Page 63 of His Stolen Queen
Amos inclined his head. "When his Kingdom was stormed, he wanted to save his Queen. She was vulnerable as a human, but he also knew that if he turned her, they would become powerful as one."
That was true. A fated mating, although rare, caused the two to be slightly more powerful than their average counterpart. And for a mated royal pair? They would be indestructible.
"Unfortunately, Queen Sarai died during the attempt. King Artemis was distraught. He most likely could have killed the intruders himself, yet his grief was his weakness."
My breathing turned shallow as I processed this new information. My throat tightened at the idea of harm befalling Alice, especially at my hand. The very thought of my beloved dying a painful and violent death had my blood turning to ice. Now that I'd found her and was so close to making her mine, there was no way I could lose her so soon after.
That meant Alicehadto stay human.
Chapter 25
Alice
Iwalked around the grounds, taking in the majestic castle that stood high and proud over the Kingdom. Instead of imposing and cold, it came to represent comfort for me. A safe haven. Home. Behind those walls, I found peace as I'd never experienced before. And it had nothing to do with bricks and mortar, but the man who ruled that castle with a fair but firm fist.
Even though I was far away from anything that resembled home—like, in another dimension far—I didn't miss my old life at all. I missed certain people, of course. David being one, but even the sting of losing him was starting to fade to the point that my memory of his features was muted. I wondered whether it was a consequence of being in another world or if something more supernatural was at work.
Still, I couldn't help but be completely enamored by my surroundings. I'd never seen grass so green or sky so blue—and that was only the parts I was allowed to explore. Acheronwanted to ease me into everything, so I was still kept well away from other Vampires. Not that I minded. I'd found a nice little spot just on the fringes of a sparse forest. A tall tree towered over a giant rock that had just the perfect piece carved out to fit me snugly. I usually lay there, gazing up at the sunlight winking at me between the trees. Or I'd sit and read under its shady protection.
Everything was all so familiar to me. I knew where to go, my feet leading the way before my mind caught up. I knew there were huge iron gates that surrounded the Kingdom and were protected with a spell to keep unwanted visitors out. I knew there was a school that housed youth and trained them in ancient language, combat, and the arts. I knew there was technology unlike any we had seen in the human world, and it was used daily within these walls.
As the sun rose high in the sky, I made my way back to the castle, my body already strolling to my favorite place in the castle—well, apart from Acheron's room—the library. The first time I visited it, I found it so overwhelming and intimidating that all I did was run my hands along the thick spines. There were very few books in English; the rest were in Latin, ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and Arabic.
As I inhaled the scent of the leather-bound books, another spicy scent suddenly filled my senses.
Acheron.
He was here.
I gave a slight shiver and tried to contain my excitement. Since I insisted on the very stupid idea to abstain until I was divorced, I had suddenly become very horny. It was tough trying to stay away from someone you were inherently drawn to.
"Would it kill you to carry some Stephen King?" I complained. "Or some Marian Keyes?"
"Alice."
I immediately dropped my fingers and turned. There was something about the way he said my name. A deep longing attached to pain.
He held up some wrinkled pieces of paper.
"You are divorced."
My mouth dropped open. "What?"
He stalked closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "You are divorced," he repeated.
"B-but how can that be? It's only been three weeks."
"I have my ways."
"But I haven't signed anything."
"I have my ways."
"But—"
"Ihavemy ways," he growled. He threw the papers aside, and they floated carelessly to the floor. "Now, are we done with that nonsense?"
"I—"
