I walk into the store feeling a little dazed. Sasha sees me and smiles hugely until she notices my expression.
"Everything okay Cora?" Her voice is full of concern.
"Would you mind if I made a phone call real quick?"
"Not at all. Go right ahead. My office is in the back if you want some privacy."
"Thank you."
Heading to the back I pull my phone out and call Ash. He doesn't answer. I try two more times but still no answer. Just as I put my phone back in my purse and reach the door my phone rings. Relief flows through me as I see it's Ash.
"Hello?"
"Baby what's wrong?" His voice was quiet like he didn't want it to carry and someone over hear him.
"I need you to come home."
"Why? What happened?
"It's too much to explain over the phone Ash. I just need you to come home."
"Baby I need to know why. Are you in danger?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I just know something's going to happen when Zeke tells the other elders."
"Zeke? What is Zeke going to tell the others? What happened baby?"
"I'm the vampire Queen." I whisper. He's quiet for so long I was starting to worry.
"Ash? Did you hear me? Are you still there?"
"I'm coming home. I won't be there until late tonight but I'm coming."
"Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me baby. Stay safe until I get there. I'll kill anyone stupid enough to lay even a finger on you. I love you."
"As if they could." I scoff. "I love you, too." I hang up and leave Sasha's office.
"Everything okay?"
"I don't know."
"How about you start with what happened?"
I told her what happened in the car. Everything Zeke and I talked about. About my demon surficing and how I'm the vampire Queen. By the time I was done Saharrah came in.
"Good afternoon ladies."
"Good afternoon." Sasha and I say together.
Sasha looks over at me with a considering look. "You can't work for me if you're the vampire Queen Cora."
"What? But why not?"
"You're a fucking Queen Cora. People work for you, not the other way around."
I didn't want her to be right. I didn't even know how to be a Queen. I wasn't sure I wanted to be one either.
"Wait, hold up. Who's a Queen?"
"Cora is the vampire Queen. It's a long story. I'll fill you in later."
"Okaaay." I can't help but to laugh at her expression.
My laughter died as I watch who walks into the store behind her though. The rude ass guy from the ball last night. What was he doing here?
Before anyone could move or ask him what he needed he was on top of Saharrah. Sasha screams and seems rooted to the spot. She was clearly going to be no help.
My instincts taking over I find myself ripping him off of her. I send him flying into the air before he crashes into one of the mirrored walls. Shards of glass cover him and the floor around him. Some of the pieces cutting into his skin.
I'm next to him in less than a second. I grab a large shard of glass off the floor and stab it into his chest and heart. I break off the end so he can't take it out. Leaving him I quickly rush back to Saharrah to assess any damage done to her.
She was bleeding badly from her neck. The blood flowing too fast from the wound he caused her. Biting into my own wrist I place it over her mouth trying to get her to drink my blood. My blood could heal her.
However she was already to far gone. She's lost too much blood. As I tried again and again I could hear her heartbeat getting slower and slower. "No, no, no." I chant.
I tilt her head back to force my blood down her throat. I don't know how much she got before Sasha pulls me away. Tears streaming down her face.
"It's too late Cora. You tried." Tears were falling from my own face as well.
"No. She can't be gone?" Even though I couldn't hear her heartbeat anymore I was still in denial. This was my fault.
"Don't do that to yourself. Don't beat yourself up because you couldn't save her. It wasn't your fault."
"It was. He was here because of me. I don't know why. He was at the ball last night. I don't know why he came here though."
"That still doesn't make this your fault, Cora. You tried to save her. If she had any powers of her own as a witch maybe that would of helped. She was too close to being a human and maybe that's why saving her didn't work."
"Wait. She was a witch but had no powers? She was dormant?"
"Sort of, she had weak powers. She couldn't do anything powerful which is why she got picked on a lot growing up. Why?"
"My mother and father are both werewolves. My twin sister is a werewolf. I wasn't born with the gene. I was human."
"What are you saying?"
"The elders think 'dormant' females, werewolves born without the gene, witches born without power, fae creatures born more human than fae, etcetera can be turned into vampires. It's just a theory right now. It hasn't been proven yet. I guess that's about to change though."
"Are you telling me my sister is going to wake up a vampire?"
"It's possible, yes."
"Shit."
"I need to call Ash and the elders."
"Will she be safe?"
"I'll protect her with my life Sasha." I vow. I would too. I won't let anything happen to her if she wakes up as a vampire.
I grab my phone and call Ash again. Thankfully he answers right away this time.
"Baby are you okay?"
"Yes and no. That guy from the party last night..."
"Steven?"
"Yes! Him. He attacked Saharrah. I killed him. I tried to save her but she was just bleeding out too fast and too much and I couldn't get my blood down her throat fast enough. She died."
"Fuck. Are you okay though?"
"Yes I'm fine. Steven is dead though."
"I'll call someone to come and clean it up."
"There's something else though Ash."
"What is it?" He asks cautiously.
"Saharrah might wake up a vampire tonight."
"How would you know that?"
"She was a witch born without power or abilities Ash. Well at least not powerful ones. Sasha says she was as close to being a human as a witch could get."
"Shit."
"I know. I won't leave her unprotected Ash."
"I know. I wouldn't expect you too baby."
"I'll see you when you get here. I love you."
"I love you, too baby. Stay safe."
I hang up and called Mr. Keeney because I didn't have any of the elders phone numbers. I ask him to give my number to elder Zack and have him call me immediately. I was a little surprised when he did.
"Cora?"
"Hello Zack. I have a situation that concerns you. Could you possibly come down to Bewitched Clothing?"
"I'll head there now." I hear him murmur something to someone. Maybe directing his driver to come here instead of wherever else he was headed. "I'll be there in 5. Could you enlighten me on the situation?"
"It concerns your personal guard Steven."
"I see. I'll see you soon."
"Thank you."
I hang up the phone and turn to Sasha. "Zack will be here in roughly 5 minutes."
"Do you trust him?"
"I don't know him well enough to know if I can trust him." I tell her but no, I didn't think I could trust him. I wasn't going to tell her that though.
The 5 minutes we wait for him seem like hours. When he comes into the store he pauses as he takes everything in. He turns and locks the door behind him as he flips the open sign to closed.
"What happened Cora?" He doesn't sound as angry as I thought he'd be finding his guard dead. I tell him everything that happened.
"Let me make some calls. Some people will be here to clean up and I'll arrange for Saharrah to be brought to the fortress where we can keep an eye on her."
"No. Saharrah is under my protection." I wasn't allowing Saharrah to be brought anywhere out of my sight.
"Cora we will not harm her. If she is to be a vampire she will be well taken care of and protected. She's safer with us."
"I said no Zack. She is under my protecion."
His eyes widen a little as he gets a glimpse of the demon inside me. "Of course. She's under your protection." He says almost robotically. The scent of his fear was permitting the room though you couldn't see it from his expression.
"I would like you to arrange for her, Sasha, and I to be brought back to the fortress. She will be placed in my room where I can keep my eye on her and protect her if necessary."
"Of course, your majesty."
"Thank you Zack. I appreciate your cooperation."
I walk over to Saharrah and pick her up. Turning to Sasha I ask her to grab Saharrah some new clothes and walk to the bathroom.
I gently set her on the ground and start to remove her clothes. I clean up all the blood from her before Sasha knocks on the door. Letting her in I take the clothes from her and dress Saharrah in the dress Sasha picked for her.
When I'm done I carefully pick her up again. As I'm holding her I can already see some changes in her. Her skin looks healthier and the wound in her neck is almost completely healed. Her hair looks silkier and more shiny too. I wonder what other changes she'll go through.
"She's already changing." I say softly to Sasha.
"I noticed when you were putting the dress on her. How much is she going to change Cora?" I consider it.
"If you're worried she won't remember or care for you the same way she did when she was a witch than you are right. She is going to love you more fiercely now. You're going to still be as important to her as you were before. Maybe more so. She's going to feel protective of you. All her feelings and emotions are going to be more intense and enhanced." I pause.
"She's still going to be Saharrah, Sasha. Just more powerful. She's going to be able to protect herself and others. She's going to be strong and fast and have great hearing and eyesight. She'll see better at night but still better than a human during the day. She's going to be able to heal from things that would normal kill a human. She's not invincible though. She can still die. Most of all she's going to need you now more than ever."
I felt responsible for Saharrah. No it was more than responsibility. I felt a bond to her. My beast keeps whispering she is our family now. Ours to love and protect. Ours to care for, nurture and support. Ours to guide and provide for. I didn't know if it was because I turned her or not.
Walking out of the bathroom I was happy to see the clean up crew was here. They had already removed Steven's body and were cleaning up the blood and glass. Others were finding the clothing racks and picking up the clothes off the floor.
I spot Zack talking to someone and head over to them. When I got closer I see it's Apollo. I don't know if that made me relieved or not.
They immediately stop talking when I approach them and turn towards me. Apollo glances at Saharrah in my arms and then focuses on Sasha.
"I'm sorry for what happened here today. We will pay for the damages as we are responsible for them for he was ours. Please send us the bill when you know the costs."
He turns towards me studying both Saharrah and I again. "My Queen, will you allow me to carry her for you? There is a van in the back awaiting you."
"Thank you Apollo. I'm fine carrying her. Would you mind coming with us?"
"Not at all, your majesty." He head towards the back with us following behind him. I turn to Sasha.
"Do you need to stay here or will you be coming as well?"
"I'm coming with you." I nod in understanding. If it had been my sister I wouldn't be able to leave her either until I knew she was safe and well.
Apollo opens the back door for me and then the side door on the van when we reach it. There's padding on the bed of the van so I carefully place Saharrah down on it. I sit down next to her and Sasha sits next to me. Apollo climbs in and sits across from us.
I study Apollo. I felt a kindred spirit towards him as well. I could see his loyalty changing and becoming stronger for me which is why I wanted to talk to him without the others around.
I was glad to see Zack did not get in the van too. Though two unknown male vampires did. One sitting in the passenger seat and one climbing in the back with us.
"This is Connor and Corey. They're both your personal guardsmen. Selected personally from Ash. They will protect you and Saharrah at all costs. As will I, your majesty."
"Your loyalty is to your fellow elders, Apollo." He shakes his head no.
"No. My loyalty is to you. You are my Queen as they are just my peers. Do not trust all of them. They are not happy someone as young as you are now higher in power than they are. You will never see loyalty from a couple. Especially Zack and Mare."
"Why is that?"
"Mare has gotten too used to being the head ruler between all of us. Zack is his second in command, you could say. Zack is sneaky and greedy. If he could take Mare on he would have challenged him a long time ago. He has no good intentions and never will.
Mare and Zack have been trying to convince the other elders it's in our best interest to round up as many dormant females as possible to turn them."
"Why would they do that?" Sasha gasps. I wasn't as shocked. I had a feeling some of the elders would want to test their theories out and see for certain if they can change defected females into vampires.
I would do my best to stop them from doing that. "When Saharrah wakes up I would like a meeting with all the elders. Could you arrange that for me?"
"Of course, your majesty."
"Please Apollo just call me Cora."
"You are my Queen. I wouldn't feel comfortable calling you by name."
"You are my elder though Apollo and I'm asking you to call me by my name. You'll grow more comfortable with it." He shakes his head no.
"No, your majesty. You will grow more comfortable with being called Queen and majesty. Out of respect for you please do not force me to call you anything other than my Queen or your majesty."
"Fine. I don't even know how good of a Queen I will even make."
"You will be the best Queen there is. Your demon was made to rule. She will know what to do and guide you." He smiles reassuringly at me.
I look out the front window to see we finally arrived back at the fortress. I sent a silent prayer that Ash would hurry up and get here already because I needed him now more than ever.
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Shout out to wnjamm7 for giving me a better word to use for the females that can be turned into vampires. I appreciate it so much!
Much, much love to you.
🥰💛🥰