Shaking his head, “No.” Tristan took a step forward. “I swear I had no knowledge of any of this El.”
Ellis hadn’t seen such an honest and vulnerable look on Tristan since they were teenagers. What a mess this was. If Tristan had no knowledge of his mother using magic, then they would need to find out more. How was such a thing possible? One thing was certain: he needed to find Alex and get them home before Queen Vivian could sink her claws any further into Rivka.
“How is she? I didn’t…”, he trailed off, running his hand down his face. “Is she hurt?”
Ellis didn’t know how to answer that. He hadn’t even waited to give Rivka a chance to fully explain what had happened, let alone ask how she truly was.Damn it. How could I have just left her like that?
“I honestly don’t know. She looked physically ok when I left to hunt you down, but emotionally, no, I doubt that she’s ok.” Ellis said, disgust lacing his tone. “Did you expect her to behurt? You took advantage of her, defiled her in the worst way, and then have the nerve to ask if she’s ok?”
“Gods! Don’t you think I know that? You have every right to be angry with me, but I didn’t choose my actions. I did not set out to hurt anyone, let alone your queen. I wasn’t exactly a willing volunteer.” Tristan snapped, his anger finally surfacing.
Ellis sneered. “You may not have been a willing participant in this but we both know that you are little more than your mother’s puppet.” Tristan’s nostrils flared and Ellis knew he’d hit a nerve, but he wasn’t wrong and didn’t regret the statement.
Tristan drew in a deep breath, and Ellis braced himself for the argument, but it never came. Tristan simply slumped onto his chaise lounge and threaded his hands together on his knees. “There is so much you don’t know, so much that you cannot know. This. This is beyond my capacity to withstand.”
Ellis wasn’t totally sure he understood any of what Tristan was saying but he approached him slowly and waited, feeling like there was more to be said.
“How do I make this right? What can I do?” The sheer vulnerability in his tone shocked Ellis. He didn’t trust him, not truly, but something in his words made him consider offering Tristan a chance, a chance to make the right choice for once in his damned life.
“The best thing you can do is stay away from her,” Ellis said, “and keep the rest of your family away from us as well.”
“Alright. That is fair. I will do everything I can within my means,” he paused “and if anything should come from this…” He trailed off, his implication clear. “My mother cannot know. I will not let her use me in that way.”
“Then it is best that you do not know either. She has already proven that she can get to you too easily.”
A crease appeared in Tristan’s brow as the weight of whatEllis was saying sank in. Ellis watched as he waged an internal war. He could see just how conflicted Tristan truly was. There was no other option. Ellis wouldn’t back down if Tristan tried to argue with him. He let him take the time to sort through his thoughts, hoping that he would see that this was the only way that it would work. The only way he could make it right. After a few minutes, Tristan sighed before throwing his shoulders back, visibly pulling himself together.
“Agreed,” he said, holding his hand out. Ellis studied Tristan’s face, looking for any show of deceit, but when he found none, he nodded and placed his hand in his, shaking it once. He may have just made a deal with the devil himself, but at least Rivka would be safe, and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Twelve
Confrontations And Consequences
Alex
Alex had been up for twenty seven hours straight. She was beyond bone weary, yet she couldn’t sleep even if she tried. Every time her eyes closed, she saw Rivka writhing on top of Tristan. Her thoughts ran wild. Conjuring every scenario that she didn’t want to see or think about. She was shattering her own heart, and there was no way of preventing it.
Stop it. You’re being foolish. It does no good to dwell. You knew this could never last. It could never be real.
The crushing heaviness of betrayal weighed each step the closer she got to Rivka’s door. The corridor suddenly seemed too short. She knew she had to do this, that she had to see her, at least one last time. She would put in for a transfer to another post as soon as she could. It was cowardly to leave her post but she knew, as strong as she was, she could not withstand the painshe would have to endure bearing witness to the woman she loved entertaining a man she loathed.
She would have to find her replacement first. Colin was an idiot and she hated to see him take her place but maybe it would work temporarily, until she could possibly convince Andrew to take the job. He would never have let Rivka out of his sight for a moment, his loyalty and trust were more important to him than anything else. She knew Colin tried, but to be the best at this job, you had to know how to put the queen’s life above all else, and she didn’t trust Colin to do that. He had proven that too many times to count.
Before she was ready, Rivka’s door came into view. Captain Andrew Wright, standing guard since she had suspended Colin the night before, nodded slightly in her direction. “Captain. Good morning. Here to relieve me of my duties?”
“No, not at this time. I have a few more things that need my attention before we start the journey home. If you need to be relieved, I can look into sending someone else though.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I can continue if that is what’s required of me.” Lifting his hand, Andrew rapped on the door three times in quick succession. No response came from within the room.
Alex moved to push through the doors, pausing at the last moment, turning her head to look at Andrew. “Do you remember your oath? The one you took in order to be assigned as an alternate to this position?”
“Of course.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at him, “Well then?”
“Um…” Andrew nervously cleared his throat, clearly not sure where Alex was going with this. “The entire thing or…?”
“The entire thing, Captain.”
