Page 115 of Tarnished Queen

“Christo,” I sigh. “Fuck.”

“I know, I know,” he whispers. “Xena demanded justice. She charged Mariana as a spy, and the night before what would have been our wedding… I killed her. I executed her. While she screamed for my mercy.”

The horror of it plays across his face. I know for a fact he’s seeing that moment in his mind’s eye. Reliving it. Succumbing to it anew every single time he remembers what he did, the blood he spilled.

I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life, but a small shiver works down my spine. “When did you know your aunt lied to you?”

“I suspected it within days after I killed Mariana,” he says quietly. “But I didn’t know for certain until she killed my dad. I was so blind… as blind as the rest of the men following her. She has them all fooled.”

But not me. Never me. I knew from the start that Xena was a crazy bitch. It’s why I didn’t marry her. It’s why I’m not dead right now.

“It’s a sad story, Christo. It is. I’m sorry for you. But that story doesn’t have anything at all to do with me and Belle.”

“You say that now, but you don’t know what she’s capable of. No one does.” He turns and eases himself back down onto the sofa. “Just keep her safe, Nikolai. That’s my warning. Don’t lower your guard for a second.”

I open my mouth to respond, but I hear footsteps in the hallway. A second later, Belle appears in the doorway.

“Sorry,” she says, wincing as she steps into the room. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but I just realized I may have given Christo pain medication with a sleep aid in it.”

Christo lets loose a long yawn. “You may have, or you did?”

Her shoulders lift to her ears. “I did. I’m sorry.”

“That makes sense why I just spilled my guts to Nikolai, then. You drugged me.”

“Not on purpose! I’m sorry. This is why I’m not a doctor.”

Christo waves her away and closes his eyes. “It’s fine. I could use a nap anyway.”

Within seconds, his breathing becomes deep and even.

“I’m so sorry, Nikolai,” Belle whispers to me. “I really didn’t mean to. But it’s what the maid brought me. I didn’t think anything of it until I got back to my room and looked at the bottle. I hope I didn’t mess anything up for you.”

“No. We were done talking.”

Belle looks from me to Christo, a million questions burning in her eyes. One slips out. “What did he spill his guts about?”

I look down at Christo. He looks dead asleep, but I know better than to take a risk. Besides, I’m not sure I want to tell Belle his story, anyway. There’s no need to scare her.

Things ended in blood for him. My story will not go the same way.

I won’t fucking let it.

I smile up at her. “Nothing important,” I say. “Nothing important at all.”

33

BELLE

“You’re just now getting ready for dinner?” Elise asks. Her face is blurry and pixelated on the screen of the computer, but I can tell she’s stunned. “Miss Hangry Pants is waiting until almost 10 PM to eat? Next thing you know, a pig is gonna fly into my window.”

“Excuse you, but Miss Hangry Pants is pregnant, need I remind you? And also, it’s not even five o’clock here yet.”

Her face falls. “Oh, right. Time change. I forgot about that.”

Turns out half a world apart is a really long way.

“I miss you, E.”

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