Page 32 of The Queen

Then I was alone with Shadow again. “You got me in trouble,” I groused, trying to lighten the weight on my heart.

“If you recall, it was your idea. It seems to me that you got me in trouble. If we’re splitting hairs.“ He smirked and pushed off the wall he’d been leaning on.

He didn’t look repentant as he approached, but I didn’t back down. From his place in front of me, he tipped my chin up on a single crooked finger. “Behave and I’ll see you tonight, little omega.” With that, his lips landed on mine, demanding entrance, which I was happy to give. He delved into the silky confines of my mouth. His tongue teased into a dark, seductive dance, bringing to mind the other naughty things I knew he was capable of.

He left me breathless as he walked out the door, and the sound of the lock engaging punctuated his exit.

Stars!

Chapter Twenty-One

Saphyra

The rest of the day passed more quickly than I would’ve liked. One of my alphas was most likely outside, bored, guarding my door. But I didn’t check. I was still upset with them and had no interest in seeing them right now.

Lex brought me replacement soap and removed the old one to avoid confusion. I did my best to ignore him and to hide the pang of hurt when he didn’t stay long, saying he had things to see to.

The new soap had a particularly neutral, milky smell that I should’ve noticed. I placed it in the shower and made a mental note to be more careful in the future. My hope was that it wouldn’t be necessary much longer. Once I was properly bonded, my scent would change, and that would stop being a concern.

Violet delivered a late lunch and helped me pick out a gown for dinner. But once she was gone, I found myself bored without much else to do.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I gave in to something I’d wanted to do all day. I went into my dressing room.

I saw everything with new eyes. The first time I’d only seen old clothes, but now they were memories. I pulled down a dress and sniffed it. An overwhelming scent of dust and a whiff of ash tickled my nose, but under all that was the faintest trace of caramel. That sweet smell triggered a spark of soft, brown eyes and spun gold hair.

I held the garment to my face and sat down on the floor, inhaling measured breaths. The sound of my mother’s laughter echoed through stone corridors as warm, summer sun streamed through open archways. My father’s cheerful smile flashed for a moment and then was lost to shadows.

Memories danced at the edge of my mind like the faint whisper of wind chimes far in the distance. I squeezed my eyes shut more tightly, trying to hold on to the last scrap of my parents’ faces, but darkness whisked them away. I’d known their love once, and the warmth of it suffused my body even if the memory was fleeting.

There was more in the closet, so I continued, digging through the long-abandoned dresses, chasing anything that might awaken hints of my past.

Clothes went flying, and the more I explored, the angrier I got. All those missed years because the Imperatrix had stolen them from me. The life I should’ve had. Taken. The things I could have learned from my parents. The love that I still felt like the ghost of a breath. All ripped away from me in a single day.

That one single day.

The hint of ash in the air ignited a memory of smoke billowing past arched windows as I ran, looking for my mother. My tiny legs were so short and no match for the adults. Hands grabbed at me, familiar hands, and a soothing, sweet anise smell engulfed me. I let them catch me because I knew them. At first, I thought they were there to help, but I was passed to a soldier in an unfamiliar uniform. No, I didn’t want to go with them. I wanted to run to my parents. But no matter how hard I thrashed and screamed, I couldn’t get away.

“No! Leave me alone,” I shouted, gripped by the remembrance of that terrible day.

“Your Majesty?” Violet’s tentative voice pulled me from the memory, and I blinked at her through watery eyes.

She stood slack jawed, framed by the closet door. Chaos reigned around me. Every scrap of fabric—the once carefully hung gowns and folded clothing—was now piled in a heap with me sprawled on top.

I dashed the tears from my eyes as I stared around at the devastation I’d caused. “I’m so sorry, Violet. I don’t know what came over me.”

She waved off the mess, but carefully waded through the destruction to my side. “Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

The kindness in her eyes was like a dagger to my heart. I said the only thing I could say. “I don’t know.”

“We’ll figure it out.” She offered me her hand, and I took it.

Someone had handed me to the enemy. Someone I’d known and trusted.

With Violet’s help, I descended the mountain of clothes. My legs wobbled, and I stumbled over something hard before I gained my equilibrium. I looked behind me and didn’t see anything that could have caused the trip. There shouldn’t be anything hard in a pile of dresses, nothing that I’d noticed on my first inspection, so I detangled myself from my maid’s helpful grip and turned back to see what it had been.

Nothing looked out of place as I surveyed the mound. Even when I toed through the fabric, everything seemed ordinary. Violet was looking on, no judgment in her eyes, just curiosity when I knelt down in the clothes.

My hands moved as if on their own, patting the material. So many memories had been dredged up by the dresses. It might have been my own naive, wishful thinking, but I found myself wondering what an object might conjure.

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