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I wished, not for the first time, that I had Jess’s lie-detecting radar. ‘Okay.’ He did sound genuine and I needed a crown. Fuck it; I didn’t have time to be picky. The prophecy said that I’d be a Queen, right? Surely fate wouldn’t be fickle enough to give me a cursed crown.
I placed the circlet on my head and held my breath. Nothing happened: no freaky bond, no magic third eye appearing, nothing. Thank fuck. I exhaled sharply.
Lucy Barrett, Terrance said in wonder. My honour to assist you, from now, until this day forward.
‘Great, um, thank you. Okay, this is good. I have a crown, I’m not dead and the seat of power isn’t nearly as murderous as everyone thinks.’
Oh, please don’t ruin my reputation. From her voice, I could tell that Nina was pouting. I’ve worked so hard to get it. It wasn’t easy sending all those folks to the underground circus, you know, especially without them being seen. You wouldn’t believe the tunnels I’ve built.
I didn’t have time to unpick that. ‘I’ve got to go,’ I paused. ‘Nina, can I take Ivy with me? She’s not happy here, honey. She wants to see the sky and feel the grass between her claws.’
The house gave a more pronounced tremble. Will you strip me of everyone and everything I hold dear? Terrance and Ivy? She sounded sulky but I heard the tears there, too.
Terrance spoke before I could. Being removed from your walls will not stop my great admiration for you, Lady Nina. I will visit as often as my new Queen allows, and I’m sure that Ivy will also return.
We’ll send a wolf to keep you company, Esme promised. Lucy can make it so that you can talk to them. She’s done it before when the wolves and their humans couldn’t speak.
For fuck’s sake, another freaking promise! Will you quit it? I snarled at her.
What? She deserves it! You can do it, so what’s the issue? She was genuinely perplexed at my reaction.
We have to survive the next few days first. Let’s focus on that, shall we? I resisted the urge to tap my toe, but only just.
Esme sniffed. Of course we will survive. That was never in doubt.
It feels a little in doubt, I countered.
Well, it’s not. And in any case, it is not sufficient merely to survive. We shall thrive.
I blew out a harsh breath and hoped that she was right. I pulled on my underwear and the ball gown, ready to present myself. No way in hell was I striding naked out of the seat of power – it would send entirely the wrong message. But the blood-red gown … that sent the right message: it was a warning to those smart enough to recognise it.
Dressed, and with the cool metal of Terrance pressed against my head, I assessed my physical state. The headache was still there but thanks to the shift it wasn’t so overwhelming.
I was okay; I could absolutely manage to kill people like this.
Chapter 32
I left the seat of power with Ivy stumbling by my side; she was prancing, digging her claws into the grass as she went, relishing the scent of the earth.
‘Well,’ Jacob said from the branches of a nearby tree. ‘You’ve got a crown and another unicorn.’
‘She’s not mine,’ I objected. Ivy wasn’t a pet. ‘But perhaps Ares can show her where she needs to go. And yes, I have a crown.’ A weird, freaky, haunted crown, but for now no one else needed to know that particular detail.
Jacob’s assessing eyes missed nothing. ‘Are you okay, my Queen?’
Okay? I was about to go and kill people; lives would be snuffed out because of me. Was I okay? No. But I had made my decision to live and now I had no choice but to fight in order to do so. ‘I’m about to head into battle, but I need you to keep out of it,’ I ordered firmly. ‘If I die, I want you to pull Greg out of the battlefield and fly him home.’
He studied me. ‘I would rather rescue you,’ he said finally.
I smiled. ‘I appreciate that, but no. I have to do this with my own two feet.’
Four feet, Esme grumbled quietly.
I ignored her jibe and focused on Jacob. ‘I can’t have you, Greg or anyone else fight this battle for me. I am Queen now. Too many packs are ruled by fear so first I must make them fear me.’
‘And then you’ll make them love you,’ Jacob observed shrewdly.
I smiled; that was the plan. ‘I am loveable.’
