Page 160 of Conspirators' Kingdom

She had no doubt of that. Were she one of the hatya or nomarchs in attendance, this one moment of weakness would be all it would take to seize control. Or so they thought. She grinned then, as cruelly as he, and adjusted her grip on the jar so that she could place a hand on her belly.

“I would not sit on the throne alone.” She let her words sink in. “And both the royal guard and vizier are mine, dear husband. They pledged their loyalty to me alone. I have no need of you now.”

He launched another failed volley of magic at her and cursed. Lunging, his hands grazed the skin of her throat, ready to choke the life from her where his magic could not. Taisiya narrowed her eyes as she dodged him, letting a stronger current ripple across his jar. He was brought to his knees, gasping from the pain. The moment he tried to stand, she brought him low again.

“You won’t kill me,” he hissed between his teeth, a shallow-breathed chuckle whisper-soft. “You love me.”

Taisiya kicked him over so that he lay sprawled on the floor at her feet. She glared down at him with every ounce of hatred she could muster for the monster before her.

“I am Taisiya Dragonsblood, heir of my line and queen of Maat. The man I love rests in the palm of my hand. You are nothing more than a malevolent shadow possessing his body and wearing his skin. You have broken your oath to me, Mereruka of Maat, and will now accept whatever punishment I deem fit.”

He tried to tackle her to the ground, but found himself bound by scaly chains, his movements hampered. The ghoulish soldiers fell to the ground, inert. He howled in outrage and glared at her with utter loathing. Taisiya smiled, burying her heart under a sea of ice, where it might never see the light of day again. Not if she lost this gamble.

“Never let it be said that I am not fair. Repair the damage to your soul, or accept death by my hands.”

“Don’t you know, wife? Only a kiss of true love can return my heart to me.”

Radjedef snorted.

“Liar. He just needs to say he wants it put back,” Radjedef offered.

“I will skin you alive, you scaly red freak! I’ll cut off your horns and force them down your fucking throat!”

Taisiya slapped Mereruka hard enough that the sound echoed in the throne room.

“Say the words, husband. Death… or life?”

He looked at the jar with revulsion and then up into her pitiless stare. She whispered so that only he could hear.

“As you are, you’re useless to me. A rabid dog who has already given me what I need to rule in my own right. With Vasilisa in the shadows, Qar and Nofret by my side and Bas there to watch over the child, I believe my future will bequitecomfortable. Maybe I’ll even start my own harem…”

Mereruka growled low and lunged again, fuming and powerless. He muttered darkly.

“What was that, husband? I couldn’t hear you,” she goaded, her heart in her throat.

“I want my heart back, you vile harpy! Put that gods-damnedthinginto my fucking—”

He gasped as the jar became rosy golden sand, its grains sinking back into his body. Taisiya didn’t dare hope, not yet. She wouldn’t let it sneak between the cracks in her heart until he was her Meri again. She returned the pained, shocked look of the man before her with steely determination, fighting the urge to drop to her knees and beg the gods for her husband’s return. As the last of the grains of sand left her hands, the moment of truth was upon her.

Between one blink and the next, Mereruka was himself—whole.

Her breath shuddered as her walls cracked. Taisiya’s gambit had succeeded. She needed to cry and laugh and scream all at once. Mereruka was back—herMeri. There was her husband, his towering ego, his sly cunning, his protective warmth, his love—the love she couldn’t breathe without.

He stared at his teal hands in wonder and then up at her, adoration suffusing his features. She’d never known a heart could break from happiness. Or that it would be her own.

“Thank the gods you’re a ruthless bitch.”

Taisiya threw herself at him. Mereruka caught her as they hit the floor, their lips meeting in a fierce tangle of tongues. Radjedef ordered bodies removed and soldiers out of the hall, giving them a small measure of privacy.

“Don’t cry, Taisiya,” Mereruka whispered as he wiped a few errant tears. “Else your brother might come for my head with his merry band of hardened killers.”

Taisiya choked on a laugh and kissed him again.

“We should tell Vasilisa and Bas that all is well.” She pulled away reluctantly, their foreheads touching.

Mereruka nodded.

“And get this funeral business sorted.”

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