The Dawn of the Cursed Queen (Gods & Monsters, #3)

by Amber V. Nicole

The other guards, thank fuck, avoided eye contact, but it was Elianna’s response that made me stumble. She glanced between us, hurt in her eyes. She recovered quickly and shifted in her seat, suddenly concerned with the tassels on the sleeve of her gown.

I remembered those days back on Rashearim, and how I’d hung on every word she spoke, every move she made. I thought I loved her then, and she loved me, but like a flower unattended, that love wilted. I saw the signs too late, promising myself to her in an unbreakable bond, and now I was stuck. Until death.

Sometimes, I wished she’d struck out in anger toward me, wished she would free me from her servitude, but it never came. So, I did what she said and lied, manipulated, and hurt because I had no choice. Her will was my will.

“It’s okay.” She sighed, and I turned toward her. “I assume Nismera took you for some mission. I know you always have to choose her.” I’d choose you! I wanted to say it, to scream it, but my voice wouldn’t allow it.

Camilla’s eyes widened as she took a step forward. “Oh my. Well, at least we know it’s strong enough to cut Ig’Morruthen skin.” I couldn’t help but grin when I looked at her. Not that it seemed I wanted to.

He tipped his head back and laughed as the line moved forward. I was happy to get him a family, a new one, even if a part of me was doing it out of guilt.

“What am I supposed to do without you?” I whispered to the wind.

“Viti rucku mocharum.” My eyes were open, but I did not see this room. I saw everything and nothing all at once, darkness and light intertwined. A voice rose from below the world, below the universe, far but close, and something turned toward me. “Well, aren’t you new?” it said.

“Do you think you can touch death, girl, and it not take something from you?” “Shut up.” The words left my lips on a hiss. I turned toward her, and the oracle grinned.

“He watches you now.” She swayed on her feet, a chaotic laugh leaving as she tilted her head up. “You will be his new favorite toy. No one gets close to his kingdom without… without… without.” Her words died on another sob as whatever she was remembering or seeing crippled her.

felt it again, the cold chill that had been with me since the tunnels, as if a part of me had never left there or something had followed. Was that the man I saw at River Bend watching me? Or was it the shadows I kept seeing out of the corner of my eye? Was I being followed? My heart raced in my chest, and I knew what she meant.

“There are princes in the Otherworld, seven to be exact. Each carries a totem from their mother, Icnima. She birthed monsters as the fables go. The murrak is one of seven ancient creatures still in existence, a gift to her son, Umemri.”

“Void,” it said in a gasping voice before it dropped me.

I literally predicted

A sound escaped his lips before he grabbed my arms, pushing me back. “What are you doing?” I blinked a few times. “I don’t know.” His eyes scanned mine, something ancient and powerful there before his eyes darted to my lips and back. “Do it again.” And so I did.

felled

Fallen*?

Samkiel’s eyes blazed into mine. “Dianna. Shush.” Fire lit my hands, the blaze hot enough to burn steel as I glared at him. “I swear to gods, Samkiel if you shush me one more time…”

“The light will end us all, and you will burn with it, just as Ro’Vikiin did,” the voice called from above my head.

“How could I not be completely and utterly in love with you?” “You love me?” My heart melted. “With everything I am and everything I ever will be.”

My throat dried as he smiled and pushed open the twin double doors. The hinges creaked, stiff with disuse. He stepped aside, and I paused on the threshold, looking out at the room sprawled before me. I took a hesitant step inside and spun, taking in the towering ceiling and massive interior. “This bedroom is bigger than the one we had on Rashearim.” He nodded, watching me with pleasure. “It is.” “They just left it all?” I asked, glancing around. A bed with four twisted wooden posts sat to my left, covered in an array of furs, but it was the mantle on the other side of the room that caught my attention.

“I wonder what happened to them.” “Probably captured or enslaved, or worse,” he said before clearing his throat. “I already removed the relics from the castle so you won’t see any pictures of them. There is still a lot of work I want to do in this place, but I thought we could do it together. I was only able to get a few of the most essential pieces from Rashearim.”

I know the ocean is your favorite place, even if it still hurts you. When you were young, you lied and said that you and Gabriella had the same birthday so that people would think you were twins. Pasta was the first thing you learned to cook, but baking is your favorite. You prefer silk over most fabrics, leather over rough jeans, and you think that one of the best perks of immortality is that you can wear heels for hours and your feet never hurt.”

She stepped closer, looking at the long train. “This castle is fit for a god and goddess. I wonder who lived here before.”

“She is quite peculiar, yes?” Reggie asked, coming to my side. “Indeed,” I said. “But she may be right. Foot cream may come in handy depending on what is to come.” “She is important for what’s to come.” Reggie smiled. “And there are more like her you haven’t found yet.” My brows furrowed. “Are you back to creepy messages again?” Reggie shook his head, his hand going to his temple. “Did I say something?”

I watched him walk away, concern niggling at me. I knew I’d heard him correctly, but I had no idea what he’d meant. His eyes didn’t go white as they usually did when he saw the future, but he didn’t seem to remember what he said. The portal closed behind them, worry coiling in my gut. Something was wrong.

wondered if it would feel even better during sex. “It might.” My face went slack, and I pulled my hand back. “No fucking way. Did you just read my mind?” “Another perk of the magic.” My eyes went wide, not with fear, but with a pulse of excitement. “How?”

“It’s a spell crafted into the stone. Jaski, Killium’s wife, can imbue objects with power. She was one of several pupils under Kryella, and she was able to wield arcane magic. It was quite a feat.

My hand cupped his face. “I swear that was the last epic secret I have. The only one. I just didn’t want to hurt you again. In the end, I hurt you the most. I was just scared of what you’d say, of what it would mean. I wanted to pretend we were still this epic destined love, even if I’d ruined it.”

His face softened as he placed a kiss on my palm. “You didn’t ruin anything. Mark or not, you are all I see, all I want. Destiny be damned, right?” “Destiny be damned.”

raced across the night sky. “Wow, comets on this planet look so much prettier,” I said, pushing up on my toes to peer around his shoulder. Samkiel shook his head, and I felt his muscles bunch beneath my hand. “No, not a comet or a star.”

“Then what is it?” “A casmirah. I have only ever read about them. They are rare, mythological creatures that only fly through the sky to herald a new ruler. One flew for my father, and now one flies…”

“A casmirah was spotted last night shooting across the sky. I take it that you know its meaning?” “Very well. I have seen only five in my existence. They are never wrong about their choices.”

“That’s what Veruka and I assume. The more Dianna challenges Nismera by killing her troops, the bolder and more hostile the rebels grow. The more they recruit and expand their numbers. Nismera is nervous.”

“Well, Veruka says that Nismera now thinks that the casmirah appeared for her because she rid the world of Dianna and her beast, eliminating the threat.”

Orym’s face paled as he stood. “We need to tell them.” “We will when they return.” Orym sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m going to send another message to Veruka. Maybe with more information, we can get ahead of her.”

His teeth ground so tightly together that I thought they would break. “I hate to burst your bubble, but you deciding after years that she is finally good enough for you will not work. Even if you manage to drag her back after you murdered her sister and her actual love, she’ll never touch you again, never love you again. You will never be Samkiel.”

expected him to snap my neck, to hurt me, anything but what he did. The anger in his eyes fizzled, his grip on the back of my head loosening. “I have a plan for that.”

As if on cue, soldiers marched through the door in twos. Their pearlescent armor was gorgeous, shimmering in the light. Intricate scrolling designs were engraved along the arms and legs, and a massive winged creature was emblazoned across the chest.

They looked like angels. Powerful, majestic angels. Their helmets were tall, sitting atop their heads in curving lines, with a pair of wings mimicking the flaring from their backs. Everyone watched as they filed into the room, all carrying boxes of various sizes. A few of the lids were half open, and I caught the gleam of jewels as they passed.

I caught the eye of a man across the way, his gaze blazing into mine. The ties and buttons across his jacket did nothing to hide the lean, muscled form beneath. Dark hair curled around his ears and fell across his forehead. I had the strangest sensation of familiarity as he stared at me. He smiled, and it was a beautiful contrast to the dark stubble covering his jaw. Another set of winged guards walked between us, and when they passed, the man was gone.

a woman who would put the models of Onuna to shame entered with a man at her side, their wings tucked against their backs. I knew him. Well, I didn’t know him, but I’d seen him here before. Ennis. Vincent had said he was the brother to a powerful sister. Only she wasn’t just powerful. No, given the crown she wore, she was a queen. No one so much as whispered as they entered.

“Who was that?” I asked, returning to Kaden’s side. Kaden seemed relaxed as always, but I noticed that he, too, tracked their retreating forms. “The Queen of Trugarum. Her name is Milani.”

“Is she important? I didn’t see anyone else enter like that.” “Very,” Kaden whispered. “She owns the southern realm and all its territories. Her armada is one of Nismera’s strongest forces.”

“Equal power alliances mean no one would ever dream of testing you,” Kaden said.

I should have known. Why did I ever think I could change him? He wouldn’t even change for his chosen family. I was nothing to him, to no one. My magic must have started to leak because Kaden dropped his hand to mine, interlacing our fingers. He took the brunt of my magic. He didn’t react to the burn, but his touch grounded me. It was such a simple gesture, a kind one, and kindness was something I did not expect from Kaden. Maybe he was right. I knew nothing of him and Isaiah.

stumbled against someone and reached out to steady myself. A small prick of pain stung my hand, and I hissed, pulling back and rubbing at it. I turned and came face to face with the beautiful man from the foyer.

“My feet hurt,” I said, knowing it sounded ridiculous, but my head was still reeling. He glanced down before flashing me another devilishly handsome smile. “They look fine to me.” “Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving,” I said. His smile faltered. “That they can, witch queen.” “What?” I asked.

“Vincent.” My voice was as breathless as I felt. “Don’t.” His eyes darted to mine, and I knew this was a mistake. “Don’t leave me. I’ve hurt and pushed everyone away, everyone that meant anything. You are all I have now.”

Maybe I was never meant for a happily ever after, but I could stand by this broken man. I would stand by him because it was already too late for me.

My hand caressed the side of his face. “I won’t leave you.” I placed a kiss on his lips and then pulled back a fraction. “We go together or not at all. Deal?” He nodded, our breaths mingling before his lips crushed mine.

Please, the Vincent I knew, or thought I did, died long ago. I now know you’re just as heartless as the bitch who made you.”