Page 74 of Midnight Queen

I toss the ball back and his right arm’s response is delayed just enough that he can't grasp it. A look of frustration cuts across Duke’s face as he watches it bounce across the room.

He reaches for the cane he’s been using for the past week to get around, but I stop him. “It’s okay, I’ll get it.”

Duke’s quiet for a second, waiting for me to bring the ball back, but once I’m standing back in my spot across from him, he asks, “What are you thinking about?”

I catch the ball and hold it against my stomach as I sigh. “Do you ever get a really bad feeling in your stomach and no matter what, you can’t ignore it? It’s justthere, screaming at you to pay attention.”

Duke looks at me. “Yeah, a few times.”

“Were you right? Or did you ignore it long enough and it went away?”

I’m hoping for the latter.

His face falls. “I ignored it once, and I learned the hard way never to do that again.” We don't talk about it, but like me, Duke’s seen a lot of death. His time in the military was a dark one. “A lot of the time your gut is trying to tell you something that your brain isn’t seeing. Trust that feeling, Quincey.”

“The attacks have stopped. Gideon is dead, and Silas and I are finally on the same page. Everything should feel fine—greateven—but I know something is coming.”

Twenty-four hours after Silas agreed to turn me—in six years—Gideon Rolfe was executed for his crimes. It took a hundred years too long to happen, but he was finally reunited with Margret.

I breathe easier knowing my attacker and Ira’s killer is no more. I’m more relieved that it’s finally behind us and the weight of it isn’t on Silas’s shoulders anymore.

This time Duke catches the ball with ease. I love the small victorious smile on his face when he does.

“I’m sure you’re right. It’s never quiet in Silas’s world for long. That’s part of what makes it so exciting. It always keeps you on your toes.” He bounces the ball on the ground a couple of times, dribbling it like a basketball. “I’m going fucking stir crazy in here. The beige walls and constant routine are making me want to pull my own goddamn hair out.”

Shaking my head at him, I laugh softly. “You’re just like Lor. You can’t sit still to save your life.” I thought the two of them would hit it off and much to Silas’s dismay, I was right. It all started with them bickering over the word‘darling’. Duke argued that he used it first, but Lor claimed it didn’t count because Duke butchered the sweet endearment with his‘dumb’southern drawl. It went on for an hour before they finally decided they can both use it. I found the whole thing hilarious, Silas however, was not amused. “I’m a little disappointed that my company hasn't been entertaining enough for you.” I mockingly pout, like I’m truly offended. “Shall I bring a sexy brunette with me next time? Or perhaps a tattooed cutie with a knack for computers?”

Is it fair to put him on the spot with this question? Possibly not, but I’ve waited three weeks to talk to him about it. My patience for the subject is officially gone and I’m feeling nosy.

Duke stares at me, nothing in his face giving anything away.

“Come on!” I throw the ball at him with a little more zing on it than usual, but he still manages to wrap his fingers around it in time. “Give mesomething, Duke. You have two equally amazing women crushing on you. I want to know where you stand on that.”

Duke drops the ball in his hand but doesn’t bother to try and go after it again. “What?” He looks absolutely lost. Poor guy. “Rory doesn’t have a…crushon me.”

I swear to God, men can be so fucking dumb.

“Jesus, Duke, I know you were in a coma for a week, but you can't seriously be this dense.”

Duke is unmoved by this and continues to insist that I’m wrong. “She doesn’t have feelings for me—hell, I’m not convinced she evenhasfeelings. And Lucy…we agreed to not bring emotions into it.”

My best friend would deny it until she turns purple in the face, but I know she has some feelings for Duke. She would never admit to doing something as‘lame as having a crush’—her words, not mine—but I can hear it in her voice when we talk about him.

“If you say so.” I shrug in defeat. “I suppose Rory must have been sneaking into your hospital room for another reason then.”

Sorry for telling your secrets, Rory, but I think a gentle kick in the ass would do you both good.

Duke’s brows pull together in confusion. “She did what?”

I grin at him as I repeat something Silas says often, “I didn’t stutter.” Bending down, I scoop up the ball that rolled under the massage table. “But for what it’s worth, Duke. I like her.” I like RoryandLucy, but in the end, it doesn’t matter who he picks. All that’s important to me is that he’s happy. “Andholy shit,I love how vindictive she can be. When she found out Pietro was trafficking girls, she cleaned out one of his offshore accounts and donated every penny to a nonprofit.”

I had told her to keep some of it herself to compensate her for the time she spent working on it, but she refused. She said helping me get back at the assholes who bid on my blood was payment enough. Plus, she said she wanted to help me stick it to the rest of the vampires.

“He’s lucky that’s all she did to him. I’ve seen her record and let’s just say it’sextensive.”

“Yeah, I can tell she’s been through some shit,” I tell him as my phone starts to buzz in the back pocket of my jeans. Pulling the device out, I add, “But it just made her stronger.” Checking the caller ID, I find Lucy’s name written across the screen.

“No, it gave her a fucking attitude problem,” Duke corrects.

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