Torrent of Tears (Scourge Survivor Series Book 3)(28)
After slipping my feet back into my shoes and getting a reluctant nod from Terran, I signaled to the two soldiers standing guard. The double iron doors moved the air in silent warning as the room beyond opened to me. The Queen sat perched behind an antique, neo-classical-looking desk. The carvings and details of the Parthenon relic were repeated in the backrest of her throne and in the fireplace mantle. The room itself was refreshingly simple by comparison, with walls hung in ivory damask.
“Well,” said a male voice from the corner behind me. “Are you always this petulant or was that worthless little kopros too stupid to find you?”
I whirled to where Zale stood, arms crossed, in the corner and then glanced to the open doors. Coal blanched at his master’s words. “I was deep in the market shops. I’m sure Coal found me as quickly as possible.”
“Coal? You named the little chit?”
“Hey, don’t call him names!”
A cruel smile curled across his pretty face. “Why Princess, you’ve taken a liking to my pet.”
“He is a sweet boy and you are nothing but a bullying ass with a title.”
Zale moved faster than I gave him credit for. Dazzled by his fury, I almost didn’t duck his hand fast enough to avoid the slap to my face. Almost.
Straightening, I smiled at his confusion. What? Did my ‘sister wives’ just let him go slap-happy on them?
A moment after I righted myself, Coal raced to my rescue. Fast as I was, I wasn’t fast enough to stop the backhand which struck Coal and knocked him sliding across the polished floor.
“You stupid, worthless, scorch,” Zale growled, stalking toward the boy’s crumpled frame. “I am your master, not her—” As he hauled back to hoof a balled-up boy, I swung in a roundhouse and kicked his thigh with all my weight
The bastard spun off balance, but came back at me within seconds. His eyes grew as wide as gold-rimmed dinner plates when face-to-face with my Guardian blade. I leveled the tip of the knife at his sternum and stepped to block his path. “You and I need to straighten out a few things. First . . . I am soooo not yours. Second . . . you strike that boy again and you and I are going to have more than irreconcilable differences. You feel me?”
Coal shuffled behind me and buried his face into my lower back. With his little arms wrapped tight around my waist, I was torn. My mobility with him and the floor-length dress was compromised, but having a solid hold on him ensured Zale didn’t have an opening.
“Enough,” the Queen said. She waved her hand, her eyes glossed over as if the whole scene bored her to napping. I hadn’t noticed the dark circles under her eyes at lunch, but she looked exhausted. I looked closer. The emerald green of her eyes was now closer to the moss green of Terran’s.
“Lir-Zale,” she said, her voice quiet as a whisper, her finger stroking the handle of a letter opener on her desk. “As a token of goodwill for your nuptials, I suggest you allow your boy servant to become the property of your betrothed. They have formed a union and Princess Grace needs people she cares for in this time of transition. This would demonstrate your willingness to compromise in order to gain her trust.”
Compliance was more likely, but I didn’t argue.
Zale’s Mc’dreamy charm evaporated completely at the proposition of letting me have my way. I held my breath, waiting for either his answer or his head to explode. With white knuckled fists, Zale backed himself into the corner he had been standing in earlier. “Of course, Majesty, thy will be done, my lady.”
After adjusting my position to include Zale in my periphery, I turned to the Queen and slid Coal around to my front. I didn’t look down. Busting into a Cheshire grin wouldn’t be prudent, and despite what my siblings thought, I did think before I spoke. Sometimes.
The elephant in the room was the fact that she thought there would be a wedding. Teaching strategic thinking for the past five years had the hairs on my nape up. For her to still believe that, she must be delusional or planning something.
And I didn’t peg her for delusional.
“Thank you, Majesty.” I filled my voice with as much gratitude as I could muster. “I apologize if I kept you waiting. Coal must have searched half the city by the time he found me. I was exploring, getting to know where I came from.”
“Yes, I heard all about that. Which brings us to my nuptial gift.” Her eyes cleared considerably, lit with a sudden satisfaction. “Take your new-found pet and return to your suite. I have arranged a delivery—an incentive, shall we say—toward a new attitude on your marriage.”
With a hesitant nod, I tightened my grip on Coal and the two of us turned on our heels. We hit the hallway and Terran took up my left flank. Walking as quickly as I could through the maze of opulent corridors, I fought the urge to break into a trot. When we’d put some distance between us and the Queen’s private study, I couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
“That was too easy,” I whispered, releasing Coal from my side to take his hand.
“She is a formidable woman, Lexi. You did well not to challenge her.”
“I am not marrying that smarmy dick. I’ll take Coal and run first.”
“You’d leave us?” Hurt laced his voice. “You’ve seen the discord and rising conflict. Would leave your people and go?”
“I wouldn’t abandon you. As a Talon Enforcer, I can do more with my fellow warriors standing with me than I can alone. Coal could be safely tucked away at Haven while we did something to improve the situation here.”