The Queen of All Magick: Elizabeth (5 page)

Josh
Gibson, her abuser and the man she lived with, had told her the day before yesterday when she’d left for work that he was going job hunting. And when she’d returned from work with her first paycheck, he was still in the same clothes that he’d had on before she’d left. A pair of pants that hung well under his bulging belly, dirty tee shirt, and a pair of socks that looked as if they would stand on their own if he ever took them off. Trying her best to figure out how to word asking him if he’d had any luck without upsetting him, he’d told her that he’d remembered that today was payday for her and wanted to see her first check. But she’d lied to him.

“It’s not here yet.
And I’m not sure, but I think I have to set up a direct deposit in order to get my checks.” He’d been visibly angry about that and she’d backed away from him. “I can’t help what the rules are, Josh, I can only follow them so I can keep the job.”

He’d punched the wall to the side of her head and walked away.
The hole there had been a nasty reminder for the rest of the night of what she should and shouldn’t do to upset him. That’s when she decided that she’d better open a checking account, and she thought she might not put his name on it. But he’d given her the papers this morning for her to sign off on to allow him access to the account. Kim still had them in her purse. She still wondered how he’d managed to get them.

When she was sitting at her desk again
, she nearly leapt up when the door behind her opened. Mr. Rythen looked at her before he walked past her without a word. Logan asked to see her in his office. This was it; she was going to lose her job.

She was surprised to see Ms. Elizabeth there
, along with Lizzy. The two of them looked like they’d been handed the worst sort of news. Kim felt the need to comfort them even though she was sure she was not going to be employed in a few minutes.

“I’d like to have you come over to my house tomorrow. I have some work that would require you to stay on for a few days.
I’d pay you for all your time, of course, and you’d—”

“I thought you were going to fire me.”
She flushed when she cut Logan off. “I’m sorry. I don’t make it a habit of kissing your clients. I’m not even sure what came over me. He startled me and I fell. When he tried to save me from falling on my ass, I guess he thought I was offering myself to him. I wasn’t, but I can see how he would have thought so. I’m not usually so clumsy, but he was so lost looking that I wanted—” She stopped talking when Lizzy laughed. “I’m sorry. I go on about nothing when I’m scared.”

“Do I frighten you, Kim? Do any of us?”
Kim looked at Logan and the two women. “Because I have to tell you that I hope not. We’ve come to enjoy having you work for us. So much so that we decided to come clean with you.”

“No. You don’t. I’ve just been going through something personal
, and I tend to…are you going to fire me?” He shook his head. “Why not?”

“
Do you want me to?” Kim said no. “Good. But there are some things that I think you should know about us before you continue working for me. There are things, like us for instance, that will make you think you’ve gone off the deep end. But it’s time you were told. And first of all, I don’t want you to leave, so I’ve taken the liberty of pinning you to the chair. All right?”

She
tried to move and when she couldn’t, she started to panic. Josh had tied her up once to prove he was her boss and she’d never gotten over the feeling. When Lizzy was suddenly in front of her, she looked into her eyes as she commanded her to do.

“Take deep breaths.
That’s it, long and slow in and slower out.” She did as she asked. “Logan has freed you from the bonds, but you’re still terrified. Was it the boyfriend who did this to you? Or someone else.”

“Josh. He said that he was my
superior and when I begged him to let me go, even going so far as to argue with him, he beat me until I lost consciousness. While I was out, he tied me to the bed and raped me.” Kim tried to close her mouth, but it was as if she had no will power over not telling Lizzy the truth. “Please don’t tell him I said anything. It will upset him terribly.”

“I won’t.
But Grams is right, he will kill you if you stay with him. And you’re better than that.” Kim didn’t think anything of the kind and told her so. “I think I can prove it to you if you’ll let me.”

“Why?”
Lizzy frowned at her when she asked, and Kim decided that she was a fool. “Why do you care whether or not he kills me? Not even my own family cares that much.”

“We’re not that kind of family.
And for the record, your family sucks.” Kim laughed at Logan. “I’d like to tell you what we are. Are you okay to handle that?”

Nodding
, she wasn’t so sure. Kim had a feeling that once she knew this, nothing was ever going to be the same in her little world again.

“I’m a vampire, a day walker
, and Lizzy is one as well. But we have a good deal more than just the power that comes with that; we’re both the Keeper of Secrets. We know all there is to know about each species, as well as a few humans.”

“Day walkers.”
He nodded at her, and she looked at Ms. Elizabeth. “And what are you? The queen of all vampires, and you’re going to change me into what they are so I can be your sexual slave?”

“Good heavens. Where do you young people get this stuff?”
Elizabeth sat beside her. “No, dear. While I was queen, it was of magic, not vampire. Though I did help govern them as well. My granddaughter is queen now. You’ve met her, Melody.”

Kim felt her world start to tilt
, and when she stood up, she had to close her eyes against the way the floor moved beneath her feet. Hearing her name being shouted didn’t keep her from falling. Only it wasn’t the floor she landed on, but into the arms of Mr. Rythen. How the hell did that happen?

Chapter 5

Rythen was pissed. The girl had no idea what was going on, and now these people were telling him he’d either mate with her or she’d have to be removed from his room. There was no way that these…beings could tell him what to do. He was older than the lot of them. When a small noise sounded from his bed, he stopped moving and looked at her.

He couldn’t believe that someone had figured out this quickly what she was to him. All he’d done was kiss her once
, and now it was as if he’d had a crier running from town to town with the information, telling everyone. The girl was human after all. What was he supposed to do about that?

“Where am I?”
Her voice reached across the room to him like a caress, and he wanted to go to her and hold her. “I was at work having…I was dreaming.”

“
No, you weren’t.” She started to stand, and he went to her. It was hard for him not to lay her back on his bed and kiss her again, but there was not going to be any more of that. He was here for a job, not to find himself shackled to a human.

“What do you mean
, no I wasn’t? I wasn’t at work, or I wasn’t dreaming?” Rythen touched her face with his fingers because he felt as if he had no choice. When his fingers felt scorched by her heat, Rythen leaned in and brushed his mouth over the same area. Her fingers laced around his arms.

“You’re very beautiful.”
Encouraged that she didn’t push him away, he leaned into her throat and licked her pounding pulse. “I would like nothing more than to taste you right now. Sink my teeth into your creamy flesh before taking you on this bed. My cock aches to be buried deep inside of you where I know that I will find my only completion.”

“Please.” Rythen cupped her ass and brought her to his cock
, and moaned. Even with her clothing on he could feel her heat. All of her. But there was no way he could do this. Not with this girl. Lifting his head, he looked into her lust-glazed eyes and felt his body tighten all the more.

“You’re going to have to forget this
. There is no way this is going to happen. I’m sure that Logan and the others told you to seduce me into this, but it won’t work. I’ve no need for a woman such as you.” He felt her stiffen and knew that he’d had it right. “They just want me to mate with you so that you can persuade me not to kill Elizabeth.”

“A woman like me? And just what sort of woman do you think I am?” He didn’t get a chance to answer her when she slapped him across the mouth.
His head snapped back so quickly that he felt his neck pop. She was moving toward the door when he caught up with her. And that was a mistake he promised himself he’d never make again.

She was like a
wild animal. Her nails raked over his face several times before he could hold her down. Then her feet scraped along his legs so hard that he was sure she’d hit bone. Every time he thought he had control of her, she used some other part of herself to get at him. Finally, he’d had enough and told her to stop.

“What is wrong with you? No woman would dare touch me in the way you have. If I had a good mind, I’d kill you right now.”
Not true. Firstly, he could never harm her; and secondly, he was quite proud of the fact that she thought she could win against him. When she moved toward the door again, he told her to stop, but she only continued as if he’d said nothing. When she crossed the threshold, he went after her. He was not finished talking to her as yet.

What happened next still baffled him.
He’d been going after her to bring her to heel, and the next thing he knew he was laying on the floor with a large dragon on his back. And he was holding him in a way that Rythen could not use his magic on him. The girl was being held in the arms of Savannah and sobbing. He wanted to point out that he was the one being held down.

“
What is the matter with you?” Draco, he thought is name was, asked. “Are you without any kind of sense? Did you think that harming one such as her would not get you imprisoned?” Rythen felt Draco’s foot press him harder into the floor. “I will hold you here until we are at the bottom of this.”

“This is Logan’s fault. He told her to have sex with me
, then have her keep me from fulfilling my duty to this kingdom.” Saying it aloud sounded almost like he was insane. Trying again, he was cut off when the girl stepped forward.

“You think Logan would want me to…are you even hearing yourself
? Why the hell would he care that…Christ, are you a dragon?” Laughter rumbled from Draco as he assured her that he was. “I’m still dreaming, aren’t I?”

“No
, my lady, you are not. You’re in a magical kingdom and I am a dragon. Would you like it better if I were to shift to human? This idiot would be able to get up, but I would not have you frightened of me.” She shook her head. “Good. It is my understanding that Logan and his lovely mate were telling you what they were. Nice couple they are. Have you met Mathew? He and I are working together on a project. He is very smart.”

“Draco, you’re scaring her again.”
Savannah looked at Rythen. “If I allow you up, will you behave yourself?”

“I did nothing wrong. But if you would be so kind as to have this large foot off me, I’d be ever so grateful.
” Rythen looked at the women and wanted to say something, but he had no idea what. Just as the foot was lifted off his back, he decided that he had better come up with something or the dragon would have him for his supper. He would hate to have to spend the rest of his days in the belly of a large, bad tempered dragon.

When he was standing again, Rythen started toward her
, only to come up short when Savannah put up her hand. He more than likely could have broken her barrier, but the truth of the matter was he was sort of afraid that he couldn’t. Melody entered the room just as he was contemplating trying.

“You’re making enough racket to wake the dead
. You’ve brought a human to my realm to do who knows what, and Draco tells me that you’re telling stories about Logan and the rest of my family. What do you plan next, Rythen? Do you plan to storm the castle and take it over? I assure you that you will not win in this.”

There were several thing
s he could have said to her, one of which was that her family was really his as well as he had created the sire to them all. Secondly, he had not told a lie. He, like the queen, was incapable of lying. And lastly…he looked at the girl again.

“She was told to seduce me.”
Melody looked at the woman. “And I’ve no idea what her name is. Either tell me so I can refer to her as something more than
the woman,
or that will be her name.”

“You’re an idiot.” The woman started
toward him again, but he stood his ground. There was no way he was backing down from her so that others could see. “My name is none of your business, you cynical over blown piece of fucking shit.”

Rythen might have been
impressed had he any idea what she was talking about. He got the namecalling, just not why she felt the need to say them to him. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her she was wrong, Shamus was in front of him.

“You’ll do well to listen with your ears and not your heart right now
, Rythen. While I’m not as old as you, I do know that a woman’s scorn can and will harm worse than a sword.” Rythen looked at the three women and thought maybe in this the new king was smarter. With a short nod, Shamus stepped back and nodded to the woman.

“
Her name? May I please have her name?” He looked at Shamus and then Melody. “Do any of you know who she is?”

“Maybe they’re waiting for you to ask me what it is, you nimrod.
And again, I’ll tell you that it’s none of your business. What right did you have to do those things to me? Kissing me like I was…like you owned me.” Rythen opened his mouth to remind her that she had enjoyed it as much as he, but he glanced at Shamus to see him shake his head. “And another thing, I have someone who loves me. He doesn’t treat me right, but he says that he loves me.”

“Who? Who is this man who dares to
claim what is mine?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that he’d made a major mistake. And if the look on either Shamus’s or Melody’s face was any indication, he was not leaving there without explaining himself.

“She’s your mate?”
Rythen didn’t bother answering Savannah, but looked at Shamus. Surely, as another man, he’d help him.

“You have brought your mate here, in my castle
, without telling her what she is to you? You’ve tried to claim another man’s mate?” Melody started pacing and turned to look at him as she continued. “You’ll make this right or so help me there will never be another ring for you to hide in so long as there is breath in my body.”

“You would deny me space in my own creation?”
Rythen moved toward her and was only a step closer when a blade was at his throat. The guard had come from nowhere and the Warrior Tess was right in the front of them. He was getting mightily sick of this woman and her troupe.

“You move
—I mean so much as an eye lash—and I will cut your, what you think of as an impressive, dick off and give it to the faeries. I’m sure that they can use it as fertilizer for a plant or two.” He felt his face flush at her words. No one spoke to him that way. Just as the sword bit just a little deeper into his skin, he decided that he’d stay in one piece if he simply spoke calmly.

“Logan and his father-in-
law have rigged it so that I think her my mate. There is no way, after all this time, that mine should show up at just this time in my life.” He felt the blade ease, but it never left his throat. “I’ve no desire to have a mate now, and having one as a human is just not feasible. I’ve no time to train her on the way that I run things.”

“You think you’ll need to train her…never mind that.
I don’t think I want to hear what lame excuse you might have for what you see as training. So you think that Aaron has…what did you call it? Oh yes, Aaron had made you think that K…that the woman is your mate when you know better? I see. And if I told you that it’s impossible for that to happen, you’d not believe me either?” He nodded at Melody, who shook her head. “I cannot lie any more than you can. But listen to me. It. Can. Not. Happen. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Let me call in the Fates.”

Before he could tell her that wouldn’t be necessary, the Sisters Three were standing in the room.
Each of them hugged and kissed the others in the room, including Draco, before turning to him. Rythen had never been able to control these women, and was sure that now would be no different.

“You should know that as for now, I’m keeping Logan from you.
He would like nothing better than to come here and rip you apart. I don’t believe I’ve seen him so upset before.” Clotho sat down on a chair that appeared behind her just as she needed it. “Come here, my dear, and sit with us.”

“I’d like to go home now
, please. I’m sure that Josh is worried about me.” So the man who would dare touch what was his was Josh. If he could only find her name, he’d be set. The woman moved toward the door, and Rythen growled. “Is he going to hurt me?”

“Oh no, love. He can’t. But Josh will if you leave now. There are things going on at your apartment that
would make you be safer here.” Atropos patted the seat next to her as a couch took the place of the large chair. “You come and sit with me. I’m sure you have a great many questions, and we’re in the mood to answer them. Aren’t we, sisters?”

Lachesis smiled and
Clotho got up to get the woman. Rythen watched as the four of them got cozy on the furniture with the woman between them. Clotho looked at him and smiled.

“We’ve no use for you at the moment, Rythen. Be gone.”
When he felt the air rush around him, he knew that wherever he ended up he was not going to be happy about it. As soon as he looked around at Aaron and Logan, he wanted to scream. He had gone from the den to the frying pan in a heartbeat.

~~~

Elizabeth sat very quietly and listened to Logan tell Rythen what was going on. There was no way that the man could seriously believe that any of them would play such a cruel trick on him. But then she thought of what he’d done by making sure that she and Phillip were apart when they needed each other so much. When a break in the conversation gave her a chance, Elizabeth leapt at it.

“Where is Phillip?”
Rythen looked at her, then started to turn away. “I asked you a question and I demand an answer. Where is my mate?”

“He’s working on a project. He will be home soon.” She stood up and moved toward him
. “I don’t know what is going on in your head right now, but harming me will not bring him home.”

She stopped.
No, it would not, but maybe she could. Raising her arms above her head, she reached out into the world. Everything and anything that could give her just a little of themselves came into her. Electricity cracked between her fingers, and her arms felt the weight of the magic that was hers. Thanking everyone who had given of themselves, she thought of her one true love. “Phillip.”

“Christ.”
Looking around the room, she saw Aaron first. He was rushing around with a blanket in his hands. Then she saw him, her one and only love. And he was as naked as the day he’d been made.