Page 160 of Treasured

“I don’t know.” I raised my free hand, tilting her head until her eyes met mine. “But honestly, love, I don’t care.”

Her brows furrowed adorably. “Why not?”

I stole a kiss. I’d steal as many as I wanted now. “Because we have an eternity to figure it out.”

Darkness, Strength, and Power

LUNA

It turned out that when you killed a queen, there was a lot to do. While all I wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep for a week, it wasn’t possible. At least, not yet.

Sebastian said there was one more thing left to do, and he shadowed us back to Castle Sanguis. We landed in the throne room. Like the banquet hall earlier, it was not empty. Hundreds of vampires stood in groups of threes and fours, talking quietly.

Even after we arrived, Sebastian’s shadows cloaked us from the others. I clutched his hand, not eager to face all these vampires. Being in Lightriver Abbey had been so nice that I’d forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by hundreds of vampires who were far more cruel than kind.

Do we have to face them now? I asked through our bond. Could we wait until tomorrow?

He shook his head. This needs to be done now, Luna. They would have felt the wave of magic and known something has happened.

I frowned. The strange magic had repaired my clothes after the queen died, but I still felt dirty. I would need a dozen showers to wash away the sensation of the queen’s touch.

After a moment, Sebastian spoke again. Don’t worry, Luna. You just killed the queen. A few curious vampires won’t hurt you.

I killed the queen.

I didn’t even know where the idea of making the stake of pure sunlight had come from, but the moment that magic had appeared in my hands, I’d known it was right.

It’s going to take some time to wrap my head around that, I admitted.

A very long time.

A masculine chuckle rumbled through the bond. We have time, Luna. An eternity.

That was true. What would we do now?

Alright. I drew in a deep breath and squared my shoulders. Lift the shadows. I’m ready.

He did as I asked.

The shadows slipped away. All conversations halted abruptly. Hundreds of black eyes raised to us, and then, a collective gasp ran through the room like a wave.

“Marguerite Montquartier, the Wearer of the Blood Ruby, is dead,” Sebastian proclaimed. “The former queen died by my wife’s hands. By the laws of Isvana and Ithiar, the challenge is completed. As one ruler fades away, another rises to take their place.”

Whispers, quiet at first, filled my ears.

“The queen is dead.”

“They killed her.”

And a little louder, “She was a…”

“Truly, this is good…”

Someone coughed. “Can you believe…”

As the crowd gained confidence, their voices grew louder.

“Queen Marguerite is dead!” a voice called out.