His Lover, My Mate

Thirty-Five: The Vampire Queen

*Rush*

The night was darker than black, even in the witness of the full moon that moved over the misty clouds. The air was silent, filled with dread and anticipation. Midnight was approaching, and the vampire queen would be here soon with her pureblood warriors.

The entire expanse of the pack was surrounded by Rush's warriors. They were in their midnight black wolves so they could blend into the night. Although vampires could see very well in the dark, black fur against the night still gave them an advantage. Just a moment of lapse was deadly to their enemies.

Rush was in his throne room, standing in front of the Night Throne. His muscles were taut and his fingers clenched and unclenched. He didn't like suspense, especially from his mother. She was the most unpredictable person he knew, and usually her unpredictability never ended well for her victims.

Aletha was with Sirka and Iyla. Iyla was keeping her mind busy with girlish chatter. He could make out some of their conversations through the soft words they exchanged. Like when did she first shift into her wolf? What did she like to eat? Apparently Aletha always craved honey. Anything with honey. He almost smiled. No wonder she always smelled like it.

"Rush," Aletha called after a moment.

He turned toward her, noting the worry in her eyes. There was also a sliver of terror in them too, but that was clouded by something far more dominant—stark hatred for the vampire queen. "Yes?"

"She'll come here first?"

"Yes. She'll come to the castle before anywhere else. This is where we'll hold the banquet for her, initiating the start of the ceremony. The vampire initiation ceremony lasts several days after that."

She seemed deep in thought as she took that in. "Will she have a lot of vampires with her? You know, her vampires?" She emphasized the difference now, because she knew there were different vampires that existed. One kind belonged to Rush, and the rest belonged to Vicera. The evil ones, she'd told him yesterday.

"She'll have maybe five hundred of them, maybe more. The last time I've been to Castira, there were roughly five thousand vampires in existence. In a millennia, that number probably escalated. She has more men in her army now."

"Don't worry, it just makes things all the more interesting," said Anya with a bloodthirsty grin. "And fun. A perfect game to stave off my boredom."

Kyla stared at Anya. "Don't tell me you're going to use them for your blood rituals."

Anya began to chuckle darkly. "If I did, you can't blame me. Their souls give me much more clarity because of the endless years they spend lusting after blood and killing to drink blood. It's like the most primal level of an intellectual being, and that simplicity allows my blood rituals to work way better than some wolf."

"Hey, wolves are better than vampires," Iyla argued. "Not only do we fight our battles with honor, but we're a lot more attractive." She grinned at Maddox seductively. "Isn't that right, honey?"

His mouth slowly curved up at her. "Hell yeah."

"I'm a wolf too, you know," said Anya. "But vampires are more useful to me as sacrifices. How else do you think my blood magic grows stronger every year? It's hard to find a stray vampire, but when I do, there's no escaping me."

"What if that vampire is innocent?" asked Aletha.

Anya shook her head. "Rogue vampires are the worst of the worst. Do you know why? Their minds are plagued with bloodlust so deep that it turns into madness. They can only kill and kill, but it won't satiate their hunger. They'll keep killing until there are no more lives left to slaughter."