Page 50 of Hell's Queen

“Good girl,” he mutters in my ear, letting me go boneless on the bed. My throat is raw and dry, and now my body is exhausted. His lips pepper kisses against my skin. “Are you okay?” I nod, head still in paradise. He gives me a drink before he pulls me against him in bed. Unlike the Jigsaw I first met, his hands caress my body and hair.

“I love you, my queen.”

“I love you, too, Jiggie.”

He chuckles at his new nickname and holds me until I fall asleep.

“How are you, my child?” My father’s voice draws my attention.

Twisting around, I see my father on his throne. A quick glance at myself tells me I have clothes on. I sigh, moving to him. “They got the Sword of Edris.”

My father sucks on his teeth.

“And no one believes I should be queen.”

He pulls me into a hug, and I let him. If the citizens decide to stop me from being the queen, Evara will be the queen. But not if I kill her first. “I always knew you were meant to be the queen, and Fenric confirmed it.”

I frown. “How?”

He pulls back. “Remember when the shadow guard attacked you and Fen?”

“I blacked out, I think.”

“Fenric said he saw you had The Flame. It was a small part of your body, but he saw it. You possessed the power to use The Flame before you even knew it.”

“Is that normal?”

My father shrugs. “I don’t think I ever did. If anything, I shouldn’t have been the king, but your grandfather only had one kid, so I didn’t have a choice.”

I smile. I never got to meet my grandfather, despite all the stories. I feel like I know him and wonder what he would have thought of my boyfriends. I knew he was stricter than my father.

“Are you okay?”

I lick my lips as I look up. My mind has been going a million miles a minute, and I just pick which to talk about. “Inarian and I were tortured by Evara. He was stabbed in the chest.”

Dark magic swirls in the air, telling me my father was pissed. “Are you guys okay?”

My eyes tear up. “I’m fine, but… he’s not.”

Dad sighs. “You love him.”

“Why? He is mean, cold, and an asshole. But the stupid guy told me he loved me when he was stabbed in the chest, and that’s all I can think about. Him. His words. It’s like he’s a fucking infection, and I don’t feel good without him. Any of my men. Hazen. I love him, and I can understand why I love him. He’s kind and caring. But Inarian? Why?”

My father touches my head.

“He almost died and still might. I just… I can’t lose anyone anymore. On top of that, I might lose my crown. If I die or get dethroned, Evara will be queen, but if I kill her….”

My father shakes his head. “That’s not how I raised you.”

“She murdered you and Fen. She’s trying to open the Gates of Hell, almost killing Inarian and me. How many people must die before anyone steps up and does something against her? When will it be too late?”

He shakes his head again. “No, Asura.”

I push him away. “I’ve already made up my mind. Evara will die. I would rather die and be hated than die and have her ruin our kingdom and our world. She wants to see people suffer like her, so she can have her fairytale ending.”

“Some people were not fortunate to grow up with a parent like me, let alone parents,” he explains. “She’s a hurt girl with a destroyed inner child.”

“Are you defending her?”

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