Page 119 of Oath of Rebellion

Bella gasped, jumping in front of Gastone and holding her arms wide at the stranger.

"No, don't touch him," she demanded in her most queenly voice.

Still it warbled with fear. She didn't want him to die. He was still the king, still her husband. He'd given her the entire kingdom, had laid it at her feet for her help. Without him, she was nothing, and she wouldn't let him go.

Chapter 42

"I WON'T LET YOU KILL him," Bella said, gathering magic in her hands. Her voice shook but she was determined to stand and make Gastone proud.

The man frowned, lifting his own hands up and palms out, no magic shimmering on them. He was a regular human then, but still she didn't relax. He was a big brute of a man, and she'd been overcome by his type before.

"We're not going to hurt him. We're going to arrest him, heal him, and put him on trial for all the treachery he's caused this–"

A gurgling sound echoed behind her, and Bella looked over her shoulder again. Another barefoot man stood behind Gastone, his dagger drawing away from her husband. The king gargled, spitting bloody froth and phlegm as his hands came up to his neck.

Bella screamed, but the blood didn't stop. She threw her hands up to send healing his way, the shocking horror slamming into her full force.

Gastone tripped to the left, saw his attacker, and threw out a hand. He burst into flames, sending sparks of blue and crimson hellfire out of the Robin.

The explosion hit Bella like a wave of heat from the fireplace, and she stumbled back a step. The attacker screamed, beating at his face. The other Robin shouted and jumped forward to help his compatriot.

Bella threw out her hand, tripping him with the rug as it jerked under his feet. The blazing attacker should die for his treason, and she would not let him stand in the way.

At the movement, the king turned, one hand on his throat, the other bloody hand rising shakily with flickering sparks on his palms. He glared with wild eyes at the other Robin, prepared to burn him alive too.

Bella trembled, fear flashing through her mind as she ducked. Fire shot through the room from Gastone as he slid to his knees. She choked on the fear like a fist down the throat as the burning attacker fell onto her bed.

He had slit the king's throat. He had ended all of her plans with one swipe of the blade. Anger burned hot in her stomach, and she twisted her wrist. The sheets and bedding wrapped around him, but instead of putting out the fire, it squeezed him tighter as they too burst into flames.

The man exploded.

Liquid rubies of flesh and bone rained like ghastly treasure. Guts splattered on her headboard, on the window, and across her body, slamming into her with a sickening crunch. She panted as blood splattered across them all.

She looked down. A bone wrapped in ripped flesh rolled near her shoes. The scent of blood filled the room, making her stomach twist.

Shock rippled through her, her body going cold then hot then cold again as she realized what she'd done. She analyzed the situation like an experiment, detaching her overwhelmed mind from the horror of the scene before her.

---