Page 94 of The Queen

Everyone pulled up their horses, stunned silent and staring at me.

Grey was the first to break free from the shock. “Is that really what you want?”

“I don’t know what I want. I never asked for any of this. The thing that matters most to me is you. All of you.” My heart sank because, while that was true, the responsibility for the people living in squalor at the bottom of the pit weighed on me. I couldn’t just leave Robin and her baby. They deserved better lives than that. I might be able to help them, but I’d be risking everything to do it.

Ghost looked over at me with a knowing smirk on his face. “You can’t lie to me, princess. We can feel you. Your wants, your needs. They’re ours now. You’re scared, but you shouldn’t be. The Stars brought us together for a reason. We’re gonna get your throne back, don’t worry.”

“But I don’t want a throne. I don’t want a crown. I just want everyone to be safe and happy,” I said, anguish thickening my words.

“We know, and that’s why it has to be you. You can have everything you want, but you have to take your rightful place.” Ghost nudged his horse into a walk and took out the long range comms device, not looking back.

“I’m going to mess everything up,” I mumbled to myself, dropping my gaze.

Lex pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “You’ll make mistakes, but we know what’s in your heart, and we have your back no matter what.”

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Axion

It was an odd feeling, the bond. The connection sat behind my ribs doing… things. Saphyra’s anxiety and uncertainty swirled right next to my heart, whispering secrets she wouldn’t voice.

I’d never cared much about what people thought, but this, I couldn’t escape, and I found I didn’t want to. The idea of knowing exactly what she was feeling was growing on me. And when she was happy, it flowed through me like a drug. Addictive. I would do anything for another hit.

But right now, I had to get a hold of that asshole Maddox and his sketchy father to see if there was any chance of pulling this insane coup off. The tree cover was thinning, and the path was about to take us into a wide-open meadow. We’d be exposed if any of the searchers were nearby. What we really needed were allies, information, manpower, and, honestly, anything more than what we had. Because currently, we had fuck all. The source didn’t matter, even if it was from the duke. His reliability was questionable, but Maddox had always been straight with me. Our options were limited, and as much as I hated to admit it, his help paid off last time.

We were flying blind out here.

I didn’t know what we were thinking when we left, but it certainly wasn’t that Lex’s insane stepmother would take over the city and invite the Imperatrix over for tea.

I flipped open the secured communicator and keyed in the passcode, hoping there was someone on the other end of the encrypted line.

“Go for the duke.”

I exhaled, relieved. I’d recognize Maddox’s voice anywhere. Not that I expected anyone else, but we couldn’t afford surprises right now.

“You’re still not the duke, asshole. We need some help.” I didn’t bother to introduce myself. He’d better know who was contacting him on this line. I couldn’t imagine him giving out the encryption key to a random hook-up. Then again, this was Maddox, so it wasn’t impossible.

There was a chuckle from the other end of the connection, as if he knew what I was thinking, even though he definitely did not. Probably. “Good to know you survived. That storm was pretty bad. The scouts in the valley were bitching about spending the night out in the weather. But I digress. What do you want help with? I live to serve.”

I snorted. Fucking bullshitter, but I’d take whatever I could get at this point. “We’re headed back to the city. We need details on what the access looks like, who’s looking for us, and where they are.”

“Okay, okay. Well, the entrances are locked down. Double guard patrols on the perimeter. No one I know is on shift. It’s all those new recruits from Lady Baxter’s holdings.”

“Wait, what?” I interrupted him because, as head of security, I should have been informed of any personnel changes.

“Yeah, while you were on your little vacation, a bunch of random alphas were hired. Interestingly, some of them are the same soldiers that were involved with the attack on the queen. I mean, you can see where this is going. The city is fucked.” Maddox paused, and the connection crackled with static. “Sorry, I’m back. Where did you say you were?”

“I didn’t,” I replied cautiously. It was a secure line, but one couldn’t be too careful.

“Fine, be like that.” A rustle of paper and more keystrokes followed before Maddox continued. “You definitely should know about the search parties. There is some good news. Only a handful of Imperatrix ships made it to the planet before the shield went up. Some took off after that shuttle and never came back. There’s only a few left, which is probably why they haven’t found you yet,” he said, amusement laced in his voice. “But the bad news is, they’re sweeping north east from the ruins into the foothills. So, if you are where I think you are, you’re going to have company, and I mean soon.”

I looked around my surroundings, trying to see the sky through the dense trees. Birds trilled in the brush, but nothing disturbed the quiet rustle of the wind in the boughs. Maddox was silent, waiting. He’d need more information to be of any use. I released a breath and gambled that the line was secure, and our broadcast location was masked as the shielded comms device was designed to do. “You might have mentioned that sooner. We’re on the old cart trail where that burnt out hunting blind was. How much time do we have?”

“Oh, I see. Now you want to share. You might have mentioned that sooner.” Maddox chuckled.

Lex interrupted as his horse’s shoulder checked its way closer through the brush. “Fuck off, Maddox. The Queen’s life is on the line.”

Pushy ass. Didn’t he know you catch more flies with honey?

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