Page 3 of Onyx Queen
“Why are you here? Did Rory send you?”
“I came to see why the sky is devoid of light. And yes, Rory sent several guards here to see why the Onxy Kingdom seems to be in shambles. She, however, did not send me. I left the captain in charge until I return.”
“I don’t want to see anyone right now, Luca. And yes, something is wrong, but I am not ready to discuss it.”
“Look… you may not want to discuss why darkness has fallen on the Onyx Kingdom. But you won’t be able to hide forever. Emersyn is on her way to see you for herself. She knows that journal holds dark secrets and she is concerned you’ve stumbled upon something nefarious.”
Onika paused, unsure of herself. Pulling the door open, “I’m not ready to see her.”
“Why, Onika?” Luca pushed the door closed behind himself, “What did you find inside King Virid’s journal.”
Onika picked up the leather-bound journal and tossed it to him, “Read for yourself. I don’t think I can say it out loud just yet.”
Luca thumbed through the pages, pausing and glancing at Onika, “Wait… Sarifena is Emersyn’s sister?”
“Keep reading. It gets so much better.” Onika sat on her bed, drawing her legs to her chest. She was a queen and yet, she was acting like a petulant child.
“Holy shit… Onika,” Luca stared wide eyed.
“Don’t say it, Luca… Please.” She held her hand out for the journal, “It’s all in there. The lies everyone has been living. And for what? To protect themselves?”
“I don’t know, darling… but this is heavy. Did you talk to your mother?”
“My mother is full of shit, Luca. She hid this secret from me my entire life. And yes… I talked to her.”
“Well… what did she say? Onika, this is major. Do you understand what this means?”
“I am not ready to understand the implication of what I read. Instead, I want to find out what this has to do with Dimitra’s kidnapping.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
“Who?”
“You know who.” Luca tossed the journal onto her desk.
“No. Not yet. My whole life has been a facade, Luca. It’s not easy to just open my arms and embrace the truth.”
“Alright… how can I help you, then?”
“Don’t say anything just yet. Keep it between us for now. In a couple of days, I’ll show Emersyn the journal and go from there. This is going to change things for her – in a major way.”
“Why would this upset her?”
“Please… just do this for me?”
Luca stepped toward her, placing his hands on her shoulders, “Onika… I thought I made it pretty clear that I would give my last breath for you.”
“Luca…” Onika whispered.
Luca leaned forward and captured her lips in his. The kiss was demanding, begging for her to feel him. Onika pressed against him, his body fusing with hers as he slipped his hands down around her waist. Onika slipped her arms around his neck, her hands tangling into his hair.
“Onika,” Luca tore his lips from hers, “You need to tell them. They have a right to know.”
“I…” she pulled from his arms, “I can’t, Luca. The anger I feel is too much – I’d feel bad if I lashed out at them. Emersyn and Sarifena don’t deserve my anger. I need some time away from everything.”
Onika walked to her closet and pulled out her bag. She started stuffing clothes into the duffle, “Luca, I can’t explain why I need to do this. I just know, staying here and working through this information won’t happen.”
“You're the Queen, Onika. You can’t just run away.”
