Page 29 of The King's Queen

“They won’t skip if you throw that hard.”

“I want them to sink.”

“Oh.” He silently watches for a moment, keeping his distance still before clearing his throat. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Huffing, I watch as the last of my rocks sinks to the bottom of the lake, and a heavy emptiness fills my chest instead.

“How is your relationship with your mother?”

Lucius’ body goes rigid.

“My mother is dead.”

Oh. I now remember attending the funeral a few years back. The alliance deemed it necessary. It hadn’t dawned on me then that some people had loving mothers and loved them in return.

“I’m sorry. Common ground I suppose.”

“Yeah.” He laughs humorlessly. “I suppose it is.” He motions for me to sit next to him. Guilt settles deep in my bones, and I oblige, still keeping a healthy distance between us. The wind rustles through his hair as he leans back to rest on his elbows and stares at the sky.

“I loved my mom. She was the bravest, most loving woman I’ve ever known, but she was also a notorious spitfire. I think you would’ve liked her.” I can’t help myself, and I blush. “She passed a few years ago. You seemed curious when I said I didn’t want this marriage either. I’m going through with it because it was something she wanted for me.”

The breeze grazes my flushed cheeks as I lay down next to him, the both of us facing the sky as we let the weight of his words settle in the earth between us. A few clouds dot along the blue sky, sunlight streaking through the trees above us.

“Mine’s dead, but it still feels like she’s fucking me over,” I admit bluntly, and I hear him chuckle beside me. I feel my lips crack open in the smallest of smiles as I continue. “When my best friend went to war, she put him on the frontlines as an inexperienced soldier. He came back a ghost of himself, and I think I still blame her. Not to mention that she was never much of a mother, anyway. I have a feeling she’s behind this marriage too. It all just seems such her style…” I drift off, gazing at a particularly fat and fluffy cloud above my head. I hear rustling from beside me as Lucius props up onto his elbows and stares at me curiously.

“What?”

“You may be Irene’s daughter, but your beauty is entirely your own,” he whispers, his jaw clenched. “You have the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a queen. It’s admirable, really, how you never fail to speak your mind.”

I loll my head to the side to look at him, and I really look at him this time. He has a dimple on his left cheek and a small scar on his forehead that’s barely noticeable unless up close. His eyebrows are arched softly as if in perpetual worry, but his eyes are kind and welcoming. I find myself smiling at him and he gasps softly.

“I think I quite like when you smile at me like that, Verosa.”

“And I think you’re not quite who I thought you were, Lucius.”

My fiancé grins at that and runs a hand through his hair. “I am glad to exceed your expectations.” A pang of guilt stabs at my heart when I see the hopefulness he wears so clearly. When I know myself what I plan to do, who I am. And yet I hold his gaze and whisper back, “So am I.”

Chapter9

Rowan

Amír is there waiting when I return from the palace, a fresh laceration still dripping with blood across her arm. I note Kya’s handiwork in the stitches, but the Vari woman is nowhere to be seen.

“Did you get the information?”

“Rowan, this has got to stop,” Amír fumes, clutching at her newest wound. “You are running us ragged every night. One revenge plot was bad enough, but now two? We need to stop and be sensible.” Stalking over to my desk, I pull out a parchment and strike an X through a location. I will take Amír’s lack of an answer to mean that she never found Mavis’ newest compound.

“Earth to Rowan? Can you stop brooding so we can have a conversation?”

“I’m not brooding.” The redhead laughs.

“And I can shoot with my left hand.” She rolls her eyes, snatching the paper from my grasp and circling another location on the map. “My scouts reported that this is where we have the best chance of finding anyone with intel.” I stare at the red circle on the map, a city just south of Belam called Ira in the heart of Mavis’ territory.

“And how the hell do you suppose we get in? You and Kya will be recognized on the spot, and we sure as hell aren’t sending Derrín. I’ll get shot the moment I cross the line between territories.” My head feels heavy as I rest it in my hands. Mavis’ men have been getting bolder, with more intel on us than we have on them. With rumors of Vera’s existence getting out there, the attacks on my Nightwalkers have been growing more severe and closer to home. I couldn’t let them find her… or Vera.

“I think we need to consider two possibilities, the first being that we need to move your mother into this compound. It will be safer for her to hide here, even if it is closer to the palace.” I nod, agreeing completely. “Second, it’s time to send Vera on her first mission.”

“Absolutely not.” I slam my fist on the table, ignoring the splinters stabbing into it.

---