Maybe he was trying to kill her. No, no. That didn’t make sense. He was probably just waiting until she fainted, so he could more easily capture her. The logical course of action would be to fake a faint before she ran out of air, but her body didn’t seem of a mind to listen. Instead, her limbs writhed with panic, until her struggles grew weaker and weaker.
“Release her.” The voice split the air like the cold blade of a knife.
The assassin wrenched Evelyn’s head back as he hauled her to her feet and held a dagger to her throat. Alaric stood at the entrance of the Healer’s room, his expression thunderous and his gaze icy.
The assassin’s other arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her pinned to his chest. Considering his strength, he didn’t feel quite as solid as she’d thought he would.
Perhaps she should fall limp; it would make it harder to keep ahold of her. Evelyn let her knees buckle, and the assailant clamped her to his chest with a growl. A sting sliced her neck, and Evelyn gasped.
The assassin pressed the flat of the blade to her throat. “Try anything, and there will be more of that.” His voice was also softer than she’d anticipated
Alaric’s nose crinkled in a snarl as he strode into the room. “I said release her!”
The assassin’s grip tightened. “I would sooner die before releasing her.”
Surprise bolted through her. The voice wasn’t just soft: it was feminine. This was a female assassin?
“That can be arranged.” Alaric didn’t break stride as the note of finality in his voice echoed through the room.
The assassin shifted his—her—grip, so the dagger point was aimed just above Evelyn’s collarbone. “And she will sooner die before you have her.”
Alaric jerked to a halt, his eyes narrowing on the dagger, then Evelyn’s face, then the assassin. “Then I propose a trade.”
“What would you offer?”
Alaric slid his crown off of his head and extended it toward the assassin.
Behind her, the assassin stiffened. “You jest.”
Alaric set the crown on the floor, took two steps back, and gestured toward it. “A fair trade, would you not say?”
Was this Alaric’s way of bribing the assassin? Was he letting the assassin have the crown so it could be sold?
The assassin slowly loosened her grip on Evelyn. “Remain where you are until I retrieve the crown or I’ll dice you into bloody bits.”
Alaric’s hands curled into fists. “No. Allow the Queen to come to me, and you may have the crown.”
The assassin paused and shook her head. “Unacceptable. Then you might have the opportunity to gain both the Queen and crown. I will retrieve the crown first.” The assassin crept toward where Alaric had set the crown.
Alaric stepped forward, and the assassin shrunk back. “And what if you don’t honor our bargain?”
Her laugh was surprisingly musical. “You’re making a deal with an assassin. That’s a risk you’ll have to take.” She continued her advance.
“Then swear on Sephtis’ honor that you’ll adhere to our bargain.”
She plucked the crown from the ground, slid her thumbnail around the golden rim.
“Swear it.” He lunged for her, and she danced back.
In a blink, the assassin whipped her dagger up to Evelyn’s neck and pinned Evelyn to her chest. “You should know better than to trust an assassin, Your Highness. Now, move aside so I may pass.”
Alaric planted himself in the doorway. “You won’t be leaving with the Queen; I won’t permit it.”
“Then you will see me bleed and gut her here and now.” The dagger’s tip trailed her sternum, and Evelyn felt a dribble of blood dip beneath her collar.
Alaric released a ragged breath, the color leeching from his face. “Cease. I… will allow you to pass.”
“I knew you’d see reason.” The assassin nudged Evelyn forward, the dagger hovering near her neck.
Alaric inched to the side, until there was enough room for the assassin to pass.
The assassin swaggered by, shoving Evelyn with her. “Have a good day, Your Majesty, and—”
Alaric surged forward, grabbed the assassins’ forearm. The assassin jerked back, and the dagger’s tip swiped Evelyn’s cheek, leaving a burning trail in its wake.
With the assassin’s grip loosened, Evelyn ducked beneath her arm and scrambled to the other side of the room.
Both the assassin and Alaric crashed to the floor. The dagger glittered as she slashed it through the air, but Alaric caught her wrist and twisted it behind her back. The dagger clanked to the floor.
Alaric grunted and pinned the assassin against the wall. “Guards!”
A door crashed open, and soon guards crowded the Healer’s room and seized the assassin. During the struggle, the assassins’ hood had fallen off, revealing flashing eyes and dark locks of hair slipping from her braid.
Evelyn’s heart kicked against her ribs. Adria? Her maid?
“Evelyn?” Alaric stood a few feet in front of her, his crown dangling from his fingertips. “Are you h—”
She barreled into him, wishing her hands were unbound so she could fling them around his waist. She was shaking so hard her teeth chattered and her bones ached. What kind of torture would she have endured had the assassin—had Adria—taken her?
Alaric gathered her close and pressed his cheek against her hair. “All is well, Evelyn. I have you.” After borrowing a dagger from a knight, Alaric cut the cord around her wrists. He lifted her into his arms and nodded toward the knights. “Take the assassin to the dungeons.” He carried her out the hallway, up the stairs, into his room.
The mattress embraced her as he set her down before removing her slippers and drawing the blankets up to her chin. He dabbed at the cuts on her neck, cheek and sternum with a damp rag before draping it over the side of the basin on the bedside table.
He brushed her hair away from her face. “Rest well,” he said before heading toward the door.
Evelyn sat up, her skin chilling at the thought of being left alone in the dark. “Wait, Alaric. Don’t leave.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “This woman must be dealt with imm—”
“Please, please don’t leave me alone.”
Alaric turned to face her. “My presence would be… of comfort?”
She bobbed her head.
He released a sharp breath and nodded. “Then I’ll deal with her on the morrow and remain with you tonight.” He approached the bed slowly, as if concerned she would spook.
Evelyn scooted over, and after a beat of hesitation, Alaric slid next to her, both of them fully clothed. He slipped his wing behind her, drew in a deep breath, and slipped his arm behind her as well.
She turned, so she was comfortably cradled against his side, and splayed her palm across his chest. The vibrations of his heart beneath her hand were steady and comforting. She rested her head beneath his shoulder, and the tension ebbed from her body.
As long as she was with Alaric, she’d be safe.
19
Returning to Earth
The Next Day
Warmth dusted her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open.
Alaric stepped back from the bed, color blooming in his face. “F–forgive me. I thought you still slept.”
She straightened, setting her back against the pillows behind her. “I was, until you…” She brushed her cheek. “Did you kiss me?”
The color on his face skyrocketed, even seeping into his ears and neck. “I, well, I… was preparing to leave and…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Please forgive the intrusion. I didn’t mean to—”
She waved his apology off with a laugh. “It’s fine, Alaric. That was sweet of you.”
“It was?”
She nodded. On a scale of one to ten, if baby bunny memes were a ten, this situation was definitely an eleven. “Where are you off to?”
His lips tightened. “To pay your would-be assassin a visit.”
“O
h.” She traced a thread on the embroidered sheets. Maybe they’d finally find out what the Scorpio people wanted with her. “Will this involve… torture?” Her stomach twisted at the word.
“That depends on her cooperation.”
“I probably shouldn’t go then.”
“Yes, I think it’d be best if you remained here.” He pivoted toward the door, only to stop. “Evelyn?”
“Yes?”
“I permitted Draven to send a note to you, anticipating you’d send a note back… not visit him in the depths of the dungeons.”
“I just wanted to hear what he had to say.”
Alaric folded his arms. “What did he have to say?”
She curled her toes beneath the blankets. If she didn’t want to destroy Alaric’s trust in her and start all over again, she’d have to tell the truth. “He said I should release him, so we can save my mother together. According to him, she’s in danger.”
“I see. And what think you of these claims?”
“He was probably just saying it, so I would help release him.” But what if he wasn’t? She hugged a wad of blanket to her chest.
“Yet you still fear for your mother?”
“I do.”
“Thank you for your honesty and trust.”
“You’re welcome. Are you coming back tonight, before I fall asleep?
“If you wish it to be so.”
“I would.”
A smile flickered across his lips. “Then it will be so. I’ll see you tonight.”
Zinnia was quite distraught. Not because of the poisoning or the assassination, of course, but because Evelyn had lost her jeweled necklace in the midst of it all.
Evelyn drifted into the infirmary in search of her necklace, and this time her guards trailed closely behind, refusing to wait at the doorway again. Just as well. No one would try to assassinate her if they were around.
Evelyn halted at the Healer’s door. She’d likely left it there, or perhaps Alaric had taken it off after her poisoning. She poised her fist to knock, but a muffled voice from the other side stopped her.
“And whatever is wrong with loving her? You are married.” The Healer’s voice was soft, and Evelyn pressed her ear to the door to better hear.
Someone scoffed. “Love her? She serves a purpose. Nothing more.”
Evelyn flinched and nearly drew back from the door. Alaric’s words sent her heart spiraling down to the bottom of her chest. She knew how he viewed her, so his words hadn’t come as a surprise, but after this morning… she’d just hoped for more.
“That’s all? Alaric, dear boy, you were going to trade your crown for her.”
Evelyn frowned. Was the Healer implying the crown was so much more valuable?
“I did what I needed to in order to protect her.”
“You risked your entire kingdom for her sake.”
Whoa. His entire kingdom? But it was just a crown… right?
“Does she even know the significance of what that meant?”
Alaric sighed. “I don’t believe so… but it doesn’t matter. That was a foolish, impulsive decision on my part—”
“Which you made because you love her.”
“—that could have risked the entirety of Torva. I can’t afford to care more for Evelyn than I do for Torva.”
The Healer laughed softly. “It appears it’s already too late.”
“No. No, it’s not. I can keep my distance from her again, as I’ve done before.” He sighed raggedly. “If I come to love her and something happens to her as it did to my mother, it will destroy me. For my sake and that of Torva, our marriage will merely have to be one of duty—and I refuse to let you persuade me otherwise.”
The door swung open, and Evelyn jerked back in time to see surprise engulf his expression.
“Evelyn?”
He wanted a marriage of duty? Fine. She curtsied. “Your Majesty.”
“You need not be so formal.”
“No?” She rose. “I thought you wanted to keep your distance from me.”
At least he had the grace to look sheepish. “What all did you hear?”
“Enough to know that I serve a purpose and nothing more.” A smile frosted her lips. “Or am I mistaken?”
Alaric pressed his palm over his eyes. “Evelyn, I’m so terribly sorry.”
Raw pain scraped through her. “But you meant what you said, didn’t you?”
He dropped his hand to his side, eyes dim. He didn’t answer.
“That’s what I th—” Her throat tightened, and she stopped speaking lest her voice break. “You said I served a purpose, but I serve one no longer, correct?”
“Evelyn, I didn’t mean—”
“You married me for the sole purpose of accessing your legislative powers. You now have them, regardless of what happens to me. Correct?”
Alaric nodded slowly.
“Then I’d ask you to grant me one request.”
He tensed. “To release Draven?”
A snort burst from her. “No. To see my mother. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted someone to love me. Judging from your words, it’s apparent I can’t expect that from you. And I can deal with that. I can be a dutiful queen for the rest of my life, so long as you allow me to first visit my mother.”
“If you reconcile with your mother, wouldn’t it be difficult to return to Torva? As queen, you’re still needed here.”
Evelyn lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe if I know there’s someone out there who loves and accepts me just as I am, I’ll have the strength to come to terms with a loveless marriage.”
Alaric’s gaze dropped to the floor, and even his wings seemed to sag. “I see.” When he spoke, his voice was barely louder than the quiet, “I will grant your request. A week from today, you will depart for Earth to see your mother. I’ll arrange for a few of your guards to escort you.”
She stared at him, lips parted. “Really?” Sure, she’d hoped he’d let her go, but she hadn’t really believed he would.
He nodded.
She clapped her hands. “I’ll finally get to see her!”
A smile ghosted across his lips. “So you will.”
She drew in a sharp breath, and air soared in her lungs. Her brain was so overloaded with excitement that remembering how to breathe again was difficult.
“Evelyn?”
“Yes?” She clasped her hands tightly in front of her to preserve some of her queenly dignity.
“I’ve spoken with the assassin.”
“Oh.” That was rather sobering… “And?”
“As I’m sure you noticed, she had many opportunities to kill you, yet she didn’t.”
She hadn’t even thought about it, but there was no need to correct him. “Did she say why?”
Alaric glanced around, his gaze pausing on the sick and injured subtly leaning closer to them. “Walk with me?”
She slipped her hand into the crook of Alaric’s proffered arm, and he guided her out of the infirmary. Their guards followed at a respectful distance, far enough that they wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop.
“So what happened?” she asked. “What did she say?”
“Initially, they were trying to kill you, so I would take on a new bride. Once I convinced the Council of your Hybrid blood, however, and legislated a law that stated I would retain my powers regardless of marriage, they stopped. If they’d killed you, your death wouldn’t have affected my powers, so I wouldn’t have been required to marry another.”
She stopped and whirled to face him. “Did you make this law after I suggested it?”
He shifted his weight, glanced at the suddenly very interesting floor beneath his feet. “Before.”
“Really? So why am I still here? Why not release me completely if you don’t need me?” She continued walking, and Alaric matched her pace.
“It matters not,” he said. She opened her mouth to contradict him, but he continued, “As I was saying, they wanted me to marry another bride.”
/>
“Maybe my sister? Kimberly?”
“Quite possibly. Somehow, she was to use her power to help them. Whether her cooperation would be through coercion or of her own volition, I know not.”
“But then you made the law.” She bit her tongue to keep from pushing him about that law. She was obviously more trouble than she was worth, so releasing her seemed like the obvious choice at this point… unless he cared for her more deeply than she’d suspected.
He nodded. “And then their tactics changed. Now, they’re trying to capture you.”
“But why? What good would that do them if I can’t affect your powers?”
“You can’t affect my powers—unless I allow it.”
“Meaning?”
“If they captured you, they’d likely resort to torturing you until I yielded my crown.”
“Your crown, huh?” She tapped her index finger against her chin. “You and the Healer were talking about the crown. What does giving it up mean? That you’re ceding control of the kingdom to them?”
He paused for a beat and nodded. “But only if the king gives it to them, not if it’s stolen.”
They approached their rooms, and she slowed. “So would you? Give up your crown were I threatened?”
He stopped in front of the door to his room and glanced down at her. She felt the warmth of his gaze all the way to her toes. “I’ve done so already, Evelyn, and if I’m to be honest with you, I would do so again.”
Wow. He really did care for her. “You’re willing to sacrifice so much for me, yet you won’t allow me to stay on Earth. Why?”
“Because I can’t stay on Earth.” He hauled in a deep breath. “And I’d miss you.”
Her heart melted like hot wax. She didn’t feel the same way toward him as she had toward Draven, but she still cared for him. Maybe this marriage could work. Evelyn stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
He startled and touched his fingertips to the area she’d kissed.
She flashed him a smile before whirling and striding into their room. She had some packing to do.
20
Poisoned
Captive and Crowned Page 23