Page 50 of Midnight Queen

“It’s a rarity that things ever get past me. That’s why the ordeal with Gideon is so troubling.” It’s subtle and I doubt he thinks I can see it, but there’s a flicker of concern in his dark eyes as he stares ahead at the doors. If I hadn’t been so hypervigilant with his expressions all week, I may have missed it. What’s concerning for me is the Gideon thing is supposed to be over. When I’ve asked about the psychotic vampire, Silas has assured me it’s taken care of.

“None of that explains why you brought me here though.”

He turns to me, head tilting. “Doesn’t it? We agreed keeping you away from all of this was a mistake, and if you wish to be part of my world, what better place to make your debut? They will see you enter on my arm, and word will spread like wildfire. By bringing you here, they will all know exactly who you are to me. There will be no doubt in their minds of your significance.”Holy shit, mydebutis literally in the middle of the proverbial lion’s den. Vampire den? Either way, am I ready for this? This is what I wanted—no, demanded from him—but now that I'm here, I feel a ball of doubt form in my chest.

Because I can’t hide anything from him it would seem, his fist suddenly slams against the red button on the panel. The elevator comes to an abrupt halt as he turns on me. “I will ask you once more, is this what you want? If you have any apprehensions, you must voice them now, because you cannot walk in there with any fear. They will smell it on you.” Silas grabs hold of my chin, lifting it up so he can look into my eyes. “We can never show them any weakness, Quincey. They will use it against us, and we’ve both seen what can happen if they do. That can never fucking happen again, do you hear me?Never again.” His tone is hauntingly dark and something about it makes my skin tingle. Not in fear, but in the kind of way that makes me think finding one of the empty beds in this joint might be a good idea. “Unless you can assure me right now that you will face them with the same level of gallantry as you faced me, we won’t be doing this. It’s not worth the risk if you’re not ready.”

His dark eyes scan mine and I swear they’re looking into my soul as they do. Silas sees every part of me, even the pieces I don’t like of myself. His fingers travel down my jaw to wrap around my throat. My breath shudders as his thumb presses into my rapid pulse point.

“I want to do this,” I say aloud, mostly to myself.

“I’m aware of what you want, Quincey.” His thumbcontinues to caress the side of my jugular. “I’m only asking if you believe you can be successful at it. Wanting something and actually doing something are two vastly different things.”

Irritation flames up and my eyes narrow at the sliver of doubt in his voice. “What? You don’t believe I can go in there?” My spine straightens and my face hardens. I shove at his hand-holding me, but he doesn’t flinch, which only further angers me. “In the past week alone, I’ve faced far scarier things than a roomful of fucking vampires,” I snap. “Maybe it’s you who doesn’t think I can do this.”

I’m not just simply walking into a roomful of vampires and we both know it. While it appears a mundane task, we both recognize that this is a much bigger deal. We’re sending a very clear and direct message to the vampires.

Human or not, I’m here and I’m coming for my fucking throne.

An arrogant smirk forms on his mouth. “I know exactly who you are and what you’re capable of,Mon Soleil. I just needed to remind you because it looks like you may have momentarily forgotten.” Silas’s head dips down closer to mine. “Take a breath and calm yourself down. Your heartbeat will be a fucking siren call to them if you don’t.”

I take in a large lungful of air and in a slow measured pace, I exhale it.

“Again.”

I repeat this act over and over, and as I do, my eyes remain locked on his. His fingers flex on my throat, increasing pressure. “Good girl.” He nips at my bottom lip with his teeth as a reward.

The praise causes my lower belly to flutter and my skin to grow warm. “Silas,” I breathe. “This isn’t lowering my heart rate…” my warning is silenced when his lips press against mine in a short, but searing kiss. He licks into my mouth, and I moan at the flavor of the spicy mouthwash he’d used before we left.

“Wrong,” Silas corrects against my mouth. “You calm down when I kiss you.” His thumb grazes over that spot on my throat. “Your heart is nearly back to normal.”

His free hand traces a line down the thin strap of my dress before passing ever so gently over the medical tape on my chest. My breath hitches against his lips when he skims his fingertips over my tightening nipple. “I can smell your need,Mon Soleil,” he growls. “And they will too. They will know I’m the one who caused it, and in turn they will hate me for it because they will never know just how sweet you taste.”

Silas breaks our heated kiss before we reach the point of no return. Feeling pleased with himself, he wipes the corner of my mouth where my lipstick has smudged. “You know who you are, Quincey. Act accordingly,” is his last bit of advice before he’s hitting the red button once more.

I steel myself as we travel up to the top floor. By the time the gold doors slide open, I’m ready.

It’s what you’d expect of a hotel lounge. The only thing that’s different about it is the patrons roaming about.

An ornate oak bar sits in the middle of the room, gold pendant lights hang above it. The light reflects into the liquor bottles that line the mirrored shelves that sit on the wall behind it. The same green velvet couches that were in the lobby are up here as well in the various sitting areas. The barstools are also made of the same fabric, but it’s not what the seats are made of that is catching my attention, it’s the people sitting in them.I can count on one hand the number of vampires I’ve met, but each one of them have something in common. They’re attractive in a way that is almost fake. Their pale porcelain skin looks airbrushed, pores and blemishes are nonexistent. Their movements are graceful and smooth, to the point they look choreographed. And their bodies look like they were perfectly crafted by sculptors. Each line and curve of their bodies are perfectly symmetrical and proportionate.

The vampires that are here are no different, and to me, they stand out like bright neon signs among the humans that also loiter about. I highly doubt that the humans realize they are mingling among the world’s top predators, but to give them some credit, I was blissfully unaware of their existence not that long ago.

Which, to be clear, isn’t a brag in any way, shape, or form. I’m actually a little concerned the obvious difference in humans and vampires never caught my eye prior to meeting Silas. There is no doubt in my mind that I’ve crossed paths with a vampire before, and how I never noticed is alarming. It just goes to show what all you will truly see once your rose-colored glasses are ripped away.

And while I can see the vampires now, they too can see me. I can feel their gazes raking over me as we walk through the space. Their eyes lock on where Silas’s much larger hand engulfs mine, but never do their conversations come to a stop. Like trained professionals, they carry on like they’re not witnessing history being made by their king having a human at his side.

I fight a smirk when we pass a pretty brunette. She’s trying to keep her face devoid of any emotion, but by doing so, it looks like it might literally crack like a porcelain doll. The sound of glass shattering echoes in my head like a silent joke to myself.

As Silas walks beside me, a dark, almost palpable energy rolls off him like a thick fog. We leave a trail of it behind us as we venture farther into the room, and it wraps around each of the bystanders in the bar until they’re suffocating. Not until I spot the mixture of two emotions in their eyes do I realize something.

This is the first time I’m truly seeing Silas in his element. He talks about how he never would have picked this life for himself, but he navigates all of this with such ease and confidence, I’m not convinced that this isn’t the role he was always destined to have.

I’m still not fond of the idea of fate and still think a lot of it is a crock of shit, but for Silas, I truly think he’s following the path he was always meant to be on. And I can only hope that if destiny is real, that I’m also on the right path.

But let’s be honest, I’m in so deep that leaving is no longer an option for me. And if I ever wanted to leave, how exactly would I have that conversation with Silas?Hey, remember when you had to fight to get me back and then I threw that little bitch fit about wanting to be your queen? Well, psych, I changed my mind. You can just drop me off at the closest bus stop on your way home.

I told him I wasn’t going anywhere—that I was in this—and I meant every word. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, whether my destiny agrees with me or not.

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