Why? So he can declare war again? Or worse?
You know what Galen won’t expect? Accepting my brother’s killer as my guard.
That’s what I’ll do, but I intend to take it further. Galen, like any man, thinks with his cock. I never had a guard because Galen doesn’t like men near me. I’m all his. It’s only a matter of time before Galen starts to grow jealous of Titus’s presence.
You see, I’m not going to be the one who kills Titus.
My dear, lovely husband will.
It’s splendid!
How will Galen’s people react when their beloved king slays their hero?
Trust will be broken. It will fracture the crown on Galen’s head. Fear sickens everything from commoners to kings. His people will suspect he’s a tyrant. His army will plot against him. Galen will fear, too. He’ll sense the knife coming for his spine.
I never imagined this game with Galen would bring down an entire empire, but that’s the price I demand for retribution against the man who killed my brother.
“I… I um…” Titus struggles to find words. At least watching him struggle brings a small bit of joy.
“General Titus.” Uttering his name leaves a bitter stain on my tongue I don’t think I’ll ever get off.
Actually, I will once I stand over his dead body.
I paint on a mocking sneer. “It’s such an honor that my husband named you as my guard.” I press my body back into my mattress.
I expect his head to bow. What I don’t expect is his glare. He looks back over his shoulder at the door, then walks back to it.
Great, he’s going to leave me here.
Instead, he pokes his head out and looks down the hall. When he turns, the energy shifts. Each step he takes is measured; no more stumbling. His hand rests on his hilt, knuckles white.
Did I read this wrong? Did Galen send him to kill me?
We all know the truce between fae and vampires is like water; one toe dipped in, no matter how small, will cause a ripple.
Peace allows recuperation and preparation.
I should feel no guilt about using Galen to kill Titus, then turning his people against him.
No guilt.
But I do. Unlike my husband, who plotted behind his walls. I was there in the tents, witnessing the cost the soldiers paid. We all bled for the crown on Galen’s head.
Every single one of us, except Galen and my father.
Stop; feel no guilt.
“Are you going to kill me?” I inquire. I press my fingers into the warm sheets.
“Why would I do that when you’re so eager to kill me instead? What kind of soldier would I be to deny my queen pleasure?”
That deep rasp in his voice has a powerful effect on me. Why is my magic humming? My forehead wrinkles, my thighs clench.
He killed your brother!
I steer my chin up as high as my pillow allows. “A wise person would say Galen is punishing us both.”
“I agree.”
