Page 45 of The Last Strike

Abi truly was living the life most young girls in their region dreamed of. With every kingdom controlled by a royal family, marrying into royalty was dreamed about by so many young girls in the regions—and their parents too.

Abi wasn’t marrying the prince, though—she was marrying the king. In some moments, she saw him as his role, but for the most part, he was just Asher. At all times, though, he impressed her.

“I’ll speak to James tomorrow and we’ll work out a date. If the fighting on the borders continues, a royal wedding may be a light of hope amongst the darkness.” Abi intended to marry Asher regardless—this wasn’t some staged event—but a royal wedding would definitely be a good distraction.

“And you know what typically comes after a royal wedding. Are we ready for that?” Asher asked.

“A royal heir,” Abi said, tilting her chin to brush her lips over his. “That typically comes after the wedding, but we’ve never played by the rules, Asher. I’m not sure I’m ready. Are you ever really ready for a baby? But I do know something: we will handle whatever is thrown at us. If we are blessed with a child, we will have one and love it and be a family. Whenever that happens, it happens.”

“I love you,” he said before his tongue swept over hers. He pressed his hips into hers and she felt him harden. “All this baby talk is doing strange things to me. I think we should practice.”

Abi giggled as he kissed her collarbone.

“I think so too,” she said, closing her eyes and succumbing to his seduction.

* * *

Abi feltAsher stir beside her, but her eyelids were like weights and refused to open. She felt his lips on the soft skin of her neck, heating it.

“Sleep a little longer,” he said, kissing her temple before she felt his weight shift off the bed and the door close.

She exhaled, basking in the haze that came from a night of making love.

Her phone beeped and she rolled her eyes behind her eyelids. Abi sighed and reached for her phone on the bedside table.

Samuel:You were right.Grace purchased morphine on both occasions from CH2. One month before Queen Alila’s death, and one month before Noah’s death. We have no further proof at this stage, but we don’t like coincidences.

Abi was sitting upright before she’d finished reading the text.

Did it matter that they didn’t have proof?

Grace’s husband and son had admitted to killing Noah. All Asher had to do was release the fact that she’d purchased morphine before each occasion. The people—especially the Adani soldiers—could make up their own minds.

Abi sprung out of bed, thinking Asher could cover it in his press conference this morning.

She threw on the clothes on her floor. “Asher’s office,” she said to security as she all but flew by them. They responded fast, forming a circle around her. Abi should’ve given them a heads-up, but she was too eager to speak to Asher.

“They’re filming,” a guard said as they approached Asher’s office.

Abi knew he would be filming the segment that would air on the Adani news, but Asher didn’t necessarily need to leak this directly to Adani. He could do it via the Santina press conference that would follow, and the news would spread just as quickly. Revelations that the Adani queen had possibly been murdered—and her murder covered up by Khalil, no less—would spread fast.

Abi quietly turned the door handle and slid into the back of the room.

Asher looked into the cameras. “Adani, your king didn’t hesitate to murder his own daughter. He didn’t hesitate to murder the hundreds of civilians that were in his way. Your king says he’s a king for his people, but Khalil is not a king for his people! He is a king who serves his own interests before the interests of humanity. When the poor become a burden, he kills them off; when his daughter becomes a burden, he kills her too. You are not safe while he rules, and if you’re a soldier fighting on the border, you should question what you’re fighting for. If you disappoint your king, he’ll not hesitate to kill you as well.”

Asher stood tall, resolute. “Now is the time to stand up for the Adani people, before he destroys your kingdom! Your livelihood, your families, andyour livesdepend on it.”

His eyes narrowed. “Santina wants freedom and prosperity for all, and when we win this war, we will love our neighbors—Adani, and all the kingdoms—like we love our own citizens. We are one, and we must unite against the evil force that is King Khalil. He has murdered the most vulnerable of the people of Adani. Will you stand for that? Or will you fight against their injustice? You, the people of Adani, have the power to change your legacy—to stand up and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. Santina stands beside you, Adani. We should be partners, not enemies. King Khalil will do well to remember that.”

Khalil

Khalil looked through the slit in the drapes. The crowd had doubled in size and it had only been a few hours since Asher’s speech.

How dare he?

How dare Asher ask my people to turn against me?

His teeth ground against one another.

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