seemed to slow as I stood, glancing over to Raven. He was still alive.
And it wasn’t just through our bond, because I could sense every werewolf around us, too. Down to their beating hearts, and the blood pumping through their bodies. And, even more importantly, their souls. Like little balls of noxious black energy, each and every one of them was treacherous and hateful to their core, with Mav’s being the darkest of them all. I shook my head with regret as I shifted to Mary, finding her soul as corrupted as the rest.
Now that Mav had sowed the seeds in them, they’d oppose Elka’s rule until their dying breaths, I was sure of it. I gritted my teeth, steeling myself. There was a time to be softhearted, but this was not it. My father’s words replayed in my mind. A queen should act in the best interest of all her people.
A tear dripped down my cheek as I focused in on each little swirl of energy. “You all were of the earth once. Return to it.” I spoke not with power, not with anger, but sheer sorrow. They had been mine to care for once, mine to protect.
The power flowed out of me, enveloping every single one of them. Their bodies lit up with energy, bones glowing through their skin as if I had electrified them. Maverick roared, charging toward me, but Raven was there once again, intercepting him.
The other werewolves turned to dust, their remains dropping to the earth and sinking into the soil.
Gone.
As if they had never been.
But not Mav.
The magic I’d put into him flooded back to me all at once, and I turned to see him charging away, not even looking back. His fur was badly singed, and he ran with a clear limp, but he’d somehow managed to avoid the worst of it.
“I didn’t focus enough of the magic on him. He’s headed for the water.” I took a step and Raven put his hand out, stopping me, pulling me into his arms. His body was shaking, muscles still spasming from what Maverick had put him through.
“No. Diana. Let him go.”
Of all the things I thought would have come out of his mouth, that was not it. “What?”
“He…he has a part to play in all this yet. I don’t know what, but he must live for now.”
Behind us, the sun began to peek through the trees. Raven cupped my face and stared into my eyes. “Besides. If we’re going to die, let’s not do it looking at that chickenshit’s scrawny ass.”
My lips wobbled. “You think we’re going to die?”
He shrugged. “Nah. I think the calvary is going to show up in three, two, one?—”
The pounding of hooves and feet reached us as the sun crested across the horizon, and I knew it would be the last time I truly felt the sun’s warmth.
But it was not the last thing I saw.
No, the last thing I saw was Lochlin as he threw a heavy blanket over our heads and tackled us to the ground.