Page 68 of Broken Queen
Maybe other people were ready for new leadership too.
“What’s next, my queen?” Hazard asked, licking my ear.
I grinned. “Let’s rule the world.”
CHAPTER 19
Hazard
A sudden surge of energy swelled through Zira as she went down the ladder. She almost danced, like she couldn’t wait to start giving orders and making demands. But my mind wandered, thinking of how good her ass looked in those pants. I grabbed my dick as I watched her walk across the lawn. Fuck. I liked seeing her in pants; it showed off her cute ass in a way that the dresses never did. Only time would tell if she actually wore panties now.
I had a feeling she wouldn’t, though. Zira might have given up the dress habit, but panties weren’t her style.
She swung around, her lips dropping open as she saw me touching my dick through my pants.
“Are you coming?” she taunted.
“Not yet,” I winked.
I followed her down the ladder, but before I could even push her up against the building, the estate manager caught our eyes.
“Ah,” he said. “Here they are.” He redirected the group of women to us, and Zira gave her practiced smile.
“You must be concerned,” Zira said loudly, her voice dripping with ease as she slipped into her rightful position.
“The hell is happening?” one woman said.
“Are they dead? Are they burning alive?”
“Who did this?”
“Did you do this?”
Zira lifted a hand, and soon, their questions fell to silence. Even without her father or the rest of the Marked Blooms Syndicate behind her, Zira still commanded the crowd, like I always knew she would. If she had escaped the Syndicate years ago, there’s no telling where she would be now.
But this had always been her goal, and finally, she had achieved it.
“I apologize if I’ve alarmed you.” She scanned the crowd as if she could look each of them in the eyes and address them directly. Knowing their pain. Everything they had been through. The future she had saved them from. “But it’s time for a change in the Marked Blooms Syndicate. And that starts with us.”
“Us?” a woman asked.
Zira nodded. “You are obviously important to the members and initiates who chose to sacrifice you,” she continued. “I would like for you to join the Marked Blooms Syndicate in their place. If you need assistance, I have contacts who can assist you with rearranging wills in order to give you full power and control over your husband’s, brother’s, or father’s properties, and those services will be provided by us whether or not you join the Syndicate.”
A hum of murmurs ran through the crowd. Some women crowded together, whispering to themselves, but a few lips trembled, unable to process what had happened.
“You killed hundreds of people in there,” one of the women said. “Why should we trust you?”
For a few seconds, Zira marveled at the banquet hall, the broken windows still flickering with fiery light. I couldn’t wait to find her father’s corpse and see what he had ultimately decided—being impaled or decapitated—or if the explosions had made the decision for him instead.
“Honestly? You shouldn’t trust me,” Zira said, a slyness trickling into her tone. “But I was a little,” she looked at me and I nodded, encouraging her to go on. She then turned back to the crowd and sighed. “I was a little frustrated with the way we were treated. Honestly, I don’t mind the ritual of sacrificing others, but there needs to be a change. Why torture and kill someone you’re connected to, when we can use those connections to our advantage? But that’s something we can vote on when we find a new board. I hope you understand that this was the only way to give us a clean slate.”
The quiet conversations continued, and Zira leaned into me. “You think they bought it?” she whispered.
“I did,” I said, squeezing her shoulder.
“I’ll be in touch with information about the Syndicate,” Zira said, addressing the crowd. “And when the time comes, bring your best partner, and let’s rule this world together.”
Someone in the back of the crowd cheered. Another sacrifice hesitantly clapped, and soon, they all joined in. The applause was loud, breaking through the night, the fire crackling to the side of us. Sweat beaded on my brow—the fire was hot as hell—but I beamed down at Zira, so damn proud to be by her side.
