Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
I turned at the voice, not having heard her approach.
Queen Rolfe came to my side, dressed in her long-sleeved black dress, her hair pulled back in a braid. She’d stared at me with callous eyes on many occasions, but this wasn’t one of them. Her eyes looked sincere, which didn’t seem possible.
“I assume you’re here to spit on his grave.”
Her hands came together at her waist, her posture rigid and stiff, as if her throne accompanied her wherever she went. “I came only to give my condolences. I lost my parents at a young age. I know your sorrow.”
“I prefer your cold truths to your empty lies, Your Highness.”
She stared at the headstone for a moment before she looked at me again. “I won’t pretend that his death doesn’t bring me peace. But I’m truly sorry that it happened. I’m truly sorry that you had to witness that. And I’m truly sorry that my son didn’t keep his promise to you.”
She’d never spoken to me like that before, in the same tone that she spoke to Huntley. It was straightforward, but it was also embedded with affection. Her blue eyes pierced mine with apology, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I looked away.
“I’ve never seen my son so miserable.”
“I feel a million times worse than he looks.”
“I’m sure,” she said. “I feel like I’m partially responsible for this because if I hadn’t been there weeping over my late husband, I don’t think Huntley would have done what he did.”
“That’s a poor excuse.”
“Not an excuse, Ivory. I’m sure you’ve noticed the bond between us, which is distinctly different from the one I share with Ian. We were both traumatized by that night, and I know Huntley hates himself for not stopping my torture. He went into a blind rampage and lost control over his faculties. He wasn’t himself.”
“Huntley had every right to exact his revenge for what my father did. He had every right to avenge what happened to you. He had every right to chop off his hand, burn his face against hot coals, carry out whatever torture he deemed fit. All I asked was one simple thing—not to kill him. Don’t act as if I’m being unreasonable.”
“That was not my intention. I just don’t want this to divide you.”
“Too late for that.”
She was quiet for a long time. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him—and I don’t want him to lose you.”
The words were a hook in my chest, and I felt myself turn to look at her once more.
“I mean that.”
“I assumed you would be ecstatic at our falling-out.”
She shook her head. “Not in the least. When Huntley told me what happened, I was very disappointed in him. A man is only as good as his word—and he broke it. His relationship with you is much more important than my closure. At the end of the day, your father’s death doesn’t bring back my husband. It doesn’t erase what happened. It changes nothing.”
I looked at the tombstone again.
“I know you’re hurt right now. But please forgive my son.”
“I appreciate what you’re doing, but this is between him and me.”
She turned quiet.
“Will you do something for me?”
Her answer was immediate. “Anything.”
I looked at her again. “You said you knew how to break our marriage.”
Her eyes immediately turned guarded, and her breaths grew heavy.
“Tell me how.”
She held my stare and her silence.
“You ordered for me to be raped. You threw me to the Teeth, and now my body is marked with scars I’ll carry for the rest of my life. You owe me.”
Her eyes shifted back and forth between mine.
“I healed the dragons. I saved HeartHolme. I gave you Delacroix.”
Still nothing.
“Tell me, Your Highness.”
“Athena.”
My breath halted. “Sorry?”
“Call me Athena.”
I’d never heard anyone address her by her first name. Even her sons addressed her as Your Highness most of the time.
“You’re a queen now. You’re my equal. You’re my daughter. You’ve earned it.”
It was one of those rare moments in life when I was speechless. Truly without words. Even my mind was without thoughts.
“I will tell you. But you must wait a year.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you’ll feel differently by then.”
I walked into the room with the grand dining table, the place where my family had shared our meals. It had been a nightly ritual, but once my mother was gone, we’d only done it on holidays and special occasions.
Huntley was at the head of the table, his mother to his left. The seat to his right was open. Commander Dawson was next to Athena, and then there were Ryker and other soldiers.
I took the seat beside Ryker.
Huntley stared at me across the table, his eyes both disappointed and pissed off. The standoff lasted for nearly thirty seconds, as if he was thinking about ordering me into the seat at his side, but he made the right choice by saying nothing at all. We both knew I wouldn’t have listened. “Delacroix has been invaded peacefully. No citizen life was lost, and the only soldiers who perished were those who refused to surrender. Our crest flies high on our banners, and this beautiful city is back to its former glory.” Huntley was no longer in his black armor. Now he wore the garments of a king, a shirt with the Rolfe crest, a cloak at his back, clothes fitted perfectly to his strong frame. It showed off the bulkiness of his shoulders, his muscular arms, his wide chest.