“Ed? Did Leo expect us to... you know.”
Edmund lifted his brows and the smile he turned on me now was totally different. A smile meant to cajole and seduce. “What do you think, my mistress?”
“I think Leo was a blackhearted devil who threw men at me until I picked one, and then he was pissed because I picked the wrong one. And now that he’s among the thrice born, he may be more dangerous than ever. Especially as a priest.”
Edmund chuckled. “My Queen is wise.”
***
I stepped from the limo and took Edmund’s arm. My honor guard and his, all wearing black military armor and fully armed, stepped to the side, separated, and tookup their prearranged positions. Together, escorted before and after, we walked up the steps to the Mithran Council Chambers as media helicopters buzzed overhead getting live news footage.
There was no formula to follow for the ceremony because no Dark Queen had ever crowned an emperor. And despite Edmund’s promise of a new kind of ceremony, I figured it would be tedious, wordy, full of flowery speeches and long titles, and descriptions of conquest and killing other vamps.
At least I’d be sitting once I called the fangheads togatherand finished my part.
We passed through to the back of HQ and were escorted to the ballroom, to stop in the entrance so thegatheredcould see us. To either side of a long carpet, people were standing, silent, staring.
The people in the ballroom were looking pretty spiffy, all the black tails and ball gowns and fancy hair and enough jewels to fund a small country for a year. Humans, witches, a cadre of arcenciels, a werewolf in human form who, though he had been a wolf for years, had somehow been fitted for a fancy tux in the last few hours. A red-striped flying lizard was perched on his shoulder, its long tail wrapped around Brute’s neck. There was no grindylow. Which was interesting.
The honor guard separated, half going to stand up front like at Wrassler and Jodi’s wedding, half along the walls.Good line of fire.
Ed and I started down the carpet—an honest-to-God red carpet—that stretched from the doorway to a raised dais. On the dais was what looked, at first glance, like a freaking throne love seat. Turned out it was just two oversized chairs, both draped in black cloth, and one sitting a little lower than the other.
As we walked down the aisle, Leo stepped to the dais and waited, hands clasped in front. He wore a black suit with a white priest collar and the gold crucifix dangling on his chest. His hair was longer, below his shoulders, his face pale. He hadn’t fed. The outclan didn’t drink much as a rule.
Photographers with shoulder cameras stepped aroundthe room, filming everything and sending it out live to vamp masters of the cities all over the world. Crap. I had forgotten that part.
Ed released my hand and I climbed the steps to the top of the dais. I turned to stare out over my people and my friends and my family. Bruiser stepped up and stood beside me, though down a step and a little to the side. Eli took his place on the ground level, all doodied up in a tux.
I spotted Ayatas FireWind, a little off to the side of the crowd, his golden eyes on me. To his side stood Rick LaFleur, which gave me the faintest jolt. Rick, white-haired, looked older than a were-creature should. But he too was safe. Maybe later I’d get the story out of them of where they had been and what had happened near Sassafras Mountain.
Leo nodded to me and faced the congregants. He said simply, “The Dark Queen of the Mithrans. Her Consort. Her second.”
I reached for my power and pulled it from both inside me and from my crown. It appeared all around me, my skinwalker magic, silver with dark motes, and the power ofle breloque, glittering like sunlight through cut crystal.
From the crowd a voice shouted, “Hey, Angie. Looky. Ant Jane is all glowy!”
“EJ. Shush!” Molly said, going as bright as her red hair.
A titter ran through the crowd, uncertain and embarrassed.
I laughed. “Yes, EJ. I’m the Dark Queen.” Following Leo’s lead, I said, “We are...gathered.” And I shot my power into the crowd. Every vamp bowed.
***
The rest of thegatherwas just as boring as I predicted, speeches, lots of jibber jabber, but at least I got to sit for all the boring orations and sermons. Until we got to the good part and I stood.
Edmund knelt at my feet.
There was no blood bond between us now, but whenhis eyes met mine, the contact was strong, so intense, it tingled from my crown all the way through me to my toes. “My Queen,” he whispered. “I will serve you forever. My word is my binding. I give myself to you.”
I felt the sworn binding zing between us. “My friend,” I said back. “I will love you forever, and through love, we are bound.”
Tears, human and watery, gathered in his eyes. That’s what the angel had said. No one will serve me except through love. So, love it is.
“The first emperor of Europe since Charles the Fifth,” I said, letting my voice ring out. Without looking away from him, I took the crown off the pillow Eli offered me. The crown wasn’t magic. It didn’t have a will of its own. But it was freaking heavy, which surprised me. “Eddie the Great,” I whispered.
He laughed, even as our gazes broke so he could lower his head. I placed his heavy crown on his head.
