Page 26 of The Broken Queen

I laughed and walked around him. “You’re delusional, man.”

“Iknowyour weakness, King.” I stiffened. I wasn’t shocked that he knew my weakness, but I was put off by the fact that he was goingthatroute. He was my best friend, and we had been through pretty much everything together, but hehatedRaven. I wouldn’t put it past him to kill her if he had the chance. Yet, he knew she wasmineto deal with, so he’d back off, but still. He was testing me.

“And while you act like a cold-blooded killer, I know for a fact that the second you’re in the vicinity of that woman, she’ll break you down, and all the walls you’ve built will cease to exist.”

In a split second, I was in his face with my hand gripping his throat. “You come at me like that again, and best friend or not, I’ll kill you myself.”

He flinched but nodded.

I let go of his neck and walked out the room. It didn’t matter what he thought. It didn’t matter whatanyof them thought. I didn’t have feelings for her anymore. She was a means to an end. And if that end involved my gun being pushed into her chest to save my daughter from that asshole, then I would gladly be the one pulling the trigger.

No, by the end of this game, the Queen’s chess piece would fall.

Chapter Thirteen

Raven

I woke up incredibly stiff. I tried to sit up but had a hard time doing so. My breath hitched when I heard a chair move. Footsteps walked against the floor and I clenched my eyes shut. I justknewhe was going to lecture me. A masculine hand removed the hair from my face gently.Wait...I know that touch.My eyes popped open and met an icy gaze. A gasp escaped my lips.

Slade.He was here.How...why was he here? Did this mean he was coming back to fight for us?I couldn’t believe it, I never thought I would see him again, let alone be this close to him. My heart raced, I wanted to reach out and hug him, but that seemed like such an impossible wish.

He placed a hand over my mouth. “Don’t talk.” His deep voice was a welcome distraction.

I nodded and grimaced when I moved again. For some reason it hurt worse than it did earlier. He removed his hand from my lips and kept his firm gaze on mine. I swallowed, but it was rough.

The lighting was dim, there was a single night light in the room, but it was bright enough that I could make out his face. He looked the same but different. He had a scar that outlined the corner of his right eye. His hair was still the same messy way it had always been. His once smooth face had a five o’clock shadow, and his muscles had grown since the last time I saw him. He was sexier than ever, but he also looked more dangerous.Is this a dream? How is he here?

He remained at my side, not saying a word, his eyes boring into my soul. It was like he couldn’t comprehend that he was here either. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I was afraid he’d leave again if I opened my mouth.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Slade’s eyes gave me a silent warning.Don’t say a word.He moved behind the curtains as I forced myself into a sitting position. Once I was there, I swung my legs over the side and turned the light on. I cleared my throat. “Come in!”

The door burst open, and Father came in breathing furiously. My shoulders tensed, and I braced myself for the worst.Here we go.

“Raven,” he grunted. There was invisible steam coming from his ears. I hadn’t seen him this mad in awhile. Lately he had been turning his anger elsewhere, but today it was all on me.

“Father,” I said in a dry tone.

“What did I tell you not to do?”

I looked at the ceiling, trying to remember everything that went wrong. I shrugged, “I can’t remember.”

“You and I damn well know that’s a lie.What did I tell you not to do?” he asked through clenched teeth.

I released a heavy sigh, and lowered my gaze back to his. “Not to get close.”

“And why did you?”

Why the hell was I getting grilled by him?I just got stabbed for Christ’s sake. Did he care though?No.His love for me vanished into thin air. It was non-existent. “Because she looked like she was suffering. I mean no water, no food, kind of suffering. She was on the verge of passing out. How do you expect me to interrogate someone when they can’t even lift their head?”

I moved to a standing position, but faltered, so I used the bed as a crutch. I just wanted to get a shower. Was that too much toask? Actually, could I even get a shower? I had no idea how deep the wound was. My lips morphed into a frown.

Father took a few steps towards me and glared. I did my best to stand up straight, but without warning, he backhanded me. I lost my balance, hit the nightstand, and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

Well, that fucking hurt. Why couldn’t he just be the caring parent for once in his life? Why did I have to succumb to this side of him? Why couldn’t he treat me like he treated my daughter? Why was I so unloved?

“Next time, do what I tell you or you’ll find yourself in the dungeon without food or water. Don’t make me a monster, Raven.” He left the room, and slammed the door shut.

A lone tear fell down my face. “You already are...”

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