Chapter 37 #2
Winter held back a smile as she pulled away. “And you taste good,” she crooned, wishing that one wasn’t true. “Your magic seeps through your pores. It’s dark and entirely delectable.”
The queen’s throat bobbed. “So, keep going.”
“And spoil tonight’s fun?”
The queen used her thumb to wipe the blood off Winter's breast. “I must say, I rather enjoy when you behave.”
With the queen’s mood restored, Winter said, “I’m ready for my dress.”
The queen flicked her wrist. Like a dark and twisted fairytale, her shadows carried the dress above Winter’s head, opened the skirt, and carefully draped it over her body.
It helped with the sleeves, then it began buttoning her up.
The way the black smoke worked so efficiently gave her the creeps.
“Am I allowed to wear anything underneath?”
“Of course not.” The queen squeezed Winter’s hip, drawing their bodies closer. “I love your body, no need to cover it up anymore.”
Winter inwardly cringed and smiled.
A moment later, Fredrick appeared from thin air. She’d never been so thrilled to see him and his wrinkled livery. He held a tray with two flutes of champagne and something made of glass. A fancy decanter, maybe.
“Ah, her shoes. Come, come. Quickly. You take so long to find everything.”
As soon as he telehopped over, Winter snatched a serving of liquid gold and the queen swiped the glass shoes. His tray wobbled, but he caught the remaining flute and centered it. The queen didn’t seem thirsty for champagne this evening—she was on her knees by Winter’s feet.
Resisting the urge to kick the petulant monarch was easier while chugging. Winter handed Fredrick back the empty glass, feeling a little dizzy from drinking so fast. The world bent as she swayed. She’d barely caught her balance when the queen slapped her shin.
“Lift your foot!”
Winter stretched out a hand for Fredrick to hold then held up her toes.
The shoe wouldn’t fit. She tried her best to help, stepping into it with a little twist, but it was too tight.
The queen let out an exasperated groan, grabbed her ankle, and shoved.
When the skin of Winter’s heel ripped off, her foot slipped in.
“Ouch!”
“There. Next foot.” The queen slapped her other leg.
These glass shoes appeared hand-crafted and were poorly shaped; the second one was even harder to get on. The queen pushed and prodded, splitting Winter’s toe nail. She flapped her arms and winced. “You’re breaking my foot!”
“I am not.” The queen kept wiggling and jamming until it was on. “There,” she sighed. “They fit perfectly.”
“I much prefer the red shoes with the sparkles.” Those ones were soft and her size.
The queen stood, wiping invisible dirt off her hands. “Yes, well my new butler couldn’t find your shoes, only the dress.” She snapped her eyes to Fredrick. “You worthless soul.”
He sulked, dropping his head and staring at the onyx floor.
She returned her attention to Winter. “If those wolves gave my vampires more than three seconds before trying to maul them, perhaps, you’d have your sparkly ones.”
If the red shoes were still at the archives, Winter hadn’t seen them. Hm.
“These are next best,” the queen continued. “And don’t argue with me. I know style.”
That was a fallacy, but Winter bit her tongue. She lifted her dress and watched her new shoes fill with blood. She wasn’t meant to wear these, much like she wasn’t meant to claim the queen.
Why was the Witch Queen forcing this—her kingdom—everything? “Can I ask you a question?”
“Must you?”
“Why do you want to be claimed so badly?”
The queen scowled at Fredrick, a look that had him teleporting away. She paced around the platform three times before speaking. “You should know, Miss Leroux, I’m the daughter of a supreme.”
Winter stilled. The queen’s strength, her fortune. It was all beginning to make horrifying sense. So that meant Kaden was …
A fantastic fucking liar.
“When my powers came in, smoke that slithered, I lost all control. There was a lot of death and no one blamed my parents for locking me up.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t either.”
Winter never asked for a backstory. “What does this have to do with a claiming?”
The queen stepped up to the platform once more. She fixed Winter’s hair, tucking the fly-aways down. There was no reply, or acknowledgement of the question, she simply continued.
“I thought I’d hate it behind those gates, living under constant watch.
But I didn’t at all.” A wistful smile spread over her face.
“Lexington, my guard, made my stay very comfortable. We spent two years together—roaming the halls, strolling the courtyard, sharing countless meals … endless nights. I was utterly in love. It was our secret, and one we kept well.” She took a shuddering breath, her tone shifting to sorrow.
“Until we couldn’t. Love makes you careless, Winter.
Never forget that.” A single tear fell down the queen’s cheek, taking her kohl along with it.
“The most passionate night of my life turned into a nightmare I’d never forget.
There wasn’t a word spoken, question asked, or moment given to explain our relationship before my reckless father killed him. ”
Winter considered the queen as she listened, noting the somber tone.
“My parents might not have said it outright, but I knew I was exactly what they feared the most—a child with powers they couldn’t control.
My Lexington never saw me as some monster, or a mistake.
He turned my prison into a home and loved me for me.
I’m desperate to remember what that feels like again, if only for a short while. ”
“Is that why you came to the Mortal Realm? To find true love again?”
The queen let out a shriek of laughter, tucking a dark lock behind her ear. “Oh, no. Coming here ...” she looked around her gilded walls, “was my punishment for killing my father.”
Winter sucked in her gasp.
“I avenged Lexington, infusing my family’s wine with hemlock. I didn’t care who died first.” She rolled her eyes. “The healers only had enough strength to bring my mother back, and instead of locking me in another cage, she sent me to live among the mortals.”
She shouldn’t be surprised Kaden had lied about how his father died—a common loss they’d bonded over. After all, he’d lied about having an evil twin sister. “So then, why’d Kaden come to this realm?”
“He was always odd, Winter. When he found out I was being sent here, he became irrationally jealous. Begged Mother to let him leave, convincing her he would protect and monitor me.” She threw her head back, laughing from her gut.
“Who believed him, of course. Mother’s favorite.
So while Kaden was convinced the Mortal Realm had more to offer him, hunting for forbidden books to help him gallivant across space, I was busy building our kingdom. ”
“Then why are you trying to find a way back so bad? Don’t you have everything you want?”
“You never struck me as daft, why start now?”
“I’m being serious, you’ve gone through so much. Why go back?”
The queen looked Winter up and down. “I deserve to be Shadow Supreme. It’s my birthright, and my mother won’t take it away from me.”
Of course that’s what it was about—she wanted to be a real monarch.
The queen adjusted her silk gown, appearing to fidget. “But I will say, of all the treasures Kaden’s collected in this realm, you’re by far my favorite to play with.”
Winter forced a flat smile, processing her words. Kaden had left the Immortal Realm to explore? To steal a heart as if it were as precious as a ruby? The queen was certainly mad, but Kaden was well and truly an opportunist.
Fucking asshole.
“Why are you being quiet?”
“I hate your brother.”
The queen nodded. “Me too, sometimes. But now I’ll get what I want most—my bite. You’ll bring me back to that courtyard, Winter, where Lexington and I strolled beside the magnolia trees and made love under the canopy of night. I’m sure of it.”
Winter’s dress felt smaller, compressing her lungs without the addition of a corset. This wasn’t magic, this was real. She was suffocating in a room full of bergamot-infused air. Her glass heels were bright red, reminding her what a horror show this was.
“Fredrick! Winter and I would like to be escorted to the throne room now.”