My blade drove home up through the base of his skull, and his body slumped on the stone.
I withdrew it quickly, wiping it on his sullen clothes before sheathing it on my hip. Commander Francesca wordlessly stood by.
“Cross reference his family members in Point Hollow, and the surrounding villages Creston, and Meadsgrove. I want a list of every relative for Caroline O’guierre, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption, then create a separate list of her family members in those cities as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She glanced at the lifeless body.
“This man attempted to kill the king, caught red-handed. He didn’t deserve to be martyred on public display by people who would back his cause. Do not submit his death to records untilCaroline’s network is apprehended,” I spoke quietly so my voice didn’t carry off the morbid stone walls.
She gave another confirmation.
“Dismiss the guards from their post,” I ordered. If any of them were sympathetic to Caroline’s cause, surely they’d report Victor’s capture and the king’s return. The guilty accomplices of this hate-filled rebellion might hesitate after hearing of his capture, scramble to reassess their next moves. What they would do when news arrived of his death? That would cause undiluted panic, scattering their operation if some went fled or went into hiding. With the staggered release of information, by the time their towns received word, guardsmen would already have investigations underway, and at least one figure-head apprehended.
My newly appointed commander jogged back to where the guards congregated and they aptly dispersed, leaving only the two who would remain at their post to guard the cells. Whether seconds or minutes passed, I didn’t know. Didn’t think. Didn’t feel.
The pervasive cold seemed to wrap itself around my bones, fusing me to the prison like a new permanent fixture. When I left that prison room, I left behind the part of me that could feel remorse or regret for what I’d done. No one would fuck with my family and get away with it.
Putting an end to Commander Druller, I naively thought, had made a significant difference in my kingdom. But the divide and vitriol remained with a living heartbeat, even though he did not.
I climbed the rounded stone staircase, each step bringing me closer to the world above. A world where this time I would see it through. I would again become that vigilante in the night that vowed to put an end to the insidiousness that infected my kingdom and endangered the lives of those I loved.
Only this time, I’d hold the title of queen as I did.
45
Marco
“You’re looking much better.” I greeted Alaina with a smile, rising to my feet when she entered the archives room. She’d taken half the day to rest—which didn’t surprise me.
Her beautifully dark skin didn’t look as dull, a healthy red undertone imbuing her cheeks once more. She wore Duski’s latest fashion, an-off-the-shoulder forest green dress with matching fabric collar that connected a mix of straight and swooping strings to the rest of the garment. Her tiny braids had been gathered into a large braid that hung over her shoulder.
My mouth nearly watered when my gaze trailed down to see how the fabric hugged her criminally voluptuous hips.
She sheepishly looked down, hands running across the perfectly fitted fabric over her abdomen. “I haven’t worn something this expensive in…Well, I think ever.”
I might have considered I possessed a magic I was unaware of with how fast I moved across the room, had I any sense of mind left. It’d disappeared the moment she entered the door.My knuckle grazed her jaw, tipping it upward until her eyes met mine.
“It suits you,” I said, my voice swelling with heady desire.
I watched the knot she swallowed, my eyes continuing their thirsty perusal until I took in the soft curve of her collarbone.
“We should get to work,” she said, but the breathiness of her words told me if I pushed, even just a little, these archives would see quite a show.
“Right.” I swallowed, clearing my throat. We could continue this game of give and take until she couldn’t handle it for another second.
Her sparkling blue eyes met my gaze, and inhaling deeply in that moment had been a mistake. Her scent, mingled with elements from my kingdom, hit me like a wave, and I’d never felt a stronger desire to drop to my knees and worship the goddess before me.
A tense second passed, then another, and self-control I didn’t know I was capable of cut the invisible ties that drew me to her. I stepped away. “I’ve pulled all documents and correspondence related to Argora Vale around one hundred years ago. Divided them into contracts, correspondence—both personal and formal.”
I took another step back to clear the intoxicating smell of her away, and shoved my hands in my pockets, ready to pinch my thigh if my thoughts started running wild. Stacks and shelves, akin to a library, ate up the surrounding perimeter. I’d posted up at a formal desk, old trunks gathered before it, so many that they had to be placed strategically to form clear paths to navigate the space.
Upon the desk sat bundles of letters and documents tied with twine, some maps laying askew amidst the hundred papers I’d skimmed since the afternoon.
Alaina approached the desk, her dress swaying seductively around her thighs with each step. I pinched.
“So we have these two bundles to work through.” She patted the pile closest to her.
I smirked. “Oh, gorgeous, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” I gestured to the four hefty trunks gathered on the left side of the aisle.
