I had to murder my friend?
How could that be a law? Take away one of the queen’s strengths before she even gets to the throne. The whole vampire law was stilted toward the males, it always had been, but this was the ultimate slap in the face to the females. Hobbling their queen.
How could Ikill my friend?
She had been instrumental in shaping me as a Queen Novitiate. Books, training, conversation, devil’s advocate. Adelie had been there through all of it and even got over her habit of keeping pet humans to bring me blood and memories when I woke. I knew that had been hard for her. But she did it. Because she was my friend. She was my heart-sister. She was Adelie. And she wanted me to ascend to the throne as much as anyone could have.
She wanted me to win the crown.
Adelie would have given anything to help me get the crown.
Her life, though? Her life? It was a step too far.
Wasn’t it?
I couldn’t imagine life without her. She was always there, always my friend. From the day I arrived at my grandfather’s citadel outside of Luxor, she befriended me, the daughter of Pharaonic blood and a vampire, her viciousness even at our age then had impressed me. And yet she still kept human pets and had a soft side for them. When she found out I was a princess to the crown, she insisted I needed to take the job as queen one day—when I was old enough to be called upon. It became our obsession. Hers as much as mine.
And now, here we were. At the brink of victory.
The crown hovered above my head…
All I had to do was kill her, and it was mine.
It was law.
If I didn’t kill her, I didn’t uphold the law.
And I didn’t get the throne.
This was the bull that kept the males in power. They cut off their females at the knees before they married them and bred them, so they never had a chance to truly mourn.
Would Adelie hesitate to kill me if we were in each other’s shoes?
Yes. Of course.
Any woman would hesitate to cut off their right hand.
What would I tell her if I knew this was her last test before the finish line?
Kill me.
Of course. Kill me in a heartbeat and take the crown.
I started to regain a sense of balance, calm scratching at the edges of my senses.
I centered my breathing and tested myself once more.
What would I say?
Kill me. Take the crown.
Make the males realize what they are doing. Find a way to change the law so no one has to die for the Black Heart. Make an amazing queen. And kick Nial in the balls for me.
Well, maybe I’d hold back on the last part.
I let out a laugh in the empty forest and wiped my nose of the snot.
Fine. They wanted me to kill her. The law said I had to.
