The Darkest Crown (The Eternal Darkness Duet #2)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

W hen I woke up I was alone, but Julian’s scent was all over my sheets. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, then I realized I was smiling. I was actually smiling.

I laughed and threw off the covers. I climbed out of bed, wishing I had some music to blast as I got dressed. It felt like that kind of night, when you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. I started humming as I brushed my hair, my mind replaying last night's events.

I was still humming when I left my bedroom. My intent was to find Allie and fill her in on everything, but my steps slowed as reality came crashing back to me.

In the afterglow of Julian’s lovemaking, I’d forgotten all about William Abney, and the witches. I thought of Selene’s mother, and wondered how she was doing, and when I reached the top of the stairs I kept walking, straight on to the east wing.

When I neared the bedroom door, I could hear Selene’s voice from within. I knocked softly, and she called for me to enter. I opened the door and stepped into the room, stopping when I saw them. Selene was exactly as she was when I last saw her, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her mother’s hand. It was the sight of her mother that stopped me.

She was propped up against a stack of pillows, and she was awake. Her scars remained, but her skin had gone from gray to pale pink, and her bones no longer protruded from her skin. She was still underweight, but it looked like she’d put on twenty pounds overnight. Her blue eyes were bright as she looked at me.

“Oh my god,” I breathed, walking further into the room.

Selene stood and bowed deeply to me.

“Please don’t bow,” I blurted, and they both looked at me with surprise. “I’m not really comfortable with the whole queen thing. Please, just call me Sarah.” Selene nodded, and her mother looked at me with approval.

“Sarah,” Selene began, “This is my mom, Diana.”

I smiled warmly at the older woman. “I’m so glad you're doing better.”

Diana nodded slowly. “I owe you a great debt, Sarah.” Her voice was soft and melodious.

“We both do,” Selene added.

“Don’t worry about it,” I assured them. “We have a deal, remember?”

“Selene told me about your deal,” Diana said. “I understand you’re new to this world, so you may not realize how remarkable it is that you’ve sworn to help each other. The animosity between witches and vampires runs deep, and there are many who won’t be happy with your arrangement.” She raised her chin. “But I for one am thrilled. The time for change is long overdue, and I would be honored to join your endeavor, if you’ll have me.”

I smiled widely. “Of course, thank you.” Diana nodded, and Selene beamed at her mother. “But right now, just concentrate on getting better,” I told her. “Is there anything you need? Do you think you should have some more blood?” I glanced at Selene, who looked to her mother.

Diana shook her head. “Healing takes time. I suspect I’ll continue to improve. I’m amazed by how much stronger I feel already.”

I nodded and glanced at Selene. “Do you want to try it for your scars?”

She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. My wounds are superficial, and won’t hinder my magic. I can start helping you train right away.”

I frowned. “That wasn’t why I offered.”

Selene blinked, then cleared her throat. “Your problem is more serious, so let's focus on that first.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “I guess I’ll check in on you guys later then.” I stepped back towards the door. “Give a shout if you need anything.”

“I’ll come with you if you have time to train right now.” Selene said.

I glanced at Diana. “You should stay with your mom. We can start tomorrow.”

Diana waved us away. “Go on with you. I don’t need anyone to sit here and watch me nap all day.”

Selene looked at me expectantly, so I nodded. “Okay, let's get started.”

As we headed downstairs, I questioned Selene about how much Marc had told her, and filled her in on any missing details. I told her about my deal with William, and she expressed her surprise. She hadn't realized vampires were unhappy with the way they were being governed. She told me many witches felt the same way about their leaders. There seemed to be one thing witches, vampires and humans all had in common. A hunger for power. Once they got it, they’d do anything to keep it.

We decided to train outside in the field leading to the forest. At Selene’s insistence, we stopped by the kitchen first so I could get a glass of blood. She believed hunger would hinder my ability to concentrate. I didn’t want to tell her I’d just fed from Julian, so I drank a tall glass.

We stopped to speak with Eskel on the way out, to tell him our plan and make sure everyone stayed inside while I worked on my magic. I didn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone. He wanted me to take a couple guards for protection, but I politely refused. All the while I kept an eye out for Julian, but he was no were to be seen.

As Selene and I walked out through the gates, I realized I hadn’t seen Adam either, and that worried me. Did Julian tell him what happened? Why did the thought make me so nervous? It wasn’t like I was cheating on Adam. I wasn’t currently in a relationship with either of them. But I knew Adam would be hurt if he knew, and I didn't want that.

“What do you want to try first?” Selene asked, startling me from my thoughts.

I chewed my lip. “I’m not sure.”

“What can you do?”

I huffed. “I’m not sure. Marius could read minds and control people’s bodies. He could freeze time, and he could turn people to dust just by thinking about it.” I waited for her horrified reaction, but she just nodded.

“And now you can do all those things?” she asked.

“Yeah. But I can do other stuff too, that he never mentioned.” I told her about my powerful scream, and the blast of power that left a scorched circle on the floor around me.

Her brow furrowed as she thought. “It's strange that Marius was the only vampire to ever have these powers. Why no one else? Is it because he was the first? And how was he the first? Was he born a vampire? Was it a mutation of some sort? And now you have powers that even he didn’t have. Why? Is his blood mutating again, inside of you? If it is, how far will it go? You could potentially be developing new powers all the time.” She looked at me with amazement.

I wanted to tell her the truth about Phaedra, but figured there had to be a reason Marius kept it a secret for over two thousand years.

Selene shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. “We’ll start with something small.”

I laughed nervously. “Good idea.”

“Don’t be nervous. I’ll create a shield around us that your magic won't be able to pass through, like a giant invisible bubble.”

“How do you know it will work?” I asked.

Selene gave me a wry look. “That’s why we’re starting with something small.”

Well fuck.

When we got to the center of the field Selene stopped and turned to face me.

“Okay, you stand there,” she said, pointing to me. She walked about twenty feet away, then turned back to face me. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, and I saw her body slowly relax. Her arms hung at her sides, and she turned her hands so that her palms were facing me. Her heartbeat slowed, and I watched her, fascinated.

Her magic hit me like a blast of cold wind, strong enough to make me rock back on my heels. Then it was gone.

She opened her eyes. “The shield is in place.”

I took a deep breath. “What should I do?”

“Try to read my mind.”

“Okay.” I shook my hands at my sides, trying to loosen up. "When I first got these powers, I could hear everyone's thoughts without trying. It was crazy loud, and I couldn’t turn it off. Then, all at once it did turn off, and it never happened again.”

“It’s just me now,” she said. “It won’t be so bad.”

I nodded. I stared at her and concentrated, but nothing happened.

“Relax,” she said softly, closing her eyes.

I stared at her for a moment before closing mine. I focused on her heartbeat, slow and steady.

“You can do it,” she whispered.

“No I can’t.” I opened my eyes and saw her watching me.

Her lips curled into a satisfied smile. “I didn’t say that out loud.”

My eyes widened, and a surprise laugh escaped me. “I did it?”

Yep.

“I heard that!” I said excitedly. “Think something else!”

The sky is blue. The grass is green. Your castle is spooky. Marc is hot.

My eyebrows shot up. “You like Marc?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t say I liked him. I said he’s hot.”

I laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”

Selene grinned. “This is too easy. Try something else. Try to control my body. Make me stand on one foot.”

“Okay.” I stared at her. Stand on one foot . I repeated the thought in my mind, but nothing happened. I stared at her foot for the longest time, willing it to lift. “I feel stupid,” I mumbled.

“Have you ever used this power before?” she asked.

“Twice, by accident.”

“What happened?”

I sighed heavily. “The first time, I was arguing with Adam and Julian. I told them to leave, but they refused. I eventually got so mad I yelled at them to leave, and they did. They didn’t want to, but I made them.”

“And the second time?”

“Julian was arguing with Eskel, and things were escalating. I kept telling Julian to sit down, but he just ignored me. I got angry and yelled at him to sit and he did. Actually, everyone in the room did.” I looked at Selene. “So I should get angry?”

She shook her head. “That might work, but the whole purpose of this is to learn control. Losing your temper is losing control. Just relax. Don’t feel pressured or rushed, we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Just relax,” I whispered to myself. I stared at Selene’s foot again. Lift. Lift. Why won't you listen? I frowned. Was I seriously expecting her foot to hear me? I almost laughed at the absurdity and suddenly realized what I was doing wrong. I needed to speak to her mind, not her foot.

I stared directly into her eyes and concentrated, like when I was trying to read her mind, and suddenly I could hear her thoughts like she was speaking out loud. You can do it. Concentrate. I smiled, feeling victorious, and willed her to stand on one foot.

Selene frowned. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

My smile widened. It was working. I imagined her brain commanding her muscles to move, and her frown deepened.

“I think we should stop,” she murmured.

Now I knew it was working. I remembered how unpleasant it felt when Marius or Julian took control of my body. I focused harder.

Sarah, stop!

Something hit me, like a wall of fire and ice, and I heard Selene scream as I went flying backwards, losing consciousness before I even hit the ground.