Page 50 of Waves
Slashing through his vertebrae, I sliced him into meat, shaking with the turbulent force of my anger. At his thievery. At his betrayal. At the way he’d seen her as a means to his end.
I hacked at him until pieces floated out the doorway, chunks of him, unrecognizable bits.
Until he became less than nothing.
Only when my arms were burning, utterly spent, when I couldn’t draw a full breath and my shoulders felt as if they’d been liquefied by acid, did I stop. Sinking to the floor amid the carnage, in a wavering haze of pink, I realized I hadn’t thought to grab the elven chain.
Rooting through the remains still in the room, I couldn’t find it…it must have floated out with some hand or bit of chest pocket or something. It was lost.
ButIwas even more so when I realized that I’d just killed for Avia.
Never, in all my existence, in the scores of murders I’d accumulated, the executions I’d overseen, the torture I’d wrought, had I killed for someone else.
I blinked, dropped the axe, and searched through my conscience for an inkling of regret. But I couldn’t find one.
Instead, there was a primal, proud satisfaction unfurling within me. A vicious, righteous knowledge that made my cock stiffen with blood lust knowing that I’d do it all over again. Knowing that…given her enemies…I’d probably get the chance to do it soon.
Chapter 21
Avia
The next morning dawned gently, light drifting lazily down through the waves as if the day were in as peaceful a mood as I was. Penguins darted overhead, a school of silver fish swam beneath my window, their scales creating a wall of sparkles. As I stared out outside, I couldn’t help but be filled with hope that a corner had been turned, an impasse crossed, and that better things were ahead. Perhaps that was just the lingering effect of Keelan’s presence after he spent the night, but I hoped not.
While I was waiting to hear back on so many of the trade agreements that I’d sent out, there was one wrong I knew it was possible to make right before the next tournament event started later today. One happy ending I was sure about.
And so, shortly after breakfast, I summoned two people directly to my chambers.
Unfurling the magical contract over the desk set near my window, I prepared all the materials. Then, when the first of my victims arrived, I hid a grin as I handed a freshly inked quill to him. “Sign here,” I stated, gesturing to the release from the tournament.
Swimming forward nervously, shoulders hunched, and brows drawn, Humberto glanced at the document and then up at me. “Um, did I do something wrong?”
It took everything I had not to burst into a giant smile, but I was trying to wait for our other invitee. For all the pieces to snap together in a single moment. “No. Not at all. But I can tell your heart isn’t in the tournament, and that—after all—is the final event, isn’t it? The final test.”
His mouth gaped and I watched his complexion blotch as he sought out some sort of explanation he thought I’d find acceptable.
It was on the tip of my tongue to relieve his agony when the door cracked open. And that’s when my smile warmed my entire face, unable to be held back a second longer.
Gita entered the room then, her hair woven into a complex set of braids. “Majesty?” she inquired softly.
Humberto dropped his quill, drizzling ink down the front of his shirt, startled, before he turned to look at my maid.
He froze and I swear he found himself swept up staring at her. Her eyes caught his and all the energy in the room was drawn in their direction, magnetized by their attraction. My stomach did a giddy little flip as I swiped the drifting quill up, swam around the desk, and folded it back into Humberto’s hand.
“I think your affection is elsewhere,” I told him gently. “I’d like to release you from the tournament so you can try to make that fabulous woman over there happy.”
Gita let out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a squeal.
“Are you sure?” Humberto asked, though I wasn’t certain if the question was meant for me.
“I’m not the one you should be asking,” I responded and both he and I turned our gazes to my maid. She bit her lip in the most adorable show of shy delight before she gave him a tiny nod.
Tears filled her eyes when he nodded back, solemnly, the gesture having all the weight of an oath.
Gripping the quill more firmly, I watched his throat bob as he marched around the desk. On the surface, he was all formality, but when he’d scrawled his name and lifted his head, I saw his eyes were rimmed in red.
Suddenly, I was fighting my own clogged throat. “I’ll let you have the room for a minute while I go deliver this back to Lizza.” Bending forward and grabbing the scroll, I rolled it up as I strode to the door.
But my maid’s hand shot out and clutched my forearm. With glossy eyes and a massive sniffle, she yanked me into a quick, hard hug, before releasing me.
