YOU WERE MINE FIRST

Sister Bite

CHAPTER 14: Sister Bite

I didn't sleep after mother screamed. Rhazien carried me back after I burned ledger page. My feet left glowing prints on stairs. Guards whispered "My Queen" at white dress.

I shook. Not cold. Hollow where iron used to be.

Lyra was quiet first time since waking. Then whispered, _When iron broke fully, cage around White Temple broke too. Wards I put to sleep wake. If they wake, she wakes._

She. Elisande. Vampire Queen in crystal coffin who said _Sister_ night I marked Rhazien.

I buried face in his chest. He stroked white ears flat against skull, claws retracted, purred rare King purr only Queens hear.

"Both my Queens sleep. I guard. No witches, no sisters will come through broken doors."

Wind changed. Not outside wind. Inside wind. Cold from nowhere, smelling old blood and crystal and roses left three hundred years.

Bond went ice cold. Rhazien went rigid, eyes snapping open, black rings flaring, claws out tearing furs.

"Elisande," he snarled, terrible King voice.

Lyra stood inside, back arching, light flaring. _Bloodsucker found dream path. Temple wards wake and dream path opens._

Cold wind swirled middle of bedroom, gathered, formed female, tall as Rhazien, made of crystal dust and old blood. White dress crystal shards floating, feet not touching floor. Hair black to knees. Skin dead white, veins black. Lips red like fresh blood. Eyes fully red, glowing.

On her throat, same place my mark pulsed, was old white scar shaped like delicate fangs. My fangs. From three hundred years ago.

Elisande smiled at me in his lap, in his mother's white dress.

"Sister," she said, voice crystal chimes and blood dripping, rattling windows. "You live. I felt cage break when you judged mother for small payment. I woke fully. Walked dream path that opens when Temple wards wake. Found you in beast's bed, marked by beast, glowing like little moon."

Rhazien locked arms like steel, crushing me, fur rippling over shoulders, fangs dropping, blood hissing on white dress.

"Get out of my castle. Get out of mate's dreams. You lost permission when you burned Temple."

Elisande didn't look at him. Red eyes on me, soft. "You kept my bite on King's throat, same bite you gave me when we were girls and loved and called sister and drank from Temple font together. Remember, Lyra? Or did iron make forget?"

Lyra snarled through my mouth, layered voice echoing stone, _I never loved you. You were human girl begging healing for brother. White Queens healed him. You stayed. Drank from font when I told not to because font for Queens only and human blood turns to poison needing other blood. You lived. Brother died because you stole water for yourself. You called sister while you let vampires in kitchen door night Temple burned because you wanted live forever._

Elisande's smile softened sadder. "Oh Lyra, you remember cold. Not like girl who braided my hair and said black hair pretty like night sky. You cursed me sleep three hundred years because I wanted be like you. You said sleep, sister, till White Temple opens again. I slept. Temple open again. In her. In little Elara caged for few crowns."

I shook, dress rustling, because part of me, Elara betrayed by Tanya and mother, felt pull of red eyes saying sister.

Rhazien felt through bond, crushing tighter, forehead to ear, "Don't listen, little debt. Vampires lie same mouth they drink blood. She wants power. White queen blood worth more than coven to vampires because it makes Lycan Kings immortal and vampire queens mortal again. She wants blood, not sister."

Elisande looked at him, smile showing needle fangs. "Beast King, little Rhazien who hid under mother's fur cloak while father ended. You claimed debt. Marked her and think yours. White queens cannot be owned. She is Temple. I am Goddess's daughter too, because I drank from font you were too afraid at fourteen."

He roared, full King roar shaking walls, blowing fire, shattering glass. White light in my eyes exploded answering, colliding mid room where she floated, crystal shards spinning.

She didn't flinch. Looked back at me, softest voice like mother.

"Elara, little sister. You think you are Luna because beast claimed you. You think small payment worst pain. You don't know witches come moonrise to put iron back and trade you to me anyway because I paid them three hundred years ago. You don't know Alphas knelt yesterday return tomorrow with silver to cut white out because they fear Queens. You don't know mark on throat will hurt when first heat comes in three days because King venom too strong for human girl caged eighteen years and body can't hold heat."

Hand hovered over white hair, ears flicking despite fear.

"Come with me, sister. Come to Sanguine Court. Crystal coffin big enough for two. I teach white flowers bloom without burning. Teach drink blood without harming. Teach be Queen without King guarding sleep. When witches come, I handle. When Alphas come, I hang them. You safe. Not debt. Not Luna. Not wife. Sister."

Safe hit hollow where iron was.

_We safe,_ Lyra snarled, shaking too, remembering girl who braided hair. _Safe with King who purrs. Guards broken doors with dresser. Bloodsucker lies._

Rhazien cupped face, forcing glowing eyes from red to gold-white black with fear and love.

"Elara, my Queen, my little debt, my Luna, my wife. Look only me. You safe here. I claimed debt, right to guard sleep. Don't go with dead sister who calls sister to make forget I call wife."

Wife made tail thump yesterday.

Sister vs wife.

I stared at scarred face inches, tears falling gold-white mixing silver-white, huge hand shaking.

And chose.

Lifted small white-clawed hand, touched his throat, silver-white mark I gave him, pushed soul into it, like night I marked him.

_Mine,_ whispered through bond, gold-white light pouring to his, silver-white his to mine, lighting bedroom so bright crystal dress couldn't reflect.

_Mine._

His eyes rolled back, broken growl, purr exploding shaking bed, castle, crushing me, breathing hard like marked again.

Elisande's smile faded. Eyes flat. Dead. No sadness. Just old hunger.

"So, you choose beast. Like Lyra chose beast three hundred years ago when let wolves guard Temple. Always beasts. Always dogs."

Floated back, shards chiming angry.

"Remember, little sister, when witches come moonrise and you scream and King can't stop because wards remember invitation from father, remember I offered safe. When first heat comes in three days and King's venom tries burn you alive because girl caged eighteen years can't hold heat and you bleed white fire, remember I offered teach drink blood. When Alphas return with silver chains, remember I offered handle."

Smile returned sharp, fangs fully.

"When you change mind, because all White Queens change mind when realize being Queen means alone except beasts, cut white hand, bleed onto snow midnight, say Elisande, Elisande, Elisande, and I come on dream path even if beast blocks doors, even if he purrs mountain shakes. Blood calls blood. Font calls font. Sister calls sister."

Wind swirled, pulling shape apart. Before gone, red eyes locked mine, whispered soft only I and Lyra heard,

"You have my bite on his throat, Lyra. But you have my bite on soul too. Check pup's back. Left shoulder blade. Birthmark looks like fang. Not birthmark. Where I bit you three days old, night witches put iron, I tried save by giving font blood through bite, but iron trapped it. Iron broke today. Mark wakes now. You will dream of me, sister, whether want or not."

Wind snapped. Gone. Fire roared back normal. Cold gone, replaced by his heat, steam rising, arms steel, shaking.

"Elara," he breathed, broken, terrified, forehead to mine, checking still me, still his. "What whisper you think I didn't hear?"

Couldn't answer, because cold place where iron was burned now, left shoulder blade, birthmark I always had, two dots like fangs, mother said dirt never washed, Tanya laughed vampire bit defect.

Burned white-hot.

Lyra gasped, first time afraid. _She tells truth. She bit us night witches caged us. I let her. Thought font blood keep alive through iron. Forgot. Iron made sleep. Forgot sister._

Arched in arms, claws digging shoulders drawing dark blood, eyes flaring, birthmark burning gold-white then red, light pouring tiny but visible through white dress, like second mark waking.

Rhazien saw light, eyes widening, huge hand ripping white dress down left shoulder exposing bare skin, and there where birthmark was, now raised mark glowing faint, two fangs delicate white rimmed red, pulsing with heart, with his, with something far south where crystal coffin empty and Vampire Queen sat on bone throne smiling red eyes wet because sister remembered.

"No," he whispered, raw, broken, hand hovering, shaking. "No, my Queen, what did bloodsucker do to wife when pup-"

Below, Cain howled, furious terrified, because wards screamed, dream path closed but left crack, because ward witch in dungeon woke laughing torn mouth, "She comes moonrise, King. Not witch. Sister. And she has permission now. Because Queen bled. Because mark woke."

Far south, Elisande sat on throne skulls of Alphas who refused kneel three hundred years ago, crystal dress chiming, feet not touching floor, red eyes fixed north, where white light pulsed and second mark woke, whispered soft pleased hungry, "Welcome back, sister."

Screamed as mark burned hotter, white fire and red blood mixing, Rhazien roared and bit down on throat over gold-white mark, pushing more venom, more soul, more King blood, trying overwrite vampire bite, and gold-white and silver-white and red-white exploded from three marks, mine on him, his on me, hers on me, tangling, fighting, claiming, whole Black Mountain lit second time in three days, seen fifty miles away where Mara knelt scrubbing pots with handprint, where Alphas who knelt looked up whispering "White Queen burns," where Hecate touched handprint on cheek and smiled black teeth, "Good. Let sisters fight. We take what's left."

And I, Elara Finch, eighteen, kitchen girl, wolfless defect, White Queen, Luna, debt claimed, marked by Beast King, marked by Vampire Queen, burned between two Queens calling me sister and wife and mine, fell back into arms, glowing white gold red, whispered voice layered mine and Lyra's and faint third crystal chimes blood dripping that made gold-white eyes go black terror,

"She says I have to choose."

Rhazien crushed chest, shuddering, purr broken, whispering over and over, "You don't. You don't have to choose. You are mine. My Queen. My Luna. My debt. My wife. You are mine."

But left shoulder burned red-white, sister's bite waking, and in dream path now open crack, red eyes watched, patient, because vampires sleeping three hundred years know how wait for sisters come home.

White Temple open again. And both daughters awake.