Slowly I lifted it out and contemplated calling Violet to help open it. Now that I knew how powerful the mecca was, I feared it. The fear had started during my coronation when the energy had almost killed me, pressing in on me until I thought I would be crushed beneath it. It was reasonable to fear power like that. But I wouldn’t let the fear control me.
The second I had that thought, the mecca energy within the box lessened, almost as if it sensed my fear and wanted me to know it was safe to open. Okay, then … here goes nothing. Lifting the lid slowly, I blinked a few times as the object came into view. It was a beautiful, falsely vibrant, blue flower on top of a photograph. The flower glowed, the hue of the petals so deep and rich that I knew it was not of this world. Not to mention it was inside of a box with no water and no sun and still it lived.
Touch it or don’t touch it? As if against my will, my hand snaked out and closed around the stem of the flower. The second it was in my palm, my hand glowed the slightest bit purple, like when I touched the mecca crystal. Acting oninstinct, I pulled it up to my nose and inhaled the scent of grass, sea water, and a sweetness that lay under the floral tones.
I was about to lower the flower from my face when I heard a crash.What the hell?Realizing it had come from the blossom, I pulled it closer to my ear and almost dropped it at the distinct sounds of waves, and birds chirping. In a rush, I set the flower down and backed up a few steps. Could this actually be possible? Was this some weird freaky fae mecca flower that was a connection to their world?
Why did the Red Queen have this? How did she get it? Could someone in the other world hear me now if I spoke?
I couldn’t think about that. I stepped forward again, planning on slamming the box shut and having Calista lock it in my jewelry safe, when I noticed the photo it was perched on. I stared at it for a moment, a surge of emotions tightening my chest and throat. As I reached out for the old weathered photo, a smile spread across my face; a war of both joy and sadness were fighting within me. It was my mom and the Red Queen.
As I traced my fingers along my mother’s face, I was surprised to see both her and the queen were pregnant in this photo. I recognized the surroundings and clothing style enough to know this was taken when my mother was pregnantwith me. I couldn’t recall her ever telling me that her sister had been pregnant at the same time. This must have been one of the times the Red Queen miscarried. If my memory served me correctly, she had more than a few losses in her quest for a child. It was one of those sad stories in our royal history.
I brought the photo closer, really seeing my former leader. The Red Queen looked radiant, healthy and happy. She had her arm around my mother, holding her tightly. I never saw this side of my aunt. She was always so cold and distant to me and others. Maybe the multiple miscarriages did that to her. I didn’t know much about babies or pregnancy, but her belly was quite distinct here, which meant she lost the baby late in pregnancy. I couldn’t imagine such a loss.
It was one of the few times that the Red Queen ever failed: producing an heir. Luckily my mom had had Winnie and me to carry on the red line. Slipping the photo into my pocket, I closed the wooden box, trapping the flower inside. Anything to do with the fae was dangerous. I would not open that again until we knew more about what we were dealing with. Hopefully one of the magic born would find some useful information in the secret fae spell book room.
When I exited the storage area I tried to school my features so that none of my dominantsknew I was bothered. I was bothered though – a fae flower in my home, in the former queen’s personal items. Did any of us truly know the Red Queen? Even the council?
I traversed the winding halls until I was back at my private quarters, exhaustion crushing in on me. Emotional stress was actually worse than physical activities. I needed a long hot bath before my dinner plans. I just wanted to wash this day away. As usual, Blaine and Victor searched my apartment for any intruders while I waited at the door with my other guards.
Blaine let out a shout. “What the hell?” And before I could think, I was running into the apartment, even though Monica tried to hold me back.
I’d never heard Blaine shout out like that. Generally he handled everything without a worry. Monica finally caught up to me, yanking me back hard so she could position herself in front of me as we skidded around the corner into my bedroom. I was so relieved to see Blaine, his body rigid, and before him … Violet.
“Violet! You scared me half to death!” Blaine cursed a few more times, running his hand over his hair, making it stand up.
That was it. That was all I needed to lose it in fits of laughter. Everyone looked at me as I laughed so hard tears streamed down my cheeks.I had been so stressed lately that when I finally had reason to laugh my body was just on overdrive with emotion.
Blaine shook his head, the slightest of grins lighting up his face. “Sorry if I scared you, Princess. She appeared out of thin air. I almost stabbed her.”
His sword was still out in front of him, the tip a few inches from Violet’s navel. My best friend was watching me, her face drawn, eyes dropping at the corners. She looked exhausted, her voice low as she said: “Well, Ari made a new royal decree that I couldn’t cloak myself in the royal house, so naturally I had to come disobey her just to shake her day up a little.”
I shook my head at the magic born. “My day is well shaken, thank you very much. Is that all you came for? To scare me and nearly get stabbed by Blaine?”
Violet nodded. “Pretty much. Anyways, I actually have some work to get to, so ... see you tonight at the thing. Bye.” Then just like that she vanished.
“The thing?” I asked, and everyone shared a look that made it immediately clear they were keeping some information from me.
My wolf rumbled in my chest; still no one answered. Letting out a deep breath, I pushed my beast down inside. I knew they wouldn’tkeep anything too serious from me, and for now I had neither the time nor the energy to beat it out of them, so I let it go. Probably Calista planning a poker night, or some other gambling-style activity.
I shooed everyone out of the room. Monica and the rest of my guard just chuckled as they went. Blaine was the last one left, and it didn’t look like he was leaving just yet.
He quirked his lips into a wry grin. “You know, Princess, if I’m checking your apartment for intruders and I yell … you’re supposed to run.”
“Never!” I didn’t even hesitate in my response. Our eyes were locked on each other, strong electricity charging the air, a spark I’d never noticed before.
I cleared my throat, stepping back so I could sit on the bed and take my shoes off. “Thanks for looking out for me … I’m just going to take a bath now before my dinner plans.”
Blaine’s green eyes shot through with darkness for a brief moment, before he lowered his head into a half-bow nod. “Right, I’ll just be outside keeping guard.”
As he left the room, I had to smile again at Violet taking him by surprise like that. She was such a pain, but she was my pain and I wouldn’t change her for anything. Blaine too. I was blessed to have such amazing friends.
Discarding my clothes, I strode into the private bathroom, which was literally the size of my old apartment. Stepping under the warm water, multiple shower heads directed spray at me from all sides. One perk of being queen was the best shower in the world.
Closing my eyes, trying to relax, I couldn’t stop the multitude of thoughts crashing through my mind. The most prominent was of a giant, dark-haired, amber-eyed shifter. Kade had said he was going away for a few days, and a huge part of me wanted to know where he was. Why was it so difficult to keep my mind off of him? I should be stronger than this. I should be able to control myself. The fact that I couldn’t was a bad sign. A very bad sign indeed.
That night,I dressed semi-casual in skinny jeans, gray suede ankle boots, and a red silk sleeveless top. My guess of a poker night was definitely out – Monica had told me to dress for a night out on the town. Her advice had my body thrumming with excitement. I hadn’t been out in forever, pretty much under lock and key since the Summit.
