The Mortal Queen | The Cruel Prince / Wicked King Fanfic

Ten

Cardan

The door swings open, and Jude stiffens slightly as Vivi comes through the door. I look at Jude. I still have my right arm draped casually across her shoulder—am I making her nervous? I drop my arm and trail my fingers down her side as my hand comes to rest on the small of her back instead.

She snaps her head toward me with a confused look on her face. Oh. Did she want me to keep my arm where it was? I squeeze her side reassuringly, my fingers making contact with bare skin at the base of her shirt. I can't seem to stop touching her. She's like my favorite wine—hard to resist.

"Cardan Greenbriar—in the flesh." Vivi says with an amused expression. We both look at her as she closes the door behind her.

I am both shocked and also not surprised to see that her hair is purple. Growing up together, her hair had gone through every color of the rainbow. Her reasoning was always to piss off Madoc, a trait I admired about her. We did have that rebellious attitude in common. Though, she wasn't cruel like I was. It's odd to think we were friends, yet Jude and I were always trying to kill each other.

"Hello, Vivienne." I say.

She takes a good look at Jude and me, standing there calm, and I have a pretty good idea what she's about to say.

"How are you not dead right now?" She looks between the two of us, narrowing her eyes. And there it is. "I was sure Jude would have killed you with her bare hands the second she spotted you. In fact, I have a standing bet with Heather right now. Damn it."

Jude surprises me by speaking up first. "Don't worry, I almost did." She says with a bitter tone.

"It's true." I say. "I barely escaped her wrath with my life in tact." I poke Jude in the ribs with my elbows. She elbows me back.

"This—" Vivi starts, waving a finger between the two of us, as if we were some gross creature. I suppose we kind of are. "—is just weird." She finishes.

"You could have warned me." Jude says, looking at her sister with an annoyed look on her face.

She sighs, and puts her bag down on the sofa. "I was sworn to secrecy. I still am." She explains, tucking a lock of purple hair behind one ear, and eyeing me accusingly.

I did execute this plan earlier than expected, which must be what has her a little irritated with me.

Jude scoffs. "Since when do you answer to anyone but yourself?"

Vivi glares at her. "Since it's up to me to keep you safe as long as you're on this side of Faerie." She strolls past us on her way to the kitchen. "Also—" She yells after us. "—You're Queen for all intents and purposes, and I happen to agree that Madoc is straight up crazy and should not be allowed anywhere near that throne."

Jude takes a deep breath with her eyes closed and fists clenched at her sides. I want nothing more than to pull her against me, but this is not the time. She storms into the kitchen after her sister.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" She asks.

I hear the refrigerator door open and then close before Vivi says anything.

"Lemonade?" She asks.

I can't help but smile, but Jude declines the offer. I decide to look around the small living room while they talk this out, and spot a set of framed photographs standing on top of a low bookshelf by the window.

I walk over and see one of the photos has Jude and Oak in it, smiling and laughing at what looks like a sunny day at the beach. Another photo is of Vivi and Heather, and the last photograph is all of them together—again at the beach.