“I see you’re still as naive as ever,” she taunts, looming over me. She kicks me hard in the stomach, forcing the air from my lungs and sending me sprawling onto my back. Tears of pain and fury pool in my eyes, knowing this is it. Kaden is gone. The door is locked. There are no witnesses. It’s the perfect crime. A whimper slips through my lips as I look up at her. The pure, undiluted anger in her gaze terrifies me.
Evilin reaches down, her hand wrapping around my throat, and pulls me to my feet with impossible ease. I claw at her grip, but she tightens her fingers, making it impossible to breathe.
“I can’t wait to see the life drain from your eyes just like your mother and father. They never saw me coming.” Her laughter is evil and dark as she shoves me backward, slamming me against the hard studio wall. The breath rushes from my lungs and spots dance before my eyes.
“It was you,” I gasp out, trying to pry her fingers loose.
“Of course, my dear. Money can make you do crazy things,” she chuckles, as if she didn’t just confess to murdering my parents. I dig my nails into her arms, hoping to elicit enough pain for me to slip away.
“You bitch!” she screeches, her other hand connecting with my face in a brutal slap. The taste of copper fills my mouth; she’s busted my lip.
“I see you’ve grown a backbone. Too bad you won’t be around long enough to use it,” she sneers. She pulls something small from her pocket, bringing it up so I can see it. I swallow hard when I see the small green tablet held between her fingers.
“What–” I try to ask but I realize my error of opening my mouth when she lodges the pill down my throat. Evilin clamps my mouth shut, pinching my nose closed as well. My lungs burn, desperate for oxygen, causing me to inadvertently swallow. The bitter aftertaste clings to my tongue, making me gag.
“Well, that was easier than I thought,” she chirps, pleased with herself. “You see, it’s ironic how obsessed you were with that fucking apple tree, because its roots were used to create that little tablet. I’m calling itPoison Apple, doesn’t that seem fitting?” Her cruel smile widens when she sees the realization dawn on me.
Evilin pulls me from the wall and throws me onto the chaise lounge—my throne. “Your poor little Prince will think you just died in your sleep.” She claps her hands together, then turns to the ancient mirror, preening, making sure she’s in perfect order. Her smile widens. “Magic mirror on the wall…” she begins.
Her words are cut off by a sound like a thunderclap from across the room. The heavy oak door to the studio splinters, then explodes inward off its hinges as Kaden, a figure of pure, unrestrained fury, crashes through it. His eyes, wild and frantic, find me sprawled on the chaise. I see the terror flash across his face, and then a rage so profound it seems to suck the very air from the room.
He tackles her to the ground. Everything becomes blurry, but I hear her cry out in pain, making me smile before I’m surrounded by darkness.
Forty Six
Kaden
AlrikandVinnierushdown the hall, barging into the studio in time to see me drop Evilin’s limp body to the floor. But my world has already narrowed to a single point:Wynter,limp and pale on the furs of her throne. For the first time since I was a boy, a cold, gut-wrenching terror seizes me. My fortress was breached. My queen has fallen. And in that instant, the monster I have so carefully constructed cracks, revealing the terrified boy underneath.
They both split directions, Vinnie going to my girl. When I get to her side, he has Wynter’s mouth open wide.
“It was poison,” I rasp, my voice sounding distant and hollow. I clutch her cool hand in mine, the lack of warmth a physical blow. He nods solemnly, letting her mouth fall closed as he hurriedly digs through his medical bag. I’m vaguely aware of Alrik calling for backup before he drags Evilin from the room.
“Hurry up!” I snap, jumping to my feet, pacing back and forth. “She can’t die!”
I watch Vinnie’s hands, so steady and sure, and I am consumed by a useless, roaring rage. I have built an empire on control, on absolute power, yet I can do nothing but watch. I am a spectator to the most important battle of my life. Evilin didn't just find a way into my compound; she found the one chink in my armor. She struck my only weakness.
Doc pulls out a clear vial of liquid. “This will induce vomiting. Hopefully she will dispel most of the poison.”
“Hopefully?” I ask incredulously, the word laced with a terror so profound it comes out as pure fury. Anger is the only outlet I have. I punch the closest thing, my fist shooting through the drywall beside the mirror. Pain radiates up my arm but it’s a welcome sensation, needing it to ground me before I fly off the handle.
Vinnie parts Wynter’s lips to pour the liquid down her throat. The sight of her helpless body before me makes me snap.
“How long will it take?” I bark as he shifts Wynter onto her side. The moment the words are out, her stomach contracts. The vomit hits the floor but I’m on the chaise the next second.I brush the hair from her face and slap her back, hoping she’ll continue to push out everything in her system.What if I got here too late?
I look up at Vinnie hoping to see relief, but he’s busy hooking her up to an IV. He attaches the bag of liquid to a standing lamp beside the chaise, then adjusts the tubing to flow seamlessly into her arm.
Wynter’s stomach continues to spasm but nothing else comes from her mouth. Dread settles deep in my chest, knowing her outcome is bleak. Vinnie pulls a syringe and another vial of liquid from his bag.
“This is to combat the poison,” he explains before he stabs it into her thigh.
“Then why the hell didn’t you give that to her first?” I shout.
“Because I needed her to get as much of the toxins out first. I only have this tiny bit and it has better odds with less poison in her system.”
I don’t know how he is remaining calm through this. If he wasn’t here to help, he'd already be dead from my blind rage. I pull Wynter’s body closer to me, trembling with a fear I haven't felt in decades. Never did I think I would feel helpless again, but those old memories come rushing back to me.
This new foster home seemed promising, but I knew better than to hope for kindness. It’s never been shown to me a day in my life. Not since my mother died when I was seven. After watching her waste away, my fucked up, drugged out father left me to fend for myself. He never returned.
