7__Battling a Banshee

7

There were times in life when you faced a certain situation and no matter how hard you tried to process it, all you could think was, “You’re shitting me.”

“It’s true. Viktor has a split personality,” Damon said quietly. “Viktor and I… we only came back to Onyx a year ago, when his father, the previous King was mysteriously murdered and Viktor was forced to take over. Most of our lives, believe it or not, we lived amongst humans in England. Something happened… when he was young. Something that did this to Viktor.”

Kamilla blinked at Charming in a daze. “You have got to be shitting me.”

Charming’s smile died away slowly. Kamilla watched as his cheerful blue eyes shaded over with something that looked like sadness.
She didn’t have time to study it because just as he took his arm off her shoulder, Kamilla heard it.

A banshee.

“Viktor?!” came the screech.

Kamilla gripped herself in fear. “What the hell is that?”

Damon was staring at the door in irritation. “Shit. I need to get Charming out of her before she sees him.”
Kamilla watched in shock as Damon hurried over to Charming. “Keep her occupied!” he called just as they disappeared.
Kamilla squeaked. “What?! Don’t leave me here! Oh, my God.”

Her eyes ran over the interior of the room looking for a way to escape, but she hadn’t taken a single step when the double doors were thrown open.

“Vikt—” The woman stopped halfway when her eyes landed on Kamilla standing awkwardly in the middle of Viktor’s personal chambers.
Kamilla stared, her mouth falling open. Dark purple hair swaying down her back, dark green eyes and skin as pale as alabaster, the woman was damn beautiful.
Until she snarled.
Kamilla flinched when in a second the classically beautiful face was transformed into a gruesome sneer any werewolf would be proud of.

“You!” She pointed a finger at Kamilla, stalking toward her with determined steps. “Who are you?! And what are you doing in Viktor’s chambers?”

Kamilla opened her mouth to respond, but the woman raised a hand. “Enough!”

Kamilla blinked. Enough what? She hadn’t said a damn word. Would all the female Vampires be like this? The very thought made Kamilla want to climb into her grave.

She made a distasteful face when the woman began prowling about the room like she owned it.

Kamilla suddenly realized something. Wait a damn minute. Wasn’t Kamilla the so-called Queen here?
Weren’t all these Vampires then her peasants?
She frowned and crossed her arms, deep in thought. As long as she was here, she should probably use her new power as best she could, right? That included not getting disrespected by random vampires who didn’t even know her.

“Where’s Viktor?” demanded the woman when she’d searched the room to her satisfaction.

Kamilla did her best to hold her head up high. She was still garbed in the beautiful ball outfit, but after being carried upside down on Viktor’s shoulder and crawling about in the dark garden, not to mention her bleeding hands, she didn’t look as perfect as she had at the beginning of the night.

“Viktor is occupied,” she informed the female in a bold, no-nonsense tone. “What do you want with him?”
One seductively arched brow lifted and the woman stepped forward. “First night back in Onyx and this is what I deal with?” she muttered, eyeing Kamilla from head to toe.
Kamilla felt the fury already begin to simmer in her veins, very soon it would be boiling. It seemed nobody had warned this lady vamp of her temper.
Kamilla smirked sarcastically to herself. She would have to introduce herself then, wouldn’t she?
“I suggest you hold back your crude remarks, lady,” said Kamilla. “I don’t know you and neither, it appears, do you know me.”

The woman’s face showed uncertainty for a second before she shrewdly masked it. “And who might you be? A mistress?” She laughed, her dark-colored lips parting to reveal glossy white teeth. “I do pity you, dear, but I advise you to disappear before you’re further heartbroken. Viktor already has a betrothed. Me, Sasha.”

Kamilla nearly blinked, her lips itching to curve into a mocking smile. With effort, she managed to keep on her poker face. It appeared she had unexpected competition.

“Is that so?” she asked. The woman crossed her arms. Kamilla slowly stepped toward her, keeping their gazes locked. “I didn’t see you at the ceremony tonight.”

“What ceremony? What are you talking about?”

Kamilla let a teasing smile curve her lips. “Oh, the ceremony to welcome the King’s betrothed. You know, the one with whom his soul is intertwined, whose presence he feels before he even sees her. The one who he just cannot bear to live without. His actual betrothed. Me.”

She’d made up seventy percent of what she said, but Kamilla didn’t care. It was worth it to see the mask of composure crumble off the woman’s face.
She started to smile in satisfaction but stopped.

Wait a minute.
Kamilla took a mental step back. What the hell was she doing? Had she just laid claim on Viktor? Why?! He was scary and arrogant and had threatened to hang her from Witcher’s. Had Kamilla gone bonkers?
She shook herself out of it and gave the woman a little smile. “Actually, haha, good news. You can go ahead and have Viktor if you want him because I’m not staying that long anyway and good luck in the married life with that sadistic, son of a—”

“What’s going on here? Sasha?”

Kamilla turned to the door and gasped. Charming! Or wait… was it Viktor?

“Viktor!” screeched the banshee beside Kamilla. Checking to see if her eardrums hadn’t burst, Kamilla watched as the female vamp gave her a glare and then pranced off to throw herself into Viktor’s arms.
He stood very still, not even hugging her back. His eyes were emotionless, glaring at Kamilla over the female’s red her.
Kamilla sighed. Yup, this was Viktor. Oh, who would have thought she’d miss Charming?

Kamilla watched the woman snuggle against Viktor. She huffed, crossing her arms and clenching her teeth when an inexplicable urge to rip the woman off his body overcame her.
“I missed you!” cooed the woman.

Kamilla swallowed. Her fingers curved into fists as she fought against the sudden need to claim him. To show everyone that he was hers!
It was strange and unexplainable, but she felt it anyway.

Kamilla’s feet were moving before she could stop them.
Her brain screamed at them to stop, but they marched until they reached the doorway after which her hands, clearly in cahoots with her feet to sabotage her, reached forward and snatched the woman off of Viktor.

With a growl Kamilla had never heard herself make before, she flung her arm backward and was first delighted and then shocked and then horrified to see the women get thrown right across the room, her body slamming right into the wall.