Page 3 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“We both know the real reason why you distract yourself with this task every night, Lennox; you come out here and distract yourself with vengeance to keep yourself from addressing what’s really bothering you.”

I whipped my gaze to her. “You can’t avoid it any longer Lennox, you leave for the Blood Court in the morning.”

You don’t think I know that.I wanted to scream. But I didn’t. I kept it locked up inside, as I did with all my feelings these days. After that first night, spent with my tears staining my pillows, I hadn’t allowed myself to feel sadness for what I had lost that day.

Not for the innocent people lost because of me.

Not for—no. I had one more day until I had to confront that. Not yet.

I let all sadness go and traded it for vengeance instead.

Vengeance for my people.

I don’t have it in me to get vengeance for my heart. For myself.

I turned my attention back to my sister, taking in her blazing red hair for the first time as she removed her hood.

“Care to explain to me what you’re doing here so late?” I raised a brow. “Looking like that?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.” I knew Kara wasn’t sitting around by herself at night while I was gone, but I never imagined I’d find her out here, deep inthe pit of the city, long past reasonable hours to be out, glamored, to hide her appearance.

I knew my sister; she wasn’t out here like me, killing to feel something, but what was she up to? I wanted to ask, the shattered remains of my heart tugged towards her—begging to let her in.

But if I asked questions of her, that allowed her to ask questions of me.

So I bit my tongue.

“I should get going,” I turned from my sister’s assessing gaze. With the snap of my fingers, the Vanir male’s body burst into flames.

“I’ve got a lot to do before dawn.”

3

LENNOX

I pulled my cloak tighter around me as Odin approached the black gates of the palace. Guards dressed in all black held them open on either side as our convoy passed through. A red circle was embroidered on each of their lapels, with lines zagging across the circle in thick red thread, forming twoV’sthat resembled fangs, the seal of the Blood Court.

The Blood Court—after two weeks of grueling travel, we had finally made it to Cel Nox, the capital city, this afternoon.

There were no Vanir to track, no duties to attend to, no corners to hide in while we traveled. For two weeks, I had maintained my mask of High Queen as I traveled with a group of six Star Court guards.

All I had while traveling was time to think.

Time to think about what I would face while I was here. What I could no longer avoid.

WhoI could no longer avoid.

It had been six weeks since I held a blade to his throat and demanded him to leave.

For six weeks I had agonized over every decision I had made that led me here. To arrive in the Blood Court to announcemy engagement to the Prince.

To the male who had stolen my heart only to destroy it in the end.

He sent letters, of course, he sent letters. They arrived each week like clockwork. I read the first lines of the initial letter before throwing it into the hearth. I blinked back the tears in my eyes as I watched the parchment burn. The rest of the letters that arrived went straight into the flames. I couldn’t read his words of remorse. If I was going to survive this arranged marriage, I had to shut myself off from those emotions.

The stones of the Blood Palace were painted black, and even the windows appeared black and clouded, giving the entire palace an eerie feeling. One tower stood taller than the rest at the center of the dwelling. I wondered who got the honor of occupying the tallest peak.

King Arlo most likely. The tallest peak to keep a watchful eye on his city.

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