Page 31 of Sapphire Queen
Chapter 21
“Another letter has arrived, Your Majesty.” Constable James handed her the folded paper and sat down.
Trepidation filled her veins as she unfolded the parchment. Sarifena was tiring of these games. A letter only added to her frustration.
The time is near.
The birth of a new ruler is soon upon you.
“That’s it?” She tossed the paper at the Constable. “there isn’t anything worth reading this time. Seriously, who is this? Has Amalee read the journal yet? I’m over this bullshit.” Sarifena stood, pacing the office, “We need to find answers.”
“I know, Sarifena. We are working with the other kingdoms to uncover any information we can dig up.”
“Still no word on Dimitra?” Sarifena tugged through her hair, frustration coiling in her belly.
“No. A villager near the edge of the Onyx Kingdom swears she saw someone who looked like the Diamond Queen, but so far, Onika’s men have come up empty-handed.”
“Four months, Constable. FOUR…” Sarifena’s rage burst out, causing his glass of water to explode on his desk. Shards of glass scattered across the wooden top as the cold liquid splattered all over the place. “Shit… I’m sorry.”
“I understand your frustration. We all feel like we are failing – but we cannot let anger cloud our judgment.”
“Where did this letter come from?”
“Again, it was left at the primary entrance. No one saw who placed it there.”
Sarifena stood, “Let me know when you have something more.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Making her way down the corridor, she stopped at the entry to the kitchen. Heath was sitting at the table across from Alex. Her heart warmed, watching him interact with the child. Both had smiles stretched across their faces. It was the first time she’d seen Alex so relaxed. Losing his parents was awful at his age, but Heath told her it would likely make it more comfortable in the long run. His memory of them would eventually fade, leaving an opening for fresh memories.
“Good morning,” Sarifena dipped her head and kissed Alex on the cheek, “I see you guys are happy. Whatcha eating?”
“I made some waffles. He likes them, don’t you,” Heath ruffled his hair and laughed as he shoved a mound of fluffy waffle into his mouth. His hands were dripping with a sticky mess.
“I see that.”
“Sarifena,” Heath stood and grabbed a washcloth, “We need to talk about what to do moving forward.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look,” he wiped Alex’s fingers off and tossed the wet rag to the table, “You realize he will have a hard time adjusting once social services take him. He’s grown fond of you.”
“What do you mean, social services taking him?”
“Slow down, Sarifena. Let me talk,” Heath placed his hand on her shoulder, “I have grown to love this little guy in the brief time he’s been here. What I’m saying is maybe it’s time you formally agreed to keep him.”
Sarifena stared at Heath. Her heart thumped against her ribcage, as the mere thought of someone taking him made her physically sick. “You're right. I won’t let anyone take him. I’ll call social services today and let them know.”
Heath smiled, “I already did.”
“Wait… you knew I’d want to keep him?”
“I see how you are with him, Sari. You love him. It’s in your smile when you look at him. That day you picked him up at the explosion, something changed in you. At first, I thought you were hiding your grief behind him… but now I know it was your heart growing to include him.”
Sarifena laced her fingers with his, “I know this isn’t what you planned for. If it’s too much, I understand if you want to walk away from me. I love you, Heath, but I love him too.” She glanced at Alex, who was oblivious to their conversation, he looked angelic and happy. That wasn’t something she would take away from him.
“I’m not going anywhere. Like I said,” Heath pressed a kiss to her palm, “I’ve fallen in love with the fella too.”
Blinking away tears, Sarifena took a deep breath, “Well, let’s go get the paperwork and make this permanent. I don’t want anyone to take him from me. I’d hate to drown someone.”
