Page 102 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“Not funny.” His eyes narrow on me.

“You have to admit it was a little funny. I couldn’t help myself. You kept saying things and agreeing to let me do them, and I had to take the opportunity.” I chuckle. “But in all seriousness, I am considering it now. Put a dagger in his thigh as a little punishment for killing my father. Then you could have your fun torturing him or whatever you are going to do.”

Kieran shakes his head. “You almost made my heart stop with that question.” He playfully glares at me. “I understood the punch, but the dagger came out of nowhere.”

“So, what I’m hearing is you would let me do anything and you would do anything for me.” I cock my head to the right.

“No. You will not do anything, and I won’t do anything for you. I will not let you harm yourself or do anything irrational,” he explains. “I will do anything for you within reason, so don’t get any ideas.”

I push my bottom lip out as I look up at him. “No fun.”

Kieran grips my chin with his thumb and pointer finger, bringing my face closer to him. “If that’s what you are going to call me for trying to keep you safe, I can live with that.”

“And what if I can’t?” I gently ask.

“Then you’re just going to have to find a way to get over it.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

CHAPTER 29

“Mother.” I walk into the kitchen the following day.

There she is, sitting at the kitchen table, working on a jacket.

“Mother?” I call out once again, but she doesn’t move.

What’s wrong with her? Why is she just sitting there and doing nothing?

“Are you all right?” I walk further into the kitchen, hesitantly stepping toward her, but she doesn’t acknowledge me. “Hello? Are you there?”

Walking around the table, I stop on the other side of her and gasp as I look at her. Mother’s face is paper white as she stares at the jacket she is working on.

“Mother?” I look at her in worry. “Are you all right?”

Her head cocks to the side as she looks at me, her eyes dead looking and void of any sort of recognition. “They are looking for you. They want you dead, child.”

My eyebrows pull together as I listen to her words. “What are you talking about? Who is after me? Who wants me dead?” I ask, taking a step back.

“You know who, High Lady. Beware. Watch your back at every turn,” she whispers.

My eyes follow her hands as she picks up the scissors off the table.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

Before I can say or do anything, her hand flies up with the scissors and she stabs herself in the neck, blood gushing everywhere.

I sit up screaming, heart racing as I stare at the wall in front of me. My eyes search my room, trying to find Mother, but she’s nowhere to be seen. After pushing the covers back, I stand on my shaky legs and walk out of my room and toward my mother’s. I suck in a breath as I lean against the wall, trying to calm myself.

Get to Mother, my mind screams at me.

I push forward, forcing myself to walk to my mother’s room. There she is, lying on her bed, sound asleep. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and lean up against the wall. She’s all right. There is no blood anywhere. It was just a horrible nightmare.

But I can’t get the horrible images out of my head. I can’t get the sight of my own mother taking the scissors and jamming them into her neck. Why would she do something like that?

“It was just a dream,” I whisper to myself. “Just a nightmare.”

Pushing off against the wall, I head straight toward the kitchen and grab my jacket before heading outside. Mother is fast asleep, and there is no way she is waking up, so leaving in the middle of the night to go walk isn’t going to matter much.

I stuff my hands in my pockets, trying to keep warm, and grab hold of my pocketknife. Nighttime is more dangerous than daytime. The lighting is non-existent, and men love to hang around the middle of town, looking for anyone to mess around with but I need to get out of the house. Somehow, I need to get the image of what my mother did in my nightmare out of my head so I can fall back asleep.