Page 42 of The Reign of Blood

“You’re askingmethat?”

I frown at the confusion in her voice. “Nora?”

“Video call. Now,” she grumbles, and I accept without question, worry still getting the better of me. Her face comes into view, and when I don’t see any imminent danger, relief calms me, just a little.

The pointed look on her face, however, doesn’t give me the all clear just yet. “Addi, it’s all over the news.”

“Nora, I’ve just had the hardest sleep of my life and I’m starving, so you’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that. But first, can you just confirm that you’re not in any danger so my heart can calm down?”

She rolls her eyes at me like I’m being dramatic. She hasn’t seen anything dramatic. Not yet.

“No danger. For now at least,” she states, doing nothing to settle my heart.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re supposed to let me explain what I was calling for before you keep interrupting,” she sasses with a cock of her brow.

It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Sorry, what is so important?”

She rubs her lips together nervously, taking a deep breath that makes her chest heave heavily. “Everyone knows who you are.” She braces for impact, as if the words are going to cause a backlash that will travel through the cell phone.

“Oh.”

“It’s been broadcasted to the entire kingdom,” she adds, still waiting for me to detonate, but after yesterday, it’s no real shock that everyone is aware now.

“How bad is it?”

Her eyebrows rise, like she’s assessing my reaction. “I don’t know, Dad made me turn it off,” she admits, turning her gaze off screen to presumably glare at the man in question.

“Because the media is a bunch of crap and I wanted to hear from my daughter.”

There he is.

Hearing both of them fills my body with the dose of love I didn’t know I needed. It’s a stark reminder of what I’m doing all of this for. It makes me sit taller, focus, and want to fight past everything. Especially this damn amethyst.

“Hi, Dad,” I breathe, and a moment later his face appears beside Nora’s.

“Hi, Addi. What’s going on?” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It’s a sophisticated look he’s always going for. There’s no prescription in the lenses, but it’s a part of his aura so we let him rock it. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes stand out as his face stretches into a smile.

“What have the media said?” I ask, smiling despite the worry that exudes from both of them.

“That doesn’t matter. I want to know what’s been going on with you, how all of this has come about.”

Because trouble follows me at every turn. Because it’s nothing like the farm here. Because I’m dealing with more than I thought was possible.

How do I know how much to tell him without knowing how much has been released?

“I’ve been okay, Dad,” I offer as I swipe their faces to the corner of my screen so I can access the Internet app.

“Don’t try that business with me. I could sense it in your voice the last time we spoke,” his retorts, giving me his usual inquisitive look. The one I’m a sucker for.

Quickly skimming my eyes over the news, I’m surprised there isn’t an actual picture of me published, but the information I’m looking for is displayed bold and strong.

Queen Reagan.

Fuck.

I may as well tell him everything. I don’t like to keep secrets from them anyway, but the facts of last Friday have been a lot for me to grasp, too.

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