Free Magical Tendencies by Selena Hunter Page A

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    Tisha sat down next to me as she handed me the steaming cup of tea. I took it from her gingerly as she brushed my hand gently with hers. "It will be okay, Celeste. You have been through much worse than this."
    Looking deeply into my tea, I wondered how that statement seemed to ring of absolute truth. What was going on with my life? What was I going to do? Why was I such a wishy-washy woman that wanted to 'go under' and forget everything twelve times?! That sounded a bit too extreme for my tastes. What had I been doing for the past three years? Three years . Gosh, that sounded like forever.
    "Tell me the truth, Tisha, what am I doing here?" I looked at her profile as she fussed with her shirt and straightened her posture.
    "I cannot lie to you, my queen. Ask your questions and they will be answered." She turned to me slowly to give me her full face.
    Thinking about it for a second, I chose my questions instinctively, "Who am I?"
    "Queen Celeste Ravenwood, Queen of Magic, Leader of Fairness, Lover of all things Natural." She kept her eyes fully locked on mine.
    "Wow!" I laughed, "That's a mouthful."
    "Quite," Tisha nodded.
    "What am I doing here?"
    "You are avoiding a threat to the kingdom. A problem large enough to distress you and beg that you be hidden, kept from the prying eyes of your kingdom, safe from the hands of the people that would use you as a weapon."
    "Why would I be used as a weapon? How could I be used as a weapon when I am the queen, the ruler, the monarch?" I shook my head. This did not sound right. There was something off about it all and I wasn't sure what amount of inconceivable information was going to overwhelm my already frayed nerves.
    "You left for a reason. The fact that none of this is coming back to you is quite alarming. You have always instantly understood and begged to be placed back under, to forget and be hidden away as a human once more in the past."
    "The past? This is the past?" I looked around incredulously at my cozy little apartment. My lip popped out as I began to pout over my beautiful furniture and happy little arrangement.
    It had taken time to get everything just the way that I had it. I loved to sit on my couch after dusk and watch the twinkling lights of the city on the hill, just outside of my patio window. That was the reason that I was happy to live on the third floor, lugging my equipment or groceries up three flights of steps—I loved the view. What was going to happen to my four-poster bed, my perfect leather couch, my betta?
    I sighed. These were all silly questions because I really didn't have a say.
    "Tish, what is different about this time? What has happened that is different from the last times?" I could feel my forehead furrow. There had to be something off—I wasn't acting the way that Tisha expected.
    "You have seen your husband first. All of the other times you saw the vampire first and you immediately ran." Tisha's voice began to sound hollow, like she was speaking to me from the end of a very long tunnel.
    The vampire.
    "Who is this vampire?" I whispered it because I was afraid of what I would hear. "What is his name?"
    "Solomon Ryker."
    I didn't say a word, not one word. A sudden lump formed in my throat as my eyes watched Tisha lean down to take a sip from her own steaming cup of tea.
    I must have looked stricken because I felt that way. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head but I didn't know what to do or say—I was in utter shock. My heartbeat began to grow louder and louder until I heard the distinct pounding that told me I was losing my grip on everything around me. The sudden buzz in my ears made me feel light-headed and nauseous. I was going to be sick.
    I had never mentioned Solomon to Tisha and I didn't expect to do so because it was just such an odd experience. Solomon… my knight in shining armor was… a vampire? A sudden sense of understanding washed over me. He lifted the man… demon… whatever, with one hand. His eyes