mother leave, I take a seat at my desk, and that’s where my chief secretary finds me.
“Your Majesty.” Stewart greets me with an affectionate smile and a small bow of his thin frame. Always impeccably dressed, he’s particularly dapper today in a navy ascot, crisp white shirt and tweed suit.
“Hey, Stew.” I’ve given up on asking him not to be so formal. He won’t have it. “There’s a protocol,” he’d say.
“You have a number of things to review and sign today.” Stewart approaches my desk, carrying a stack of paperwork and a tablet.
“What else is new?” I grumble. Being a queen and running an empire requires a lot more paperwork than you might think. And Ash likes to keep me buried in it where the only danger I face is boredom and papercuts.
“Would you like to start with the death warrants?” Stewart asks.
“Absolutely,” I answer promptly, perking up. There is one in particular I’m dying to sign.
Stewart places a stack of paper documents on my desk in front of me. Each displays a bright-red seal in the bottom-right corner. We use digital documents for most business and save paper for special circumstances, like death warrants and marriage contracts.
I pick up the death warrant on the top of the stack and read the neatly typed name on the first line.
Franco Rossi.
This day has been coming for a long time.
Franco Rossi ordered his son, my ex-fiancé, Nicky, to kidnap me and kill Ash. In the end, it was Ash who killed Nicky—bit off his head and incinerated him.
I’m going to finish the job and kill Franco.
Seizing my iron dagger from its place on my desk, I slice a small wound in my left wrist. The dagger is the same one my ancestor once used to kill her unfaithful lover. It’s also the one my mother bespelled with her power when she died and the one I used to kill my father. If this dagger could talk.
When my blood wells up, I tip my wrist over an old-fashioned inkwell and let the blood flow freely into it. After dipping my quill into the inkwell, I sign my name in blood, the feathered end of the quill dancing.
Queen Seraphina of Avalon.
My blood contains the magic of all the enchantresses in my line, passed from mother to firstborn daughter. With my power infused into the warrant, the Gorm can hunt Franco down across the planes and kill him on my behalf. As a ruler and member of the Council of Seven, I have sovereign immunity and can kill at will. I don’t use my credentials lightly—except maybe to get out of parking tickets occasionally.
Stewart gives me the rundown on each of the men named on the other death warrants—child molesters, rapists and wife abusers—monsters of the worst kind. I sign the warrants. Good fucking riddance.
“Next, I’d like to see the invitations we’ve received from other rulers.” I hand the signed death warrants back to Stewart. “There’s one I’m going to accept.”
He hesitates for a millisecond.
“Is there a problem, Stew?”
“None at all, my queen.” Stewart adjusts the perfectly tied ascot at his throat. “But may I ask, what shall I tell the king should he inquire about your travel plans?”
“Leave the king to me, Stew. I’ll take care of him.” Over the last six months, Ash has made his position on my traveling to foreign courts abundantly clear. He doesn’t like it. But I need to sit down face-to-face with other rulers and re-cement alliances my mother established and create new ones. Silas showing up in my territory and threatening me proves that point. If I appear weak on any level, every lone wolf around will try to make a play for me. I have to travel. Ash is going to have to get on board.
But he may need a little push in the right direction.
Stewart places a tablet on my desk, and I flip through the invitations displayed on it until I find the one I’m looking for. I click on the invitation and read it to myself. With a satisfied smile, I hand the tablet across my desk to Stewart. “Accept this one, please.”
“As you wish, my queen,” Stewart says with a deferential tilt of his head before leaving my office at a brisk pace, as if trying to outrun a storm he sees coming.
Once my business with Stewart is concluded, I take a number of video calls with my Earthside leaders and then head out to tackle the next item on my agenda.
Sofie’s office door is open, and I give it a tap before walking in.
She gives me a wide smile and comes around her desk to hug me. “I didn’t realize you were back on Avalon. When did you get home from North Carolina?”
“This morning.” I give her a squeeze back. “I had some paperwork and other stuff to take care of.”
“What other stuff?” Sofie stands back but keeps her hands on my shoulders.
“Medical stuff. I’m actually here to see you in an official capacity, as my doctor.” Sofie is my BFF, mother figure and doctor all rolled up into one gorgeous blond siren.
“What’s going on?” Sofie releases me and indicates I should take a seat before perching on the edge of her desk.
“I would like the chip removed.” My mother and I both had microchips implanted in our shoulders after the first assassination attempt on her life. Recently, I had an upgraded chip installed that not only monitors my vital signs, but hormone levels, too. It’s also a tracking device that lets the Gorm know where I am every fifteen minutes.
“What does Ash think about that? Have you discussed this with him? I’m only asking because he’s been making your security decisions since you two got married.” Sofie’s efficient doctor persona is firmly in place.
“I haven’t yet, but I will.” I take a deep breath and fold my hands in my lap. “Having a chip didn’t save my mother, Sofie. And it didn’t save me, either. It’s invasive, and I don’t want to be tracked and monitored any longer.”
“Your mother’s chip was the older style and only sent data once per hour. Perhaps, if she’d had a new one, her doctors might have realized she was in distress sooner and might have been able to save her life.”
“That’s a lot of might haves. And even if it’s true, it doesn’t change my decision. I want the chip removed.”
“Consider giving it a little more—” Sofie starts.
“I’ve done nothing but think about it. Every day I’m waiting for you to text me that I’m about to ovulate and can have sex with Ash. And then, I’m waiting for you to tell me I’m pregnant. On top of that, I take a pregnancy test every other day, hoping one will come back positive. It’s too much. I need a break from thinking about the fact that I haven’t been able to get pregnant, even though I’m banging the sexiest and most virile guy in the universe.” In a year of trying, Ash and I have had no success in the baby-making department, and Avalon needs an heir.
“I didn’t realize the hormone monitoring was putting that kind of pressure on you. I thought it would be helpful. As an enchantress, you were born with so few eggs. I just wanted you to have the best chance.”
“I know you only have my best interests at heart, Sofie. It’s no one’s fault that I’m not pregnant.” I look down at my hands, my fingers woven together. “No one’s but mine.” I look back to my best friend. “The only time Ash and I have sex now is when I’m ovulating. No other time. Our sex life has become completely scheduled. I’m tired of having to make dick appointments with my own husband.”
“Is Ash unhappy about the lack of spontaneity?” Sofie asks, not unsympathetically.
“I’m the one who’s unhappy. He’s being a good sport, but we’re still in the honeymoon stage. We want to be together. I want his baby batter even when I’m not ovulating.” I sigh. “But that’s not the only issue. I know everyone wants to keep me safe, but I don’t want to be tracked any longer. I feel like a prisoner. And now that I have the queen’s power, it’s really unnecessary.”
“I hear you. Can we find a compromise? How about we turn off the hormone monitoring. Take it off the table for a while to give you a break. And we can turn off the physical tracking capabilities for now. But we leave the chip where it is and just use the vital signs monitoring. You’re still the queen, Nina, and some level of health check needs to be carried out.”
Reaching across the desk, I take Sofie’s hand. “I can live with that. Thank you for understanding. I want to fulfill my obligations to the realm, but I also want a life.”
