Page 47 of The Nightmare Queen

My thumb and forefinger rub across my chin as I watch her turn each page, “he seems irritated at the time we spend together.” I note, bringing him up again.

“We aren’tspending timetogether, we are working together. For the time being.”

I hum, rubbing my lips together. “Okay we’reworkingtogether. While also sharing the same living space.”

She ignores my tease and crumples one of the missives. “Your battle plans suck.” She states.

Yes, they do.“Dear old dad’s classic ways. Write out the path he has to interfere with the least. Thepeacefulpath. As if peace has ever won anything against brute force in war.”

She looks at me, eyes curious, “sounds like you and King Eiser don’t get along much.”

I shift my chair forward, my arm brushing against her exposed thigh. “Let’s just say I’m not his proudest moment.”

“So what am I? Your ticket to earning ‘Best Son of the Year’ award?”

I huff out a rueful laugh. “No. No you are a giant ‘fuck you’. You are the slap in the face he needs.”

Her mouth tilts up. “Ah. I see. And I was so looking forward to meeting him and being welcomed into his loving embrace.”

“He doesn't embrace much of anything. We’ll both be lucky he doesn’t cuff us in mage shackles the second he hasa moment to.” The thought of those shackles sends chills down my spine as I shake off my memories with them.

Her hand pushes back against my shoulder returning me to my reclined position as she hops down from the desk. I figured she’d choose to walk out of the office, but she surprises me by stepping in between my spread legs. It’s taking more effort than I’d like to admit to keep my hands glued to the arm rests, especially when her finger trails down my jaw to grip my chin. Her scent invades all of my senses as heat courses through me with each inch closer she brings our faces. “Make no mistake,princeling. We may be playing nice right now. But I am every bit the monster the rumors claim me to be.”

There is only a sliver of space between us, so much so that the air she breathes out is the air I am breathing in. “And who’s to blame for that, Eveera?”

Her golden eyes narrow into two slits as black edges into them, “you should ask the King and Queen that question.” She shoves my chin back and steps out from between my legs. All the heat between us is doused within a second as I process her words. “Figure out if you want my help or not. If we don’t go after them again, my bet is that we’ll be met with their forces by tomorrow.” She says keeping her back to me as she saunters out of my office, leaving me in a uncomfortablyhardposition, with little focus or desire to return to the paperwork sitting on my desk. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to work together if this is going to be my reaction every time she gets close to me.

Eveera

I’ve no idea how I am meant to sleep here.

The ceiling and I are becoming really acquainted at this point. It started getting awkward after a while of me staring up at it, so I introduced myself. It didn’t give me much back but it’s served as a decent distraction from my headache. I thought I’d be fine here. I thought that my purpose would supersede these asinine fears I have.

I thought, I thought, I thought.

All this thinking hasn’t droned out the pounding or the panic rising in my chest of being in a room meant forthem. In a bed they’ve potentially peacefully slept in. The scars on my back have become itchier the more I lay here and without a thought my hand reaches haphazardly for my belt my eyes staying trained on the ceiling. Finally my fingers find a small blade. I run my thumb along the edge of it to see if it’s dulled.Thank the gods,I think when I lift up the blade to inspect it.Sharp. My fist closes around the handle and I swing my legs around to rest on the edge of the bed. I take one more look up at the ceiling, “you’re a shit talker, but agood listener.” I whisper. My eyes drop back down to the blade in my palm and a few thoughts cross my mind.

Vada would chastise me, Ezra would ignore it, and Axel would hold me.No one is here for that now.

I suck in a deep breath and dig the tip into my exposed thigh, dragging it across an already scarred patch of skin. Blood beads up at the cut as I exhale, “one.” Again. “Two.” It burns this time but I don’t let that stop me. Another breath, another drag, “three.” The tension in my chest starts to break up as my body hones in on the pain.

“Four.” I hiss - my left hand curls around the bed sheets with the sting of that one.One more, I think. “Five.” Dropping my head back I let the knife clatter to the floor. My vision dots with stars that flick and bounce all around and warmth spreads through my body. In my last moments of consciousness I re-position myself back to lying down and wait for the pain to black me out into the most devastating sleep.

-

“Mommy please. No mommy. MOM! NO! No no no no no.” I want to get up. I want to put her back together. “Mama!” I wail out. But her face is lifeless. Her gold eyes glassed over and the brightness usually held within them is nothing but tarnished and dim now. I’m crawling across the floor to where her blood has pooled. “Mama please. Mommy come on, don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.” How could she not? Her entire body has been ripped apart in a sick display.

I reach for her hands and her fingers are so cold…

“Eveera?”There’s someone else…someone shouting. A man. “Eveera?!”

The voice tugs on my arm. “No. No, don’t take her away, don’t take her away.” I beg the voice.

-

Hushed whispers come flooding in, “Eveera…it’s just a dream. Shh, it’s just a dream.” The voice is no longer in my head but my ears.

“It wasn’t just a dream.” I whisper my voice sounding garbled outside of my body. My eyes snap open, finally registering that I'm being rocked back and forth. Blinking the sleep away I notice two tanned arms holding me.Definitely not Ezra. I'm hot all over, sweat plastering the hair framing my face to my skin.

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