The Hybrid Queen Unedited
23

Elijah laughed at me, his eyes growing darker. The smile on his lips made my knees weak. Reaching up to brush my cheek with his fingers, Elijah leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.

“You were brilliant back there,” he whispered against my lips. I was so lost in his touch it was hard to concentrate. However, it was not so hard that I realized he had not really responded to my request. I pushed him away as he left a path of fire on my skin. “Did you hear me?” I asked him. Elijah sighed and nodded. “I did. However, we have dinner in about fifteen minutes. And I don’t think we have the time to get all the way back to our room, undress, mate and then get dressed again and back to the dining hall,” he whispered. “I want to take my time with you. I want to see everything there is to see of you. I want you to know how it feels to be truly loved, in the right way. Once I start I’m not sure I will be able to stop!” he whispered, his breath hot and delicious on my skin. I sighed, aggravated that he was doing me like this and pushed him away. I wanted to be his. In every way I was able to be his. “Fine,” I said, crossing my arms. “When?”Elijah was making me spoiled. I knew that. However I was unable to make myself feel guilty about it. I loved him and it frightened me sometimes. The way I felt about him... it felt like more than just a Mate’s bond. If he were to ever put himself in harm’s way because of me, it would kill me if he got hurt. I realized I would do the same. I would gladly throw myself in the face of danger, a silver bullet and bleed for him. Elijah reached up and brushed my hair from my face. “Soon, my love,” he promised. I nodded. “OK... Once it is done, there is no more leaving me behind. You said I would be able to go anywhere with you,” I reminded him. Before Elijah could answer, something caught my eye. I looked down the hallway and saw Summer and her father headed our way. “You have to be kidding me!” I hissed and Elijah turned to look at what I was talking about. Luke and Summer stopped before us. Luke looked upset and Summer looked like she was about to get sick. “Are you OK?” I asked her. She did not speak, she just shook her head, her face green. “What is the meaning of this? I said you were to both take your leave,” Elijah warned. I glanced between them as Luke reached out, holding a scroll up to him. “He was here. And he is alive!” I already did not trust Luke much. The way he had spoken to Elijah and how he had demanded to know things about our Mating had given me the impression that he did not care much for the Yansa Family. And I could see where Summer got her arrogance from. “I saw him. He was here, at the Manor,” he finished. I felt the blood leave my face. He knew I was here. I growled at Luke. “Reid?” I demanded. “And how did he hear about it so quickly? Last we heard, we had reports of him in New York!” Elijah looked at me as I spoke, his face hard. He snapped his eyes back to Luke. “Answer your Queen!” he demanded. Luke nodded, bowing his head to me this time. “I am not at all sure, your Grace! I was on my way out when I saw someone running from the grounds!” he said. Elijah sighed. “Kingsguard!” he yelled, his deep voice echoing through the halls. His voice had not even finished echoing down the stone walls when he was surrounded by his men. “There is an intruder on our grounds. Find them and bring them to me. Alive.” he said, his voice was dead. Elijah turned to face Summer. “Do not make me regret this. I want you to track him. Go into the night and see what you can replace. Meet us back here before dawn,” he ordered. Summer stared at him for a moment. “I really owe you nothing, you know that? No after tonight. However, as your subject I will do as you ask one last time. Never come to me for help ever again!” she warned him and then turned away, and ran into the night. Luke shook his head, looking after her. “I am truly sorry, Your Grace!” he said once more and bowed before us. “I am sure she will replace him!”I gulped. If it really was Reid, I knew he was here for me. No one else. Just me. Elijah grabbed my hand and walked me to our room.“What now?” I demanded as we walked into the room. Elijah stripped off his shirt and grabbed a fresh one from the oak dresser by the window. Once he had it on, he grabbed me into his arms and kissed me, hard. His lips were demanding and made my knees weak.“My men will replace them. And when they do, he will be brought in and I will question him, under guard, myself. I won’t let him near you.He will not hurt you,” he promised. I shook my head. “I need to be there when you speak with him!” I said before he had even finished speaking. “I have questions of my own. My mother never told me he was not my father. I want to know if she ever told him who my real father is.”Elijah grumbled. “I do not like the idea of him being in the same room as you,” he said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. “However, if that is what you want, you can be there.”

I looked up at him. His eyes were stressed and tired looking. I felt bad for having caused him so much trouble for the last few weeks. Would he someday grow tired of me and toss me aside, only to use me to breed? I shuddered at the thought. No. I was being silly. He was my Mate. My King. He would always be mine and I would always be his. Always. Elijah was making plans for our weekend trip. I tried not to dwell on that. I was sure something would come up. Something that would keep him from going. Something to keep us from becoming true Mate’s. The thought of that made me think of all the times we could have mated and completed our bond. Each time, something had come up. Each time, someone had interrupted us.

How much longer was I going to wait. An unmated, Marked wolf was a weakness. And unmated, Marked Queen could be dangerous. Marks could fade. Perhaps that is what he wanted? He wanted the Mark to fade? Elijah touched my face. “Tell me what you are thinking, please,” he whispered to me. I laughed a little and then sighed. “I was thinking about My Mark,” I said. Elijah smiled now, his hands brushing my long raven hair to the side to look at the Mark he had placed on me. It was hardly visible now. Just a faint silver mark, hard to see. “I have been as well. They are starting to fade and will soon be gone if we do not mate soon!” he said. I nodded. “Perhaps this weekend when we go away, we can remark to each other and complete our Mating!” I answered. I watched his face light up at that. “That would be nice,” he agreed. “I would Mate you right here and now, if I could,” he warned me. I watched his eyes go black and I felt a lump form in my throat. “You could,” I told him and he growled at me, his hands gripping my his, an evil smile playing on his lips. “However, we have matters to attend to. If it really is Reid, then we need to be ready when your Kingsguard brings him in!” I reminded him.

Elijah grumbled at me. “I know,” he sighed. “And you’re sure I can not persuade you to not be there when they do?” he asked me, his fingers tracing up my arms.

I shook my head. “I have to be there!”

Elijah sighed and nodded. “Lets go get some food then,” he said. Elijah waited for me to change my dress and remove the crown from my head. Once I was dressed in a simple plum colored dress, I threw my hair up into a messy bun and walked out to where he was waiting for me. Once Elijah saw me, his face became unreadable. He walked across the room, his hands wrapping around my waist and he kissed me. “You really need to stop teasing me!” he said. I pulled away from him with a laugh. “Teasing you how?” I demanded. Elijah pulled away from me and sighed, holding me at arms length. “Do you realize how little time has passed since you have been here, Faye?” he asked me. I nodded. “Yes. It has been almost three months. Amilia brought me here in September,” I answered. Elijah smiled and nodded. “How is it I have come to care for you as much as I do?” he asked me. I shrugged this time. “I guess when you know it is right, it’s right,” I answered him. Elijah smiled and nodded. “I have so many plans for us, Love. And they will start this weekend,” he said. I smiled back but it felt out of place. Elijah must have seen how conflicted I was. The smile on his face vanished and he placed a finger under my chin, making me look at him. “What?” he asked me. I sighed. “If Summer is able to track down Reid... I am just wondering if he is as dangerous as everyone thinks he is. He is after all just one man. He can only do so much,” I said, looking up at him. I was surprised when his face became shocked. “What?”

He shook his head at me. “You don’t know?” he demanded of me. “No one told you?” “Told me what?” I was confused. I watched his face go white. Elijah dropped his arms to his sides and shook his head. “Faye, Reid is rumored to have caused the attack on your family. It is said he is the one who got the Vamps to destroy your home and your Pack,” he said after a moment, leaning back against the dresser. He looked like he was about to be sick. I felt like I was about to be sick. Was this true? If it was, how come my mother never once said anything about it to me when I saw her in the spirit world? How was it I never heard of this till now? Again, I could feel the anger towards my so called mother and turned away from Elijah. I was so mad right now, I did not want to lash out at him. He was not to blame for this. Reid was. “Faye, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I thought you knew!”I shook my head. “No,” I breathed out in a whisper. “Reid killed his Mate and Pack. Is he the reason I was locked up?” I demanded. “You said you knew I had been there for a year. You knew where I was and why I was there. I had not committed a crime other than running from my potential killer!” I said as a horrible feeling filled my chest. Elijah was shaking his head before I had even finished speaking. “No,” he answered me. “I knew you were there, however the reasons for you being there were unknown to me. Once Amilia saw you beginning to fade she left to collect you,” he reminded me. I shook my head. “Why?” I demanded. “Why did he kill everyone? What does he want?”Elijah shrugged. “Power? You?” he said. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he said. Before I could speak there was a sharp knock at the door. “Enter,” I said before Elijah could say anymore. He sighed, rubbing his head with the heel of his hand as Summer and Tay entered the room, looking dirty and sweaty. They both bowed to us, Summer never taking her eyes off Elijah. I growled at her and her gaze snapped to me and she bowed her head to me. “We have him,” she said. “He is under heavy guard in the Throne room!”Elijah nodded and they both left the room. Elijah turned to face me once again. “I know how much this is to take in and I am sorry I did not tell you sooner!” he reasoned. “If you do not wish to face him, I will understand that!”I watched him, knowing he wanted me to stay here. He had said he did not want Reid anywhere near me. I understood why. I was worried for him as well. I was not about to let him walk into a room where a man like Reid was waiting for him. The more I thought about Reid, the more questions I had. Who was he really? What did he want with me? Why had he killed my family? Did he know where my powers came from? Did he know my real father? My mother had said that she had already been with the child when she met my father. Had they imprinted on eachother? I had too many questions. I felt Elijah touch my cheek. “You have dealt with a great deal today. Are you ready for this?” he asked me. I sighed. “Am I ready to face the man I thought was my father for my whole life? No, I am not. Am I ready to get the answers I need? Hell yes. I have waited long enough for what I want to know and he is going to give me the information I need before the night is through,” I said as I walked to the door. Elijah followed me out into the hall where four guards were waiting on us. I stopped, looking at them confused. “What is this?” I asked. Elijah sighed. “I have ordered them for your protection,” he said as we set off back down the way we had come. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I really don’t need them. And I will admit, you were right. I need to commit to my training. I have to be able to defend myself. I need to be a strong queen,” I said.Elijah took my hand. “You are all these things my love. You have to give yourself time for your body to catch up,” he reminded me, his voice gentle.

I nodded. “Time is a thing we no longer have,” I said as we rounded the corner that led to the throne room. I could already see Reid. He was on his knees in the middle of the room. Elijah gripped my hand a little tighter as we entered the room. He did not speak as he led me up the small podium and we sat down. It took me a moment before I was able to look up and look at him. When I did, I was not surprised to see him watching me, his eyes fixed on my face. He was just as I had remembered him.Tall, his bright snow like hair was a shining halo in the dim light of the throne hall. His eyes, a startling shade of purple, bored holes right through me. His face was smooth with no emotion, his chin covered in a light stubble. He was well dressed. Or at least he had been. I could see the fine and expensive silk of his shirt and tie. His coat, a nice tailored coat with brass buttons. His shoes were covered in drying mud. He would have been well dressed for Court. However, the layer of mud on his clothes would have caused a stir up. When our eyes locked he smiled at me, even his teeth were gleaming in the dim candle light. “My daughter,” he said. Elijah growled at him and a look of annoyance crossed Reid’s face. “You will not speak unless spoken to!” he spit. “What are you doing here?”Reid rolled his eyes and Collin growled, low and sharp from beside him. “I have come to collect what is mine,” he said, his eyes wandering back to me.I did my best to keep my face as impassive as I could, but in the end I glowered at him, no longer being able to hide my disgust from him. “To collect what is yours?“Elijah ecoed. “And I am assuming by that you mean Faye?”Reid laughed at him, the sound filling the room. “She is mine, after all. She is my daughter!” he reminded Elijah. I was not sure what made me do it. I jumped up, a sudden anger filling me. “Only I am not your daughter, am I?” I demanded. I watched the look on his face falter a bit. Reid composed himself quickly and smiled at me. “You knew my mother was pregnant when she met you. Were you even Mates?” I demanded. Reid laughed at me. “No. I killed her Mate. She never knew. She knew someone had killed him, however, she never found out it was me. I made her mine and shortly after you were born. So I assure you, you are my flesh!” he said. I shook my head. “No. I am not. I already spoke with her,” I said. Elijah was suddenly up out of his seat and beside me, gripping my hand. Do not tell him of your powers! That is what he wants to know. Ask your questions and get your answers but do not tell him anymore!I did not look up at him. I kept my eyes fixed on Reid. His eyes were amused and I shook my head. “He already knows!” I said, quietly, hoping in vain he would not hear me. He was a Wolf. Of course he would hear me. His smile widened.“Know what?” he asked with a short laugh. “Know that you are a half witch?”A small and quiet murmur went through the room. I could feel the eyes of the entire Court on me. Sophie and Collin stood to my right, their eyes wide with shock. Tay and Lily, who had been standing at the base of the throne podium, inched away from me. Reid looked around the room and laughed once more. “Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?” he asked, mocking his tone. then he shrugged. “Well, this is getting boring.” Before anyone could react, Reid jumped to his feet and launched at me, shadow jumping across the room. When he reappeared, he was just inches from me. Time seemed to slow down as my scream filled the room. Elijah was there before his Reid could lay a hand on me. He gripped Reid by the neck, stopping him mid shadow jump. I raised my eyebrows, impressed. “You will not lay a hand on her!” Elijah warned him. Reid just laughed at him, the sound coming out like a gurgle. “She is dangerous!” he warned him. My growl echoed through the room now. “Dangerous?” I demanded of him. “Dangerous? It is rumored that you were the one to have killed my family!” I snarled at him. Reid laughed at me. “Your family? They were useless! They never would have survived this world. Once I am King, you will rule by my side, as my Queen!” he said, his face going dark. I shook my head. “You are mad!” I said, backing away from him. Elijah glanced at me for a moment. That was all Reid needed. He swung his arm out at Elijah and Elijah, caught off guard, dropped him to the floor. Reid laughed, the sound was a high, pitched laughter that made my skin crawl. Then, the same shadows that covered me when I would use my power, surrounded him. Collin sprang forward but I grabbed his arm quickly. “No!” I warned him. “If you touch him in that state he takes you with him anywhere he goes!” “She will be mine!” Reid said as his shadow self began to dissolve into nothing. “I will make her mine. She is like me. The only one of her kind. The last of her kind!”Then he was gone. Elijah hissed in pain, turning to face me. There was a small, round blade sticking out of his wrist. I felt my heart drop and rushed to him. “Are you okay?” I demanded. Elijah growled and pulled the blade from his skin and dropped it to the floor. “Just a scratch, Love,” he said as he warped the cut with a cloth Collin handed him. I looked around the room now. The whole Court was still looking at us. Lily and Tay had backed away into a corner and Amilia was gazing off into the distance, as if she was seeing something other than the throne room. Sophie was still staring at me, her face puzzled. “She is a mutt?” I heard someone mutter. Elijah snapped his head and turned to face his people. “Who said that?” he demanded. No one spoke for a moment and then the crowd by the door began to split. A boy walked through the crowd and came to stand before us. “I did,” he said, and then, as if it were an afterthought, he bowed. “Your Grace,” he added. Elijah eyed him. “You are Collin’s brother, Cal,” he said. Collin stepped up quickly. “Yes, but not by choice, you Grace,” he said quickly. Cal laughed at him. “Is that anyway to welcome your brother, Collie?” Cal asked, and laughed aloud. I scowled at him. I did not feel like dealing with anymore drama tonight. There had been too much going on the past new days. Cal turned to face me. “You are a dangerous one and you need a teacher,” he stated. Elijah growled at him. “You return to Court and insult my queen in front of me? Give me one good reason why I should not remove your head from your shoulders right now!”Cal laughed at him. “Do you remember why your father banished me?” he asked. Elijah backed down after that and I looked at him sharply. He sighed and turned to face me. “Yes. I remember. Have you gotten it under control enough to teach?” he asked, his eyes never leaving my face. I held his gaze and my breath, waiting. “Yes. Otherwise I would not be here,” Cal answered. Elijah nodded and sighed. “Good,” he said after a long while. “Faye, meet Cal, your new teacher for the Dark Arts.”