Page 39 of Kill the Queens

The gold throne had been left behind, the umbrella reluctantly following, and the queen was now pressed against the edges of the platform she sat on. At first, she glared at him. Met his intense gaze as air hissed out between his teeth and the weight hoisted up. Eventually, that hatred faded.

Somewhere between him succeeding to scare off the last couple of men and him lifting what might be more than humanly possible, Farah began to smile. Not just any smile, not at all, this was a wide wicked grin that took up the entirety of her face.

She'd drank one man’s blood before; who was to say she couldn't do it again? Reed could make a good enough king…and all she'd have to do was fuck him enough to get herself an heir…and then his strength could be hers. That didn't sound too hard…

Much like Zacharias, Reed's clothing was slick against his body, clinging to every dip and curve his muscles created. Reed was much larger than Zacharias. Where Zacharias was long and lanky, Reed was thick as an ox. Farah could see more than just the muscles in his abdomen. What she really marveled at were his thighs. Thick corded muscles bulged against the fabric. It was like he'd hidden watermelons in his pant legs, Farah thought to herself.

The bar crashed back down to the earth, weight jostled on its ends. When he panted, hands settled against his hips, there wasn't cheering like there was for Zacharias. The crowd was silent.

People gawked at him. Their gazes reflected different variations of fear, amazement, and outright shock. Farah might think herself the monster but Reed looked the part.

After several long moments where the only sound was Reed's heavy breathing and the rustling of the wind in the distant trees, Bethra bustled over to lift his hand and declare him the winner.

"Mr. Reed Copeland has successfully completed today'sevent and beat his other opponents." Bethra looked up to Farah. "My Queen, would you like to give him his prize?"

Farah was still smiling as a rose appeared in her palm. She took her time making her way down the stairs to the dirt where Reed waited. Up close, he was even more impressive to look at. The distance had muted the sheer size of him but when they stopped eye to eye, Farah knew she had to look fragile next to him. As fragile as the flower she held.

"What strength you have,Reed." Farah let her gaze travel from the top of his head to his toes, the sort of gaze that other people usually cowered from. Reed basked in it.

"Is this where I tell you I won for you? Or say some shit about the beating of my heart?" His words were breathy and rushed.

"I would prefer you didn't."

He smiled slightly at that.

The queen extended her arm, offering him the flower. "Your prize."

"A flower?" He ran a hand over his forehead where sweat was starting to drip into his eyes. The air around him smelled like salt. "What about a kiss?"

Farah's spine stiffened. Trying to force herself to relax, she gave him a brief laugh and a dismissive wave. "You're going to have to do more than that to earn yourself a kiss."

His attention drifted from her gaze to her ear where the dagger had been shoved through her piercing. It fit perfectly there even if it did look odd for her to only have a single earring.

"I see you got my gift." A grin broke out over his lips. "Do you like it?"

"I'd like to know where you got it."

Those silver eyes were startlingly bright. "Consider it a family heirloom." He shrugged and the material across his torso rippled.

"It was a dangerous gift. I'm not sure I approve." Farah turned to walk away, ignoring the splatter of sweat in the dirt. Her shadow stretched in front of her, the outline of her floating umbrella overhead. She resisted the urge to touch the gift she wore.

"I wasn't looking for your approval," Reed said from behind her.

Farah declined her opportunity to respond to him.

THIRTEEN

Ace

"Ace." Her name broke through the foggy thoughts of a dream."Ace," the voice said again before she felt her whole body jostle.

She slipped back into consciousness firstly aware of the way her hips ached and her body swayed with the steps of the horse under her. Second, she became aware of how she was reclined back, how her head was slightly turned, and how she could feel the rise and fall of every breath Shelby took behind her. Everywhere their bodies aligned was damp with sweat.

"Ace." The voice was an irritated growl.

Her eyes finally fluttered open. She quickly realized that at some point they'd veered off the dirt path that led between towns and had taken to smaller trails that ran through the forest floors leading to the wall that surrounded Pasia. She'd expected it but she was still surprised as she gasped when she caught sight of the large looming monstrosity before them.

Stone was stacked on stone, all of it black, looking more like a curse than something that was supposed to help them. It stretched up over the sky. Her mouth went dry. Slowly, she peeled herself off of Shelby, wiping a hand across her mouth where spit might have dribbled out.

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