The Best Way to Kill Your Boyfriend

Dangerous

The light reflected off me and danced on the walls in time with my movements. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see Jake's reaction to what so clearly marked me as supernatural.

"Ashleigh!" his voice shouted. Then I heard footsteps, running not away but - towards me?

I wrenched my eyes open as Jake grabbed my hand. "What's happening?" he asked, fear in his voice, not because of me but for me. I looked at the hand he held, the skin seemingly jumping with red sparks. Oh. Right. I had told Jake that daylighters didn't burn in the sun, but the human legends must look a lot like what was happening too to me right now. I wanted to smack myself in the forehead, but somehow I didn't think the human gesture would help the situation.

"It's fine," I reassured Jake before he could do something stupid like call an ambulance. "This is what happens when a daylighter is hit by sunlight. It doesn't hurt, I'm not actually burning."

"How..." Jake trailed off, tracing the path of a single spark on my skin before it flickered out and was replaced by a new one. "You - you're..."

"Unnatural?" I supplied. "Repulsive? A monster?"

"No!" He shook his head so hard I was worried it might come off. "You're -"

Before Jake could finish his sentence, howling filled the air, and two giant wolves jumped over the wall and ran over to me. They turned into Anna and Asher, both scratched and bleeding. Jake stared at them, then sighed. "My life really couldn't get any weirder."

Asher looked at him curiously. "So you're the human who won the heart of the Vampire Queen."

Jake looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess."

Anna rolled her eyes and strode forward, taking a rolled-up yoga mat out of the straps she'd used to secure it to her back. She unrolled the mat, and took out the Scepter of Hades. She handed it to me, and stepped back. I nodded to her and Asher. "Thank you. We will keep our end of the bargain."

I concentrated on the scepter. It was gold, with engravings of mortal deaths upon it. The black stone on top seemed to pulse in my hands. I could feel it's dark power, a power that sung to my soul, my very being. I sensed that it would work for me, a being of death. A sphere of darkness enveloped me, and I told Jake, "Don't interfere. I'm doing this for you." 

"What's she doing?" Jake asked. 

"She's trying to use the scepter to become human," explained Anna.

"What?" Jake cried. He lunged forward into the cocoon of shadows surrounding me. Before I knew what was happening, he had torn the scepter from my hands. The darkness dissolved, and Jake smashed the scepter against the stone tiles paving the courtyard.

"Why did you do that?" I demanded. "I was becoming human! It was working! We could have had a normal life together, I could be with you without you being in danger! I was doing it for you, Jake. So we could be together without harm." I collapsed on the ground, sobbing without being able to cry. Surely he would leave me now. 

"Ashleigh," said Jake fiercely, "I don't want you to change yourself for me. I didn't fall in love with the human you a century ago. I fell in love with this Ashleigh, the vampire who didn't kill me, and instead showed more control than I'm betting any supernatural ever has. I don't care about my safety - I care about you, as you are, fangs and all." He crouched and went to embrace me, but realised it would only make things more painful for me. "Um, sorry."

I stopped sobbing, stunned. Jake had seen everything, everything that marked me as a vampire, and he still wanted me. Still loved me, just as I was. His scent burned in my throat, but for once, I wasn't struggling with the desire to kill him. I realised what I was about to do, knew it could be dangerous for both of us, end in his death, but I didn't care. To hell with the consequences.

For the first time, I threw my arms around Jake and kissed him.

It was even  better than his blood would have been. I was careful not to let him touch my fangs, not to crush him with my strength, but the sensation of his lips on mine, his hands going to my hair, my arms around him, was so overwhelmingly incredible that I was having trouble thinking strait. I wanted to stay like this forever.

"Well, well, well." interrupted a mocking, horribly familiar voice. "Looks like our precious queen has been keeping a secret." 

I shoved Jake behind me and turned to face the voice. Lyla, Sol, and at least twenty other vampires were standing on the walls of the courtyard, smirking and scowling. 

"Breaking her own laws, no less!" Lyla continued, false, mocking shock on her face. "And here I thought, Your Majesty, that we weren't allowed to let humans know about us!"

The vampires jumped down from the wall, surrounding us and the werewolves, who had shifted. Two of Lyla's followers pounced on them and forced muzzles and collars onto them.

"Lyla!" I growled. "Leave the wolves. They're only here because we made a deal."

Lyla threw back her head and laughed. "You think you're still fit to be queen, Ashleigh? Why would we listen to someone who told a human about our kind? You know," she added, leaning closer and lowering her voice, "I thought I'd have to invent some reason for you not to be queen, maybe frame you. And here you are, having saved me the trouble! Who knew cold, heartless Queen Ashleigh would fall in love? With a human, no less! It was almost worth the trouble just to have everyone see that. But now, I'll finally get what I deserve. I'll be queen, and you can burn with your human pet."

Other vampires - people I had once trusted - came and shackled Jake and I. I broke mine easily, but hands gripped my wrists and arms in their place. I could have struggled, but seeing how close Jake's captors were, I decided not to. Human lives meant nothing to them. My only gratification was that there were five vampires restraining me, and two more watching closely. At least they realised I could still kill them all in five seconds at the most.

They dragged us all to the throne room, and shoved us so that we were kneeling. Lyla stepped into my line of view, smirking, before swiping the crown I hadn't had time to take off my head and laying it on her own. She walked over to the throne, and called out to the crowd that was watching, "Ashleigh has shown she is unfit to be queen. Would anyone like to deny that?" There was silence. Lyla smirked at me, and continued. "So we need a new ruler. I think I've proved myself adequate. Also, Sol and the other advisors have vouched for me. So my first order is to our former queen." She flicked her fingers, and my captors dragged me to her feet. "Give me back my full powers. Now."

I shook my head. "No."

"I am your queen, Ashleigh. You obey my orders. Give. Me. My. Powers." Lyla told me, like she was talking to a two-year-old.

I struggled to my feet. "No, because, even though you say you're queen, I still am until defeated in an official challenge. You have no right to that throne, that crown. According to our laws and traditions, they are still mine. So, will you challenge me? Or will our kind just accept a false, self-appointed queen?"

Lyla's face quickly changed from smug to furious as the crowd muttered among themselves. 

"Fine!" she shouted, taking off my crown and throwing it onto the throne. "Fine. Ashleigh, I challenge you to the throne of the vampires."

As Lyla said the words that might result in our deaths, I looked back at Jake, the incredible, delicious, amazing boy who was all that really mattered anymore. As I looked, I saw in his beautiful,  sky-blue eyes that he expected to die. I felt a surge of anger and regret. I should never have brought him into my world. It was to dangerous. I was too dangerous. I was a vampire. He was human. Fate itself was keeping us apart. 

But what if fate was wrong?

I was a vampire. Beautiful. Immortal. Death. And I was in love with a human, who - by some miracle - felt the same way about me. 

So I would be dangerous. I would be myself. Because I was a vampire queen, and Jake still loved me. I would be dangerous, but not to him. For him. Because fate was wrong. And no-one could keep us apart. 

With that in mind, I broke the guards' grip on my arms and stood strong as Lyla launched herself at me.