Awake by Riana Lucas Page A

thankful he was present to help me. Once he finished checking me out, he made eye contact with me. It was then I understood that he was not around to help me at all. The air of hatred coming from him took my breath away. He looked like a completely different fae. Frantically, I tried to look around, hoping for some sort of help. Because of the spell I could not grasp much, but I was able to tell we were not alone. Not only was my chamber filled with unseelie fae, but behind Damien stood none other than the unseelie king himself. My eyes widened in horror as a scream built up inside of me but could not escape. Then the king stepped forward, smiling evilly down at me…” She shudders at the memory.
    As I listen to this horrible tale, I watch Holly reach over to squeeze the queen's hand, offering silent support. The queen squeezes back and offers a reassuring smile, but it does not reach her eyes. The actions leave me curious once again but the queen's voice pulls me from my thoughts as she continues her story.
    â€œThe room went black once again. When I awoke, weeks had passed since the attack. The unseelie king attacked my court with Damien's aid, all while I slept. It was a well thought-out and executed plot. Apparently, for all those years, Damien had been under a spell cast by the king himself. Damien had been the king’s second-in-command and had volunteered to be put under the spell so he would be able to infiltrate our court, easily passing any questioning or lie detection spells used by my guards. When the time was right for the king, he would lift the spell and Damien would help him from the inside. Needless to say, they succeeded flawlessly. Many of my fae were killed and even more were injured and some were stolen, taken away to the unseelie court. Over the years, we have been able to rescue some, but not all.” True sadness and regret rings clear in her voice now over the loss of members of her court. Not only does she love her court and all of her subjects, but she hurts when they are hurt.
    After taking a moment to compose herself once again, she looks straight into my eyes. “I am afraid this is not the end of the story, however. The details of that night are still very unclear; we all have our suspicions and theories, but no actual evidence. However, one thing is for certain. At some point during that night of invasion, I was assaulted and became pregnant.” The last part comes out in a whisper, but I am clearly able to pick up her words. For reasons I cannot explain, my instincts to protect the queen kick in. My body stiffens, and I open my mouth to speak but she stops me. “Of all the horrors that evening, this is the one thing I was thankful for.”
    The shock of her statement has me sitting back in my chair in utter disbelief. How could anyone be thankful for something so horrible? I am so stunned I cannot think of the proper words to question her on this, but my thoughts must be clear on my face.
    â€œI am aware my outlook sounds ridiculous and perhaps difficult for most to understand, but the outcome turned out to be a true blessing. You see, I tried many times over the course of my extremely long life to become with child, but sadly it never happened. I was resigned to spend the rest of my life childless.” She gives a small smile. “So you understand, I was so thankful for this miracle.”
    I glance at Holly once again, and she has retreated into herself. She is staring at the table with a miserable expression upon her face. I want to say something to her but instead turn back to the queen when she continues speaking.
    â€œWhen I first woke from my many weeks of sleep, my servants and guards were so relieved to find me awake. I had apparently been under a sleeping spell that lasted much longer than most. They were worried the enchantment might last forever. I began to get back to my everyday affairs, but soon became sick once again. The possibility of being