Page 46 of Hell's Queen

“We are Soul Reapers, too, Asura. You might be older by two months, but you aren’t my boss.”

“I said no. I am the queen, and that makes me the boss. I have lost too many people to lose more.”

Derrick’s jaw tightens before moving away, and Killian follows. Ryker moves to me, grabbing my hips. “You are doing what you can to keep them safe.”

I press my forehead against his for a moment. “I know. I’d rather have all of you stay behind, and I handle it by myself.”

Ryker snorts. “As if I would ever let you do that. I would never live with myself if something happened to you.”

“Can we… go somewhere?” I ask in a lower voice. My hands and legs are shaking from the nerves of talking in front of people. And for a single moment, I don’t want to think. The people might vote for me to not be their queen anymore, meaning Evara will be next in line for the throne. I didn’t want to think about that.

He knows what I mean and nods. We both head towards Hazen, Jigsaw, and Ozias, and we all transport away from here but stay in the Faelands within the force field.

Today has been one of the worst days I’ve had, in a way. My eyes hit the lagoon, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this hidden place. I tilt my head back and exhale, trying not to cry.

“Would you like to swim?” Ryker asks.

My head nods, kicking off my boots and removing my jacket. All my clothes come off until I am fully naked and climb into the water. I glance over my shoulder when I notice it’s only me in the water.

All my men are watching me with lust in their eyes.

Jigsaw clears his throat. “I don’t swim.”

I chuckle. “Do you know how?”

He glares, sitting on a rock with Ozias. “Do you, Queen?”

I submerge myself and swim under the water. When I resurface, my eyes find him. My nipples bud in the cold air, but I don’t cover myself. They have all seen me naked before. Hazen’s eyes move down my body like he hasn’t seen it before.

He happily undresses to his boxers before moving to me. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him flush against me.

“Hello, my queen.”

“Hi, baby.”

Ryker slowly gets naked, drawing my attention to him. He is adamant about fighting this war with me, making me realize I can lose them.

Hazen pulls me in for a kiss. Our lips lock passionately as my fingers run up his bare chest. Fear rushes through me, and I pull back, eyes tearing up.

“Please, no one die tomorrow,” I say to the four of them.

Silence fills the air, and I feel Ryker’s warmth cover my back.

“It’s insulting that you would think we’d be that weak to die before you,” he mutters in my ear.

My brows pull. “Are you calling me weak?”

Hazen laughs, chest vibrating against me.

“Yep,” Ryker said, flashing me a smile. His powder-pink eyes move to Hazen, and he basically hands me off to the fae prince. I wrap my lips around Ryker, glaring at him. “You are so weak. You think we’d die before you?”

Jigsaw growls.

I laugh, head dropping back. He is right. Out of all eight men and even a weakened Inarian, I am still the weakest. “So, what?”

His hand runs up my spine as he pulls me flush against him. “So, we will be there to protect you. No matter what, we’ve got your back.”

My brows pull. Part of me feels like he’s hiding something from me, but I shake it off. My eyes look around the luminous blue lagoon. The flowers glow a fantastic baby blue, and the bugs flutter just as brightly.

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