Everyone’s heads snapped left and right, searching the room for our wayward prisoner. Aggravated and confused voices filled the small area, most talking all at once.
Hereappearedright in front of me, with our noses touching. Ruthless crystal blue eyes stared into mine, and he asked quietly, “Why don’t you like me, Queen Gwynnore?”
My father jerked me to the side in a blur and shoved me behind him, right as Lord Belshazzar’s arm wrapped around Chester’s throat in a chokehold.
Lord Belshazzar hissed against his ear. “Why don’t you ever fucking listen to me?”
“Because rules are boring,” Chester choked on air, his face turning tomato red. But, damn, if he didn’t grin. “She’s kinda pretty, don’t ya think? Too bad she owns my death in her eyes right now.”
He was right.
My eyes were fiery red as I stared at him from around Lord Cato’s arm, my damn father not letting me by him as he kept shoving me back. I already had a knife in my hand. I really,reallywanted to end this sarcastic butcher.
Lord Belshazzar growled low in his throat. “You know I hate parlor tricks. Don’t try that shit again.” He squeezed his arm tighter around our prisoner’s throat, making him wheeze. “Got it?”
“Fuck.” Chester coughed hard, wet and long, his eyes bulging. “Okay. Okay.”
My vampire Overlord didn’t immediately release him. He walked backward and dragged Chester with him. Only when they were back at the center of the room did he free him. Lord Belshazzar watched his ex-lover bend over and cough in great gulps of oxygen, no remorse on his features.
My father turned around and faced me. He pointed one sharp finger back at the wall and didn’t speak. His lips were so thin in anger there were creases at the corners. He was a little upset right now.
Fuck him. That druid had scared me.
I did take my place back against the wall.
I didn’t put my knife away. Not going to happen. Not with how fast Chester had appeared in front of me with a goddamn druid parlor trick.
Chester eventually rose. His wicked smile graced his guileless looks as he turned to the Overlord. Blue eyes clashed, glare for glare. He stated in a croaking voice, “I won’t do the spell until the queen answers me.”
Lord Belshazzar growled under his breath, but he quickly looked in my direction. “Answer him, your majesty.”
I twirled my knife through my fingers and quirked one side of my mouth into a semblance of a smile while I analyzed our prisoner. “Does it bother you so much that I dislike you? Is your self-esteem that low?”
“Queen Gwynnore!” Lord Belshazzar barked, his blue eyes blasting me with a warning to be cautious.
“What?” I shrugged a shoulder, still twirling my knife. “A question for a question sounds fair.”
Chester tittered softly. “Guess she doesn’t listen to you, either.”
“Oh, fuck off.” Lord Belshazzar griped and waved a hand between us. “Fine. Go ahead and make enemies of each other. Both of you will see how far that gets you.”
Chester rolled his expressive blue eyes and then turned fully in my direction. “I’m naturally curious, your majesty. I don’t honestly care if you dislike me. I merely wanted to knowwhy.”
I nodded my head once. “I dislike you because everything I do is for my people, while you only care about yourself. You kill anyone you feel like killing, with no regard for them, their families, or who might get hurt in the process. You’re lucky I signed my name on your release papers along with the other Overlords. Had I not, you’d be dead by now. You harm what I protect, and I don’t like that.”
I didn’t mention anything about my jealousy. I’d wanted the bastard dead even before I’d known about their love affair. He needed to be dead.
His crystal blue eyes twinkled in amusement. “Thank God you need me for that spell then.”
“Yes, you’re fortunate that we need you.”
He lifted a finger into the air. “I think you’ll be a great queen, your majesty.”
“And I don’t give a fuck, Chester.” I pointed my knife to the ingredients. “You have a spell to do now.”
He grinned. “I do have one more question for you.”
I sighed with aggravation. My eyes flashed red. “What do you want to know now?”
