Valentine

Chapter Eighteen - Orion

I stood in the wings of the stage, watching as Elizabeth and Meredith spoke. I saw Elizabeth wipe the tears from her eyes, her shoulders straightening as she stood tall. A rush of pride swept through me. That was the queen I’d chosen, and thus far, her reactions to all the improbable news had only served to prove my choice was perfect.

My lips still felt our kiss, brief though it had been, and though I knew it could never be permitted to happen again, I knew I would never forget it. I felt a pang of regret as I watched Elizabeth take her seat on the chair brought for her Turning.

Were it not for the fact that she would make a perfect queen for the coven, I would have turned her myself. It would have given us the opportunity to see if our attraction could lead to something more. A relationship perhaps.

I couldn’t see the crowd from my position, but I could feel their anticipation, their eagerness for the uncertainty that currently plagued our future to come to an end.

Our coven was ancient, our rites and traditions essential to our survival, and the Queen was the figurehead who held it all together. Mother’s illness and approaching demise was inevitable, but the lack of a suitable heir to the throne had put the future of the entire coven at risk.

Had Veronica still been alive, she would have taken Mother’s position as queen, and all this turmoil could have been avoided. Had she still been alive, I would not have found Elizabeth.

I could smell her fear, as could most of the coven. Human scent was unmistakeable, especially when it was an emotion as overwhelming as terror, but she sat still and upright in the chair. Her face was pale, but she looked out at the watching coven with an impassivity that once more sent a surge of pride through me.

She really would make a remarkable queen. If the Turning was successful.

I had not been completely honest with her. It was rare for vampires to turn humans. Not unheard of, but seldom attempted because the process was difficult.

The procedure itself was simple. A single bite, and our venom, or serum as we called it, would begin to take effect. In feeding, it caused paralysis, so we could drain the body of blood with ease. Without blood, the human would die instead of turning.

In the transformation process, Meredith would bite Elizabeth, but would not feed on her. The venom would cause paralysis initially, but then it would race through her system in her blood, multiplying like a virus as it spread to each organ, starting with her heart.

If she fought the effects, it would be agony, as adrenaline and her immune system would kick in to fight the invading virus. This was the reason so few humans were turned. Their instinctive desire for survival made them panic as the paralysis wore off and their bodies began the shift.

It was imperative that Elizabeth not fight the effects of the serum, that she remain calm and accept the changes she would feel internally. If she began to fight it, her body and the serum would wage a microscopic war in her system, and it would kill her.

This was another reason her turning would take place on stage in front of the entire coven. Were she destined for any other role in the coven, her turning would have been private, kept between her and her sire.

As the future queen, how she handled the threat of imminent death would reveal her strength to the coven. If her turning was successful, she would have already earned the respect of the people she was to lead.

If it weren’t, the coven would not mourn her death, and I would have to find a new queen. A stronger queen.

Unfortunately, with Mother’s illness, if Elizabeth’s transformation failed, we would have no time to find another queen, and Lisbeth would succeed her.

Lisbeth was not the worst choice for queen, but Mother feared that her willingness to take orders as the second-in-command showed weakness, and the burdens that fell to the queen were not easy to bear.

Should Lisbeth take the crown against Mother’s wishes, it would place the coven in jeopardy. Power corrupted the weak of heart swiftly. The power wielded by the rightful queen of the coven was a temptation few would be able to resist perverting.

I wondered if Elizabeth would be strong enough to resist. With her history, the degradation and poverty her family had lived in, and her desperate desire to escape, would the power she would suddenly wield overwhelm her?

I shivered involuntarily. Mother’s insanity was the result of millennia spent ruling. She may not have been able to function as the queen any longer, but she would never put the coven in danger.

Elizabeth’s insanity would be of a completely different ilk, and far more dangerous. If the power of the crown corrupted her, she would use the coven as a weapon, exposing us to the human world and risking our entire way of life.

The concerns faded from my mind as I watched Elizabeth tilt her head, exposing the tender flesh of her neck to Meredith. Her manners were impeccable, her strength and bravery in facing her fears admirable. I did not think that becoming queen would corrupt her, but first she had to survive the Turning.

Meredith approached her, transforming as she did into the ancient creature she truly was. I sensed Elizabeth’s minute flinch, but she quickly stilled, allowing the vampire to draw nearer.

Once more, I felt the momentary pang of regret that I would not be her sire, but I shrugged it off, and watched as Meredith, with the entire coven watching eagerly, walked behind Elizabeth’s chair before bending over her exposed throat.