Discovery of a Queen: Chapter 29

“That’s why you survived being experimented on by Malick.” My statement slices through the silence that has settled over the table. “He told me that only someone extremely powerful could survive what was happening, all of the rest died.”

“That was my assumption as well,” Darcy confirms. “And don’t make a big deal about my history. Like I said, the other surviving originals and I are trying to keep a very low profile. It didn’t work as well as I’d have liked since I got picked up by Malick, but if I’m to also become a queen, I’d really like to keep who I am as hush-hush as possible. People might assume I have too much power.”

She has a point. The original vampire is now part demon and a potential queen. We’d be up to our eyeballs in demons and power-hungry supernaturals. The origins of the vampires as a species is shrouded in various myths, but they all agree on one fact—Lilith was the first vampire. Some said she was cursed by a god, some claimed she contracted a deadly virus and mutated it with some innate yet latent magic, others assumed she had been a witch who had made a pact with the devil. While I’m insanely curious, I don’t want to push her to reveal more than she’s comfortable with.

“If I’m to fully become a part of this community,” Darcy continues, “I wanted to be open and honest with you all about who I am.”

Everyone around the table nods. They’re all probably just as shocked as I am. Is it too tacky to ask her for her autograph? Yeah, absolutely way too tacky.

, goddess, I’m singing in my mind. Fighting the urge to slam my head against the table, I turn my attention back to Darcy.

“Katia had been the one creating the injections. From what I’ve been able to gather, Malick gave her his blood and she did some magic with it to get it to stay in our systems without being rejected.” Darcy shrugs. “I’m not entirely sure. At first, I was in too much pain from the transition to really understand what was going on. After that, well, Ayla can tell you how she found me.” A grin spreads across her face.

“She was essentially bound in a way that assured she couldn’t move or get out of the room.” I grin back at her. “How many did you kill before they did that?”

“Almost a thousand. Malick underestimated how strong I’d be with a little demonic boost.” Darcy flicks her braids over her shoulder, and my lady crush digs a little deeper. “I’d been kept in that room alone for about five years before they brought you in, Ayla. Prior to that, I’d been in another location, somewhere in Russia, I think.”

“Katia mentioned there were other facilities where they were keeping females.” If Darcy had been kept in Russia at one point, where else is Malick hiding females and experimenting on them? “Where were we?” Now that I think about it, I don’t know where I was during the time Malick had me.

“Mexico,” Olivia answers. “Middle of the damn jungle and warded seven ways to Sunday.”

“We originally thought you’d be in Alaska, since you mentioned noticing a large demonic population there. We went to try and track you down, but you reached out to us with your bonds before we were able to gain any traction,” Dante notes.

“We should assume his other facilities are the same. Out of the way so no one will notice and warded to avoid detection from any supernaturals in the area,” Malcolm adds. “Russia and Mexico.” He taps his fingers against his chin. “Two places pretty out of the way, and in two countries that have a fairly low supernatural population.”

“Mexico has a fairly large shifter population,” Olivia points out. “My family is from Mexico, and we still have relatives down there. Most of them stick to the jungle in small familial packs. They prefer the old ways.” She shrugs. “But aside from that, there aren’t many witches or vampires. Not since the Spanish settled there anyway.”

“Good point,” Malcolm concedes. “Does anyone know about Russia?” Everyone shakes their heads. “Damn. I can do some research, see what I can find out. I’ll dig further into Alaska too, there has to be evidence of his base there if it was a larger operation.”

“If he’s selecting places where the supernatural population isn’t that dense, that leaves most of Central America, Northern Canada, and the poles,” Connor mumbles, looking as though he’s lost in thought. “That doesn’t leave too many places to search. A large demon population, regardless of the other supernatural species in the area, is bound to draw attention. Havoc follows them.” He stands quickly. “I need to look into something.” With that, he rushes out of the room.

Okay…I look at Malcolm and Caleb to see what they make of what just happened with Connor.

Caleb sounds amused.

Right. So normal then. Weird, but normal.

“Back to the discussion at hand.” Darcy sounds just as amused as Caleb. “I was moved around five times during my tenure with Malick. From what I can remember, the moves didn’t seem to be because we’d been found, but because Malick had discovered someone he wanted to collect in a different location, so we’d all pack up and go. He’d leave women behind with some of his legion, but I can’t tell you what happened to them once we left.”

“Katia seemed to suggest they were still experimented on.” I feel the rage start to bubble up inside me again, and I have to fight to keep it from surfacing, but my eyes bleed black anyway. I clench my fists tightly under the table. “She said she was able to suppress my dragon and my magic by draining supernaturals.” Curses fly around the room.

“So that’s how they did it.” Kelly frowns, massaging her temples. “I wondered how they did it. To hold a spell like that for that length of time takes an unbelievable amount of energy, especially if they’re injecting you to make you stronger. Goddess. I’m not sure how she was able to transfer the backlash to them, but I’ll damn well find out.” A notebook and a pen appear before her on the table, and she starts frantically writing notes.

“I wonder if they did the same for me,” Darcy muses. “It’s just as difficult keeping an original vampire subdued. I thought it was the demon blood they’d been injecting me with—the shit burned through me like lava. But if she’d been doing some kind of spell work while I was out of it, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I don’t have an animal nature like you do that would tip me off if something wasn’t right.”

“It’s possible that’s what they used the shifters at the other locations for.” Kelly’s suggestion causes us all to freeze. “If they weren’t taking to the injections, it’s possible they kept the females around simply to use them as vessels for that spell.”

My stomach clenches and I fight the urge to vomit. My fists are shaking, and I feel blood dribbling down the sides of my hands from my nails digging into my palms. Darcy’s and Dante’s nostrils flare, but they don’t comment on it.

Caleb’s voice is soothing and calm.

I want to believe him. I want to believe we’ll be able to put a stop to all of this. But all I can focus on right now is my own failure.

“Teach me.” Olivia’s request is quiet and deadly calm. “Teach me how to use my new powers. That’s the best way to get back at them. Having the new generation of queens take out his entire operation is the biggest ‘fuck you’ there is.”

She’s right. I can feel my eyes start to fade back to normal, the rage within me receding to a simmer. Having something more tangible to focus on helps keep me in control. Training Olivia is going to benefit me as much as it benefits her. I take several deep breaths as I continue to focus on calming my racing heart.

“Showing him that the supernatural community isn’t afraid of demons anymore is one hell of a way to show the world that new queens are in town. Give everybody some hope,” Dante remarks, a broad smile on his face. “If it’s even half the hope my nest felt when we learned about you, Ayla, we’ll be turning people away because we won’t have enough housing for everyone here.”

“I don’t want to think about that right now,” I grumble. “Let’s focus on getting everything ready for our trip to Ireland next month. I want at least four weeks to start Olivia’s training and to get Kelly and Darcy prepared for whenever their powers come in.”

“Well then, let’s get started!” Olivia stands, excitement vibrating through her in waves that are so palpable they seem to fuel my own eagerness. “Who wants to kick some demon ass?”

“Whoa there, killer.” I hold out my hands. “You and I are going to need to go over what you’ve already worked on. I was out for a month and a half. I know you’ve been playing with your new powers.”

“Of course I have!” Olivia beams at me. “I mean, come on! I was able to turn demons into jelly with just a thought, Ayla. A thought! It was so epic!” She fist pumps. “I haven’t gotten too far otherwise though. We’ve been pretty busy trying to track down Malick. But I’ve tried things out here and there. Kelly and Malcolm have been helping me.”

I glance around the room at the men still with us. “Sorry, guys, but the ladies need some girl time. You’re on your own for the next few hours.”

I take the ladies to the gym, choosing one of the dual-purpose rooms since we’ll need to do a little of everything now that Olivia is a queen. It’s been so long since I’ve had to focus on the basics, and I’m excited to sit down and explore queen lore.

“Before we start,” Kelly says, and we all turn toward her, “I want to give you each these.” She holds up stunning pendants. “They’re dragon’s breath opals. I’ve spelled them for protection and to immediately warn the others if something is wrong, even if our bonds aren’t working.”

“You brilliant witch!” I take mine reverently, and the others do the same, fastening them around our necks. “Thank you.”

“I don’t want any of us to ever get cut off from the group again.”

“What have you been working on?” I turn to Olivia.

“Mostly meditation to try to gain control. A few basics like clothing and stuff too.” Olivia sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. “It’s not easy. The magic feels like it’s this giant thunderstorm inside me.”

“Queen magic isn’t something to laugh at.” I look at Kelly and Darcy, making sure they understand this as well. “While it’s similar to witch magic, it isn’t the same. It is raw power collected from all of the elements. It’s life magic in its purest form. It’s not going to be easy to control.”

“So how do you control it?” Olivia asks.

“When a queen is young, just a toddler, she learns how to calm her mind and become one with both her dragon and her magic. You need to accept your magic as a part of you now.” Olivia cringes. Seems like that’s going to be easier said than done. “Meditation is a good way to get there. It will help you understand the depths of your power.”

“Ayla, I literally liquified demons on the battlefield. While that is completely awesome, I don’t know how I did it, and I don’t want to accidentally do it to someone on our side.”

“That’s a valid concern.” Kelly and Darcy frown at my admission. Queen magic, especially for a young, and it seems new, queen can be unpredictable. I don’t want to sugarcoat any of this. They all need to understand what is about to happen to them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. “But intent plays a pretty big part in all magic. I’m sure that’s been explained to you.”

“Well, yeah.” Olivia doesn’t look convinced.

“That’s not all there is to it, but if you don’t truly intend anyone harm, you should be good until we can get you a little steadier on your feet.” I can’t really tell if my attempt at reassurance works or not, since she’s shut down the bond and her face isn’t giving anything away. “Why don’t we practice a bit? You’ll need to let some of that energy out anyway.”

“Okay.” Olivia sounds leery. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to throw a fireball at the wall.” Her eyes go wide, but she turns to face the wall like the damn champ I know she is.

“I know we haven’t covered offensive magic yet,” Kelly starts, “but visualize the fireball in your hand first. Don’t just think about a fireball flying at the wall. You need to form it.” Kelly shoots me a look, silently judging me for failing to mention this extremely important first step.

,”

I state defensively through our bond, addressing only her.

Kelly rolls her eyes and focuses back on Olivia.

Olivia takes several deep breaths and closes her eyes, her right hand extended in front of her. I can feel the shift in the air around us as she attempts to summon a fireball into her hand. At first, nothing happens, but soon she’s got a tiny dancing flame hovering right above her palm. She opens her eyes in awe, staring at the small flicker of light. As she continues to stare, the flame gets bigger, until it’s about the size of a basketball. A bit too large, but hey, if we’re up against demons, that would work in a pinch, so I don’t bother to comment. With another deep breath, she flicks her hand, sending the fireball shooting out of her palm.

Only for it to land about three feet from her on the floor where it sputters and dies.

“Again,” Kelly and I demand at the same time.

“I haven’t shifted at all since I found out about becoming a queen,” Olivia admits. She looks around at Kelly and Darcy before settling her eyes on me. “My panther has changed. She still feels the same, but she’s certainly gotten an upgrade.”

“Well, don’t just tease us!” I glance at Kelly and Darcy, who both appear just as eager to see the changes in her panther as I am. “Show us!”

Olivia looks at the three of us one more time before shifting. Since she didn’t bother to take off her clothes beforehand, they shred as her body expands. Her panther is a lot bigger than it used to be.

Are those…wings? My dragon perks up in interest. I inhale deeply, taking in Olivia’s scent now that she’s shifted. She doesn’t smell like a panther anymore. What the hell is she? Wait a minute…does she have horns?

“Holy shit,” Darcy breathes. “She’s a chimera.”

Olivia’s face is still that of a panther, but she now has the wings of what appears to be an eagle, talons where her back paws used to be, and ram’s horns on her head. She’s also at least double the size she had been before. Awe fills me as I look at her. She’s stunning. And quite possibly the only one of her kind.

Olivia’s voice rings clearly through our bond. She must be broadcasting to Kelly and Darcy too, because they’re both nodding.

I snort, that’s a gentle way of putting things.

“You’re certainly something, Olivia,” I murmur as I move around her, trying to take her all in. “Extend your wings for me, I want to see how big they are.” She does as bid with an elegant stretch that is pure feline. “Your wings are bigger than mine, girlfriend.” Kelly nods in agreement. “They’d have to be, you look bulkier than I am too.”

Olivia asks with a sharp yet joking quality to her tone.

“I would never.” I make my way to her head and grin at her. Standing on all fours, her head is level with mine. Goddess, she’s huge. She’s got to be larger than my dragon. “You’re just bigger than me.” I shrug. “Which means you can probably kick more ass than I can. Clearly, the goddesses wanted to give the new queens some serious upgrades.”

“Any idea what will happen with us?” Darcy gestures to herself and Kelly. “We don’t shift. At least not right now anyway.”

“I’m not completely sure. The goddesses didn’t say. But I can imagine that you’ll be able to shift once you come into your powers, that’s sort of part of the perks of being a queen.” Olivia shifts back, completely comfortable in her birthday suit as she takes a seat on the floor. I go over to one of the built-in storage units and grab her a pair of sweatpants and a tank top.

“I’m going to have one hell of a learning curve. I haven’t done magic since before I was turned.” Darcy tugs on her braids.

“Hold up,” Olivia comments. “What do you mean you haven’t done magic since before you were turned?”

“I was a witch before I became a vampire. Do none of you know your own species’ lore? I’m not just the original vampire.” Darcy looks at all of us. “I’m also the original witch.”