I sighed and looked over the balcony at the growing hoard of vampires. Each slowly were dispersing and getting ready for the ceremony.
“Are you ready?” Luther asked me, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“I think so,” I replied, staring out of the window. I could see the stars breaking out of the looming clouds. The air of anticipation was almost electric, though the tension added to it.
I closed my eyes, trying to keep the doubt from consuming me. I was about to become queen. I needed to show strength, and be prepared for whatever was to come.
**
The hushed crowd swarmed the grounds, and all eyes were on us. The silence was deafening, but I held my nerve.
“I present you, your new queen. Queen Ava!”
“Long live the queen!” the crowd chanted. Their cries rose up, bathing in the lig
