Page 12 of Treasured

Ciro was dead, and Sebastian and Luna were Tethered.

Only one path would truly save my throne and set me free from this route I’d been placed on against my will. “I’m going to kill them both,” I proclaimed.

Eleven lifeless pairs of eyes lifted and met mine. None of them said a thing.

I yelled, “Continue!”

Soundlessly, they went back to work, picking up endless shards of porcelain with their bloody hands.

Sebastian used to be the perfect weapon, but now he was useless. Less than useless. He was a problem, and I despised problems.

The next weapon forged from my blood would learn early on what would happen if they went against their queen.

Death was the only punishment for that crime.

I had a massive list of tasks. Problems that needed to be solved. Lessons that needed to be taught. People that needed to be killed.

It was not easy being queen.

After Sebastian and the Fledgling escaped, I’d sent everyone home. The fae who’d come for my birthday, the witches who did not live here, even most of the vampires. Castle Sanguis was far emptier than normal, but the quiet did nothing for my mood.

Nothing would help until my daughter-in-law was dead.

Eventually, the Favorites were done. They stood in a line, waiting for my next command. All had cuts, their blood joining Marianne’s on the floor. Those crimson drops, that proof of their mortality, sent trills of delight through me.

I eyed my precious pets. Some, like Marianne, had been with me for years. That was a long time for a Favorite. My pets so often got… dull. Lifeless. Their bodies shut down after they became mine, and they were usually useless after a few months. A special brand of Persuasion, my magic kept the Favorites entirely tied to me in every way.

Not all my pets were old, though. A few of them, like the girl from the hunt, were new additions to my collection.

They were my only solace in this difficult time—my only peace while I sorted out the mess that was my kingdom. Dealing with the darkness was one thing, but an errant son was another.

To say my plate was full was putting it lightly. I was busy every hour of every day. And now, on top of everything else, I needed to find a new Favorite.

What was a queen to do?

Frigid, Frozen Woods, and Staked Vampires

LUNA

The pounding, pulsing pain of the queen’s call was never-ending. It was the last thing I remembered as I fell asleep and the first one that greeted me when I clawed my way out of my nightmare and into reality.

Groaning, I rubbed my throbbing temples. It didn’t help.

It was only then I noticed how incredibly cold I was. Strange. I hadn’t felt like this since before I was Made. I thought vampires were impermeable to the cold. I had witnessed several making dubious fashion choices in this snowy land. I was arguably overdressed for the weather, at least by vampiric standards, but I was freezing.

“Luna.” Sebastian’s voice was rough and insistent as he brushed a hand over my temples.

My teeth chattered, my fangs making awkward work of the action, and I attempted to form words. “W-w-what’s going on?”

I opened my eyes. My vision adjusted to the darkness, and I took in my vampire’s concerned face as he peered at me.

“It’s snowing,” he said.

It was always snowing here. I pushed myself up, and my eyes widened. When I had fallen asleep, snow had dusted the ground. Now, the entrance to the log was more than half covered in the white substance.

“T-t-that looks like more than just a l-l-little snow. There m-m-must be at least three f-f-feet.”

At least the cold was distracting me from the pounding headache of the summons. Would the queen never stop beckoning us to return?

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