Page 5 of Vexatious Queen

“Who are you talking about now?”

He got quiet, and then it hit me.

“Me?”

“You tell me, Ren. You’ve only come over to the house once since my mother was killed. You dropped off flowers and cookies, but didn’t even speak to me. Then, after we moved in yesterday, you didn’t even come by to see us.”

My mouth dropped open to protest, but he just turned and started to walk away.

“Blake, I…it’s not like that,” I called after him.

“Oh yeah, then tell me how it is. Did you show up, and I wasn’t there? I doubt that, since I never left the house. And where the hell were you yesterday?”

“When I…um…when I came over the one day. Theo answered the door and said that you were all grieving and that you had other family members arriving soon. I got the feeling he meant you wanted time and space to be with each other. I didn’t mean to make you feel abandoned.”

He held up his hands. “Wait…you talked to Theo?”

I licked my lips, suddenly feeling like I had done something wrong when I’d thought that I was being respectful.

“Just for a few minutes. I’m not blaming Theo, like I said, he…well, he said your dad wasn’t doing well, and you were sitting with him,” I said, reaching for his hand, but he stepped away. “Reading between the lines, I felt like your dad couldn’t handle seeing me or anyone else. I didn’t purposely ignore or forget about you.”

“Well, that makes it all better. Why didn’t you at least ask to see me?”

Hurt and sarcasm were woven into every word. He moved closer, his green eyes snapping with anger.

“I was the one who killed someone for the first time. I lost my mother, too,” he growled in a low whisper that made the hair stand on the back of my neck. “And after everything we’ve been through, you couldn’t be bothered to talk to me for five minutes, even if you chose not to stay.”

“Blake, I’m so sorry. I swear I would’ve, but I…I thought that⁠—”

“Oh, I know what you thought. But maybe if you’d asked me what I needed for a change, then you would’ve known that all I wanted was you, and you were nowhere to be found,” he snarled, and tears stung my eyes.

I knew he was in pain, and that could turn people into someone you didn’t recognize. But it didn’t stop his words from hurting or making me second-guess everything I’d said and done in the last week.

“And don’t bother explaining where you were yesterday. I already know you were with Nash. Now that you have the king, you don’t need the rest of us. Was that your goal this whole time? Did you just want to fuck Nash Collier like all the other girls?”

His words burned like venom. And then, I did something I never thought I would and slapped Blake so hard that he looked as shocked as I felt.

“Don’t…don’t…you dare. I know you’re grieving, and I’m…I’m genuinely sorry.” I tried and failed to steady myself and stop the stuttering. “I, of all people, know what…what that pain feels like. I’ve stared at it…it in the mirror more than once.”

Blake crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes. My body trembled from the hurt and anger.

“I lost the father that…that raised me on the same night that you lost your mother. I’ve watched both my parents die, and my aunt, so yeah, I…I know what you are going through.”

“Sorry,” he said, still not looking at me.

I took a deep breath. “No, I need to finish this. When I came here, I didn’t want any of you. You pursued me. Made me a game. The punchline of your jokes. Who can fuck the new girl first, remember?”

He looked up, and his eyes had softened ever so slightly.

“I love you, Blake, and I loved Ella. My heart breaks for you and Theo. And I’m genuinely sorry if you feel that I haven’t been there when you needed me. That was never my intention. But don’t act like I’m the enemy. Don’t you dare accuse me of being just some girl who strategically swooped in to steal the King of Kings and play all of you. You know me better than that.”

Blake stuffed his hands into his pockets before he finally spoke.

“All I know, Ren, is that you’re the one person I want to see. I wanted to hold your hand and cry with you, but you weren’t there. To me…you are part of my family, and it feels like you’re too busy playing house with Nash to give a shit about anything else,” he said before turning and walking off.

I wanted to call after him, but it was better to let him go for now. We both needed to cool down, and I had to think about how to handle this.

My hands were shaking, and my palm still stung from where I’d hit him. It felt wrong losing my temper with Blake. He was the last person on this earth that I ever wanted to hurt. Blake’s soul was so beautiful and kind. He was in pain, and it didn’t matter why I wasn’t there every day, only that my absence upset him.