 by T.L. Smith.jpg)
Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Kingdoms are broken.
The world has shifted.
We are not the same as we once were.
The queen is no longer the queen, but I am expected to take her place. The tricky part is I’m not sure I want that responsibility. My heart screams for Death while he stays as far away as possible, believing in the prophecy, whereas I believe in us.
But sometimes, that simply isn’t enough.
The real question now is… what do I do?
Cruel Queen is the second installment in the Crystal Castle series.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
“I know you can hear me.” A frustrated scream rips from my lips. “Grim, I know you can hear me, you asshole.” My foot makes contact with a rock, and I swear as pain shoots through my toes.
Fuck.
Shit.
Yeah, swearing is the new me.
I am a new me.
For the last few months, I’ve been living with the wolves, staying out of everyone’s way, and simply doing my own thing.
And I haven’t seen Grim since.
The Angel of Death.
The one man—if you want to call him that—who has ever made me want someone has evaded me at every turn.
And I know he visits. I felt it the first night when one of the wolves died. I simply knew he was there.
But enough is enough.
“Grim, I swear to God… if you don’t get your ass down here right now, I will…” I try to think of something to piss him off. But I feel like dying would be what’s needed, so I try a different tact. “I’ll kiss Bronik.”
He doesn’t need to know that I won’t actually do it.
Bronik… well, Bronik is handsome and fun to be around. There is an attraction, for sure. He helps me practice magic and strengthens my fighting abilities and skills. Basically, he is… nice. And my favorite thing about Bronik is that he doesn’t take.
Standing tall and absolutely delicious, Grim hasn’t changed as he appears in front of me. His long, dark hair is tied back, and he’s dressed in all black.
“Why must you test me?” are his first words, his tone deceiving, his expression unreadable. “I’ve told you… this cannot work.”
“Yet here you stand.” I feel his dark gaze wash over me–every inch of me.
“You cut your hair,” he declares, and my hand subconsciously touches the strands. It’s short. The cut sits above my shoulders. I disliked maintaining the length, so this was the easiest solution.
“Do you hate it?” I ask Grim, not knowing why I care if he likes it or not. He doesn’t want me, but the problem is everything inside me wants him.
“No, it’s more…”—he pauses, as if he is trying to find the right word—“… you.”
I smile as he glances over my shoulder and then focuses back on me. “You stayed with the wolves, even knowing Viper is on his way.”
“The vampires hold the castle. What am I meant to do?” I ask, with a slight shake of my head. “I’m just one girl.”
I see him take a deep breath and then sigh in frustration. “You are anything but just a girl.”
“I’m still learning,” I reply with an exhale, sure my feelings are showing on my face.
“Lies. You know how to use your powers.”
“I need more time.”
“You won’t have it.”
Then he’s gone.
And I stomp my foot like he can see me.
I head back to the house that Tanya and I share. Tatiana is with John as much as humanly possible, and the pack has started to warm to her. Well, somewhat. Most of the women despise her, but luckily the men accept John’s choice.
“You ran off to scream at the sky again?” Melvon is standing there, and I stop in my tracks. I poke my tongue out at him, which makes him chuckle and keep walking. Melvon wasn’t welcome here, but John let that slide since he helped save our lives. He tends to stay away from all the other wolves and does his own thing out near the boundary.
Bronik comes and goes. He shows up to train, then poof. Gone.
“Talia.” I stop as Tatiana approaches me. She grips my wrist and starts pulling me hard.
“Hey, that hurts.” I attempt to tug free, but she’s not having it.
She keeps pulling until we approach the tree line, and then she sits on the ground, her hands sinking into the earth–her being an Earth witch and all.
“Tatiana?” I squat down, so I am at her level. Her eyes are closed, and she’s humming something. “Tatiana,” I try again.
“Ohhh, Wings, how I have missed you.”
I stand quickly and spin to Valefar, who's now standing before me. He probes me with his black eyes before they fall to my sister on the ground. “You called?”
Shocked, I whip my head to look down at her.
“You didn’t call him, did you?” I ask. There’s no way.
“Oh, but she did. Sister dearest is in a predicament,” Valefar says.
My eyes shift to hers once more.
“I’ve tried everything, and nothing has worked,” Tatiana states with a grimace.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m pregnant,” she replies, dropping a bomb that has my mouth agape before I right myself. “I don’t want to be,” she adds. “But I can’t tell John that.”
“So why is Valefar here? You know he’s a demon, right? I mean, you can still think straight?”
Tatiana stands and rolls her eyes. “Yes, it’s new. The baby doesn’t even have a heartbeat yet, but I guess I conceived last week.”