The Beast And The Blessed

Fifty-Nine: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V.

The news was so shocking that I had difficulty picturing it. Cora and Talia. I didn't even know they swung that way, but if they were happy...But, I guess they weren't happy since Talia had chosen Queen Lillian's side during the war a few months ago, knowing it would result in Cora's death if they won.

It made sense for that to be who she had been talking about. But hell... Cora and Talia.

Two women so bitter and angry with the world, living in one house would have been like two angry hornets trapped in a box together. Did they live together? They didn't two decades ago when Aurora had noticed their relationship. Nor did they for the next decade while Talia lived in the tower and was in charge of taking care of me.

I would never forgive Talia for choosing to side with the previous queen and vampires in their attempt to take the crown out of the hands of the Lycans. She had raised me from when I was found at eleven years old until I was an adult.

Then Killian had chosen me to be his Royal Advisor. I was more of an advisor of magic, but I would never argue against the title; it made me feel badass. Talia was livid that she had to step down for the next generation.

Talia had been losing her mind for years at that point, though, and even if he had chosen someone else to take over, I would agree it had been the right choice to remove Talia from her position.

She had been best friends with the queen. Talia became furious, siding with the queen when Lillian went mad after her fated mate and unborn child were killed. The two women had joined together and created an army of vampires to remove Killian, Lillian's son, from wearing the crown.

I had been heartbroken that the woman who had raised me had so easily thrown a dagger into my back on that battlefield. Talia had been willing to kill me just as easily as my own birth mother had.

I had never been more grateful when Natalie killed her, heating her from the inside out until her organs burst and her blood boiled. It was part of why I would always deeply respect Natalie.

But to think that Talia might have been seeing Cora the entire time, and I never knew it...

Aurora's eyebrows pinched together as she eyed me with confusion as if I should have known. But I wasn't the only one in the dark here. Killian didn't know either. ’I don't know how long they were together. After that, I got pregnant, and my visits were few and far between, and I don't know of the others she had been with."

"No, no, no!" Cyrus’s pleading made me turn suddenly, but the healer had already injected the syringe into his arm.

‘What are you doing to him?" I snapped, walking over with a glare, but Tobias stopped me with an arm around my waist. I felt more protective over Cyrus than ever before, and I knew it was because of the guilt I had felt about his blood being stolen.

"His body and mind need to recover. It's a sedative that will put him out for a few hours." The man muttered, but Flora looked just as bothered as I was.

As Cyrus closed his eyes, I felt panic bloom in my chest. "Did you not hear him? He doesn't want the darkness! He could barely close his eyes before!"

were to force himself to stay awake, he would just exacerbate the situation." He meant well, but I was fuming. My hand shot out, and the healer

Killian snapped, his voice deep and layered as his beast came forward. "Stand down.

man against the wall for a few more seconds as I debated refusing Killian's

guards and have a private conversation in the office." Natalie's soothing voice called out, but I

magic,’ I argued, knowing Killian was right. I was out of line. They may have been okay with me speaking my mind in private, but there were healers

said, stepping forward as she looked at Cyrus. "What

no longer a secret. We had been discussing his powers for a while now, so everyone in the room knew he had magic. Those that weren't

'He's a spell caster."

I was relieved that she immediately understood and didn't ask any stupid questions. "I haven't heard of a male witch in a long time. I

but it was centuries

of chasing and hunting down monsters, but having her here was exactly what we needed right now. She had

hadn't been at Rona's cottage, the

like the book would be there. If anything, it would be in the archives, but when Charlie

been wiped out, and the council had been replaced.’ Charlie moved further into the room, looking uncomfortable but forced a smile on her face and squeezed Natalie's hand

tightly, glad she was back. He missed her everytime she left, but when she returned and threw little comments at him about how he had let her down and

the product of her upbringing. Charlie wasn't good for me either, but I continued as I had been since she walked out of our lives several years ago. I would plaster on a smile, be polite, and

rid of them," I mumbled bitterly. Just how many male witches had been killed? If we kept

spun on my heels, making brief eye contact with Tobias before heading toward the

going?" Natalie called out,

the history of the council lineage." My mind was going a mile a minute. There had been new bloodlines on the council through the decades,

stay with her brother, see how he is

knew they were trying for a baby or some of the changes Killian had made to better the kingdom, I was glad she was joining Tobias and me to locate

to look at her briefly, not sure if I wanted to catch up with her right now. Was there a

but the way she had gone about it was the coward's way, and I had lost most of my respect for

My reply made Tobias smile as I glanced at him for

not exactly the correct

tension and let out a deep breath

was grateful for the subject change as I rushed to the back where the