Ruler [Blood Magic, Book 3]

Chapter 55: Shockwaves

As I stood before the mirror and beheld myself in my crown and royal robes, the two contrasting visions struck me. On one hand, I looked so small and childlike inside such regal attire, almost like a schoolgirl playing dress-up, but when you studied the image closer there were all the things that told you that assessment wasn't quite right. The hard line of my mouth, red glow around my irises, skin just a bit too pale to be natural and the beginnings of cheekbones that looked just a bit too sharp. Wait, when had that happened? And then, of course, there were the fangs and the thousand complicated things I felt inside: human things, sorcerer things, things I couldn't let the Council know I was feeling. I focused my energy and lowered the spell I'd prepared over myself like a sheath. Now I'd be seen, but not heard or felt or smelled.

It's time, I heard Keel in my head from the next room.

I'm ready, I lied.

Stepping into the throne room, I was relieved to find he'd not yet been joined by his advisers and council. He rose, descended the steps and crossed the room to meet me. "You look..." he sucked in his breath and shook his head. "No, there's no way that boy who crept into your cell wanting to taste sorcerer blood could have predicted this."

"Nor the thought-she-was-human-girl who got yanked out of a math exam to go into hiding in the desert."

Keel's eyes narrowed slightly, his brow furrowing in concentration. "You're working some sort of magic, but I can't seem to tell what it does."

"It's blocking out my heartbeat and scent, so the Council doesn't find out how nervous I am."

"It's not working."

"Not working for you," I said. "Bond 2.0., remember? We are each other."

Keel frowned. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"You'll adapt," I teased.

"Maybe."

"And if you don't, I'll still kiss you." I pushed myself onto my tiptoes and landed a lingering kiss on his cool lips, as my fingers reached up to tangle themselves into the waves of hair that escaped the bottom of his crown.

He stepped away, breaking our contact and leaving me wanting. "About today." There was a reprimand in his tone that was missing from his words, but I caught it. "The Council will be watching, judging. It'll be important that you-"

"Don't screw this up. Trust me, I know. Just tell me what I need to do." I'd heard many things about marriage over the years, but none of it prepared me for how it granted me absolute faith in him, or maybe that was the bond. Probably the bond. We'd barely scraped the surface of what happened had with that.

"It's fine to let me do the talking, except where necessary. If you do speak, do not forget these are your people. They seek absolute strength and resilience from you and cruelty."

"I won't be cruel."

"And I won't make you, but do not be weak in its absence. And if any bare their throats to you today. Take them."

"What?"

"Allow them to make their traditional oaths of loyalty, it may help encourage some of the obstructionists to embrace the change in leadership. Arthos will go first to help you through it."

My stomach tightened. What I really wanted was some human food, not more blood. If I had to wait until the end of night to eat, I'd devour an entire buffet by myself. Sorcerer me had needs too.

"Following that, the first order of business will be a full assessment of the damage to the compound and the plan for cleanup and repairs," he continued. "As we may well be under siege in a couple weeks, I don't want to be operating in recovery mode when the sorcerers arrive. Now, I know this topic may be uncomfortable for you, but despite the inconvenience, my people will see moving the earth and harnessing electricity as a great show of our combined force. A form of announcing our arrival, if you will. So don't you dare do anything but take absolute pride in it. No apologies and no suggestions that it was not entirely intentional and calculated."