The Wolf Queen (The Queen's Slave, Book 2)

Five: Agony

"We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it."

-Damon Salvatore (Vampire Diaries)

Monsters by: Brother Sundance (feat. Ella Boh)

Elizabeth sat rather still on Mercury's back as her scouts scanned the perimeter of the meadow. The scent of Ezekiel's blood burned her nose, along with the distinctly lupine scent of wet wolf. Her aristocratic features were pulled tight across her cheekbones, emphasizing the sickly paleness of her skin. Her lips pursed in a rather severe expression of distaste as her sightless gaze flickered, shadows dancing across her lost eyesight, just out of reach. Inhaling, she was immediately struck in the gut at the incredibly faint but recognizable scent of vanilla and pine, just barely present. Memories leapt unbidden to the forefront of her mind as she studied the bloody area where a large animal, likely an elk or deer based on the smell, had been felled. Paw prints the side of her hand were stamped everywhere, emphasizing the fact that more than one wolf had been present. Memories taunted her, visions of a gorgeous white-haired girl who was once hell bent on digging her talons into Elizabeth's skin, burrowing beneath the surface. It was a sickness she could not escape, could not understand. Feeding was useless, as her body rejected any blood that did not come directly from Azalea. Starving and half mad with grief and rage, the once docile Queen had overnight become one of the most vicious rulers in the country.

Xavier perched beside her on his grey draft, it's huge feathered hooves pawed at the ground, gouging large portions of soil from the earth. "She was here." Xavier mumbled under his breath, his voice hollow and devoid of everything but pain. His mate had fled with Elijah, leaving him behind without a thought. It had changed something within her friend. No longer was he carefree and happy, now he was full of bitterness and rage. Frankly, Elizabeth was surprised that he had not asked for the time or men to hunt her down. But then again, he hadn't seemed surprised at his traitorous mate's betrayal.

No, not surprised, but still broken.

Tightening her jaw, Elizabeth swung from her horse, raising a hand to her guard and Xavier as they moved to surround her. "Sweep the perimeter and then you are free to head back." Xavier opened his mouth to protest but she was already gone, sweeping through the forest as silently as a ghost. Try as she might to resist it, the pull to follow Azalea's scent was too strong. Her steady footfalls carried her over rock and downed trees as she descended deeper than she ever had before, into the forest. She paused briefly when reaching the cliff that Raror had shot Azalea on and threatened to kill her. Even without her eyesight, the smell of battle had seeped into the earth and stayed. A brief, bitter moment of pride struck her as she recalled the vicious way he had died. Shaking her head free of the torturous visions, she continued on following the scent. She wasn't sure how long she had traveled before it finally ended just outside a small lake, if the sharp scent of murky water and the waves lapping against the shore told her anything.

In an uncharacteristically and unqueenly move, she leaned forward, her dark hair pooling around her shoulders. For a moment she almost longed to see her reflection, longed to see the monster she had allowed herself to become. For a moment she even wished she weren't a vampire, as everything would be so much easier. Sighing, her fingers gently dipped into the water, and her lips pursed as she allowed herself a moment to despair for the loss of her mate. On one hand, she didn't have the right to pillage the forest and raze everything in her path to ensure that the girl suffer. But on the other, their tie to each other would not be ignored. Even suppressed magically and tampered with, a soul bond could not be refuted. Her jaw clenched at the thought of Vienna's deceit, the will of her beast spreading like honey through her limbs, slowly but surely pushing her towards the edge of madness. If it ever succeeded, nothing would stop her from leveling the forest and murdering innocent people in search of her mate.