The Heartless Hybrid Queen

Chapter 4 - Aurora's POV

It's too hot.

How is it so hot?

We're going further north!

It's the third day of this incessant journey. For three nights I've been stuck in this wagon with two vampires and eleven other criminals. All of which are men, and all of them stare at me with dark expectations in their eyes.

I recognize those lingering gazes and the not-so-subtle way they lick their lips as they trail lustful eyes over my body.

They always look away though, when they meet my hardened stare. My real eyes would give them heart palpitations, but even my innocent chocolate brown gaze – the eyes they see because of the cloaking spell my foolishly hopeful mother put on me – can bring a man to his knees with fear.

Gregory used to say he could see demons in my eyes, that there was always another presence within them, watching.

I used to tell him that he was the demon, haunting my every waking minute. And he would shut me up with a slap across my face and a cock down my throat.

A mad kind of excitement bubbles under my skin as I think about Gregory Stallard. He's the last stop on my kill list, I want him ready and waiting for me. I can't wait to see him finally tremble in fear.

The wagon making a left turn jolts me from my murderous thoughts. We're making our way down a narrow road with lush vegetation along both sides.

It's beautiful but feels out of place, it's sweltering hot and the haze in the air makes me think there's a fire burning through the forest around us.

Even oxygen is beginning to feel a little sparse. My breathing becomes heavier in my attempt to take in a proper amount of air.

"The heat is going to get pretty intense as we enter the Eternal Flame Coven territory. The place we're stopping has a cooling station in case you can't handle the heat." comes Dimitri's bored voice.

I have to stop myself from scoffing.

Please.

If I could handle that dungeon for the past year, I can handle a bit of heat.

Fuck, it is hot though.

At least there's a slight breeze flowing through the wagon, though it's an unnaturally warm breeze.

We make a right turn down a hidden side road, following the wagons in front. After a few minutes traversing down this winding road, we come across a large opening on the left side.

When the horses come to a stop and the wagon goes still, the sudden lack of a breeze causes the inside to become stagnant with an unbearable heat.

I can try to stop the discomfort from showing on my face, but I can't stop the sweat from building up on my forehead.

A quick glance around reveals just how much more this heat is affecting the rest of the prisoners. They are all red-faced, dripping sweat, and visibly uncomfortable from the intensity of it.

Maybe I am getting stronger as I get closer to my birthday. If that's the case then I definitely better not leave this wagon. If there are any witches around, they'll be sure to sense my mothers spell. She had told me to stay away from other supernatural species as they can sometimes sense powerful magic.

I'm honestly a little surprised Adrian and Dimitri haven't sensed anything from me yet, with how close I've been sitting to them. I'm not sure how susceptible vampires are to magic, though I do catch Dimitri's blinding green eyes sometimes burning a hole into me. He gazes at me with such an intense curiosity that I'm sure his eyes are piercing into my mind unveiling all my secrets.