Queen

EVERETT

I reach out and grab Eden by the collar, roughly pulling him toward me so his face is squished against the cell bars.

“TELL ME WHAT THAT SYMBOL MEANS!” I roar at him.

But Eden just laughs hysterically in response.

“NOW!” I say, shaking him.

“It’s the symbol of our savior,” he says finally. “Our Queen. ~Nemesis.~”

I let him go, staggering back as he starts howling with laughter.

Just hearing that name again feels like a sledgehammer to the chest.

~Nemesis.~

~The goddess who’s been trying to kill Aurora ever since she was born…~

~But that’s impossible…~

~How could she be back?~

“I thought she was dead?” I say.

“A goddess can never die, you of all people should know that…,” Eden says. “She’s just been banished to the realm of the dead.

“And if we help bring her back, she promised she’d make us the masters of the werewolf world.”

Ace and Lucius glance at me uneasily.

“I can’t wait till the day when I get to ravage your luna in your bed and live like a king in your mansion while ~you~ live on scraps out in the forest, ~Alpha,~” Eden hisses.

Lucius steps forward.

“Shut your mouth, mutt!”

Normally, I would tear his throat out for talking to me that way.

But if what he’s saying is true, I have bigger things to worry about than this crazy rogue.

If Nemesis is back, Aurora’s in danger.

~“I knew Xander was connected to all of this,”~ Chaos growls. ~“You need to find our luna before it’s too late.”~

The symbol in Xander’s study flashes through my mind as I turn to Lucius and Ace.

“I need to get to Xander’s house,” I say. “Aurora’s in danger.”

They both nod. “Okay, we’re coming with you.”

“No, we don’t know what the rest of the rogues are planning,” I say, shaking my head. “I need you both here protecting the pack.”

Without wasting another second, I turn and run down the hall toward the exit.

I knew I should never have trusted Xander. Every fiber of my being focuses on getting to his house before he hurts Aurora.

But I’m worried it might already be too late.

***

RORY

Eddie sits up, fully alive, but the way he’s moving his body is jerky and awkward.

His yellow eyes gaze around the room, taking in his surroundings.

As I stare at him, I’m a hundred percent sure that’s ~not~ my ex-boyfriend.

Something ~else~ has possessed his body.

“Who...who are you?” I manage to say.

He turns his neck and looks at me, a sinister smile growing on his face.

“I must say, Aurora,” he hisses. “I’m a bit hurt you don’t recognize me.”

Then, it all hits me.

Those yellow eyes. That creepy smile.

~Shit, I knew it.~

~Nemesis.~

And now she’s living in Eddie’s body, and I’m the one who brought her back to life!

~Goddess...this is what my mom was warning me about!~

Nemesis slips off the stone slab, setting her feet on the floor and inspecting Eddie’s hands, getting a feel for her new body.

“A boy,” she says, sighing. “It’s not ideal, but it’ll do for now.”

She looks at Mia, who stands frozen in place, watching everything unfolding in disbelief.

“I would’ve preferred that pretty one over there, but this boy just ~had~ to jump in front of my rogue at the last second.”

“~Your~ rogue?” I cry out, turning to Xander. “What the hell is going on, Professor?”

Nemesis turns to the professor, smiling.

“Yes, Professor. Why don’t you fill Aurora in?”

Xander bows his head before Nemesis. “Yes, my Queen.”

~What the hell?~

He turns to me, a sickening smile growing on his face.

“You’ve done well, Aurora. You’ve just helped me complete my life’s mission... To bring back the Tartarus to the plane of the living, starting with my Queen, Nemesis.”

I can’t even believe what I’m hearing.

“You’ve been lying to me this whole time?!”

“Yes. And you were ~so~ easy to manipulate. All you desire is someone to tell you that you’re special, and you’ll just melt and do anything for them.”

I feel anger rising up inside me.

I thought Xander was a friend and a mentor.

But all of that is crumbling right before my eyes. All of my trust in him shatters in an instant.

~How could I be so stupid?~

“But…what about the rogue attack at the university?” I cry out. “We almost died.”

He smiles again.

“I had to get Everett to trust me somehow. From the beginning, it was always my plan to use you, Aurora.

“That’s why I was so upset when you decided to stop studying with me. We were so close, and you walked away right before we were just about to bring Nemesis back.

“But in the end… It was only a small setback. All I had to do was order the rogues to kill someone, and I knew you’d show up right back on my doorstep, begging for my help.”

“You’re a monster…,” I say in disbelief.

“No, I’m just a man,” he says, turning to Nemesis and dropping to his knees. “And now that I’ve brought you back, my Queen…please, grant me the power of the Gods. Reward me. Please!”

Nemesis smiles, scratching Xander’s head like a dog.

“Yes, you’ve been a good little servant,” she purrs. “And now, I’ll give you a treat.”

Her hands start to glow yellow, and she grips Xander’s head as it starts to flow out of her fingertips and into him.

He moans, and I can’t tell if he’s in excruciating pain or complete ecstasy.

When she finally pulls her hand away, Xander opens his eyes and looks up.

His irises are a sickening yellow, and his veins are pulsing with a yellowish, glowing fluid.

He stands up, a smile spreading across his face as he feels the power flood his body.

“Remember our little lesson about magic, Aurora?” he says. “How your eyes lit up when I told you magic wasn’t meant to cause pain?”

I nod.

It seems like a different life now.

Back when I thought Xander was actually a good person.

“Well, I lied. Magic is wasted when you use it to lift up candles and wine bottles. ~This~ is what it is meant for.”

He turns and lifts his hand, causing Mia to lift into the air.

She screams, gripping at her throat and gasping for air, her feet dangling off the ground.

“Mia,” I cry out in horror. “Stop it! Leave her out of this!”

“Oh, no,” Nemesis says. “There are still many Tartarus gods that have been waiting a long time for a body, especially one this ~pretty.~”

Mia’s face turns blue as Xander tightens his hand.

“But in order for that to happen, she’ll have to die,” Nemesis says, her yellow eyes staring at me.

“And when she does... you’re going to resurrect another God into her body.”