Page 57 of Untouchable Queen
Her sister-in-law, Quinn, the cute-as-a-button freckle-faced nurse who stitches grown men back together like it’s a hobby, rises from her bar stool as well, her green eyes widening in shock.
“What happened? Are you alright?” Natasha asks, demanding my attention as she stops in front of me, grasping my hands. She searches me from head to toe as if looking for theinjury that’s made me cry, but we both know it’s my heart that’s bleeding openly. And my sister pulls me into a hug.
She’s always been the petite one—even if she’s incredibly strong—and she gives my middle a tight squeeze as if trying to keep me in one piece.
“W-where’s Killian?” I stutter, glancing around. “And Lance?”
“They left a few minutes ago to take care of some business. I just finished telling them all about the fight with Saturo…Is that what this is about? Do you need me to call them back? Because if something’s happened…” Fury flashes across my sister’s face as she seems to come to some conclusion. “Did Lucian do something?” she demands, accusation sharp in her tone.
“Jesus, Natasha, give her a second to breathe,” Quinn says with exasperation, joining us at the kitchen doorway. “You want to come in and sit down? I just made a pot of tea.”
“Y-yeah, that sounds nice,” I say, releasing a shuddering breath.
“Sorry,” Natasha murmurs, grasping my hand firmly as she walks me to a chair. “I just don’t know that I’ve ever seen you this upset. Not even after Papa…”
She doesn’t have to finish the statement. I did my best not to let her see me cry after our parents died because I knew we would both fall apart if I did. I had to be the strong one, to hold it together so Natasha would be alright. But now, it feels like all those pent-up tears are coming out in full force.
“I’m s-sorry. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Quinn reassures me, setting a steaming mug of what smells like peppermint tea before me as Natasha guides me into a chair.
“First things first, are you in danger? Should we call Killian and Lance?” Natasha asks, keeping a firm, reassuring grip of my hand.
“N-no, no. It’s nothing like that,” I assure her, wiping the tears from my cheeks again as I take several deep, steadying breaths. “Sorry. I’m such an emotional wreck.”
“You never need to apologize,” my sister assures me. “It’s just…you seemed fine when I left you this morning. I mean, you took down Saturo Takumi today. I honestly thought that would be more than enough drama for one day.”
I nod, releasing a shaky laugh. “Me too.”
“Congratulations by the way,” Quinn pipes in. “From what Natasha told me, that’s been a long time coming.”
“Saturo deserved what he got,” I confirm. “The world will be a better place without him.” I fiddle with my mug, wondering if peppermint tea is something I should avoid if I’m pregnant. I really need more guidance on the matter. It’s been exhausting trying to figure it out on my own while keeping it a secret from Lucian, and a wave of relief washes over me when I think about telling Natasha and Quinn about it. I need to talk to somebody.
“So,” Natasha says gently. “You ready to tell us what’s going on?”
I nod, keeping my eyes fixed on the steaming liquid as I sniffle. I know the words I want to say, but it’s honestly terrifying to say them out loud—to my sister of all people. But she deserves to know. “I’m…” I swallow the lump in my throat, taking another fortifying breath. “I’m in love with Lucian,” I whisper, and a fresh sob rips from my throat.
Natasha and Quinn both look stunned, their eyes wide and unblinking as they sit speechless.
“God, what iswrongwith me?” I wail, covering my face with my hands as I start crying uncontrollably again.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Natasha soothes, and both she and Quinn rub my arms as if trying to warm me.
“Is that such a bad thing?” Quinn asks gently.
Shocked to hear the question coming from her of all people, I lower my hands to look at her. “How can you even ask that after what he did to you?” I murmur, baffled.
“Well, I just think…I mean, you’re a good person. If you’ve fallen in love with him, then that must mean you see something good in him too, right?” she reasons. “What his men did to me…” Quinn licks her lips nervously. “Well, it was terrifying, but I don’t know that Lance and I ever would have ended up together if it didn’t happen. So, would I take a single second of that fear back if I could? No.”
I hadn’t really thought about it that way before. Not that it excuses Lucian from what happened. But Quinn is safe and sound and happily in love with Lance because of it. But she’s not the only one Lucian captured. He might not have hurt my sister, but he did threaten her life—and he killed our parents—so I’m scared of what I’ll find when I look at her.
But when I finally work up the courage to meet her eyes, I don’t see the betrayal I expected there. Instead, her gray eyes are soft and heart-wrenchingly sad.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” she suggests, trying for a smile.
I nod, looking down at my tea again, but I’m afraid to drink it just yet. “I didn’t want to hurt you. You have to know that,” I insist. “When I agreed to marry Lucian, I did it to protect you—and to stop the fighting. I couldn’t stand to watch our father’s men dying, Killian’s men. So many men lost their lives trying to avenge Papa, and at first, I wanted to crush Lucian because I was so angry. I thought it would honor our father’s memory to bring down the villain who killed him. But then, I started to realize that sacrificing the brothers he worked so hard to bring to his side wasn’t the right way to honor his memory. He taught you what you know, Natasha, so fighting wouldn’t be necessary. Hemight never have admitted it, but I think Papa wanted peace as much as I do.”
“You’re stalling,” Quinn points out, her lips curving into a sweet smile, and it makes me laugh.
