Page 39 of Tarnished Queen

“I never should have trusted you. All of this was to get close to her, wasn’t it?” I growl. “Xena probably sent you to lead me out of that shootout. This was the plan from the very beginning. Ingratiate yourself so you can kill my fiancée? Not going to fucking happen.”

Christo gasps. “Fiancée?” He takes his eyes off of me just long enough to shoot a deadly gaze in Belle’s direction. “She is the one you can’t trust. Look at what she’s wearing, Nikolai. She has ‘trap’ written all over her.”

“Hey!” Belle says behind me. “This is the only nightgown in my drawer.”

Damn right. I chose her nightwear myself when she first moved into my house.

“Has she confessed to working with Xena yet?” he asks. “Because I wasn’t lying about that. They were plotting together. And she’s probably just here as a spy. Don’t tell her anything.”

“I’ll tell anyone anything I damn well please.”

“Right. Of course.” Christo winces when the knife inches closer to his jugular. “She came at me first, man. I wasn’t going to hurt her. Not without your permission. No matter how much I wanted to.”

He Hurt Belle.That’s all I’m able to process. It’s the only thing that makes it through the filter of my rage, broken down into the most basic language possible.See Spot Run. Christo Hurt Belle.

“I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Wait!” This time, it’s Belle’s voice in my ear. She’s standing behind me, her hand on my back. “Nikolai. Don’t kill him.”

I throw out an arm to keep her back. "Get back, Belle. Stay out of the way."

God, this woman. She has the worst survival instincts of anyone I've ever met. It's a miracle she's lived this long.

"You took my only weapon," Christo says. "The knife is all I had. Check me if you want."

He watches me nervously for a few seconds, and when I don’t move, Christo slowly lowers his arms. He holds his palms out, arms spread wide. I pat him down and don’t feel anything else on him except a bundle of keys in his pocket. When I’m certain he’s unarmed, I force myself to back away, keeping Belle behind me.

“What the fuck was that about?” I bark. “Start talking.”

“I attacked him,” Belle explains.

I keep my eyes on Christo. “Youattackedhim?”

“Don’t say it like it’s so crazy,” she retorts. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

“First I’ve heard of it.”

Amusement flickers over Christo’s face for just a second. “I was waiting here at the counter for you when Belle walked in.”

“I thought he broke in,” she says. “I thought he was here to kidnap Elise. Or me. Or… kill you.”

Her last words are spoken unwillingly. They come out in a whisper, but the truth is there, hiding just between the lines.

“So you decided to offer yourself up to him on a silver platter?” I spit. “Good thinking.”

Belle frowns. “I was holding my own.”

“Because I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” Christo says, looking around me to talk to her. “If I had been, you’d be dead.” I snap my attention back to Christo, eyes narrowed. He holds his hands up higher. “But again, that wasn’t my goal. I wouldn’t do anything to her without your permission, Nikolai.”

That being said, based on the look on his face when he looks at Belle, Christo would love my permission.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Belle snaps at him. “I’m not working for Xena, okay?”

“Why should I believe that?” he scoffs.

“Because the only reason I was attacking you is because I thoughtyouwere working for Xena.”

Christo studies her, his expression unchanging. “You already lied once. How is anyone supposed to trust you?”

---