Page 23 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
“Princess, this is Peter Chastain. I’m so glad to hear your voice. Jasper Beaumont told me that you’d perished trying to escape your wedding.”
“He’s the one who perished, I’m afraid,” I chime, counting the seconds down to Peter’s response, trying to decipher if he’s surprised to hear it—or at all annoyed by the ramifications.
“I can infer from your tone that he’d lost his way… Hurry home to us, princess, so we can discuss matters of succession.”
“I am to be crowned queen, no?” I muse, taking note of his repetitive use of the wordprincess—which from the mouth of a talented politician is no coincidence.
I know how to read between the lines.
Peter is as congenial as ever when he answers, “Well, there aren’t a lot of precedents here. Two kings being killed so quickly…the government needs to evaluate all the options.”
I lick my lips, reigning my temper in. His measured voice doesn’t fool me… he’s already planning to overthrow my claim. “Alright. I’ll see you soon, Peter.”
“Wonderful.”
The gears in my head turn, and the scandalous idea I’ve been secretly toying with imposes itself. I know what I have to do to be crowned queen, and—though it brings me no pleasure to admit—I can’t do this alone.
I’ve been studying the ins and outs of politics long enough to know what I should do, and I set my trap as easily as a fisherman throws a net into the ocean. “But I’ll pay my respect to our mother Nyx, first. In Hadria.”
“Hadria isn’t safe for you. You should hurry home, princess. The vote for the crown will be held in less than a week—”
“I’ll see you in three days, Prime Minister.” I hang up, letting him know that I won’t let him rule over me. If Peter Chastain is as obsessed with his legacy as Alec thinks, he won’t stand behind me over his own grandchildren—whoever their father is. If he gets an inkling of what I’m about to do, he’ll try to stop it, but once it’s done, he’ll be powerless to change it.
Alec retrieves his phone from my outstretched hand and looks at me expectantly. “What did Peter say?”
“He plans to challenge me and put his oldest grandchild on the throne. Ludovic had no heirs, which made the succession simple. I’m a woman, so that muddies the water even more. I think Peter plans to take the regency for himself.”
Alec shakes his head in anger and disbelief. “Tradition clearly dictates that vampires take precedence over bloodlings.”
“Not always. I need as solid a claim as I can get. I need to make sure Peter votes for me.”
The serious line of Alec’s mouth stills my breath. “And how do you propose to get him on your side?”
I avert my gaze, suddenly feeling not as confident as I felt a minute ago. “I have a plan.”
Nyx save me, I have an idea that might just bring the government—and Peter—to my side, despite his designs. I just have to keep it secret long enough for it to work.
Chapter12
Cruel
ARIELLE
The Aegan sea rolls over the rocks, but its fury pales in comparison to the storm in my heart. The thick muscle at the center of my undead chest aches as I rush through the front door of Jason Delacroix’s estate, a place I thought I’d left behind for good. Rain pounds on the paved stones of the balcony like it followed us here from the other continent, but the repetitive pitter-patter is not quite loud enough to drown out the sound of Leo’s heartbeats, the pulse of his anguish palpable.
I instinctively reach for his hand and give it a good squeeze. “I’ll meet you in my room in an hour. You should rest.”
It’s still dark, but I’ll need to feed before dawn. There’s too much to do, and I don’t expect to sleep today. I can’t afford to be hungry on top of it all.
A languid ache encircles my ribcage as Leo slips past our host and vanishes down the servant stairwell, not exactly looking forward to his reunion with the staff, I’m sure. It must be very difficult for him to be back on Hadria, where he effectively lost his freedom.
Being this close to home, to a living, breathing ghost of his old life, might complicate things even further, and the least I can do is give him a little time to rest before I expose my plans to him.
I gave the courtesy of calling ahead, so Jason is not totally thrown by our arrival, but he still looks lost as he clears his throat. “Welcome back to Hadria, princess.”
“Queen,” Alec corrects him. It’s not completely accurate, yet, but people have a tendency to believe what we tell them to be true.
“Welcome, my queen,” Jason corrects himself, knowing better than to antagonize a pissed-off royal guard.
