Page 11 of The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom 2)

Lara could not breathe.

Casting a flirtatious wink over her shoulder at the smiling man, Sarhina continued down the path toward the forest, cloak flowing out behind her.

Lara didn’t move, the slow realization that things had changed seeping into her mind. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she’d envisioned finding her sisters as they had been: warrior princesses vying for the right to defend their country. As though they’d existed in some sort of stasis. Except it had been over a year and half since she’d left them at the oasis, and Sarhina, at least, had moved on.

Had gotten married.

Was pregnant.

Had made a life for herself.

Just as Lara had hoped her sister would. How could she disrupt that now? How could she risk everything that Sarhina had built for herself, the lives of the people she clearly loved, for the sake of rectifying Lara’s mistakes? For the sake of saving one man?

Lara’s eyes closed, tears seeping out to fall on the scarf around her neck. She knew that she needed to walk away. To leave her sister in the peace she’d bought for her. To try to find one of the others . . . Cresta. Maybe Bronwyn.

Or maybe none of them.

Maybe this was something she needed to do herself.

Then a blade pressed against her throat, and a familiar voice said, “If you thought to catch us unaware, Marylyn, you’re even crazier than we gave you credit for.”

9

Lara

“Marylyn’s dead.”

The woman holding the knife gave a sharp intake of breath, but the blade remained against Lara’s throat even as her hood was jerked back to reveal her face.

“Lara?We thoughtyouwere dead.”

“The little cockroach is hard to kill.” She turned her head, able to see her taller, brunette sister out of the corner of her eye. “You mind moving the knife, Bron?”

“Not until you explain what you’re doing here.”

“Drop the bloody weapon, Bronwyn.” Sarhina’s voice cut through the cool air. “If Lara wanted you dead, that knife of yours wouldn’t stop her.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for her.”

“Relax, Bron,” Lara said. “I’m not here to make trouble.”

“All you do is make trouble.”

Not an inaccurate statement. Sighing, Lara snapped her arm up, catching hold of Bronwyn’s knife hand, which she jerked down against her chest even as she rotated under her sister’s arm. But instead of using her momentum to shove the blade between the other woman’s ribs, Lara let go and backed away. Across the clearing, Sarhina made her way toward them, an amused Cresta dogging her heels.

“Should’ve listened to me, Bron.” Sarhina rested one hand on her hip, basket still hanging from her elbow. “Spared yourself that bit of embarrassment.”

“Noted.” Bronwyn rubbed her wrist, glowering.

“Is that real?” Lara gestured to her sister’s swollen belly, unable to take her eyes from it.

“Better be,” Cresta said, a smirk rising to her lips. “No other explanation for the quantity of wind she’s been passing.”

Sarhina rolled her eyes. “You’ve got another three months of it.”

“Is that man in town chopping wood the father?” Lara asked.

“The father and my husband.” Sarhina pushed her silky black hair behind her ear. “But we have more important matters to discuss than my love life.”

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