Chapter 16
C assia
Kiam was nowhere in sight, as I expected. I didn’t blame him for taking off.
A growl of frustration rumbled in my chest. Not only had Lukas injured and possibly cursed my only friend, but then he went and pasted his own best friend to the ceiling.
So, what if vampire “protocol” dictated these things.
You just didn’t treat your friends this way.
Or the friends of people you supposedly want to spend eternity with.
I knew I was being difficult, and that things were very clearly different here, but did Lukas not have faith in me? Or, in himself, to be able to keep me safe. His name alone made people cower. All he had to do was walk into a room and nobody wanted to fuck with him.
I’d spent years letting people underestimate me and just going with the flow of whatever they wanted.
It may have been the trauma of getting dumped in an alternate dimension talking, but I was fed up and I wasn’t going to be overlooked anymore.
Even if it got my mouth threaded shut with fucking iron.
As I made my way down the corridor with my head held high, I spotted Nancy. Or, rather, Nancy was spotted.
Her skin was covered with cystic acne, and I stopped in my tracks.
“Nancy?”
She sent a furtive glance my way, hissing, “Don’t talk to me.”
I was left dumbfounded as she ran down the hallway, her face tilted towards the floor.
A couple of the Kakian demons strode past me, and I hurried in the direction of the throne room. I was unsure if that was where I was supposed to meet her, but I assumed it was.
The connection between Nancy’s remark about the zit that once graced my chin, and the current state of her once clear skin was not lost on me.
Neither was the way I’d begun to crave Lukas.
There was no denying the effect drinking his blood had on me.
While I was already drawn to him, it had almost become a biological need .
My guilt over yelling at him was true, but could I trust the rest of my body’s reactions?
He’d helped me with my makeup, and all I’d wanted was for him to kiss me—despite how he’d tossed Kiam on the ceiling like a frigging chandelier.
Was I lying to myself when I said his psychotic possessiveness wasn’t that attractive?
Questions to mull over later, when I wasn’t faced with the guards and doorway that the Queen lay behind.
The two guards stared at me. “Uh, excuse me? I think the Queen is waiting for me?”
Neither said a word, they simply opened the doors. I looked at each of them and walked though, the doors shutting behind me with a hollow thunking sound.
Everything was silent and still, streams of sunlight pouring through the windows. The beams looked slightly foggy but didn’t contain a speck of dust. The yellow light streaming from the blood red sky was beautiful. While I visualized a new spread of colors on my palette, I heard my name.
Annalise stood beside me. “You are painting a new picture in your mind.”
Immediately, I dropped to the floor, bowing my head.
My first concern was making sure I didn’t leave any cosmetic stains or imprints behind, and then I realized I was probably supposed to.
Lukas had his forehead right on the ground the day he introduced me to her.
I’d been so lost in the scene, I’d momentarily forgotten myself.
How ironic it would be to have survived everything up until this one, careless moment.
“You may rise,” she purred.
My shoulders swayed before I pushed myself up. “Thank you for the invitation. I apologize if I kept you waiting.”
She waved a hand like it was no big deal. “Come, they will serve us out on the veranda.”
Her hips swayed in the hypnotic manner I remembered. The woman oozed sex and it raised all kinds of questions in my mind. Her movements were unnatural but designed to seduce. I knew if I was a man, I’d want to bed her.
Visions of Kiam or Lukas being in her bedroom popped into my head before I could stop them, and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the illicit ideas away. I would bet money, if I had any, that Kiam had already slept with her.
The idea of Lukas with her, however, made me feel slightly ill.
We walked to the far end of the room, up a short set of stairs, and then across another floor before we reached the patio. Lightweight white gauzy cloth formed the ceiling, suspended by towering, molded columns with carved arches between them.
The view was gorgeous from here, which didn’t surprise me. Everywhere I looked in this Realm I was faced with breathtaking landscapes. It’d been a while since I’d arrived and I hadn’t tired of it.
A man in a loincloth stepped out from behind one of the marble columns and held out a chair for the Queen before assisting me. The small piece of fabric was just as useless as the one I saw on the guy who’d announced everyone in the throne room the day I was introduced to her.
Annalise’s gaze was watching the well-endowed man’s equipment with avid interest.
“Well, Cassia, how are you finding my Realm?”
My finger trailed over the silverware. It appeared made of glass or crystal, with silver woven through it in small threads. It was beautiful. “It’s a gorgeous place. The landscape is just so amazing.”
“I hear you have a talent for painting it. I wonder if that will remain when you see its true beauty?” She turned to the server. “Please bring us drinks.”
The man left and I replied, “I’ve seen many things and I’d love to see more.”
She angled her face toward the sunlight, letting a ray warm her cheekbones. She sighed. “I smell Lukas on you.” A strange look wobbled deep in her eyes before it cleared. “However, my dear, the man still has not claimed you.”
I’d never been one to kiss and tell, and the direction of the conversation was uncomfortable. I wasn’t about to instigate anything, though. “We have spent some time together.”
The server returned and poured wine into two deeply etched glasses that matched the utensils. “It is interesting that he’s chosen you. It is not an appropriate political decision, but for some reason,” she trailed her tongue along her lips, “he has picked you.”
Her gaze went blank, and it took me a moment to realize she was thinking. “Perhaps he sees you as something he needed to take under his wing? Very interesting how he hasn’t fucked you yet. He has never been this reluctant with his urges.”
I could feel her waiting for me to react. “I seem to be doing okay. I was before and I am, now. If he has urges, I’m sure he would let me know.”
She gripped the long stem of her wineglass in her fist and moved her hand up and down slowly. “I will have to check the roster in the harem.”
My stomach sank right before a steaming platter of hot food was deposited in front of me. A dish of berries was placed in front of the Queen.
She plucked a large raspberry from the gilded bowl and sucked it between her full, cherry-red painted lips. Slowly, she chewed, and then lightly licked her lips.
The scent of roasted meat drew my attention, and I glanced down, tearing my eyes from the lascivious way berries were being consumed right in front of me.
The fragrance of rosemary and other spices filled my nostrils.
A succulent hunk of meat sat on my plate, perfectly seared.
I couldn’t tell if it was pork or chicken.
The Queen gave me an enigmatic smile. “Eat, dear. Before it gets cold.”
My stomach twisted. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but every cell of my body screamed at me not to eat the meat. Tentatively, I stabbed my fork into a glazed baby carrot. The vegetable didn’t appear to have been comprised by the juices on the plate.
I bit into it and the flavors of honey and cinnamon danced on my tongue. It was delicious.
When I glanced up, Annalise’s beautiful mouth bore the slightest of smirks. She watched me chew and then clapped her hands together. “I’ve decided I might like you. You entertain me.”
“I do?” My fork fell with a loud clatter against the plate, and I winced, retrieving it.
“Thank you?” I had no idea what to say. The server took my fork and handed me a new one.
“That fork was fine?” I said, not expecting an answer. When I peered down at my plate, the meat juices had joined the carrots.
Annalise stood. “Grab your glass,” she directed me.
Following her motion, we moved across the veranda, stopping by a low wall that separated it from a lower level. Lush gardens full of flowers and hanging plants were below us, spread so far I couldn’t see the end. She set her glass on the ledge.
“I miss Wyvon,” she said wistfully. “I have plenty of other men to entertain me, but he ruled with an iron fist. He earned his title King of Steel. We didn’t have nearly as many issues while he sat on his throne.”
Out of politeness, I said, “I’m sure you do, he is your husband.
” I cleared my throat. “I know I haven’t been here long, Your Majesty, but I have been very impressed by your kingdom.
It's beautiful, and from what I’ve seen, very orderly and well-running.
I’m obviously no vampire expert but you’re doing a great job. ”
Annalise stared at me like I’d grown three heads during our brief interlude. Then she looked pissed.
Then she smiled.
Then she laughed so loudly that she clutched her belly. The laughter rang out musically, a sound I could only wish I made when I cracked up over something. It was so feminine and melodious that all I could do was watch her in jealous fascination.
She wiped a delicate hand over her mouth and took another sip of her wine. I hadn’t touched mine but decided the hell with it and took a small sip. I half expected to feel high, or to drop dead—there was no telling in these parts what would happen.
Still breathing, I asked, “Forgive me please, if this is inappropriate, but is there like a wake-up date or something? How does that all work for you guys?”