[Death's Queen 01.0] Death's Queen by Janeal Falor

Author:Janeal Falor [Falor, Janeal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781946860002
Amazon: 194686000X
Barnesnoble: 194686000X
Publisher: Chardonian Press
Published: 2017-03-11T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The gardens are full of every plant I could ever imagine and more that I couldn't. A blossom of nature's magic. They’re wild and overgrown in a beautiful way, but have still been cut back to allow for paths and benches. Not only are they gorgeous, but they’re huge with fountains and miniature waterfalls.

“It’s lovely here,” I say.

“They'd be lovelier if I wasn't in such pain,” Nash replies.

“You're the one who wanted to fight.”

He grimaces. “True.”

“Why did you suggest it?” I ask.

He gives a humorless laugh. “You always go on about how you can take care of yourself. I thought it would be my chance to show you that you need me and get you to agree to learn more about the government.”

“And what do you think now?”

“You can take care of yourself,” he says, “but you still need guards for when you're sleeping and so people don't know how tough you really are. You can use that to your advantage.”

“I know.” I give him a wide grin.

He shakes his head. “The lessons can't end permanently, though.”

I sigh. “I know that too.”

“Good.”

We walk silently for several minutes. The sound of birds' twitters fills the air. It's a refreshing break from the daily grind.

“What do you do when you're not working for me?” I ask.

“I'm pretty much always working for you.”

I know what that's like—always working for someone. “Would you like that to change?” I hope the answer is no.

He shrugs. “I don't know. I haven’t given it much thought.”

“Give some thought to it now.”

It takes him a minute to respond. “It would be nice to see my family more.”

“Why don't we move your family into the palace?”

“It's kind of you to offer, but my mother would hate it. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, this is a dangerous place to live.”

“And yet you want to continue to stay here,” I say, hoping it's true.

“I can hold my own.” He laughs. “Or I thought I could, before you whipped me.”

“There are things I can teach you if you'd like.”

“That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.”

“Can I take that as a yes?” I ask, tickled at the words he spoke.

“A definite yes.”

The thought of my teaching him something for a change is welcome. What's more is the thought of being that close to him—of touching him when I need to correct his position, or showing him a certain move. It has me feeling hot and blushing for reasons I don't understand.

“Tell me about your family,” Nash says.

The hot feeling evaporates. “I have none.”

“Everyone has to have parents at some point. What happened to yours?”

My chest grows tight. “I don't know. I was abandoned when I was a baby.” I haven’t told anyone that before. What made me tell him?

“I know it doesn't make a difference, but I'm sorry.”

I shrug. “It happened before I can remember, so it's all the same to me.”

The garden is a good distraction. The flowers are so pretty. We turn the corner and find Faya and Borkus strolling together.

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