The Queen Of Darkness

22.Twisted Crown

Finian was gone when I woke, his side of the bed still warm. I checked the time on my phone, stretching. I smiled contently as my legs shook, before getting out of bed. It was 2:26 and we were to meet in the library at 4:30.

After replying to my mom, I had a shower, noticing a blue toothbrush in the holder on the vanity. I rolled my eyes, vowing to find the Alpha and give him an ear full.

The first task of the day was to find my little red headed maid. It proved more difficult than I had assumed, as after half an hour she'd successfully avoided me. I finally caught her scent and tracked her down, yanking open the door to a storage closest. I glared at her, my hands on my hips.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Her brown eyes stared up at me from under her lashes, her hands twisted together in front of her.

"You could very well die Regina. You're doing all this to protect everyone, but whose protecting you? You need to make sure you live through this, other wise it's all for nothing. You need to take care of yourself." I sighed, watching as Maddy's eyes watered. I pulled her into my arms, resting my chin on her soft hair. I was reminded again of just how fragile humans were. I struggled to remember what I was like before I was attacked, I always felt out of place, disconnected.

"I promise that I'll take care of myself. And no matter what, I won't stop fighting." Maddy nodded and pulled away, sniffling. She rubbed her face, causing her skin to redden.

"You look nice today." She appraised after a minute, looking me up and down. I glanced down at myself, rubbing a hand over the yellow dress I wore. It had pretty white flowers on it, with spots of blue. The straps were thin and crossed at the back. It flowed out at the waist, reaching just above my knees. I wore my hair differently too, half up half down, the long tendrils hanging over my shoulders. All in all, I looked very uncharacteristically like me.

"Thank you." We began to walk down the hall, Maddy embarrassingly closing the closet door. We headed for the library, parting at the door. She had a job to get back to.

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The room was filled today, at least fifty people crowding the ground level. Alexeron and a few Sentries stood in front of a piece of glass. It looked like a clear white board, but it had a world map projected on it. Thousands of little orange dots covered the map, some moving or disappearing. I pushed through the crowd toward it, listening as I approached.

"Another coven has been eliminated from Chile, two more have converted. As well as a cohort." A Sentry announced, dressed in the dark red uniform.

I stood behind the King, staring over his shoulder. He turned, glancing at my confused expression.

"Each orange dot represents a cohort, coven or pack. The ones that disappear have either been attacked, or they have joined The Immortal Faction." My eyebrows raised, my mouth pulling down in interest.

"What's that?" I pointed to a blank space over North America. Alexeron tapped the screen, zooming in on the US. The state of Michigan was completely filled with purple dots. My home state.

"That's where The Immortal Faction is based." Alexeron looked down as I gasped, my stomach dropping.

"My mom's still there! She's still at home we have to do-" He turned to me, gripping my shoulders.

"Regina, calm down. We've sent for her already, the team should arrive within the next hour. Their going to take her underground so Orion can't find her. It's too risky to bring her here." I breathed frantically, gripping onto the King. I searched his harden gaze before looking around at the faces surrounding us.