Page 50 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
My husband zooms over to his sister and grabs her hand, ushering her to the top of the stairs. Alec is quick on his heels, both men taking hold of one arm.
Leo hurries out, and Garrett enters the room, the haze of sleep gone from his demeanor. “What’s going on?”
“Adele Chastain is an enemy of the crown. Her and Jasper plotted to have Victor killed and tried to murder the queen.”
I expect the oldest Beaumont to ask questions or argue, but he lets out a small, “Fuck,” before his expression turns serious and analytical. “What should we do?”
“Gather the queen’s servants and Jasper’s. Some of them might have been involved. Initiate a complete lockdown and tell the soldiers to double their vigilance. No one is to be let in or out without the queen’s express authorization. The royal guard should search Adele’s rooms for evidence.”
The two men have it all under control, so I take my place at Sebastian’s side, knowing how heart-wrenching the whole situation must be for him.
“The doctor is on his way, just…try to relax,” Sebastian says to his sister, and I give his hand an encouraging squeeze. He knew his family was fucked up, but not to this extent…
The doctor comes rushing in and barks a few orders at Peter and Sebastian. They relocate Adele to the floor and the physician takes his place between her legs.
The pregnant vampire is shaken by contractions every few seconds. Blood and sweat stick to her black hair, her arms shaking. “Which one of you killed him? Was it you?” she asks, the remnants of Keenan’s magic gone from her voice, the pain coming in quick waves close together.
Sebastian shakes his head. “No.”
The dowager queen closes her eyes, tears spilling over her closed lids. “Then who did it?”
“I did,” I lie, knowing I shouldn’t let anyone else take the blame for something I would have done if I was given the opportunity.
Adele snarls. “Felipe Pereira wants your head. You’ll be lucky to last a month. How did you get rid of the necklace?”
My pulse flutters at my neck, her disappointment tangible. “So…you’re the one who had the necklace made?”
She clams shut, but I can see that I’m right. As the queen, she had access to the court’s warlocks. Jasper didn’t.
“Pereira will pay for his sins,” I add solemnly, the memories of the burns still hot around my throat.
Peter grimaces, looking particularly displeased. “My Queen, we have to smooth things over with Pereira. We can’t afford to have both him and the Zhaos after us.”
I fail to mask the outrage and disbelief in my voice. “Thank you, Peter. I’ll take that under advisement.”
“I meant no disrespect—”
“Your daughter is giving birth. Concentrate on that.” If this woman hadn’t just tried to kill Leo and admitted to plotting various ways to kill or enslave me, I would order the bastard to leave.
But from where I’m sitting, those two deserve each other. Peter molded Adele into the monster she became without realizing it, and I need him to take a good look at his creation.
He kneels next to Adele and grips her hand, his mouth curled down in a mix of horror and disappointment. “Why would you try and destroy everything I have worked for?”
She chuckles like she’s lost her mind. “Why? Oh, I don’t know. What about the fact that you were fucking my husband? Or that we both couldn’t stand the other’s touch, and yet I had to sleep with him every fertile cycle so you would have an heir. I wish the assassin we sent after him had killed you too, like he was supposed to.”
Her bitter rambles turn into a symphony of groans and cries. The doctor calmly encourages her to push, that she’s close to release… I’m powerless to look away, wishing everything was different.
I thought of Adele as a friend, an ally, a sister…
A minute later, the screams of the bloodling engulf the room, and we all stand stock still. Under our frozen stares, Alec and Sebastian’s nephew is born.
Chapter25
Sentence
ARIELLE
Fragrant blood spices up the air of the throne room. As every vampire well knows, traitors’ blood smells sweetest of all. Of course, most would consider it barbaric to paint your halls with the blood of your enemies, but not us. No matter how civilized vampires become, we understand blood above all else. The demons that die under the law endanger our way of life, and yet the way justice is dispensed in this kingdom leaves a lot to be desired.
