Page 14 of A Queen's Game
“I saved you, Marietta. It took longer than I would’ve liked, but it was now or never.” His thumb rubbed over the top of her hand.
“Now or never?”
“Olkia is now under King Wyltam’s rule. We besieged the city after my team extracted you.”
Marietta smacked his hand away. “That isn’t true.”
“It is. It’s a wonderful success for us in Satiros. That includes you, Lady Vallynte.” A soft smile formed on his lips despite the sadness in his eyes.
“Don’t call me that.” The walls of the room pressed in, threatening to smother her. “If Olkia fell to Satiros, that means your King has damned my home.”
“Hush, Marietta. It’s alright. Please, don’t cry.” He pulled her tight to his body.
Numbed, she barely registered her tears that fell. Marietta struck his face with a weak effort, the hit darkening Keyain’s expression. Her entire body shook. “I told you no, I would not marry you, and I made that very clear. The last time we spoke,I said I never wanted to see you again.” Didn’t he get over their relationship? Her voice cracked. “I married Tilan, not you.”
A vial appeared in his hand from his pocket, filled with a light blue and milky substance. “I didn’t want to do this, but it’ll help with your emotional pain.”
Marietta scrambled away from him as he brought the vial to her mouth, her voice thick. “I want nothing from you. Not now, not ever.”
“Marietta, please. It won’t knock you out again; it’ll just take the edge of pain off. The doctor wants you to take it.”
As he leaned into the bed towards Marietta, she pressed her body against the wall. With the uncorked vial in one hand, his other grabbed her jaw, forcing it open as the contents emptied into her throat.
The thick substance was like syrup, slowly dripping down and causing her to gag. Keyain held her mouth shut as she attempted to spit it out. Only when he was sure it had gone down did his grip loosen, her body falling into him as energy fled from her. Keyain placed her down on the bed, his hand rubbing circles on her back.
Some things never changed. Unattainable goals were challenges to Keyain. Anything was possible with a plan. He had tried to control Marietta’s life—which she never wanted—but it seemed his efforts had paid off. Marietta was in his custody, so he would get everything he wanted.
His touch, once welcomed, felt like a thousand needles pricking across her skin. His smile and his laugh once made her chest tighten with happiness. Being in his home city-state, getting a glimpse of his other life, once would have thrilled Marietta. At one point in time, he was her most trusted friend, but now, with Tilan dead and her city seized, Marietta learned how far Keyain would go to get what he wanted.
Marietta wanted to believe the Keyain that she once knew disappeared, replaced with an evil, ruthless version of himself. But that wasn’t true. His smile, his touch, and his tenderness were still the same. His affection was so much like the day she left that it was unnerving, sending chills down her spine. Keyain’s cruelty had always been there; he had always been this version. She just never saw it until now. The anger subsided, replaced with a depth of sadness and mourning that left her breathless. Her reality hit her again; Keyain had taken everything from her. She had learned that hurting others wasn’t above him the night they met, and yet, she would never have thought he’d be okay with attacking an entire city, killing innocents as they slept in their beds.
Sorrow washed over her, first a slow wave, then heavy crashes, threatening to drown her as breath lost its grip. Grief took her heart—for her lost city, for her friends, and for her husband.
As the drugs took hold of her consciousness, her world faded to black.
Chapter Six
Valeriya
Valeriya brought her hand to her chin as she glared at her husband. “How sure are you? Her injuries were quite dire.”
With his head bent down over his notes and dismissive of Valeriya’s presence, Wyltam responded with a deep voice that didn’t match his slim frame. “Keyain assured me she’d be at the victory ball, so she’ll be there.”
Lingering near the door, she bristled at her husband’s response. King or not, he should treat his wife with more respect. The way he could easily dismiss her was one of many reasons Valeriya despised her husband. Thick red curls flipped over her shoulder as she turned. “I don’t see how. They’ve kept her under heavy sedatives.”
A sigh escaped Wyltam’s mouth. Above his desk hovered a light globe that cast his office in the Royal’s Suite in a golden glow. Like most days, Valeriya found Wyltam tucked away to read whatever subject he deemed worth his time. What he studied didn’t matter—if only he put as much energy towards being the King.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as loose tendrils of black hair drifted in front of his face, hanging just below his eyes. “Keyain said she would be there.” His voice grew sharper as the conversation continued.
“He’s your friend. Wouldn’t he tell you more?” Valeriya crossed her arms and stepped towards her husband. She might as well press him while he felt talkative. Somehow, the only heir to the Satiroan throne missed the charisma needed to be a leader. Silly of her to think she could help Wyltam change. An impossible task when he was never willing to meet her halfway.
“You do well enough by finding information on your own. Why don’t you go learn for yourself?” The inky black of his eyes stared back at her. Since the day they met, he had been cold and guarded toward Valeriya. After years of trying, she realized how fruitless any relationship would be.
“Why do you think I went to the infirmary?” She took another step towards him. “The nurses said the injuries were serious when she arrived. The poor girl—”
Wyltam raised a hand to cut her off. “You’ve already explained her injuries to me.” His hand lowered to the book, finger extended to a line as he looked between it and his papers.
“And I will continue to explain her injuries until you question Keyain about how she got them. Why would a minister’s wife be in such a dire state?” Valeriya snapped, patience wearing thin. How dare he act like she was being unreasonable? Something wasn’t right about the situation. The least he could do asthe Kingwas question his friend about what had happened.
