Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Mary This time when the world stopped swirling, we were at the palace in the kitchen but the atmosphere was completely different. There was no liveliness to it. The happy carefree feel there once was had diminished and now was replaced with sullen looks and black clothing.

“I can’t believe she’s gone!” One of the girls cried, tears falling down her face.

“Gracie!” Hissed Harriet, “You must stop this nonsense. The Queen has commanded that we don’t speak of Greta anymore as it upsets the young master.”

At that moment Nikolai walked into the room, his facial expressions were now similar to the face that I’d grown to love.

“Because I slaughtered her.” Nikolai replied a pained look in his eyes, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)“My poor Greta was only trying to comfort me at the loss of my father and I killed her.”

“Nikolai,” Harriet started, “It wasn’t…”

“SILENCE!” Nikolai roared, if one other person tells me that this wasn’t my fault, I’ll have them banished from the castle.”

Harriet’s face was pained, but she made no attempt to console Nikolai again, gone was the sweet boy who’d been in love with the palace servant, and in his place was now the future King.

“Mother wants the table set for guests, the leaders of the other supernaturals will be arriving today and mother has a special dinner planned. She’d also like you to make quarters for the new slave girls downstairs. The werewolf king has brought some fresh blood for my mother and I to try as a thank you gift.”

I cringed inwardly, these girls would be among the first blood slaves. The world swirled around us much more, when the images stopped flashing before my eyes, I wasn’t in the kitchen anymore this time I sat at an empty chair in the formal dinning hall.

Nikolai’s mother sat at the head of the table. She was wearing an eloquent black ballgown, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones and pouty lips. Her once blue cerulean eyes were a shade of blood red, with little flakes of cerulean showing through. It was an oddity for me, I’d only known Vampires eyes to go red, when their vampire was taking over or when they lost their humanity and turned into a ghoul. I’d never seen a vampire partially shifted like the Queen appeared to be.

A man was seated next to her with shoulder length brown hair, and bright green eyes, he had a full beard and a scar that went down one side of his face, “Cassandra, you look exquisite today my dear.”

The man replied smiling over at the Queen.

“Why thank you Alpha Loren,” The Queen replied nodding her head towards the man sitting beside her, “I cannot wait to taste the delicacies you’ve brought with you.”

“It is high time the humans, pay back for what they’ve taken from us all.” Alpha Loren responded as he sneered at the words humans.

“Yes, they couldn’t live in harmony even after the war, they had to go and kill my late husband too.” The Queen replied a look of hatred flashing across her face. It was odd though, it seemed like her hatred was more targeted towards the man sitting beside her than the humans themselves.

“Cassandra, how have you been this past month?” A man with fiery red hair and golden eyes asked.

“I’ve been better Tai Li,” Cassandra responded with a grin on her face that didn’t quiet reach her face.

Queen Cassandra stood up from her seat, causing the entire room to go quiet. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)“With my husbands closes friends around, the men he fought side by side with, it makes me misses him greatly, and it makes me wonder how some of the strongest men could let a group of human hunters get the best of them.”

The men in the room looked nervous as Cassandra continued on. “Tell me Mona,” Cassandra spoke to the tall lanky man seated across from her, “How was it that your wards didn’t alert you to the nearby hunters.”

Mona slid further down into his chair, “…I..I” he stammered.

“The truth Mona!” Cassandra yelled, her voice commanding him to speak only the truth.

“It was a setup. Alpha Loren had stumbled upon the hunters in the pack land. The hunters threatened to slaughter Alpha Loren right there and they stated they’d continue to slaughter our kind, until they got the man responsible; the vampire who slayed the phoenix, the one who killed humans without mercy and hung hunters by their insides. They wanted Klaus and they wouldn’t stop until they got him.”

All the other guests stared at Mona, Alpha Loren went to deny the claim but found he couldn’t say anything nor could he move from his seat.

“What happened next Mona?” Cassandra asked her voice shaking with fury as tears spilled from her eyes.

“Alpha Loren called for a meeting, one that didn’t include Klaus. We agreed to lure him to the hunters and then leave him there to do with as they please.”

“Klaus was strong he could have taken down the entire group of hunters without breaking a sweat. Why wasn’t he able to protect himself?”

Mona side eyed the man sitting to the left of him, he was a short man with white hair and lilac eyes making it obvious he was the leader of the faes, “King Alsador and myself, we spelled his water, it took away his vampire powers, making him just as weak as a human.”

“Did you sit and watch as they tortured my husband, did you rejoice in watching as they burned his body over and over again, did you laugh along with them as they stabbed him repeatedly, did you stare into his eyes when the understanding came into his eyes that he would never make it home to his wife and children?” Cassandra asked, her aura so bright it was blinding, her face covered in tears of hatred and grief.

At that very moment, young Nikolai came into the room and the chaos ceased. Cassandra’s aura while still frightening calmed down and she was no longer crying hysterically, “Please Mona take a seat.” Cassandra stated motioning for the witch king to sit down as she stood up.

“Dearest Friends of my husband, please let us toast to your good fortune, may you all live long and healthy lives.” Cassandra brought her glass towards her lips taking a sip from her golden chalice, each remaining guest at the table followed suit, unable to control their own motions.

I watched in horror as young Nikolai stared at the table watching as everyone man at the table started clawing at their necks as blood poured down their eyes and out of their ears.

Cassandra sat at the table and began to dig into the meal that was set before her, “Come Nikolai,” She spoke to her son, “Come sit beside mommy while we watch the men who deceived your father die, come watch with me as an important moment in history takes place.

This time when the images stopped we were in the throne room. I sat and watched as person after person came in and swore fealty to Queen Cassandra and her heir Prince Nikolai. I watched as all the clan and pack leaders brought Cassandra gifts as an apology for the part that their leaders played in Klaus death.

Day after day past by and I watched how Cassandra continued to lose herself to her grief. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)She would slaughter millions just because she felt like it. She would leave human corpses strung around the house after she drained them of their blood. She’d even attack other supernaturals if they so much as crossed her. She had become the dark Queen, and her reign was none as the reign of terror.

I watched Nikolai grow up to become the man I recognized today, he flirted with the woman around the castle but he never took much interest in them. He didn’t seem to want to find someone to settle down with. He was happy chasing tail with Kade. Kade seemed to be the only person Nikolai cared for. The older he became the less he spoke with his mom. One day, he’d had enough of the palace life and had left with Kade to go and explore his father’s roots. They left for Russia and didn’t return for almost a century.

When they did return Nikolai told his mother it was time to end her reign of terror. His mother laughed in his face and told him that no man would ever command her, not even her own son. That night Nikolai killed his mother, he held her in his arms all night as he so He loved his mother with every fiber of his being, but he knew there was no stopping her. His mother would continue to slaughter by the masses until there was no one left to kill. When his father was killed it destroyed the best parts of his mother. She would never return to the woman she once was.

The next time I opened my eyes after I felt my stomach jerk we were back in the kitchen.

more power than both of his parents’ combined. If Nikolai loses you, or if he feels threatened that he’ll end up losing you, then the world will burn.” Dru spoke staring directly into my eyes.

“It is important that you stay safe while the coven and pack leaders are visiting. Make sure you have one of us, Nikolai, or Kade by your side. Don’t wander off trying to change the world by yourself Mary.” Draq stated firmly.

I nodded my understanding, but I couldn’t make a promise that I wouldn’t be able to keep. I felt it in my bones that something bad was coming. I wouldn’t stay put while the people I cared for fought. It wasn’t in my blood to sit ideally by and wait for the fighting to stop. If it came down to it, I would fight with my people, and I would slaughter Alph Ash and anyone who gets in my way.