Revolution (The Risen Series Book 2)

Chapter 2 ~ Booze Before Shoes

Chapter 2: Booze Before Shoes
~

The house was buzzing as if alive. The hum of many voices, heartbeats and footsteps, so much noise that if I focussed on it for too long my head began to pound. I'd kept to my rooms once the last of our guests began to trickle in from the dark, unable to face them quite yet. The dress Zena had picked out for me lay on the bed and I'd wear it like armour. Few of the new arrivals would know of my true origins, at least that's what I hoped. I could pretend easily to be a true Queen, a force to be reckoned with by the side of the King. I could pretend I wasn't terrified.

Sitting in front of the mirror, staring at my hands accusingly, I took a deep breath. I'd felt the very moment Zena and Una's magic went up around the house. The now familiar burn of my own power had lit my hands brighter than ever before and I'd felt the static lick of the witches magic against my skin.

Dropping my hands to the dressing table, my gaze flicked to my reflection. Worry lines were etched deep into my brow and I forced myself to relax.

A soft meowing from by my feet had me smiling and I chuckled as the black kitten wound its way around my legs. Reaching down, I placed the little bundle of scruffy fur on my lap. The rumble of its purr distracted me from my worries. 

"Hello, Shadow," I cooed lovingly, my smile growing as the kitten pressed his head into my hand. "Are you escaping all the kerfuffle as well?"

Shadow was the newest addition to our odd family. The cat I'd always wanted had indeed almost replaced Atanas. He'd scowled when I'd come home with him, demanding me to through it back onto the streets. 'Stray vermin' he'd called the poor starved kitten. But he'd allowed me to take the  stray in anyway, although they both detested one another.

The stinging of tiny claws had me gasping and I huffed as Shadow happily kneaded my leg, drawing a tiny speck of blood. Picking him up, I tutted softly. "None of that now."

"That thing is a menace, Shylah."

I huffed again, narrowing my gaze at Atanas as he shut the bedroom door. His nose scrunched, catching the scent of my blood in the air.

"He isn't a menace," I argued, grinning as Shadow squirmed in my grip, hissing and lashing out in Atanas' direction.

My mate looked unimpressed at the small kitten's show of aggression and I placed him in the ground. Giving Atanas one last hiss, he scampered to hide under the bed.

Atanas checked on my already healed leg then cast a dark gaze towards where Shadow was hiding. "Cretin."

"You antagonise each other," I pointed out, pulling him down for a kiss.

Whatever he'd been going to say was cut off as our lips met. The cat was forgotten and he tugged me to my feet, holding me against him. A sharp inhale as he nipped my lip and his mood lightened.

"I was worried I'd have to hunt you down and drag you in here to get ready," he said, tucking a stray strand of silver hair behind my ear.

I shrugged, focussing once more in the cacophony of sounds coming from all around. "I knew nobody would come in here so I've been hiding and putting off getting ready till the last minute."

"I can see that." He chuckled, eyeing the dress on the bed and the makeup laid out but untouched on the dressing table.

I looked down, ashamed by my own nerves. Would Atanas eventually see that I could never be as confident in my position as he? Maybe he'd realise soon and decide he needed a new mate, one more equipped to be a leader.