The Unwilling Queen

Love spells

Avery slumped into the chair and pressed her face into her hands. "This is not how I dreamed it."

She dreamed of running down the street and leaping into his arms. Or she imagined him scooping her up and flying into the sunset. She had pictured herself arriving in Corinth and casually knocking on the door of Ember Place. Or of finding him waiting for her at the docks. All scenes stolen from romance novels and fairytales. She dreamed of that happening to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Avery blinked up at her best friend. "We're not going to – he's not actually – he won't do anything."

"I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about going back to Corinth. With him."

Avery gulped. "He said that didn't matter anymore, that things were different. Maybe they can be different."

"But the vision of being queen... I thought we decided staying away was safer for them, so that you wouldn't hurt them. Hurt him."

"I could never hurt him!" Avery hissed as she pushed away from the table. "And I'm not a slave to fate. That vision quest was just one path, one future. Who says it has to be that way?"

"In order to lead your people to salvation you have to defeat the sapiens. He's one of them!" Rena whispered hoarsely.

"It was just some stupid drugged-up hallucination! It doesn't mean anything. I can go to Corinth and keep living my life. No one cares about one human living in the city. Look at the Delta: we're just another piece of trash floating in a sea of superior beings."

"The humans will come looking for you. They want a leader. They want a queen."

Avery leaned over the table getting close to Rena's face. "I choose my own path. And I choose to go home."

"He's a faunid!" Rena barked.

"He's my mate!" At least she thought so. She was pretty sure. She hadn't felt a magical connection, but all the signs had been there. And the food; he had accepted the food she prepared.

Rena stared at her for two breaths before speaking. "You're human, Avery. Humans don't have mates. Faunids are barely more than animals, driven by instinct and pheromones. He might hurt you."

Avery pulled away, her mouth hanging open in shock. "I cannot believe you just said that." She had told Rena about the Cabin. She knew what Avery had been through and had the gall to imply Roedin might do the same.

"Why not?" said a high-pitched voice from the door. "It's the truth. At least I can only hope."

Rena and Avery turned to find Calliope leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed on her chest. The position made her barely covered breasts bulge out even more, the jewels of her necklace catching the dim kitchen light. The breasts were her biggest selling feature, since she was only passably pretty for a sapien. Her lips were too thin, eyes too close together, hair too dull. She didn't conceal her jealousy over Avery and Rena's fine features, particularly because they were only human.

"Razzie sent me to get you ready." Calliope gave Avery a once over. "I'm charging you for the use of my room since I won't be making any money tonight."

Rena leaned her chair back and tried to smirk even with her broken lip. "You'll make more money from the rental than you would with a client anyway Calli."

The sapien hissed and grabbed Avery's arm. Avery tried to jerk away but Calli held firm and sneered down at Rena.

"Nice face," Calli spat. "You clearly didn't make any money tonight either."