Page 20 of Regal Queen

Six

Rain peltedthe glass of windows beside me, blurring the New York city lights beyond.

The sound of Coulter soft, murmured breathing was reassuring and my gaze drifted downwards towards him. I was curled up by his side and, as I stared at him, I realized how innocent and soft he looked while he was sleeping.

Things weren’t like they were before.

I was no longer the King’s prisoner, hoping for a little bit of their time and attention, but here willingly, relieved that they'd found a way to rescue me from Dimitri's. They'd suffered a lot to do it, risking their own lives, even though Coulter was still recovering from three bullet wounds to the chest. They’d also broken off all ties from their stronghold, going against their own father and the strength of the King resources.

We were winging it now: there was only so much planning you could do when you were running from enemies much stronger than you.

Coulter's hand moved, still in sleep. He caught my wrist and pulled it to his chest, murmuring something too low for me to catch.

With my hearing still gone in one ear, the muted silence around me was unsettling.

I’d quickly gotten used to the small crowd of people surrounding us at the house. Their constant chatter had been a good distraction from my thoughts.

The memories sweeping through my mind, flitting like an unwanted ghost.

Flashbacks of Dimitri's course and biting voice in my ear.

You know where she is, don't you Rose?

I swear I won't hurt her. I just want to see her.

I need to protect her from the men who want to kill her.

That's what he told me at first, when I was still kept in the room down the hall from his.

Then, when I refused to tell him what he wanted,

You're only making this worse for you.

I’ll cut a hole in your chest and watch your beating heart slowly stop.

His lips had twisted up in a cruel grin, as if he loved the thought of it. As if watching my beating, tumbling heart struggle to pump blood through my body was fascinating.

Then, the screaming began. Is that bitch worth it??

The cutting. The sound of a saw in the next room. Other times it was the begging that had been the worst: men and women begging for their lives.

There was the time Dimitri forced me to sit in his lap and watch while his second in command, Nicholi, peeled another man’s skin from his body. Dimitri’s firm grasp on my hips had kept me from fleeing the room but it didn’t keep me from vomiting all over the floor.

The whole time he'd had a hard on, watching them, whispering words in my ears.

That's what I'm going to do to you, Rose, if you don't--

I abruptly sat up from the mattress, needing to push the memories from my mind or I was going to go crazy.

The movement made Coulter stir but I stilled, waiting for him to settle, then I slowly slid out from under the covers.

My body was continually cold now, ever since Russia, something that only sleeping next to Coulter would abate. And now, standing here in my blue silk pajamas, I began to shiver again.

Tampering down on the waves of shaking, I put on Ivan’s coat and wrapped it around me like a warm blanket, even if it made my chest ache. I took one last look at Coulter, then I padded my way out of the room, silently closing the door behind me.

My throat was dry. Like the cold, I was constantly parched. Making my way to the kitchen, I grabbed a glass from the cupboards and filled it with filtered water from the fridge.

The water soothed the ache in my throat, though it did nothing to soothe the tightness in my chest, the agony in my mind.

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