The Queen's Slave (Book 1)

Four: Into the Lion's Den

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

-Matthew 10:28

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry as the queen lead us into the courtyard. The surrounding buildings loomed all around me in an overwhelming sight of entrapment. My heart sunk. The collar around my neck tightened as my blood heated, cutting off my oxygen slightly. Apparently, this was a special collar. Not only would it break my neck if I tried to shift, but it would crush it in the presence of my wolf as well. I could no more allow my eyes to shift before I had to gasp for breath.

I hadn't been able to stop the gasp that had escaped when the palace came into view. Initially we were surrounded by forest, which made this even worse. But the palace was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. The structures seemed to be from another time, or place. I had to grit my teeth against the literal pain of the doors booming closed, I was completely cut off from the forest now.

Startling me out of my awe and pain, the queen turned to me. I avoided her gaze, keeping my head down like the demure puppy we both knew I wasn't. I caught sight of her black boots just seconds before my senses were assaulted. That spicy scent swept me up and wrapped me in a blanket of awareness.

Fire branded across my chin as her fingers gripped the delicate skin, tipping my chin up so that I had no choice but to look in her eyes. "What is your name?" She whispered, those fire-born eyes searing into mine. I set my jaw and stubbornly stared back at her, ignoring the warning my instincts screamed at me. I didn't care that I was being disobedient, any humanities I possessed would be explicitly torn from me. Why waste time with formality?

Her lips curled up in answer of my defiance before she squeezed my chin, hard. I winced, before blowing out a breath. "Adira." Her eyes lit up like the evening sunset. God this wouldn't be so hard if she wasn't so breathtaking.

"Hmm." The low sound caught my attention and drew it to her mouth as her full lips pursed. "Arabic, meaning strong. How perfect." She released me suddenly, turning to stride into a building that was nearly as long as the palace itself. I shook off my wonder, palming my jaw as the warmth she branded across my skin smoldered.

"I am Elizabeth." She spoke over her shoulder.

I eyed her. Wondering what her angle was. She ought to know I was forbidden from using her actual name. I was restricted to Your Highness, or Your Majesty. She didn't offer an explanation to why she offered me the piece of information, so I did not ask.

The scent of hay and dried feed met my nose as soon as we stepped into the barn. Stalls lined each side, too many for me to count. Various assortments of tack were hung up beside stall doors, and each horse had their name engraved in a gold name-plate that I'd bet my life on was real gold. The first thing I noticed as we entered the barn, was that these horses were anything but the ones back home.

These horses were massive. Their bodies looked far to big to fit in the stalls. Some had their stall door windows open, and their necks alone were nearly as wide as the opening. "These are war horses. Do not get to close to the ones with open stall doors. I'm sure you've noticed by now that these horses are different, you'd be correct. Not only are they bred for war, they are also carnivores and extremely violent in the presence of fresh blood or raw meat. Or, in your instance, a predator." The queen spoke from in front of me. She didn't turn, just indicated as she talked.