Southern Reign

Chapter 6: Cree’s Blues

Bree

We finished shopping and headed back to the castle to prepare for the party. John— King John, held my hand the entire time. I couldn’t help but blush every time he looked at me. I decided to ride back in his Escalade with him and his guard, Romeo.

Sol and Cree said they would meet us back at the castle. We lingered in the parking lot for a minute.

“So, Yvonne is your aunt?” I nodded, chewing the inside of my cheek. King John had an amused look on his face.

“She’s my mom’s much older sister.” He chuckled.

“I was surprised when she said so. You do favor her a bit.” He said, examining my face. I gave him a small smile.

“Our genes are strong.” He grinned this time.

“Romeo, let’s head back. I wouldn’t want my Queen to be late to her own party.” Romeo pulled off, heading in the direction of the coven.

I blushed when I heard King John call me his Queen. My skin felt hot. When I looked over, he had a lustful look in his eyes. I caught my breath and gulped. Arousal took over. His eyes darkened. Romeo’s voice interrupted every thought I had.

“Cut it out, you two. I’m sitting right here.”

I looked up into the rearview mirror and he had a playful smile on his face, but was rolling his eyes.

“Sorry.” I said quietly. King John smiled next to me, still staring.

Romeo just laughed.

“So, Bree. How do you feel about being mated to this brute?” I looked over and caught King John’s scowl at his guard.

“It feels natural. It’s meant to be.” I continued to watch my mate as he turned to look at me. He leaned in to kiss me gently.

“Awwww!” Romeo was looking at us through the rearview mirror.

“Keep your eyes on the road!” I playfully shouted at him.

“I can multitask.” He smiled to himself as he returned his attention to driving. I scoffed. King John just shook his head.

We arrived at the castle in record time, thanks to Romeo flying down the road. When we parked, King John told me to wait in the car. I furrowed my brows, but did as he instructed. He came around to my door and opened it, extending his hand. I grabbed it and stepped out. His gesture made my heart flutter. Romeo grabbed my bags and started to carry them to the elevator.

“Um, actually, can I stop by my room?”

King John raised his eyebrows and nodded at Romeo.

“Where to?” Romeo asked as we joined him on the elevator.

“Third floor.”

***

I told King John I would meet him in his room in about 30 minutes. I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, but I would assume that I’d wake up next to my mate every morning from now on. I packed my toiletries, hair dryer, make-up, and some of my clothes to take back to his guest suite. I looked around my room to make sure I didn’t forget anything. There was a knock on my door.

I walked over to open it. My mom was standing there with the biggest smile on her face.

“Happy Birthday, my darling.” She handed me a small box wrapped in shiny sky blue paper. I playfully shook it and she chuckled.

“Yvonne tells me King John is your mate.”

I sighed. “News travels fast, huh?”

I stepped back to let her in.

“Honey, you don’t know yet how important this is. This could change things for the better.”

“Mom, what do you mean?”

She hesitated before responding, “There are things I’m not at liberty to speak about. Talk to Yvonne. When the time comes, you will be prepared.” She gave me a small smile and turned to leave.

As she opened the door, she turned to face me again.

“Just because you are a Queen now does not mean you’re off the hook for neglecting your responsibilities earlier.” She raised an eyebrow at me and left. I groaned.

She’s definitely putting me to work tomorrow.

Cree

I wasn’t jealous. No way. I was frustrated. All I’ve ever wanted was to find my mate. It seemed like the Wiccan Goddess hated me. First, my powers were faulty. I had always noticed that Bree was better at everything. Our parents spent more time helping her become one of the best witches to have lived in centuries. Even Aunt Yvonne had a special interest in her. It had been that way our whole lives. Maybe because she was the first born or because she was prettier; it didn’t matter. She was everyone’s favorite. Then there was that incident with the vampire a couple of years ago. I shuddered at the thought. Then, on top of everything else, I still haven’t found my mate!

That was all I ever talked about. Bree never really cared. She was so focused on witchcraft and contributing to the coven’s power that she paid the topic no mind. It’s not fair.

I sighed and undressed to take a quick shower. My thoughts were racing. I tried to push them all out, but it was no use. When I stepped out, I looked briefly in the mirror. There it was. Ugly and frightening. That scar. Before I knew it, tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to hold them in, but as they started to fall, I broke down completely. I slid back against the bathroom door until I was seated on the floor, balled up and a shuddering, inconsolable mess.

Even though I knew I was nowhere near ugly, the scar was the reminder that I was kidnapped, tortured, and almost killed by a vampire, which left me disfigured.

I don’t know how long I had been crying, but I heard a faint knock on my door. I stood, trying to recollect myself, throwing water on my face.

“Just a second!” I called out.

I quickly threw a tshirt dress over my naked body and went to answer the door.

“Cree!” It was my best friend, Dulce.

“Ay, mamacita! Have you been crying?” She looked very concerned and didn’t give me time to answer as she pushed her way into my room.

“What’s the matter?” She was moving quickly as she sat me down on my bed and made her way to my closet.

“Nothing.” I answered quietly. She stopped in front of me and stared.

“Cree, we have been best friends our whole lives! Don’t give me that. There is something wrong and we are going to talk about it.”

She plopped down on my bed beside me, waiting for me to speak.

There was no way out of this, so I sighed.

“I’m not pretty.”

Dulce threw her hands up.

“Miss mamas, you are absolutely beautiful! Stop lying to yourself. What happened was not your fault and it does not take away from your beauty. That scar is a symbol of your resilience. That twisted, creepy, cold, ugly, son of a b***h did not defeat you! Don’t give him anything.”

We had this talk at least twice a month. It was easy for her to say that. She wasn’t permanently disfigured by a vampire. Dulce was so pretty. She had smooth, peanut butter skin, long dark brown hair down her back, soft features, light brown eyes, and a slim figure; although she had hips for days. She came from a long line of brujas out of a territory in Mexico. They were very powerful. Rumor has it that her family was slaughtered by vampires, although she never talks about it. She arrived at our coven with her mother when she was a baby, a couple of weeks after I was born. We have been inseparable since our daycare days.

“Cree, you have no idea how beautiful you are inside and out. He couldn’t take that from you if he gave his best effort.” She smiled and I just nodded slowly.

“I hope my mate feels that way.”

Dulce grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes.

“If he can’t see that, he doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

In that moment, I was thankful for Dulce’s patience. I had been depressed for a while, so having her around helped more than anything.

“I guess I should get dressed.” She laughed and nodded.

“Uh, yeah! We’re going to be late. Your mom helped with the decorations. We just need to get your outfit on!”

She rummaged through the bags of new clothes I had bought, finally holding up the neon green dress I had bought for Bree to try and talk her into wearing it.

“Now, this is hot!” She smiled wide.

“Dulce, no.” I shook my head. She responded by wiggling her eyebrows.

“No, m’am!” I turned to run into my closet and the door suddenly closed. I turned to look at her and rolled my eyes.

“Ugh! Do not use your powers on me in my own room!” She only laughed and walked over to hand me the dress.

“Fine.” I sighed. I couldn’t be mad since I planned on doing the same to my stubborn sister.