The King's Queen

Chapter 49

Morning dawned with great reluctance.

The night had passed in a haze of fitful slumber, talking with Demetri, and then even more fitful sleep. What had happened yesterday with Rosaline was still weighing on my mind, and the anxiety of what the new day would bring ensured that I woke up with the energy of a sloth.

Demetri and I had talked about random stuff—well, it had mostly been me trying to subtly pry information from him about the Spade Kingdom and him playfully maneuvering the questions. In some aspects, he reminded me of Malekh.

Although they hadn't spent much of their lives together, they were quite similar. Demetri was different from what I thought he would be, and I realized now that he had actually allowed us to see a few glimmers of his true personality three years ago. Maybe, if things had been different, he would have shown us more.

After our talk, I'd been lost in a maze of my own making as my mind meandered through all the possible outcomes of my decision to let Kevin meet me here.

When morning finally came, the only indication was the sunlight that slammed against the thickness of the drapery in its determination to permeate the room with brightness.

I slid out of bed and went to check on Garrett. The mammoth door opened with a creak, and I popped my head into the room to see how he was doing. His chest rose and fell with each light breath, and I figured he must still be resting or unconscious. His wounds were healing nicely. If he continued to get some well-needed rest, then he could be up and running again by tomorrow.

I went back to my room to take a bath before heading downstairs to make breakfast. Cyrena joined me after a few minutes. She offered me a small smile, but I didn't miss the way her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying all night long. Maybe she had.

Cyrena and her adoptive sister didn't have the best relationship, but what Rosaline did—or tried to do to her—must have had a drastic emotional impact.

I wondered if Rosaline had already told Luca and Ezra about her twisted version of what had happened. Would they believe her? Well, it wouldn't be weird if they did, I realized with a frown. While staying in the Spade Kingdom, I had built a track record of being somewhat run away prone. If she told them that I had deserted them and left to go to my soulmate, it wouldn't seem so far-fetched.

I returned Cyrena's smile and squeezed her shoulder in reassurance that things would turn out alright. I had risked a lot for this plan, and everyone else had risked a lot for me. They had put their trust in me. I had to be someone who could protect and assure them that they made the right choice by following me. That's what made a good leader.

Although I insisted that she get some rest, Cyrena was hell-bent on coming with me to Harania City. She only changed her mind when I begged her to reconsider, seeing as Garrett would be left here alone and unprotected. Only after realizing that, she agreed to stay.

I got ready for the trip I would be making with Demetri, and then went back to Garrett's room to see if he'd woken up. I pushed the door open and Garrett winced and blinked his eyes open. Relief washed over me in droves to see that he'd regained consciousness.

"Garrett!" I rushed over to his side. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like next time, we definitely need a safe word for arrows."

I couldn't help but smile at his humor as I perched on the edge of his bed and assessed the injuries beneath his bandages.

Demetri strolled into the room and crossed his arms with a snort of amusement.

"Looks like even hell has standards if it didn't let you in."

"I came back to get you. It just wouldn't feel like eternal torture if you're not there."