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

by Amber V. Nicole

“You might not have, but that is how it came across. You, Dianna, my dark-haired, fiery vixen, are and will always be enough for me. No shape or form or thing you bend to will ever make any part of me swell, as you put it, like you. Understand?”

Perhaps it was truly a funny thing not to realize how broken or damaged you were until someone came along and picked up every single fractured piece and showed you how just being you was enough.

I grabbed the edges of my gown and bowed. “Hello, Reggie.” “Ugh, please don’t ever bow to him. I can only handle one ego at a time.”

My last thought was and always would be her. I feared for the world and what they’d unleashed.

He was limp in my arms, that deathly gray taking up his entire face now. The color was stripped away. My light was stripped away. “I would have loved you then, too.” Love Love Love “Remember, I love you…”

My gaze returned to his face, and my breath caught. He was looking right at me. Impossible. I glanced down, noting the twitch of green flame in my pendant. The spell was still working. I was invisible, yet… I moved back, sinking deeper into the shadows. His eyes didn’t follow. Good. Maybe I was wrong. I took a deep breath and forced my attention back to the room.

“Because we are not dealing with Ayla. Ayla died the second Kaden got a hold of her. We are talking about Dianna. We are not dealing with Samkiel’s mate. We are dealing with Kaden’s.”

My mind reeled. Rebels? Against Nismera and mention of the Most High? Who was that, and why did it give her pause? I listened as they spoke, but there was no more mention of rebels or the Most High.

“How did you know I was here?” “I smelled haughty witch the second you walked in here. You’re lucky they didn’t,” he hissed in a whisper, and I realized even with the brute fucking force he was using, he wasn’t yelling or alerting anyone. My hand wrapped around his wrist, and a soft emerald glow formed. “Let go of me, or I’ll melt your cock off.”

“They use you for your power, not caring what or who you are. They don’t care what your favorite food is or if you sleep with a light on for comfort in a strange new world. No one will ask about your dreams or your greatest fears. You are nothing but power to anyone here. Sounds like a curse to me.” My head reared back, and I paused. Why would any of that matter to him? “Are we talking about me or you?”

uh vincent what

purr. I mentally slapped it. Stop that. He was a traitor, a betrayer. He’d do the same to us.

“Yeah, but I don’t know where your mouth has been,” I said. “Actually, yes, I do, so no thanks.” His eyes darkened. “I promise it hasn’t been anywhere your mind is thinking this morning. You’re safe.” “With you?” I scoffed. “Doubtful.” “If you’re so worried about my mouth and where it’s been, just drink from the other side.” Heat flashed across my face. “I’m not!” His brow only rose as he turned from me, grabbing utensils for his food. “You’re the one that brought it up.”

“Fine. Why are you being so nice to me? I know you’re my guard and all, and I can’t even breathe without you near me, but why?” He didn’t say anything for a moment, and I thought he would ignore me as he stabbed at his food. Then he sighed, not daring a glance at me as he said, “Because I think you feel just as alone here as I do.” The tension in my shoulders eased because it was true.

back, I saw the tips of fangs. Realization hit me, and even without seeing his pointed ears and long tail, I knew what he was. Elvian.

A crooked smile formed on his lips as he dug into the dirty clothes he wore and pulled out his hand. He opened his palm to reveal my rings. “Because I know who and what you are, Samkiel.” My blood ran cold. “You have me confused with someone else. I found those on a corpse.”

“Camilla?” She lowered her hands, her emerald magic drawing back into her palms as she stalked forward. “What are you doing?” “Me? What are you doing?” I hissed. “Those guards⁠—” “Are sleeping and when they wake up, they will think they slept on the job. They will never speak of it because if she finds out, she’ll rip their heads off.” Camilla shook her head at me before grabbing my wrist and attempting to make us leave. I didn’t move. Camilla jerked before spinning. “We have to leave.”

“She has Isaiah’s and Samkiel’s. I can smell it.” I took a shuddering breath. “She must have collected Samkiel’s when she killed him, but Isaiah’s?” “Kaden.” “What?” I snapped, turning toward her. She stood there with an empty vial in her hand. “I think all she’s missing is yours.”

“No one can know,” I whispered into her ear as I held her upper arm. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll just put away the banner I was making where I tell everyone what we found.” She tried to pull away from me and failed.

“Mera,” I said, turning to see her and her guards. Vincent was at her side, looking at Camilla with bewilderment, and Isaiah had a shit-eating grin on his face. “You talk too long. I was bored, so I found something far less boring. Besides, I assumed you’d still be blabbing. I was almost back.”

They stared at each other as if it was I who had interrupted something. Neither of them said anything as they left. Isaiah came to my side, shaking his head as Mera left with her guards. They turned the corner, heading back toward the west wing before Isaiah spoke. “Don’t shit where you eat?” He snorted, slapping a hand on my back. “Great advice.”

Why had Nismera taken his and Samkiel’s blood, and why did she want mine? What was she planning that she needed our blood?

His eyes widened, and he reached into his pocket. He threw something, and a small silver ring flew through the air. I caught it and slipped it onto my finger. An ablaze dagger formed, and I twisted my hand, stabbing the charging guard under his chin. A shuffling came from my right, and the last guard gasped. “No,” he whispered. “You’re no rebel. You’re him

“My name is Orym. I’m an ex-commander of Nismera’s Thirty-sixth Legion.”

“So you really are him. You’re the god king.” He faked a bow, and I grumbled. “Stop that. I hate that.”

“I told you before. It’s always about a woman.” “You lost someone.” Orym lifted his blanket and turned on his side to face me. “Not just anyone. The one.” My heart sank. “Your amata.” He nodded. “She was… everything. She died along with many more when Nismera destroyed my world.”

They are your great love. Is she your great love?” I nodded, staring at the top of the tent. “The greatest.”

My eyes snapped open, and I screamed. “Holy fuck! What a nightmare to wake up to.” Kaden’s face curled into a sneer, and he folded his arms across his chest. I pulled myself up, grabbing the sheets and tying them around my waist. “I’ve been looking for you.”

i love cameron he gives seth vibes

“Jokes on you. I only fed and then left. I haven’t put my dick in anything but my hand.” Kaden scoffed, taking a step back. “Let’s share less.” “Sounds great.”

I shivered in disgust. The image of him fucking Camilla made me want to hurl, but that was the talk all around Nismera’s palace. The two of them had been caught sneaking around at all hours of the night. A small smile curved my lips as I stared at the door.

Kaden thought he had control over me because of Xavier, but he was hiding something. They both were. If I wanted to see Xavier again, I was going to use it to my advantage. “Check fucking mate.”

“An Ig’Morruthen ripped the realms to shreds, and it smells as if you’ve bathed in its scent. Treacherous, murderous fiend.” The voice was surprising and decidedly feminine. My hands lowered. “You can smell Dianna on me?”

“She smells of a beast. One far older than you.”

“A great darkness hovers around you, King of Rashearim. It smells of the old one. Ancient. Powerful. Bloodthirsty. Perhaps Nismera is not the only evil being in this realm.” I knew she was speaking of Dianna. She could sense her imprinted on my soul.

A hand slammed down on my shoulder. I spun, the scream dying in my throat. A thin figure glared at me with the same double set of eyes, white and opaque. It pointed behind me and whispered, “From one, all will rise.”

Oh. Not a shirtless Vincent, but a very naked, very well-endowed Vincent. “You’re naked,” I whispered, shutting my eyes tightly. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry.” “It’s my room. I can be,” he snapped back, clearly agitated.

Stop thinking about naked Vincent, you sex-starved psycho!

im cacklin

“He is not down my throat.” Vincent’s eyes roamed over me, and my body flushed. “I really don’t care where he is at.” “You sound like you care.” “I don’t.” I huffed. “Then why are you avoiding me?” “Funny story, Camilla. My world does not revolve around you.”

“We are not on the remains of Rashearim, and I’m not a good friend to anyone, Camilla. Do yourself a favor and find another.” My chest hurt for him, but a part of me knew he was right. We weren’t friends because the truth of the matter was I didn’t trust him.

“Those are vents, my queen. Not capable of breathing underwater.” I rolled my eyes and yanked him up with a little shake. His blue skin was almost purple as he gasped for air, his vents working over time. “Oh.” I shrugged. “They looked like gills to me.”

Dianna, why is your face red?” I wiped my hand across my mouth. “I ate the guards.” Miska looked at me and shrugged. “Okay. Are we leaving now? Did you find where Samkiel is?” Reggie cleared his throat and said, “Let’s go into town and get you some food, yes? Dianna will catch up.”

“The only other thing is the man with orange eyes, but that’s only in my dreams.” “Why have you not spoken of seeing things outside of your dreams?” “Because we have more important things to worry about, and I chalked it up to everything that’s happened.”

“You have the blood of Ro’Vikiin in you. All beasts speak Beast.” “Ro’Vikiin? Kaden?” Her massive head tilted, the twin feathers atop it rising as if they were ears. “I do not know that name.” I shook my head. “Okay, moving on. You know Samkiel? Do you know where he is?”

“Oh, I would level the universe for him, but he told me to be good, so I’ll stick to saving him instead.” “There is no kindness left in these realms, dark one. The King of Rashearim is kind. If you mean what you say, then I shall help. My only wish is that you protect the realms, protect him.”

My heart ached. Every time they said his name and laughed about his death, I cried for days. I cried because I’d ached to help him in that damned council room. It destroyed me that I’d been forced to leave him behind. I hated myself for not being strong enough to break free, to die trying to save him and my family.

“Let’s just say I can attest she is great at that too.” I recognized that voice, and my gut rolled. Jiraiya and a few soldiers entered the room. He walked in, wearing the regal Order garbs. The emerald green and golden tassels reminded me of one of the princes in those movies Dianna showed Neverra and me on the night of our slumber party.

“I have been waiting for you to fuck up. Now you have,” the minotaur said, only his voice was different. He took a step forward, and Jiraiya stepped back. I knew that voice, remembered it as if it followed me everywhere I went in this place. Isaiah.

There was a strangled gasp as if Jiraiya were choking. “Why do you care so much, anyway?” “I don’t like when people touch what belongs to me.” Belong to him?

He was such a contradiction, shifting from pure brutality to tenderness so quickly. He had just turned the guards and Jiraiya into a heap of blood and limbs, and now he was touching me as if I were made of glass. “What is it about you that has me so enamored?” he asked the empty shell that was me. He studied me for a moment longer before shaking his head. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

I hated the fact that the most perfect body was wasted on such an evil man.

My body jerked as if I wanted to rush forward and protect Isaiah. Wait, no. That was impossible. I hadn’t moved on my own or felt on my own in weeks. No, that was wrong. It had been months. It had to be months, right? “Mera will have your head for this.”