Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde, #2)

by Scarlett St. Clair

Now, I was Isolde Vasiliev, queen of Revekka, future queen of Cordova, and I was here to conquer.

“I was nothing but a glorified guard, but you—you were something more.”

Adrian tensed, his fingers pressing slightly into my skin. I wondered if he thought I would run, if he wasn’t quite convinced I was firmly rooted by his side, but there was nothing that would drive me away, save death.

Adrian had built an empire on the bones of his greatest enemy.

There was no room for vulnerability here, no room for forgiveness. It was conquer or be killed.

“I am thinking about how I will fashion a throne from Ravena’s bones.” The corners of Adrian’s lips curled, and he leaned closer, his breath on my lips as he spoke. “If that is your wish, I shall build it myself.”

“Give me your come and you can have my blood.” He chuckled breathlessly. “Oh, Sparrow. I will fill you to bursting.”

I woke with the memory of how Adrian had filled me and fucked me and bit me, and I had ascended into something ethereal and divine—something that had taken me from sorrow to bliss.

“Isolde,” he repeated quietly, and when I finally met his gaze, his stare was gentle. “You are my light.” I took his face between my hands. “You are my darkness,” I said and kissed him.

This world thought they knew a conqueror when Adrian had been born, but they had yet to feel my wrath.

I had not wished to be queen so I could sit on a throne. I wished to become queen to protect my people, which meant if they went into battle, I would lead.

“My queen would take up a blade before Tanaka could draw enough breath to tell her to hide.”

She was resilient. She was my queen. I would not fail to protect her again.

“I am certain you wished to die quickly,” I said near his ear. “But threats against my queen deserve an agonizing end.”

“Once again, you choose your queen over your people,” said Gesalac. “Is my love for Isolde your only critique of my reign? If so, I will have to assume you are jealous,” I said. “Are you in love with me, Gesalac?”

“My queen and I will conquer this world, and when we have our empire, we will fuck on a bed of your bones.”

“You may need a queen to rule your kingdom, but Isolde needs no king. You will make her into a monster.”

My past gave me the strength to do what no one else had done—endure.

“My greatest strength is that you do not even know what I am capable of.”

“When I stand before them, I can control the mind of any vampire I’ve turned,” I said, gripping the hilt of my blade. “Pity you did not know.”

I wanted to see Gesalac suffer at the end of a metal spear. I wanted Isolde to watch him die beside me, and after, I wanted to take her to bed.

“I did not spend two hundred years yearning for you, killing for you, conquering for you, to watch you make stupid decisions. You are mortal.”

“Aren’t you a beautiful beast?” he said. I narrowed my eyes at him, allowing a growl to escape my mouth. I did not appreciate his humor so shortly after becoming the very same creature that had killed so many of my people. I had become an aufhocker. I was an omen of death.

“Men want power,” Ana said. It was the first time she had spoken, and everyone at the table turned to look at her. “Women want to exist without fear.”

“Anything for you,” he said. “Promise me the world,” I said, breathing hard. “It is yours,” he said.

“I like your fury,” he said, hand lifting to my neck. “Let me taste it.”

“You cannot have me in the throne room before court, Adrian,” I said. He raised a brow and I knew what he was going to say. “That is not a challenge,”

As I turned to sit, I found Adrian still standing at the base of the dais staring at me. “Yes?” “Nothing, my sweet,” he said. “I am only imagining what it will be like when I fuck you on this throne before my court.”

“You would let your court look upon me?” “Your body? No,” he said. “Your pleasure? Yes.”

“You do not have to have lived a hundred years or even twenty. If your soul is tired, you will be tired.”

Adrian returned my stare. A quiet heat burned behind his eyes, and I noted how he sat, rigid and wound tight. If he was not attempting some semblance of control tonight, he likely would have held to his promise to fuck me on this table.

“She is mine—to hurt, to bleed, to fuck.”

I wanted to beg for forgiveness at her feet.

“Words do not heal trauma,” she said. “Then tell me how I heal this.” “You don’t. You love me through the fear, even when my doubt hurts, and I will do the same for you.”

“I have loved you across lifetimes. Why would I stop now?”

“Let me make love to you,” I said. “Let me worship you.”

“Bite me,” she said. “Take my blood and fill me with your come.”

“We’ll leave you to train,” Adrian said, and he stepped forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I’ll take you on the floor later.”

I had always thought he was beautiful, even when he was my conqueror. Now, I loved him, and he was somehow more stunning.

“Do you worry for me, my sweet?” he asked.

“I shall very much enjoy teaching you how to obey me later,” he said, his tongue teasing the shell of my ear.

“Magic will always be dangerous so long as women practice,” she said. “No one wants us to be powerful. They taught us that once, and they will teach us again.”

She collapsed in my arms, and I held her and cried with her until neither of us had anything left but rage.

Perhaps I was foolish to keep fighting for others and should only fight for myself.

“There is no understanding it,” Adrian said. “Because it is hate, and hate can exist with no reason.”

“We were only trying to help banish the thing they feared.” “You were,” he said. “And they did not deserve it.” Before tonight, I wouldn’t have agreed, but now I was starting to think that the world did not deserve my blood or tears.

I lifted my hand to Violeta’s necklace, squeezing it hard in my hand until it hurt, grateful now that it was her essence that clung to it because it would feed my vengeance against Ravena.

“Once, though, a long time ago when I thought you and I could have a peaceful life under the mountains, my vengeance did not matter so much.”

“I will never forget the times I spent with you, dreaming. Those are my brightest memories.”

“I like to make you sing, Sparrow,”