Page 104 of A Queen and HER Bad Boy
The bells grew louder, their bronze voices calling across the island like prayers carried on the wind, but who would answer that call?
Whatever happened next, he would not let the Myrdons take Bris too.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Thebellsinthedistance rang out in warning, though the tower in the ancient church had turned eerily silent. Bris felt Achille’s protective hand against her back as they climbed the winding stone steps. The chaos from the world around them bounced off the thick walls, a strange mix of the archaic ruins and the modern world of helicopters.
Phoenix! Another threat that O Skia had warned them about! The rat had worked for Atreus Mnon since before the Myrdons were formed, and now his orders were leading their enemies in a bloody search for them. They must have discovered Peder’s desperate ruse. She prayed he hadn’t sacrificed his life for them! His injuries seemed so serious—the attackers were killing whoever got in their way. And they’d taken Gena?
“Just a few steps more,” Achilles said, his breathing labored from their climb. “We’ll be able to see what the Myrdons are doing once we get to the top of the bell tower.”
But would that leave them more exposed? Bris didn’t dare breathe her reservations. Their whole world was crumbling around them, with only their lives intact—but for how long?
The train of her white wedding dress flowed behind her on the worn steps, making her feel like she’d stepped out of history itself, into an era where monarchs were executed as casually as Manolo Blahnik changed out its winter selection of shoes to fit the new year’s fashions.
They reached the top, and Bris gasped at the view. The weathered Gothic bell swayed in its ancient cradle above them, while the entire island spread below them in a gray-green tapestry of olive groves. The sea sparkled like scattered jewels beyond, and ruins dotted the landscape—modern towns literally built atop ancient civilizations. The dizzying sensation of two time periods layered on top of each other made her feel the crushing weight of centuries pressing down on her shoulders.
She’d almost been crowned queen of this country—was that only two nights ago? Now these same attackers were closing in. Their soldiers crawled through the island like the ants they’d tattooed over their bodies. Helicopters buzzed through the trees to hunt them down.
Catching her breath, she grabbed Achilles’s arm as he ran his protective hand down her back. If they came for her here, she’dmake sure they only took her and left him alive. Unable to bear looking down at the fighting below any longer, she buried her face against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. “We’ll get Gena back,” she whispered.
“Yes, she’s fine.” He didn’t mean it. She could tell, but he was trying to comfort her, instead. She wanted to scream out in frustration.
The distant bells ended their song, carried forward by other towers across the island. She realized they were creating the melody of a familiar tune—“Lili Marleen,” that haunting wartime ballad—each bell tower taking its turn to finish the sequence until the enormous bell above them joined the chorus. Its deep bronze voice resonated through her bones.
The response was almost immediate. Across from them, in the ancient amphitheater ruins, a diagonal line of gold light shone steadily from a window carved into the sun-bleached marble.
“A signal,” she breathed.
The beam cut through the morning air. “The bells must be how the rebels communicate with each other,” Achilles said. “They’re checking in on each other; my guess is to see who’s still standing.”
Brilliant—probably invented to avoid intercepted communications.
She studied the amphitheater’s crumbling arches and wondered what was hiding in their shadows. “Do you think they keep Aggie imprisoned there?”
Achilles tilted his head. “Wait. Aggie Mnon?”
“Who else? I overheard people talking. I think he’s imprisoned on this island.”
His forehead wrinkled. “Wait. Why didn’t you say something?” The hurt that flashed across his expression killed her. How must this look through his eyes? First, she’d tricked him with that necklace, and now she was keeping sensitive information back?This was more than just their first marital disagreement. “You didn’t trust me?” he asked.
She held up her hands to deny it. “No, it’s not like that—the Earl told me that Aggie was here.” Mentioning him was also the wrong thing to say. She could see that through his tight-lipped expression. The only reason she’d gotten the inside scoop was the guy was being a total creep. “Anyway, the subject didn’t come up again… except, well, your mother…”
His brow went up. “My mother? Out with it. What else aren’t you telling me?”
“Well… I think maybe your father is working with her. And it makes sense, because Atreus Mnon went after their kids.”
Find my heart; seek the cross.
Clysta had seen this coming from the beginning. Her first priority was keeping her children safe. This meant that so far, everything O Skia claimed was true. Achilles’s father hated the Myrdons and would never work with them.
So, then whowasfunding them?
The helicopters circled closer, and smoke began rising from the olive groves below. Diesel fumes choked the air as armored personnel carriers ground through the ancient terraces, their treads crushing centuries-old olive roots beneath steel weight. The Island of Aeaea was officially under attack. Achilles stood with his back against the stone railing, his white shirt billowing in the brisk tower wind, unnaturally still while the world burned around them. “Have you cracked the code yet?” he asked, his voice raw. “Find my heart; seek the cross. Then you will discover the help you need.”
She shook her head. “But we’re in a church. Maybe we’re already there.”
“My mother couldn’t just give us a burner phone to contact her with? That would’ve been more practical.” He still sounded unlike himself, too much emotion fracturing hisusual composure. She immediately reached for him, her fingers finding his arm. He took her hand unconsciously, seeking solace, for what, she wasn’t quite sure of yet. “There are a lot of crosses in here,” he said. “She could’ve been married in this church—it’s the only one around. Her heart’s here? I don’t know!”
