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Her gaze held mine. “And what role do you see for me in this kingdom you’re building?”

Marisol’s eyes darted frantically between us, the only part of her that could react to our conversation. I ignored her, focusing entirely on Chanel.

“That depends on you.” I said with my voice dropping lower. “On what you want. On how much of this world you’re willing to embrace.”

“I’ve already embraced more than most humans ever would.” She reminded me. “I saw you rip someone’s throat out. I let you drink my blood and now my best friend is one of you guys.”

“Yes, you have.” My fingers traced the line of her jaw. “You’ve stood beside me through threats and violence. You’veaccepted vampires into your life. But ruling requires more than acceptance. It requires participation.”

I took her hand and guided her toward the control panel next to the cremation chamber. A single red button laid beneath a protective cover.

“This is the final step in Marisol’s story.” I explained. “One push, and the platform will move her into the fire chamber. The door will seal, and the fire will consume her. By dawn, there will be nothing left but ash.”

Chanel stared at the red button, then at Marisol, whose eyes had widened in renewed terror.

“You want me to kill Marisol? The bitch that beat the shit out of me. The bitch that probably told Lonzo I moved to Chicago so he could come here to kill me? The dusty ass cow that helped Lonzo kill Craig? And the raggedy ass hoe that helped the bitch that helped kill Morgan.”

“Well, yeah, that Marisol.”

“I want her dead.” She snarled.

“But you have to be the one that kills her.”

“Not a problem.” Chanel said as she peered down into Marisol’s terrified eyes.

“Spoken like a true Queen. Let’s make it official. Push the button and send this— what did you call her— raggedy ass hoe to hell?”

I took a step back, giving her space to consider what I’ve said. The basement fell silent except for the low hum of the ventilation system. In this moment, with death waiting at the push of a button, I laid bare the darkest truth of my ambition. And with it, the question of whether Chanel could truly stand beside me not just as a lover, but as the queen of the kingdom I planned to build.

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHANEL

Zand took my hand in his. The feeling of true love filled my body despite our location in the basement. The crematorium was creepy, but I couldn’t see how it could be labeled as anything else.

I looked into Zand’s honey-colored eyes. They reflected the harsh fluorescent lights and appeared to twinkle. His expression shifted into something more vulnerable than I’d ever seen in him. I loved this man too much. But at that moment, I didn’t want to stop it. I didn’t want to heed the warnings. I wanted to be with him, no matter what.

Glaring at Marisol, helpless on the slab, brought me peace. My hate for her was an understatement. I hated what I had to endure. Her brother tricked me. I didn’t want remnants of the Lopez family here in my new life.

Killing Marisol wouldn’t be this difficult thing, because she wasn’t even human anymore. I seriously doubted she was human to begin with. After staring that evil bitch down, I finally looked back at Zand’s flawless face. The man I loved was a killer,a monster by human standards. Yet he had also protected me, loved me, respected me in ways no human man ever had.

“I brought you here tonight for two reasons.” Zand said. His voice echoed eerily against the concrete walls, and I heard a little bit of Sesame Street, Count Dracula, in his tone. “To show you this side of my world, and to ask you a question I’ve been considering for longer than you might imagine.”

Marisol’s eyes enlarged further as she watched us. I wanted to draw her last moments out. I wanted to torture her the way she tortured me. All the sleep I lost, thinking she would come back and kill me after she left me, beat the hell up in the parking lot of my apartment. I really believed she would’ve killed me if Miss Hampton in apartment 1B didn’t show up and scare her off.

Zand released my hand to reach into his pocket. He removed a small, pretty red velvet box. I held my breath as he held the jewelry box between us, not yet opening it.

“I want you as my queen.” He told me.

His words hung heavy in the air. They were now accompanied by this gift. I couldn’t see what was in the box. My mind swirled with the possibilities. It could be, but I didn’t want to assume.

“Chanel, I want you. Not just as my wife or partner, but my true equal in this world I’m creating. Someone who knows about the good and the bad in me, who understands why it’s necessary. Someone who stands beside me through vampire blood and fire.”

I knew Zand sounded like some maniacal monster from a B vampire movie horror film. Since I’d never been in this situation, I didn’t know how to convey my feelings without sounding like Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood. or Bella Swan from Twilight.

My eyes remained fixed on the tiny red box while Zand slowly opened it. The reveal was epic. I was awestruck. There was a brilliant, sparkling ring inside the box.

“It’s a black diamond set in platinum, surrounded by smaller white diamonds.” He explained. “It’s unlike any traditional engagement ring, which seems fitting for what I’m proposing.”