Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hayle Coven Novels: Kabanata 471 - Kabanata 480

It wasn't far to go to the courtyard I'd seen in my mind. Good for the pair of vampires I held firmly in my grip. Not so good for the crowd gathered around the panting, snapping, howling mess of my bodywere.I emerged at a stomping pace through a half-open door into the chilly evening air, my breath escaping in a soft puff of white from my mouth as my heels clattered over the cobbled courtyard. The interior space was all stone just as the vision showed, tall windows high above blacked out, the clear sky sharply pinpointed with uncaring stars.The two vampires in my grip went sliding forward and crashed into their fellows as my vampire power propelled them along, the hovering mob hissing and swiping at Charlotte, glimpses of her through their milling bodies showing me she'd transformed into her werewolf shape. They turned almost en masse to glare at me, spirit magic flashing in flames and lightning strikes around them.Assholes. Charlotte crouched, clothing torn to shreds around her,

Though Celeste made a retreat, Demetrius still hung close, eyes watching her as she rounded the corner at the end of the hall before he did a happy dance, spinning in place."So, good news?" I started to follow Celeste, Charlotte behind me and he quickly kept pace."Very, very," he said. Danced again. Clapped his hands before covering his mouth with them, eyes huge. "Quietly," he whispered.Right. He scampered off before I could comment I wasn't the loud one in our little conversation. I decided to take it slow, even though I wanted to run to the throne room and thank the Queens for their questionable hospitality before blowing this place.Despite-or maybe because of-Demetrius's enthusiasm, my gut told me it wouldn't be so easy.If I had real doubts, they were answered by the look on Mom's face the moment I entered the throne room and began my parade down the center carpet. From Sebastian's grim expression to Sunny's tight-lipped anger, Uncle Frank's crossed arms and even Margaret

Demetrius didn't give me time to wallow in my sorrow."You will join her," he said, madness in his eyes, but cunning too. And the cunning I trusted. "You will be her responsibility."Charlotte chuffed softly and I caught her actually laughing. Not a little laugh like she sometimes allowed to escape. She drew a breath and began to howl, slapping her knee with her open hand, wiping tears from her eyes as Demetrius grinned at her.Clearly I was missing something."Brilliant," Charlotte choked. "Just brilliant.""I'm all ears." I looked back and forth between them, patience so thin I could poke a finger through it."She will be forced to protect you," Charlotte said while Demetrius bobbed his head and wheezed a laugh. "Meanwhile, you can gather power and plot to kill her and no one will say anything."What kind of screwed up system was this? "So if I'm outside the family, she's off limits, but if I'm one of hers, I can kill her and no one will give a crap?"Charlotte let out anothe

I know I should have been much more focused on what was happening around me as I was led out of my chambers by a pair of vampires, once Batsheva had enjoyed her little recess, and toward the throne room instead of thinking about Sebastian.But oh, my, my, my. Those lips. That magic. My body still tingled.So much for Quaid.Who said that? I turned my head a little as we passed the entry to the main room only to catch sight of a black-robed figure behind a statue. One white hand swept the hood back a little, Ameline's crystal blue eyes locking on mine.Choke.We need to talk, she sent. Watch your back.I couldn't think fast enough to latch onto her, nor, I supposed, did I have the power. And then I was past her, every pair of eyes on me, including Mom's and Margaret's.Did I dare mention Ameline was here? And what did she want?Watch my back. Since when was the ice princess herself on my side?So much churning going on, I needed a moment to reorder everything, but didn't get th

"You need to be wary." Sebastian's voice was soft, low, but came through clear enough. "As much as I have trusted my Queen in the past, I'm not as certain of her intentions anymore."Sad. I reached out and linked my arm through his, the two blonde vampires swaying in their ball gowns ahead of us. "I'm sorry," I said, really meaning it.Family. Who else could hurt him so much?His hand settled over mine, pressing my fingers into his arm. "This entire situation could get out of control very quickly," he went on. "Neither of our clans is meant to be in such close proximity for such an extended period."A bomb waiting to go off, in other words. Well, at least if they were fighting each other, they might forget about me."Batsheva is up to her old tricks," I said. "Not like she'd shift tactics now anyway, since her mind's gone bye-bye. She's lying to her vampires."Sebastian shrugged. "There's nothing we can do to stop her," he said. "She is Queen."Well, wasn't she special?We didn