Page 21 of Queen
No. No…
Time seemed to slow down as the realization set in for everyone.
It was Ella.Shewas the moon’s chosen vessel, which meant tonight, she had to die.
"No," Natalia said in disbelief, staring down at Ella. "It is her after all. A stray… Aferal."
There was hurt in his mother's tone, but while it had once filled Bishop with sympathy, tonight, he felt nothing but fear. He'd been on the fence about his role in everything until the news that Ella was a feral had come out. He had been so certain it was impossible. Selene could never choose such an unstable vessel, no matter how anomalous Ella was in other regards.
It was why he'd brought her to Felidae in the first place. His mother had promised she wouldn’t be harmed. Sworn it.
"Mother," he said warily. She didn't respond at first. She was deep in thought, as if she was in another world. "It's a mistake. It has to be. Unless… Maybe the prophecy was wrong. Maybe it's neither of them."
Natalia turned on him with a fierceness in her gaze he had never seen before. At least, not directed at him or his brother. "Don't. I've got enough to deal with without you going delusional over this whore.”
Rage burned within the pit of his stomach, and a growl rumbled through his chest. His jaguar was so close to coming to the surface, it was all he could do to keep it restrained.
No matter how long this had been planned, no matter what the loyalties were and had been as long as he was alive, he had marked Ella. As far as his beast was concerned, Ella was theirs, and no one had the right to take her away from them. Not even Natalia.
There was a war going on within him, but for once, both he and his jaguar were on the same side. Still, the idea of going against Natalia was unfathomable.
They were so close. So close to finally overthrowing the goddess and taking their rightful place as the reigning family over the colony. A couple of years ago, he never would've imagined he would question that for anything. Certainly not for some girl, and a stray at that.
But… she was more than that. She washis. As Bishop gazed down at her, barely conscious but struggling nonetheless for herself and for her child, he felt the strangest blend of guilt and pride.
Before he could even try to make sense of it, a flash of movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He saw Natalia raise the dagger she must have taken from one of the guards, and time seemed to slow down as she raised it.
His hand shot out instinctively, grasping her wrist to stop her. She turned, rage burning in her gaze as she looked at him.
"What do you think you're doing?" she spat. "Have you forgotten who you are?"
Bishop wasn't sure what the answer to that was. Maybe he had. All he knew was when he was with Ella, it felt like he was someone else entirely. The more time he spent with her, the more he wished he really could be that person. The person he pretended to be, the one he had made her fall in love with.
Over time, had that persona become more than just a mask? He loved her, there was no denying that. Even though she hated him now.
Shit.This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to have more time.
Bishop kept his grasp firm as Natalia strained against him. She finally tore her arm away when she realized she wasn't going to overpower him. He wasn't willing to hurt her.
Was he? If it came down to a choice between the two of them, what would he do? Betray his own mother, the one who'd given him life and purpose, for someone he had only known a fraction of that time?
And yet, in that short time, Ella had taken more of his heart than he had previously known existed.
Before he could accept the decision he had already made, he turned to find the table Ella had been laying on empty. Confusion filled him until he heard the sound of snarling from the corner.
He spun around, and as shocked as Natalia was, they seemed to have vastly differing reactions to the sight of the feline beast that had materialized on the other side of the room. It had the same jet black fur as Ella's cat form, but it was larger. Not nearly as large as his jaguar, but certainly bigger than a house cat. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen, with a long, elegant face and eyes of stark silver that seemed to glow with the light of the moon.
She was beautiful.
Another low growl emanated from her chest, more echoic than a normal cat’s.
This was it. This was her feral shape. All Bishop could do was stare in disbelief as his mother gave orders to the remaining cultists in the room.
The man nearest to them lunged, but before he could reach the feral with his dagger, she darted out of the way. She moved so quickly that she was little more than a blur of black fur, a shadow. One moment, the man was swiping out with his blade at the spot where she had been, the next, his throat was torn open.
Bishop stared in awe as the cat sat atop her victim's chest, her mouth dripping with blood. She turned her silver eyes on the others who had surrounded her, though they now seemed more hesitant to attack.
"What are you doing?" Natalia cried. "Shoot her!"
