Shattered Heart (Red Queen)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

•Maven POV•
The emotions running through my head are jumbled together with my thoughts. Anger. Fear. Sadness. Emptiness. I just watched my brother die. My older brother that was always there for me. I had wanted him dead for so long. Now that he is, I want him back. He's all I had.
     The same scene keeps playing in my head. We are on the rebel compound trying to take back Mare and Orrec orders Carac to kill Cal. He falls to the floor and my heart lurches. I show no emotion on my face but feel fear. Mare  screams at us but Cal is still alive. And then, all of a sudden, he is dead. My brother. Dead. He's right in front of me but not at the same time. Mare cries out and screams and screams. I want to hold her and cry with her. I want to destroy Carac and Orrec and bring Cal back. But I can't. I have a role to play. And the sad, loving little brother is not it.
     "King Maven," Volo Samos starts.
     "What?" I growl and take the heavy crown off my head.
     The crown is not mine and cold like my heart. It does not belong to me, and everyone knows it.
     Volo cocks his head to the side and says, "You miss your brother."
     "Watch it, Samos. You are treading in dangerous waters. You don't know what you're talking about," I lie. 
     "Oh, I think I do," he says wickedly. "You are  weak and useless. Cal would have been the better king. Alas, he is dead. But that's your fault."
     I slam my hand on the desk in front of me and yell, "Get out of my office and get out of my home! You and your family are cruel and are treasonous. Leave now before I take your head."
     He smiles as if I had not just threatened him, "I am your only true ally, boy. The Lakeland king will betray you. But if this is what you want, so be it."
     The metal beneath and around us groans as he leaves the room. He is angry and could kill me with one thought. I dare him to. Better yet, I wish he would.

<><><><><><>

Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter! I just published and original story called The Cursed Blade. I would love it if you guys would check it out. Here's the summary:

     Aeleyna Verisiel is the Queen of Valündorr. She is the most powerful Faerie in history. Not only that, but she is the most feared. In a world of darkness, she is its center. With a heart of stone and powers no one can defeat, she is unstoppable. Or so she thought.
      Ayrian Vaeril is an insignificant human. He is just a soldier out of a small village that hates the Fae ruling over him. When he gets lost and unknowingly travels into Fae territory, his life will change forever.
     Aeleyna and Ayrian's fates entwine in a way they never imagined. The queen has doomed the world they live in and the young human must save it. He is the key to life. If he fails, the world will be encased in death and darkness.