Page 101 of Tarnished Queen

Xena glances at me and her nostrils flare. I’m poking the bear, I know. But I can’t help it.

Then her face smooths. “Probably for the best. As it is, I didn’t have a lot of time to plan. Rigging some speakers up in the walls was the best I could manage. Another day or two and I would have poisoned the cake or pumped carbon monoxide through the vents.”

A shiver moves down my spine. Nikolai’s hand presses to my back before he engages her. “Someone is feeling confident. Considering how badly your last plan failed, I’m not sure where you’re finding the will to go on. But good for you.”

“You’re not sure where I’m finding the will?” Xena scoffs. “You backed out of our deal and disrespected me to be with another woman. A woman who, by the way, betrayed you. She was my spy for weeks. Truthfully, I don’t know whereyouare finding the will to carry on. It’s embarrassing. You ought to spare us all the trouble and just kill yourself.”

My entire body is flaming with shame. Everyone in this room just heard the truth. They heard my conversations with Xena. They know how willingly I was participating in her plans. And without her side of the conversation, they don’t realize that she was lying to me every step of the way.

Not that it would make a difference. A Bratva wife probably isn’t supposed to be as easily manipulated as I was. No matter how you slice it, I’m an embarrassment.

“You had a spy in my house. In my bed, actually,” Nikolai agrees, “and you still couldn’t beat me. Someone ought to be ashamed of themselves, but it isn’t me.”

Xena offers up a smug smile. “Yeah, but I killed your best friend.”

The room has a collective intake of breath. I’m surprised there is any oxygen left.

Is Xena trying to be killed on the spot? Because that’s where this is headed.

Nikolai’s posture goes rigid. His fingers turn to stone against my skin. It’s like I can feel the warmth dripping out of him. “That’s not something I’d walk around bragging about if I were you.”

“But you aren’t me,” Xena says with a shrug. “If you were, you’d have control of two families and the respect of all of your men. Instead, you have a woman standing next to you who is more of a nuisance than an asset, and you’re down a rather mouthy right-hand man.”

Suddenly, Xena turns to the left and stares right at Elise. As if she knew she was there the entire time. The bitch even has the audacity to lift her hand in a cutesy wave. “I forgot you were still alive, little one. We’ll see how long the baby sister lasts in this war. Seems pretty expendable to me.”

The threat stokes a fire to life inside of me. I lunge forward, prepared to rip Xena limb from limb. Only Nikolai’s grip around my wrist holds me back. “Don’t even fucking look at my sister! Touch her and I’ll kill you. Actually, look at her again and I’ll kill you.”

Xena’s eyebrow arches and she laughs. “You’re not a killer, Belle. You’re also not a fighter. Or even a lover. You know what you are?Boring.” She shakes her head and looks back to Nikolai. “You could have had so much more. You could choose anyone to be your wife. You could have had me.”

“You wanted to kill me once we were married,” Nikolai drawls. “Or are you forgetting that part?”

“Yeah, well… technicalities,” Xena says. She licks her lower lip. “We could have had plenty of fun before then. More than you’re having with Little Miss Stick Up Her Ass, anyway. But you threw that all away for her. And now, you’re both going to die for it. Shame.”

“Get out, Xena,” Nikolai snarls. “Bitterness doesn’t look good on you.”

“No, but it does inspire me.” Her eyes flash as she turns to the doors. “You’ll see me again, Nikolai. Soon.”

She waggles her fingers once more in a mocking wave. Then she and her security swoop out of the room as fast as they arrived.

30

BELLE

It’s well after midnight, and I’m still fully clothed. At the reception, I didn’t assume my wedding dress would stay on longer than the car ride back to the mansion. But not only am I still in my dress, I’m not even with my groom.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Elise asks. She unwinds the final braid from my hair and pulls a brush through the tortured strands. “Today was… a lot.”

The way she’s taking care of me, I could believe she is the bigger sister. She’s grown up so much in the past couple months. Not that she really had a choice. I’ve thrown a lot at her.

I turn back and smile at her. “I’m okay. Really. It’s not as if I didn’t know Xena was still after us.”

“Yeah. But knowing it and seeing it are two different things. She was scary.”

The memory of Xena’s threats sparks a fire in me all over again. I grab Elise’s hands with both of mine. “You have nothing to be scared of. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know that. Nikolai has been checking the security system for the last hour.”

“He wants to make sure there’s no way for her to get to us,” I tell her. “Either of us. He’s going to protect you.”

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