Page 29 of The Broken Queen

The wind howled outside as I turned around and rushed back to the library. The door was still ajar, as I quickly looked around the room. Finally, my eyes landed on the gold chain. There, sitting on the tan leather couch we just vacated, was Mother’s angel. She gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday, and ever since, I haven’t taken it off.

I walked over to pick it up and noticed the chain was broken. What sounded like a tree snapping outside jolted me out of my daze. I quickly stuffed the necklace in my pocket to fix on another day and rushed out of the library.

When I ran out into the narrow hall, it was as if everything went still. The thunder, the lightning strikes, the storm that was about to threaten our safety just vanished. There was nobody around, not even Mother, who said she would wait for me.

My face tightened. I was gone for less than two minutes/ How did everyone vacate so quickly?

I made my way down the hall but stopped when I heard a blood curdling scream. My heart hammered inside of my chest. What...what was that?

My body moved in the direction of the scream. My breathing grew heavier and my pulse raced. Suddenly, the hallway turned pitch black. I bit my lip and moved closer to the wall. The power couldn’t have gone out at a worse time. I placed my hands on the walls so I didn’t fall and bust my ass, but as I got closer to the den, the voices got louder.

“Please, don’t do this!”

Wait...that was Mother’s voice.

My walk turned into a run. Once I reached the den door, there were two figures. One was Mother whose eyes were wide and her body was still, and the other was a man with his back to me. That man was holding a gun pointed straight at her.

“I’m sorry. You know the world we live in. This has to happen.” I tried to make out the man’s voice but couldn't, and when I moved forward, my presence became known. Mother glanced at me quickly and gave me a silent warning to stay put. Fuck that, I never did what I was told.

Everything happened in slow motion. A sharp breath escaped my lips when a pop pop sound rang through my ears. My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched her fall to the ground. When the man placed the gun in his pocket, he made a move to turn. I quickly rushed back out of the den and into the dark hallway. I hid behind one of Father’s many statues, this one a soldier who was holding a rifle over his shoulder. My body trembled as I covered my mouth with my hands so he wouldn’t hear my panting.

He strode down the hall, taking his time, not caring that he just hurt Mother or that we were under a tornado warning. The wind howled outside, and then time stopped. His phone rang right in front of the statue I was hiding behind. He stopped walking and answered. My heart was pounding so fast I was afraid he could hear it. I bit my lip and stood stock still.

“Yeah,” he barked through the phone. “It’s done. I’m getting the fuck out of here.” I couldn’t hear the person on the other end of the line, but the man’s foot was tapping on the ground and I could tell he was getting more agitated the longer he was on the phone. “Her body is in the library. It’s about to be wiped away by a tornado, anyway. No one will know she was murdered. It’ll be marked down as the cause of the tornado.”

My hands clenched into fists. While I had previously feared he would catch me, something sparked behind the pain I felt when he shot Mother. I wanted him to know I saw his face. I wanted him to know he wouldn’t get off scot=free. He would pay, and even though physically I couldn’t outman him, I knew Father could.

Sucking in a breath, I revealed myself from behind the statue. The man’s brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black, widened. The momentary shock vanished in an instant. The man’s features darkened and matched his midnight long hair. Everything about him screamed evil.

He took a step forward, and I took several steps back. The pain of watching Mother die before my eyes was crushing my chest, but I couldn’t focus on that currently. Instead, I had to find a way to make the man pay for his crimes, and if that meant leading him out into the middle of a chaotic tornado, so be it.

I turned around and bolted. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Through the halls and down the stairs, ignoring the howling winds and the pouring rain.

Chapter Fifteen

Raven

My eyes jerked awake as the memory/dream faded away. My body was coiled as if it was preparing for harm. I opened and closed my hand to get some movement into it. Wiggling my body slowly, I tried my best to rise to a sitting position. My back briefly stuck to the sheets because it was slick with sweat, but I was able to move to a sitting position. A groan escaped my lips when the wound from my abdomen started hurting.

I didn’t know if I was jacked up on pain meds, but whatever I had currently in my system wore itself off. I gritted my teeth as I slowly moved my feet over the bed. The room was dark, too dark for my liking.I guess that night light finally went out.I reached over and turned on the lamp. My eyes blinked rapidly to block out the bright lighting. Once they adjusted, I was able to fully open them. I hissed when my feet touched the cold floor.

I slowly made my way to the bathroom, but slipped on something and fell backwards. “Fuck!” It would’ve been funny if I hadn’t stretched my stomach in the process, reinjuring my wound.

There was a deep laugh, and instead of trying to get up, my body stalled in movement.Who was in here with me?

“Well, that was graceful.” A smoky, masculine voice greeted me from the other side of the room.

I pinched myself.I must be dreaming. It’s not possible that he was visiting me so often. After all these years? Why was he suddenly so active in my life?

I remained on the floor, not moving and probably making a fool out of myself. My heart was pounding in my chest.What did he want? Was he here to take Julianna away from me? What would he say next?I opened my mouth to talk, but no words came. I was in shock; I had to be. His boots moved across the floor and I waited on bated breath for him to show his handsome face. Every time I was in his presence, I felt unworthy. It was obscured to think that because of our social statuses, but even still, I wanted him to see me. To love me. To be mine forever.

I never cared that I was the princess and he was the servant’s son. He was more than that. He was more than me. If anyone was meant to be a royal, it was him.Not me.Slade could command a room like Father did. I never garnered the respect that he did.

His black boots stopped in front of my feet. I remained still, but my eyes slowly traveled from his boots to his dark blue jeans, all the way up to his gray shirt. His shirt was short sleeved, showing the tattoos that were wrapped around his biceps. I swallowed, seeing his sculpted chest showing through his shirt. My gaze continued to travel up, from his Adam’s apple, to his chin, lips and finally his eyes.

His silver gaze looked right through me, seeing everything I wanted so desperately to hide behind. This man haunted my dreams frequently. He wanted to torture and weaken me until there was nothing left but scraps of dust.

Those beautiful eyes of ice stared back at me with a hint of amusement. The corners of his lips were tilted, and his stance relaxed. He held out his hands, and I placed mine in his. Sparks of electricity ran through my veins as his fingers closed around my palms.

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