To Claim A Crown Book Two: The Winter Harbinger (Complete)

Chapter Sixteen: Kind of Queen

Naomi jerks awake then groans loudly as her stomach rumbles. Beside her Raurlin is snoring softly. The warmth radiating off his body draws her in and she cuddles up against him, resting her cheek on his back. Raurlin stirs beneath her.

"Good morning," Raurlin mutters, lifting his head slightly.

Naomi does not respond, instead she continues to hold onto him, needing to be close to him. Needing warmth and silence. Raurlin rolls over, wrapping his arms around her, cradling her against his bare chest. He runs his fingers through her hair and rubs at her back in small circles. Daylight slowly begins to register as Naomi stares at the air in the room around them.

Her body feels stiff and sticky and an underlying chill seems to rattle her bones. Naomi settles herself further down and Raurlin pulls the blankets up to her shoulders, covering her with them. His body warmth coupled with the weight of the blankets create heat that envelopes Naomi despite her shivers. Naomi inhales deeply. She props her head up with a look at Raurlin.

"What do I smell like to you?"

Raurlin smiles a slow, sleepy smile. "Right now? Sweaty."

His response warrants a chuckle from Naomi. "I'm serious, Raur, tell me."

Raurlin presses a kiss against her forehead and he nods.

"When I was a boy we lived in this town. Farming community, we were farmers before we were warriors. And there was a flower that completely covered the fields in the springtime. It was a wildflower native to the region. A simple purple flower that carried an incredible scent through the winds that shook the grass. We travelled sometimes around that region. We had a holy place where we made sacrifices to the Gods. There were many clans of people back then and when we were nearing our home I could smell those flowers. That's how I knew I was close to home. You smell like home to me."

"Tell me about your home."

"My father built it from the ground up, with his father. I never met my grandfather. He was a warrior and he died when I was a baby. But it was big. A big house with two stories, made of sturdy wood and straw. He hand-made our furniture, beds and everything. He built our house and my mother made it a home. She was...the best. I miss her ten times as long as I've been on this Earth."

Naomi sits up and crosses her legs, holding the blankets around her body. Raurlin pushes himself up resting his hands behind his head. He looks tired, almost older. He smiles at Naomi but there is a level of hesitation behind the smile.

"I hope you're not asking me these questions to deflect from what happened yesterday. It's a conversation we need to have."

"You have been keeping things from me. I feel all this anger just simmering within me and I have nowhere to put it. It's overwhelming when I feel it so I just try and ignore it."

"The same way you ignore your hunger."

Naomi narrows her eyes at Raurlin. "Don't even try to make this about me and my issues."

Raurlin nods once, his eyes falling to the bed. "I apologise. If we are to be completely open with each other then there are some things we need to discuss first." Naomi nods her agreement and Raurlin continues speaking. "I have kept things from you because I am afraid that if I overload you with information you will withdraw from me. That you will..." Raurlin sighs.

"Break?" Naomi mutters, not lifting her eyes to meet his. "I am afraid too. I just can't shake this feeling. This cold. And when I close my eyes it's like I'm lying in the snow at the wolf compound and I'm stuck.I can't move and I'm afraid."

Raurlin remains completely silent and Naomi dares to look up at him. He is looking at her with a sad look on his face and Naomi frowns.

"Don't you dare pity me, Raurlin. I cannot deal with pity, okay? Like I'm this weak thing."

Raurlin takes hold of her hand and gives it a squeeze. "I'm sorry. I just realised that you never got to choose how you died. It's empowering that way. At least that's what I've heard. But if I may say, Naomi, you may not have decided how you died but you can still decide how to live after death. What kind of vampire do you want to be?"

"Am I even a vampire?"

There's a moment of silence.

"What kind of queen do you want to be?"

"Strong. Powerful. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I don't want to be fearful."

"Then I will help you become strong, powerful. We will conquer your fears. And when you're able to make progress we will delve deeper into this new world. But you have to work with me okay? This morning, maybe you can try feeding? I'll walk you through it. We can do it together."

Naomi offers a tight smile. "I will try. Alone. But thank you. Before we go down, what's the deal with my eyes? I haven't figured out how to control that yet. I need to know."

Raurlin exhales loudly and he slips out of the bed. He paces in front of the bed. Then comes to a halt and turns to face Naomi.

"It's possible although severely unlikely for a human to be turned into a werewolf. It's possible although even more unlikely for a human to be turned into a vampire. If there is a lineage it's more likely. People can be changed from a bite or a scratch that's deep enough. I scratched you and because of your pre-existing lineage you were more susceptible to be turned. I scratched you and had you undergone the awakening then it's possible that you would have been a full wolf. But you died first and now that wolf in you lies dormant as did mine. It's likely the reason you don't want to feed or feel restless."

"So I could undergo the awakening? I could become a hybrid like you?"

Raurlin nods slowly.

"You should have told me Raurlin. It isn't fair on me to be trying to learn my way into something when I don't have all the facts about myself."

Raurlin sighs and drops his head. "I know and I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

Naomi shrugs. "I don't know yet. How do I control it?"

"I don't know. It was different for me. I never knew until I knew. But everything settles once you are able to. Once you're feeding regularly, exercising regularly. It will settle. Some vampires are able to survive off a single feed for a month at a time. It will never be that easy in the beginning but you can get there with discipline and support."

"Do you feed at all?"

Raurlin nods his head. "Yes. I know that I don't need to. I can feel that I don't but it's like starving a part of me. I want to be completely whole."

Naomi nods her head again. "This is a lot of information. Who all knows? Jax?"

"Jax knows the complete truth and Stellan knows as much as Sarah does."

"This revelation does not leave this house, Raurlin."

Raurlin sits on the edge of the bed. "Understood."

Naomi licks at her lips as her stomach rumbles again. "Want to share a shower?"

Raurlin grins at her with an eager nod. ""Let me get the water going," he insists as he walks to the bathroom.