Page 2 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
Bella unzips the side of her black dress hurriedly and passes it to me without question. The simple black v-neck garment is easy to slip on, and I tie my hair in a tight bun at the back of my neck.
A pair of black sunglasses, strappy heels, and a red scarf meant to cover my neck the way the blood slaves cover their bite marks complete the look.
Bella tries to remove the necklace and fails at it, too, so she adjusts the scarf to cover it instead, her top lip curled in a sneer. “How can we get rid of thatthing?”
I shake my head. “We can’t trust any of the witches or warlocks here, so we’ll worry about this wretched collar later.”
While we were changing, Alec and Lucas also switched tuxes. Lucas’ black jacket and simple white undershirt is less recognizable and conspicuous than the Delacroix royal guard uniform, but it’s slightly too small for Alec, and he curses under his breath.
Jude helps Bella into my wedding dress. “I’ll escort Bella out to the balcony for a few minutes. From a distance, it’ll seem as though the princess is catching her breath outside.”
Alec grips his colleague’s arm. “Alright, but no more than five or six minutes, or you won’t make it out.”
Jude’s mouth twitches. “This is no worse than Berlin.”
“Nothingbeats Berlin,” Alec cracks up, lines visible at the corner of his golden-rimmed eyes for a split second before the focussed mask of the royal guard returns. “Safe travels, my friend. We’ll disappear into the city and regroup at the airport.”
Lucas raises a shaky hand to his brow. “The king has eyes and ears everywhere. They’ll be watching the airports, so you should try a boat instead.”
“Boats are slow.”
“Bite me, Beaumont.” Lucas snaps, all fake pretenses forgotten.
I lay a hand on both their forearms to stop the testosterone showdown.
Keenan and Alec stare at each other in silence for three whole seconds before the angel says, “Ye heard the kid. We’ll find a boat.” He drags his thumb across his bottom lip, moving closer to my first-blood. “Leo will come with me. I can get him out.”
My first-blood swallows hard, the bob of his throat visible before he squeezes my hand. “Alright.”
I hug Leo goodbye, drawing in a deep breath to imprint his scent in my memory. I don’t want for us to go our separate ways, but he’s probably got a better shot at making it out with Keenan than me. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Be careful.” He holds me to him for a moment, and butterflies flutter in my stomach at the weight of his touch and the obvious affection in his quiet plea.
“I’ll stay here and stall them as long as possible when they come knocking,” Lucas says, his pout telegraphing exactly how uncomfortable he feels to be stuck in the middle of this conflict.
“Goodbye, Lucas.” I peck his cheeks for old times’ sake. The space behind my eyes tingles, the eerie intuition that I’ll never see him again stealing my breath. A week ago, I would have begged him to come along, but the rift between us seems too wide now. I’m not the meek girl he once kissed. I’m not afraid to break the rules or voice my opinions, and I don’t ever want to be herded into a sheep mentality again.
Jude steps onto the balcony with Bella as Alec and I slip out of the room. My royal guard’s body is coiled like a well-oiled machine, ready to run and strike down my enemies, so I quickly check the empty hallway and pull him to a stop.
“Relax, you look like fucking James Bond,” I scold.
Alec glowers at my jab but shakes his nerves loose, looking slightly less threatening. “Act hungover, and hold onto my arm like I just fed from you all night.”
I grin at the double-entendre. “Didn’t you?”
Warmth touches his eyes for the first time since he heard the news of my brother’s death, and a tingle of affection quakes through me. “Don’t tease me right now, Lucky. I’m trying to save your life.”
We descend the servant’s staircase and cross paths with one of the Pereira’s handmaids. I force a stupid, dreamy smile on my face and hang from Alec’s arm. The fiend squeezes my ass, the motion so crude that I struggle to hold in a gasp. The woman keeps her gaze down, her wrinkled nose betraying a hint of judgment, and Alec offers me a satisfied smile.
We pick up the pace and glide along the white hallways and stairwells, only slowing down when we hear someone coming. Thankfully, most of the staff members are busy carrying in flowers, gifts, or cutlery for the reception, but Alec still takes advantage of every single one of these encounters to grope me, the shameless way he handles my body setting me ablaze.
We’re playing at blood-slave and master, and while this court’s customs disgust me, my body has other ideas… When I first turned into a vampire, my flesh howled for blood. Now, it seems that my cells crave Alec’s touch beyond reason, and despite the gravity of the situation, I wish I had enough time to take a bite out of him.
As we near the corridors leading to the kitchens, Alec flattens me to the wall and buries his face in my neck to avoid the scrutiny of yet another passerby, and my lids flutter. There’s a certain…desperation in his performance, as though he’s holding me for the last time. His hands grip my waist over the fabric, his teeth dragging across my jugular, and the man grins as he walks past us.
“Oh, God,” I groan for effect, not having to fake the desire in my voice.
A wave of molten heat engulfs me, and Alec waits a few seconds before sliding back. His hold grows heavier on my shoulders for the last few yards, and by the time we hurry down the steps to the servants’ side entrance, we no longer have to pretend to be a couple looking for privacy. I’m simply boiling inside, ready to burst. “Was that really necessary?”
