In Caluçon Kingdom.
Where I served as queen to a monster.
I’ll kill you someday, I vowed. Just wait.
“And I’ll help you,” Adrik murmured, sounding closer now.
My heavy lids slid open, my eyes finding his. “Why are you here?” I asked again on a sigh.
“Because I want to kill him, too,” he admitted softly.
That only proved this to be a dream. No one wanted Necros dead. No one but me. Yet I allowed the proclamation to lull me into a state of contentment. “We can kill him together.” I didn’t mean it, of course. Prince Adrik wasn’t real. But perhaps in this world of make-believe, we could formulate a plot, one that could provide me with a hint of satisfaction for the months to come.
“It’s a date, little bird,” he said, his strong arms coming around me to lift me from the sanctuary of sheets. “You can rest. We’ll talk more when you wake.”
Not likely, but I smiled anyway. “I’d like that.”
Even if it was a falsehood.
For I knew that when my eyes opened again, I’d awake to a horror I’d never escape.
Until death.
Grigory is going to kill me.
All my training went out the window over a woman in literal flames. But watching her destroy had been worth every second of reprimand my oldest friend could ever inflict upon me.
Because wow.
Valora coming into her power had been a sight to behold. I’d known for years of her potential. However, seeing it in action provided an entirely different understanding.
I brushed her damp hair away from her face, watching her sleep. It’d been easy to take her back to her quarters. This palace was littered with passageways not even the servants knew about, all old tunnels from a time before Necros’s reign. But Lux had access to the original architectural plans, something I’d spent years memorizing.
It was how I knew Lavios’s quarters lacked cameras, unlike the guest areas. Necros trusted his lieutenant implicitly, which had made my job easier. Of course, Necros would be wondering what happened to his favorite warrior come morning. But that gave me a few hours to work with Valora on a plan. I just needed her to wake first.
She’d remained unconscious through the bath I’d administered, her supple form putty in my hands. The wounds on her back healed nicely under her display of power, leaving only blood behind—blood I’d carefully scrubbed from her skin.
I could practically hear Grigory growling in my head, berating me for showing kindness to a woman I intended to kill. But I felt compelled to help, and after that display of power, I had something new to consider.
She wanted her husband dead, as did I. What if we worked together to achieve that fate? She certainly possessed the ability, but it needed to be honed—a task I would willingly accept.
I ran my fingers through her luscious brown stands while considering my proposal.
It would require removing the other men from her nightly regimen. Easy enough. We just needed to ensure Necros’s distraction, which happened to be working in our favor even now. He had no idea she’d destroyed his lieutenant, too caught up in his debauchery to care.
Oh, I’d been invited to join his brand of fun. But after making a brief appearance to check on the king, I’d returned to Valora.
She snuggled into my side, seeking my warmth, her arm sliding across my lower abdomen. I’d kept my suit on to avoid potential distractions, needing the barrier between us. This only worked if I maintained my focus. Although, her leg inching up my thigh seemed to have other intentions.
“Mmm,” she murmured, nuzzling into my pectoral.
“Did I not satisfy you enough last night, little bird?” I wondered aloud, grinning. She wasn’t fully awake yet, her lithe form stretching alongside mine. I’d dressed her in a nightgown, but it didn’t do much to hide her body. Pretty much everything in her evening wardrobe appeared to be chosen for an audience with the king.
She mumbled something incoherent, the sound decidedly sweet.
So innocent, Valora was.
So beautiful, too.