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Back Queen of Myth and Monsters
Chapters (37)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Content Warning
  6. Map of Cordova
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Author’s Note
  36. About the Author
  37. Back Cover

“We will fight for your throne.”

Twenty-Four

Adrian

My gaze strayed to Isolde as we made our way to the council room. I worried for her and all the change she had seen in such a short time. I had been the catalyst for all of it, but she stood beside me, stoic and proud and beautiful, giving no hint to the internal turmoil of her mind, which I heard as her thoughts raced from Lara to Sorin, from Ana to Ravena, from her own power over magic to her power over shifting to when she would fully know her potential as a vampire.

She worried about me and she worried about Dis.

I could offer no comfort, save that I would not leave her side, but that all depended on how long Dis allowed me to be…me.

As I thought about the control she might leverage, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. I could feel her influence now and then, teasing the edges of my mind. That was how I knew she was unhappy with me—she had never attempted to control me before, but I had done something she did not like, though what exactly it was remained to be seen.

Gavriel, Tanaka, and Killian waited in the council room.

“I apologize for what happened earlier,” said Tanaka as soon as we entered.

“It was not as if I did not invite you into our room, Tanaka,” I said, my eyes shifting to Gavriel, who offered no apology. Clearly, he had enjoyed the sight of my wife.

“I merely thought the queen would want to know the state of her homeland as soon as possible,” Gavriel said, his gaze lingering on Isolde. If Killian had not also been glaring at the vampire, I might have thought I was being overprotective.

“As urgent as this news is, I think we can all agree it is best given when we are clothed,” I said. Gavriel swallowed and averted his eyes.

Before I could say anything else, Daroc arrived, and his presence halted all my words.

He looked devastated.

It was the only way I could think to describe him. His face was drawn with shadows, which pooled beneath his eyes and carved the hollows of his cheeks, but it was his expression that was most unsettling. He usually looked callous or angry, but there was a complete lack of emotion within his gaze that made me think he no longer possessed his body.

He approached us and was silent, but I was still watching him, wary, and I noticed the blood on his coat. He had taken out his aggression on something—likely a wall—and while the cuts had healed, he still bore the evidence of it on his clothes.

“Tell us what happened, Gavriel,” Isolde prompted when I was too distracted to speak.