Closing my eyes, I waited for the inevitable toxin to send me into blissful oblivion. Several seconds passed, and I still felt the same. When I opened my eyes, I noticed the Queen watched me with an amused expression.
When I swallowed, she said, "It won't be long now."
I gasped. "You did poison me." A fusion of relief and fear filled my veins.
She laughed. "I'm teasing." She took another bite. Some of the juices dribble down her chin. "These apples are some of the best in Sharra. I wanted you to try them. Didn't you like it?" She indicated the apple I dropped.
Truth was the flavor was exceptional. The combination actually made my mouth water. "Yes, it was fine."
She shook her head. "This is your home as much as it is mine. Let me show you around."
I hesitated. What harm could it do? Shrugging, I followed her back to the thrones.
Once we were seated, she said, "This is the entrance to the orchards. Beyond the apple trees are peaches, plums, and pears. All of them are grown and cultivated to our specific tastes." She nodded, and I knew she referred to the blood. Somehow it was fused within the fruit. "Sometimes it's nice to eat solid food. A liquid diet can get boring after a few hundred years."
She snapped her fingers, and we were in a forest. Giant trees shaded the fern and moss-covered floor. A babbling brook rushed along next to us. Three deer drank from its edge, unaware of us. She put a finger to her lips. I bobbed my head, indicating I understood, and watched her move without sound toward them.
I fought down the knot forming in my stomach. What did she intend to do? When she snapped the neck of the largest deer, I shuddered. "Why?" I asked, stunned.
The other two deer bolted.
The Queen pulled a knife from a sheath I hadn't noticed before. Laying the deer on its side, she sliced open its belly.
"Stop," I shouted, turning away so I wouldn't have to see its guts. Tears threatened, but I pushed them back. I had the feeling weakness would only irritate her.
I sensed her move next to me. Smelled the blood on her hands. It was heady. An aroma similar to that of a human. I turned, and saw she held something-a piece of meat, or an organ-in her hands. "Try it. Like the fruit, the animals in Sharra are cultivated for our needs."
I shook my head, but the scent had my canines threatening to burst forth, and my mouth watered. "No, thank you. I'm a vegetarian." The words sounded hollow.
She chuckled. "Really? That isn't the impression I got from the way you handled those humans." She stuck the thing in her hand in front of my face. "Try it. You'll like it."
The Vampire Queen was right, of course. I certainly didn't act very vegetarian. Stepping slightly to the right, I turned my nose away from her hand. "I thought we only drank from humans," I finally said, trying to buy myself some time.
She took a bite from whatever it was she held. Disgusted, I looked down, studying the red Converse on my feet.
When she finished, she said, "Humans are trite creatures. Their presence on this planet has been useful. I've recycled them to benefit our race, but they will die out long before we do."
"Recycled?" I kicked at a chunk of moss in the dirt at my feet. "I'm human. You..." I paused. I'd almost said she was human too. That wasn't true, but I now got what she meant by recycled. "What about the other vampires? They started out human. They are as human as I am."
She waved a dismissive hand. "You may look human. Even I look human, but after your first drop of human blood, the genetic code within your body changed. You are no more human than the deer, or these trees. You are now a vampire. Accept it. Embrace it." She threw the remainder of whatever she held in her hand into the stream. "I thought you already had." She wiped the blood on her hands on the moss near her feet.
At her words my heart sank. "Is this what you wanted?" I couldn't meet her gaze. Professor Pops told me Christopher's job was to turn me into a vampire, so I figured the Vampire Queen was happy.
"Of course it's what I wanted. You have such potential. And Sharra is a wonderful place to live, to learn, and to become what you are meant to be.
"Which is a vessel for you," I spat out.
She shook her head, making a tsk-tsk sound. "I don't know what you've been told, but you'll be more than a mere vessel. You'll become the most powerful creature on Earth. Everything you desire, anything you wish, will be at your fingertips."
"For my body only, but I'll be gone."
"You've been talking to Adam Henry? Perhaps even Kenmei? Those two are such drama queens."
"I have." A part of me hoped Professor Pops and Kenmei weren't telling the truth, but I doubted it. What reasons would they have to lie?
The Vampire Queen continued, "I'm sure they even told you the story of Silindra and me. About the war?" She raised an eyebrow. "And maybe even about a necklace?"
She was leading me.
Deny. Deny. Deny, my inner voice shouted.
"Maybe." I shrugged.
"Well, of course they did. Those are their weapons. The way they get the Marked and Chosen to do their bidding. That's why I brought you here. I wanted you to see I am not some power hungry maniac as they led you to believe. I am not a monster, Snow. I'm merely a leader. My people chose me. They need me. I love all of my subjects equally. You may have seen some of them as we passed through the sitting room of the castle. They are given freedom and more power than they could ever need. Everything they could ever want. All I ask in return is their allegiance. That's all I'm asking of you."
I took a step back. "Why would Profess-Adam lie? He has no reason."
She sighed. Her shoulders sagged slightly, as though she carried the weight of the world. "They told you about the war, correct?"
"Yes."
"Well did they happen to mention that it was Adam and Kenmei I fought against? Did they tell you they led those who battled against me for power? For the throne that was rightfully mine." She started breathing heavily. "Did they tell you they turned my own sister against me?"
Equally angry, I shouted, "They told me you had her tortured and murdered."
Chapter 6
The Vampire Queen gasped, and pressed a hand to her chest in mock sarcasm. "They what? I could never murder my sister."