The Red Queen Read online

  The red queen

  LAMENTS OF ANGELS & DARK CHEMISTRY

  BOOK3

  Meg Xuemei X

  Copyright © 2015 by Meg Xuemei X

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. Requests for permission should be sent to [email protected].

  First edition

  Silver Wheel Publishing

  Printed in the United States of America

  Cover design by Laura Gordon

  Acknowledgements

  “...not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” saith the Lord of Hosts.

  Thanks to Alexis Razevich, Richard Casey, Randal K Jackson, Dan McNeil, and Angel Chen for their friendship, critique, and chocolates. To John Briggings and Lucinda Leavens for editing The Red Queen and Mehgan Tea for proofreading it.

  I heartily thank all the readers for keeping reading Laments of Angels & Dark Chemistry series.

  Also by Meg Xuemei X

  THE SIREN

  LAMENTS OF ANGELS & DARK CHEMISTRY, # 1

  "A flawless blend of sci-fi, YA fantasy, supernatural events, romance, adventure, action, suspense and intrigue ... The Siren is a one of a kind young adult story and the start of a truly captivating series. I cannot wait to read book 2 and see where this awesome adventure takes us."

  - Readers' Favorite

  NEXUS TEAR

  LAMENTS OF ANGELS & DARK CHEMISTRY, # 2

  "If you are looking for a sci-fi adventure with cutting edge battles, sophisticated heroes and villains, lost ancient powers, and an impossible love interest that can only end in disaster, look no further."

  –YA Books Online

  LOVE’S PREY

  “I would recommend Love’s Prey to readers who enjoy stories of first love, romance in general, YA fiction, and romance set in other cultures.”

  — E. Lucas, Amazon top reviewer

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PART I

  Chapter 1. RED RAGE

  Chapter 2. BEATEN

  Chapter 3. DUEL

  Chapter 4. CONFESSION OF LOVE

  Chapter 5. PARTING

  Chapter 6. MAD DANCE

  PART II

  Chapter 7. CAPTURE

  Chapter 8. COLD BATH

  Chapter 9. BERLIN

  Chapter 10. BAYROSE

  Chapter 11. DESERT WRAITH

  Chapter 12. THE SHADOW

  Chapter 13. ATHENS

  Chapter 14. SNIPERS IN PLAKA

  Chapter 15. ASHBURN

  Chapter 16. RITUAL

  Chapter 17. THE SHIELD

  Chapter 18. SERAPHEN’S HEAD

  Chapter 19. JEKATERINA

  Chapter 20. THE THIRD SCROLL

  Chapter 21. POISON OF LOVE

  Chapter 22. BEACH AND BOYS

  Chapter 23. SISTER IN LOVE

  Chapter 24. HERITAGE

  Chapter 25. THE EYE OF TIME

  Chapter 26. GIRL SCORNED

  Chapter 27. SLEEPLESS NIGHT

  Chapter 28. A PIE

  Chapter 29. THE TALK

  Chapter 30. RIVER OF FIRE

  Chapter 31. ONE NATION

  PART III

  Chapter 32. CODE

  Chapter 33. DEVOURER

  Chapter 34. DOUBLE BETRAYAL

  Chapter 35. PHOENIX IN ASHES

  AUTHOR’S NOTES

  PART I

  CHAPTER 1

  RED RAGE

  Where am I?

  A sea of red. Was it fire or blood? Lucienne Lam couldn’t tell. Fog filled her mind, clouding her judgment. She twirled around in difficulty and found herself trapped underwater.

  She felt heat. It was fire. It licked the surface of the ocean. She’d drown if she didn’t go up, but who would take a chance with the endless fire? Her burning, bursting lungs answered the question. Kicking her legs, Lucienne swam up, looking for gaps in the inferno.

  Every stroke was an ordeal. Something was wrong with her body—she was combusting inside.

  Forbidden Glory, she summoned.

  The power from her Siren’s mark responded like a trail of static.

  The venom. Blood Tear had infected aether, one of the five elements of Forbidden Glory. That was what had brought the sense of wrongness. She was on her own, forced to keep moving up. The sound of water pounded harshly in her eardrums, and yet, amid the rushing water, she heard voices. Distant voices, but distinct nonetheless.

  “Are we just going to sit around, watching her like this?” She made out Kian’s voice, and it was laced with fear, despair, and anger.

  Her people were around her somewhere. Relief washed over her. But where were they?

  “We thinned her blood,” said Dr. Wren, her family doctor. “We’ve tried everything possible, but everything we’ve done has only worsened her condition.”

  “We need to figure out the hidden code in her genome.” That sounded like Dr. Christophersen, the Norwegian geneticist.

  “Your team will work around the clock until you find the cure,” Kian said. “From now on, the lab is where you eat, poop, and sleep.”

  Lucienne wanted to tell Kian that that was an unreasonable demand, but first she had to reach him. “Kian,” she called, “put out the fire!”

  He was still barking orders at the doctors and scientists. For a split second she was upset that he ignored her, but then she realized he couldn’t hear her. She was this distant, floating body that couldn’t talk underwater. With one strenuous stroke, she approached the surface, but immediately fell back as the flames bore down on her.

  A wall of fire sealed every inch of the sea. The temperature was too high for her to break through. She had one choice—drown or be torched.

  She bit her lip. No, this couldn’t be her end. She’d survived Blood Tear’s poison. She’d passed the trial of fire at the age of eight when she became Siren. Fire was part of her. It was her lifeline.

  She would live through this.

  Quenching her fear, she summoned Forbidden Glory again. Fire is your element. Take me through this fire.

  Her power whimpered.

  If I die, she said, you’ll be trapped in ash and bone.

  This time, Forbidden Glory responded like a raindrop.

  At least that’s an improvement. She could only hope her power still had a spark left—a spark that would shield her flesh from the earthly fire.

  She went up again. Despite the unbearable heat, she pushed on, at least until she touched the flame. Only the fear of drowning kept her from screaming in agony.

  Her hair singed. Her skin peeled from her face.

  Lucienne plummeted. Drowning would be easier.

  Water poured into her lungs. They burned too.

  “What is happening to her? She’s choking!” Kian shouted in raw fear. “Lucia, wake up! Wake up, kid! Please.”

  So this was a dream? A nightmare? That could be good news. All she needed to do was wake up, and the flood and fire would leave her alone. She blinked hard, once, twice, three times. She still couldn’t breathe. She pinched herself. She bit down on her tongue and tasted blood. Nothing worked. No, this wasn’t a dream. She couldn’t wake herself. The burning was real.

  “Bring her back!” Kian yelled in fury.

  Just put out the fire and I’ll get through! she shouted at her audience, but it was as if they were on the other side of a soundproof door unaware of her cries.

  What kind of hell was she in this time?

  Drowning and burning.

  “She isn’t waking!” Dr. Wren’s panicked voice passed by her ear in the rushing water. “Her heartbeat is weakening.”

  “
Should we use the defibrillator?” Christophersen asked.

  “This isn’t a guessing game!” Kian grated. “A wrong move will kill her. You kill her, and I’ll skin you.”

  Cold metal hit Lucienne’s chest. The doctors tried to jumpstart her heart. Forceful electricity shocked through her. You’re electrocuting me! she roared to no effect.

  Lucienne went limp and plummeted, face up.

  Someone charged into the room and cussed profusely. Was it Ash? He never swore, yet the harsh voice was his.

  Where was Vladimir? Why didn’t she hear him? Had Kian and the men taken him out while she was incapacitated and unable to protect him? Fear pumped vigor into her. She surged up again toward the surface fire and instantly dropped back with another shriek.

  “You never should have sedated her!” Ash said.

  “She had an episode,” Wren said with a pang of regret. “She turned violent. We couldn’t let her hurt herself or the others.”

  “I don’t care if she hurts a hundred of them. You never, ever put her under again,” Ashburn said in a stormy voice. “She’s struggling to come back but can’t make it. The drug neutralized her power. Next time, just get me!”

  “Never sedate her again!” Kian yelled through his clenched teeth.

  Lucienne could imagine the doctors cringing under Kian’s menace. Then she stopped falling toward the abyss of the ocean. An unseen force held her waist.

  “Lucia, fight.” Ashburn wasn’t present, but his voice whispered in her ear, “Take my strength.”

  The water around her pulsed. She tried to raise her hand, but the electrified water passed through her fingers.

  “It’s not working!” Christophersen said. “We must try something more scientific than—”

  “Come back to me, Lucienne Lam!” Ashburn called. “Do not abandon me again!”

  She abandoned him? When?

  Warm, soft lips found hers, slating over her open mouth. Ashburn was not just giving her air—he was branding her as his. He was kissing her from the other side. Normally she’d fight back; resist any man’s attempt to brand her, but in this world, trapped underwater, forever drowning, Lucienne hadn’t much choice. She blinked under the water, then kissed him back. She was surprised that she had the strength to reciprocate.

  Something shimmered in the water. The Lure. It whisked around her with a song. The ancient siren’s song. She felt her heartbeat at the connection.

  You found me, Ash, she whispered.

  I’ll always find you, love. His kiss deepened, and air streamed into her lungs.

  Forbidden Glory switched on. Its angel’s fire erupted from Lucienne and swept away the earthly fire that dominated the surface of the ocean.

  Lucienne gasped, and her eyes flashed open.

  She was in bed in her room in Sphinxes.

  A hand, masculine and beautiful, lay on her chest, its heel against her cleavage. While scorching pain cleaving to her, pleasure sprouted from the touch point and spread outward, downward. The Lure had followed her back from the other side.

  The Lure originated from TimeDust, an ancient power inside Ashburn. It forced a supernatural attraction between her and Ash. Whenever they resisted its pull, it was like being hit by a runaway train.

  “Ash, thank you,” Lucienne whispered. Her mind had cleared of the fog, though her head still throbbed.

  Ashburn pulled her into an embrace, his face buried against her shoulder blade. “Lucia.” He was trembling. “I thought I’d lost you again.”

  She stroked his silver hair to comfort him and show her gratitude, but then her hand halted. Where was Vladimir? A quick scan of the room showed he wasn’t here. Over Ashburn’s shoulder stood Kian and Dr. Wren; behind them were Christophersen and her tearful nanny, Aida. All hovered over her as worried as Ashburn that she’d been lost forever.

  The guards blocked the door, their expressions grim. Oliver had red scratches across his boyish face. The young guard joined Sphinxes’ team a year ago. His uncle, Orlando Sutherland, had been one of Lucienne's most trusted guards. The man sacrificed himself to save her from the fatal blow of Seraphen, an unidentified species, a year ago. Had she hurt Orlando’s only family? Dr. Wren had said she had become violent. Her face paled. No, it couldn’t be. She would never hurt her own people, but guilt fell in her stomach like iron, followed by shame and anxiety. She turned to lock her gaze on Kian, in desperate need of assurance and consolation, but all she saw in his sapphire eyes was a churning sea of uncertainty and agony.

  Kian collected himself and warmth returned to his eyes, easing his edge. “How are you feeling, kid?”

  “My head hurts like a bad hangover,” she groaned, still sagging against Ashburn.

  “I'm glad you haven't reached the legal age for drinking,” said Kian.

  She might never reach that age. When she was named Siren, her family had attempted to make sure she’d never reach adulthood. Ten years later, her ancient enemy, the Sealers, had finally succeeded in poisoning her with Blood Tear.

  “We have aspirin,” Christophersen offered.

  “I said all drugs are banned!” Kian said, unnecessarily harsh on the geneticist. “And Lucia won’t be taking any painkillers either.”

  Lucienne desperately wanted an aspirin to reduce her horrible headache, but painkillers weren’t for Sirens. Her race regenerated faster than ordinary humans, but narcotics prolonged their recovery time. The Sirens had to experience pain—part of the curse for her bloodline.

  She didn’t want to complain anymore how wrecked she felt, so she smiled at Kian, then at the others. “Why do you all look like you’re at my funeral?” she said, trying to lighten the mood in the room.

  Their faces only paled.

  “Look, I’m okay,” she groaned.

  Then she saw shards of a broken Qing dynasty vase on the floor, one of her favorite antiques. Aida and the guards hadn't had the time or mood to clean up the evidence of her outburst. She shot a glance at Oliver again. He looked back at her. There wasn’t the slightest accusation in his eyes—just sadness and regret.

  She’d lapsed again, and it was worse this time. She’d hurt one of the guards. In dread, she looked down at her red gown.

  Ever since the ancient poison had entered her blood, she started to wear only two colors. When she sank into insanity, she craved red. When she was herself again, she dressed in white, fully repulsed by the mere sight of red.

  Aether’s color was pure and white before the poison had polluted it. Red symbolized sin and revenge, brought by Blood Tear. And now all she wanted was to tear the crimson gown from her.

  “I need a moment alone,” Lucienne said.

  Everyone except Aida filed out of the room in grave silence. Lucienne shrugged off the red gown and tossed it to the floor. The nanny selected a white, flowery dress from a closet and helped Lucienne put it on, then quickly removed the gown from her sight.

  Aida brought Lucienne a glass of white grape juice. Lucienne drained it and put the glass on the desk. “Aida, I've become such a burden to you.”

  “You're never a burden, my sweet girl.” The nanny perched on the edge of the bed and wiped beads of sweat off her charge’s forehead. “You're more than a daughter to me.”

  Lucienne rested her head against Aida's shoulder and let her nanny hold her. “Raising me wasn’t an easy task. The only reason I do not become a monster is because of you and Kian.” Then she was stuck in a thought. Would the poison turn her into that monster?

  “I wish I could take your poison into me,” Aida said.

  “I forbid you to say that or pray to your gods for that,” Lucienne said, then sat upright. As soon as she stood up, she dropped back on the bed as smoothly as she could manage. The throbbing in her head exploded at her sudden movement.

  “Where’s Vlad?” she asked casually to conceal her anxiety.

  She’d kept him near to protect him from her men’s wrath.

  Vladimir and Ashburn had moved into her mansion, after she’d
returned from the war, despite her protests that she didn’t need babysitters.

  Kian also placed a team of round-the-clock guards in adjoining guestrooms. He checked on her every morning before hurrying off to his chief’s duties. Dr. Wren often accompanied him. Nothing Lucienne did could drive these men away. Ashburn hovered around her whenever Vladimir showed up. Kian, who no longer trusted the Czech prince, backed up Ashburn’s every move. The two didn’t want her and Vladimir to be alone. Not for a second.

  Ziyi Wen, a leading force on her tech team, had also tried to move in with her. No matter how much Lucienne loved that girl, she knew Ziyi would be a pest if she let her friend reside in her house.

  “Why don’t you have everyone move in, and then I move out?” she had once asked Kian.

  He’d ignored her sarcasm.

  “Aida, where’s Vlad?” Lucienne asked again.

  “That scoundrel went to shower,” said Aida, “so he can smell like prince charming when he comes back.”

  “Aida, you’ve been mean to him. It’s not his fault.”

  “Even that devil didn't deny it, and he usually denies every wrongdoing,” Aida snorted. “You’re the only one who still defends him. I'd toss him to a pack of wolves, if I could!”

  “Aida, please,” Lucienne said. “Vlad has given me everything he has.”

  The nanny murmured something inaudible. Lucienne sighed. Not just Aida, the men all blamed Vladimir for her being poisoned, and he wasn’t helping himself. He hadn’t acted like a sorry dog with his tail between his legs. On the contrary, he became more provocative, as if he welcomed the men’s antagonism. He was only sunshine when he was with her.

  A thought hit Lucienne. Vladimir went to great lengths to make everyone hate him because he hated himself even more. She must set him straight and stop his self-destructive behavior.

  A knock rapped on the door, and Aida went to open it.