Page 66 of Midnight Queen

Yeah, there was a cute purple-haired pixie that kept sneaking in to see you. What’s that about?

Disappointed I won’t be getting any answers about Rory yet, I think quick on my feet and like a fucking magician, I seamlessly pull an alternate topic of conversation out of my hat. “I was just seeing if Della blabbed about my drunken escapades at St. Sin,” I say. “I need to know if she butchered the story, and if I need to tell it to you correctly.”

Della’s lips purse, clearly not amused. “No, I thought I’d do you a favor and allow that embarrassing moment of yours to remain a secret.”

While she has a fair point, agreeing with her won’t make her face do that funny thing I enjoy so much.

Completely deadpan, I question her, “Why would I keep it a secret, Della? Dancing on top of a bar with a bottle of tequila in my hand is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

The corner of Della’s eye looks like it’s going to start twitching as she fights the look of disgust that’s threatening to come through. The pinched expression is exactly what I was hoping would happen.

Duke shifts, the slight wince he makes doesn’t go unnoticed. He’s awake and breathing on his own, but there is still healing his body needs to do. According to the conversation I had with Della on the phone, Duke is experiencing some weakness on his right side, but with rigorous physical therapy, it should improve.

But true to his character, he masks his pain by grinning at me. “Were Lucy and you getting into some trouble without me? Lucy mentioned it too, that you guys knew how to cause some mayhem.”

Lucy was raised by her aunt who worked full time, and I raised myself. That meant we had very little parental supervision. There were definitely a few times things got out of hand. The good news is there was only ever one fire, and it wasn’tthatbad. I mean… Lucy’s hair grew back eventually.

I point my thumb at the tensely quiet vampire.“Silas carried me out of the bar before we could get around to starting any real mayhem.”

“He carried you?” Duke’s brows raise.

“Yeah, he went full caveman on me. Threw me over his shoulder and everything.”

Duke laughs, and Della’s eyes roll beneath her cat-eye glasses at the same time a big yawn takes her over. I can’t imagine how long the past week has been for her.

“Della, let’s go get you some coffee,” I offer, standing from the bed. “It’ll be good for you to get out of this room for a minute anyway.”

She hesitates in her chair, but it’s Duke’s reassuring words that finally get her to stand. “Go get coffee, Del, and if they have one, bring me back a blueberry muffin.”

I’m almost positive he knows the hospital still has him on a limited diet, but if a small fib will encourage her to take a break, I’m all for it.

Silas’s hand locks around my upper arm when I walk past him. “Go to the coffee cart and come right back here, Quincey,” he warns lowly. “I don’t want you wandering.”

The events that took place after our visit with Gideon may have momentarily overshadowed the original reason we were at the church. But we are both once again very aware of the fact that someone else out there is targeting Silas. We will need to be even more aware of our surroundings for the time being.

He waits for my head to nod in understanding before letting me go. His midnight eyes peer into mine. It’s like there’s a thousand different things he wants to say, but instead of saying them, he remains silent.

The knot in my stomach tightens when he turns his head back toward Duke. Dismissing me.

Della and I walk in silence to the elevator. The second the doors close behind us, I slump against the wall and close my eyes.

She remains quiet, allowing me a second before speaking, “You have until we reach the lobby to feel whatever you’re feeling, but when the doors open again, you need to pull yourself together.”

“It’s just never going to be easy, is it?”

“No, probably not,” Della simply answers. “Heavy is the heart that loves the crown, Quincey, but that doesn’t mean you let the weight of it tether you down.”

Heavy is the heart that loves the crown.

Truer words have never been spoken.

But it’s because of my love for him that I will continue to fight for what I want. And I will continue to prove he’s not the only one wearing a crown.

Stiffly, I sit in the chair Della had vacated, but instantly the turbulent energy in my muscles screams at me to stand up. I have to force myself to stay still and not pace at the foot of Duke’s hospital bed. The man just woke up from a weeklong coma, he needs to heal and not be concerned with my own grievances.

But that doesn’t appear to be a concern of his like it is mine. “Are you going to talk about it? Or just sit there and silently sulk.”

My face pulls in a scowl. “I don’t sulk.”

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