Just ocean. Endless, empty ocean stretching to infinity in every direction.
We could be anywhere in the world.
Movement caught my eye.
Two figures walked along the beach, wearing white linen pants and white button-down shirts.
Even from this distance, I could see the semi-automatic rifles strapped across their backs, the military precision in their stride.
Broken Court.
Guards.
My guards now, I suppose.
They moved in perfect synchronization, eyes scanning the tree line, the water, the sky.
Protecting their King's territory.
Protecting their Queen.
The beach was empty besides them. No tourists. No locals. No witnesses to whatever happened here.
A private island?
The thought should have terrified me. I was trapped on a hidden island with a serial killer and his cult of devoted followers, completely cut off from the world I used to know.
Instead, I felt. . .safe.
Safer than I had ever felt in my carefully constructed life of suppressants, clinical distance, and walls built so high I couldn't see over them myself.
Rook tore down those walls. And I let him.
Nina Simone's voice pulled at me again, and I turned from the balcony, padding back through the bedroom toward the door.
Two massive men stood outside.
Clubs, both of them—I recognized the brand on their foreheads, the coiled readiness in their posture. They were easily six and a half feet tall, with shoulders like boulders and hands that could probably crush skulls.
They bowed when they saw me. Actually bowed, folding their enormous frames in half and fixed their eyes on the floor in a gesture of absolute submission.
"Good morning, Queen." The one on the left spoke without raising his gaze. "We hope you slept well."
Queen.
The title still felt strange to my ears, but something inside me had started to accept it. Had started to understand that in this world—Rook's world—I was exactly that.
"I did." I smiled. "Thank you."
"The Trickster is in the kitchen." The one on the right gestured down the hallway. "He asked us to escort you when you woke."
I nodded and began walking.
The guards fell into step behind me, close enough to protect, far enough to give the illusion of privacy.
The mansion unfolded around me as I walked.
Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, supported by columns wrapped in climbing jasmine.
