Lord Xenon waved a hand in the air, choking through his nervous attack of laughter. “Just. Give. Me. A. Moment.”
It took three minutes for him to shut up.
I leaned over and placed my head in my hands. “I looked all over. I can’t find the amulet anywhere.”
Lord Belshazzar sat down next to me, uncaring about the gore he rested on, and promptly lifted me up and placed me on his lap. His arms curled around my shaking frame as he hushed me gently. His long, strong fingers ran up and down my back, petting me in comforting motions.
He asked quietly, “What happened?”
I shook my head against his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tight. My voice was muffled against his jacket, but it was clear in my conviction. “I don’t know how he died. He just fucking…exploded.”
My lover rocked me back and forth with his muscled arms holding me close. Patiently, he whispered, “Start from the beginning, Gwen.”
“He stopped me in the hallway after our meeting. He pretended to need me. I fell for it. I fell for his shit, just like you warned me about. I’m so stupid. I thought I was duping him.”
“You’re not stupid, Gwen, but keep going,” he persisted softly.
“When we got inside, he surrounded me with fire. He went on and on about how much it would hurt you if I died and that he didn’t need a queen.” I sucked in a lungful of oxygen and decided to omit what I knew about my father. For now, anyway. “He changed the fire to mist and grabbed ahold of my neck. I couldn’tmove.I couldn’t do anything.His power was too much for me to fight against.”
I shuddered hard inside his hold. “He started taking me to my door, where he planned to spell my bodyguards to kill me. Then he just fucking exploded.”
“Hmm,” he hummed. Lord Belshazzar rocked me for a few minutes longer, quiet in his contemplation. Until one of his hands snaked between us. He fingered the necklace around my throat, and then he wrapped his arm back around me—and continued to rock me. He cleared his throat, and asked evenly, “Lords, what the hell do you think happened to him? This is new, even for me.”
No one said a word. No thoughts given.
I stopped shaking and fingered the necklace myself. Bel had stated the jewel was one of protection. Had a gem really…donethis? If it had, I was so in over my head with my lover.
He rubbed my back faster. A little harder. “There has to be something, my lords.Anyideas would be helpful.”
I wrapped my arm back around his throat.
Holy fuck. Just…holy fuck.
This was now the life I led. And I still wanted it.
I was more fucked in the head than I thought.
Lord Pippin muttered, “I don’t have a damn clue. I’ve never heard of a druid exploding before.”
“Did he have a bomb on him somewhere?” Lord Xenon asked. “That’s the only thing that could have created this mess.”
“For that to happen, it would have had to be inside of him. The splatter in the room is centered from where he stood. His body is fucking everywhere,” Lord Otto groused.
My father mentioned offhandedly, “Maybe he pulled too much power from the Original druid amulet in his excitement to kill our queen.”
The room went quiet.
“Now, that could have done it.” Lord Pippin snapped his fingers.
Lord Otto snorted. “That’s like shooting your load before you enter the hole. He was too experienced for that.”
Lord Cato argued, “Not really. Not when strong emotions were involved. He was finally getting his revenge on Lord Belshazzar for killing his mother. That’s thousands of years of pent up anger.”
The Overlords went quiet once more. Each thinking.
“I guess you’re right. Although, the head still being intact is extremely weird.” Lord Otto sighed. “What a goddamn dumbass.”
Lord Xenon grunted. “Queen Gwynnore, you said you couldn’t find the amulet anywhere?”
