Deathbringer and Desire by A.N. Payton

Author:A.N. Payton
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781648982804
Publisher: City Owl Press

Chapter Six

“Where is he?”

“In the royal suits, Your Majesty.”

I had never moved so fast before. Our steps pounded into the stones, up the twisting staircase, bringing me closer to Alex, but not quickly enough. The others trailed in my wake, panting to keep up. My lungs, which had felt shriveled and aching moments ago, breathed strong and steady. My heart beat rich oxygen through my veins, warding away the exhaustion.

Panic wound through my mind, fighting away the tendrils of logic that tried to sneak through. Alex would be surrounded by healers already. Our hurried pace was useless, but I was not convinced.

Only I could help him. The assassin could get there first. Or my father, if he was actually real.

Your presence cannot save the king.

The words cut through my thoughts. I hesitated on the steps.

“Queen Belle?” Lennon staggered to a halt, narrowly avoiding running into me.

“Sorry,” I said, only half listening to the man. I glanced over my shoulder, but the shocked faces behind me were Lennon, Matias, and the guards. My father wasn’t here.

You can never escape me.

I shook my head and resumed my careful sprint up the stairs. The adrenaline must be playing with my mind. My father was dead. Matias and Alex had both reassured me of that.

I refused to think about the blood on my sword.

We finally spilled onto the royal floor, and a throng of people lined the hallway. Marshal Lennon stepped in front of me and cleared a space through the crowd. Murmurs floated as we passed. Humans, witches, and vampires crowded together to catch a glimpse of their injured king and to wish for a safe recovery.

A fist clenched tight in my gut. What if one of them was the attacker, the curse-caster?

I grabbed the edge of Lennon’s cotton shirt and leaned close to his ear. “Secure the hallway. Set more guards here.”

The man’s brow twisted, but he nodded.

The bedroom door was unlocked, and I jerked it open. Matias followed me, then the latch caught in the doorframe with a loud click.

People filled the room, far more than the space was designed to hold. Buckets of water skewed about. A makeshift spit, holding another bucket over the flames, sat in the fireplace. Rags, most soaked in deep red blood, scattered across the room and the bed, staining our white linens. Witches in black outfits and white aprons, the uniforms of our healers, gathered around the bed, and a buzz of magic signaled the beginning of a spell. Thick layers of lemon-scented soap and something more herby covered Alex’s usual smell.

Splayed on the bed, clothes cut off and discarded to the side, Alex—or at least a pale, immobile shell of my husband—looked more like the hungry dead from my dream than the man who slept beside me every night. His eyes wiggled under his eyelids, frantically twisting from side to side, and his lips moved in silent screams. Blood had drained from his dark skin, leaving him ashen and grey. A harsh line cut

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.