Page 123 of Craving Carla

I pull Carla closer to me and lean down to press a kiss against her cheek. “I’ve met your children, now you will meet mine. Isn’t this lovely, Carla? We have a blended family.”

Carla narrows her eyes at me. “That sounds insane the way you just said it.”

I chuckle, amused by her reaction.

Bobby steps out of the cabin as Carla pulls me to the side, her grip on my arm tighter than necessary.

“What the hell are you doing?” she hisses. “You’re just giving up your company?”

“Yes,” I say simply, as if she’s asked me the most obvious question in the world.

“But—”

“I’d do it ten times over when it comes to you,” I tell her, cupping her cheek.

Bobby peeks his head back into the cabin. “Would you like to meet your new army?”

Carla looks at me for a moment, then sighs and nods.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” I assure her, “but I promise they will honor you with their life.”

“I’m not used to this,” she admits, her voice small. “All I’ve ever had was my children.”

“And now you have the world,” I tell her, meaning every word. “While I wish I could give you more than Wintermoon, I’m going to make you feel like you have the world.”

I nudge her forward, and she takes a hesitant step, looking back at me nervously. Bobby holds his hand out for her, and after a brief hesitation, she takes it, allowing him to guide her out of the cabin.

Outside, my men are lined up like soldiers in a battalion ready for battle. Two hundred vampires, all standing atattention, their discipline perfect, their loyalty absolute. Carla takes in a sharp breath at the sight.

I step out and stand beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back. “All these men were on the verge of death at the hands of white men who felt they weren’t human,” I explain. “This was never what my people stood for.”

I look out over the lines of men, pride swelling within me. “I tried to follow the law of a vampire, but there were times when I just couldn’t do it anymore. That’s why these men stand here today. I offered each and every one of them the chance to live on, to fight for the cause and serve me in my coven.”

“You and Bobby keep saying ‘fight for the cause,’” Carla says, her brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

“For equality, fair treatment of our melanated and indigenous people who have been oppressed by every system here in America and around the world,” I explain. “This systemic racism is worse than corporate greed. The hatred is similar to radicals—something that’s manifesting against us supernaturals.”

I clench my jaw, conviction hardening my voice. “It needs to be stopped, and while I respect Amir’s attempts to make peace with them, that’s never going to work. These humans have gotten used to dominating, and it’s time to show them who’s in charge. But first, we need to show them who. We. Are.”

Carla looks ahead at the assembled men, and I steal a quick kiss before stepping down from the cabin porch to stand with Bobby.

“Medina Shadow,” I call out, my voice rising across the clearing, “greet your queen.”

The men—some dressed in expensive suits, others in combat gear—all raise their fists in the Black Panther salute and chant in unison. Then, as one, they drop to one knee, bowing before Carla.

I turn to look at her, standing on the porch, her eyes wide with shock. “Acknowledge your children, my queen,” I say. “They will die for you.”

Carla’s brow furrows, and a nervous expression crosses her face. “Oh shit,” she murmurs.

I look to Bobby with a smile. “Looks like shit just got real for my queen.”

Bobby chuckles, standing proudly beside me and the men he helped train.

The sight before me is everything I’ve worked for over the centuries—my coven, strong and unified, now with a queen to serve alongside me. Carla may not feel ready for this responsibility, but I’ve seen her strength, her compassion, her unwavering spirit. She will be a magnificent queen, beloved by all who serve her.

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Carla

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