Page 46 of Princess

Tomorrow, I would be stoic in the face of what had to be done.Right now, I needed to let go.The tears started.After my Shadow Warrior form emerged, I seldom cried.I was usually too busy for tears.Now that I was in charge, it happened even less, or at least it did until pregnancy hormones took over.Tears disturbed King, and I tried to hide them when I could no longer hold back.He always seemed to know.Maybe my red eyes gave me away.His protective mode would go into overdrive, and when he wouldn’t let up, I became angry.Anger was better than sadness in his book, and I was fairly sure he pissed me off on purpose.

I allowed the tears to run down my face without wiping them away.One day, we would have peace.Not everyone would survive until then.Losing Boot and Labyrinth was hard.Losing others would also be hard.

A small sound alerted me to King’s presence as he slipped into my private hiding spot.His arms went around me, and he pulled me as close as my large belly allowed.His shirt grew wet, and he didn’t seem to mind.My shoulders hitched, and he pulled me a bit tighter.

“I was trying to let you sleep,” I told him when I could finally talk.

“You shouldn’t do that,” he replied huskily.

I pulled back and wiped my eyes.“It’s the damned hormones.Sometimes I can’t control them.”

He smiled softly, and I knew he didn’t believe me.

I shrugged.“You needed sleep.”

“You need it more,” he said.

“His highness is restless.”I told him, and rubbed my hand over my stomach.

“Her highness is a night owl,” he responded.

I could hear the smile in his voice.I did need King awake.His presence grounded me.With a sigh, I took his hand and threaded my fingers through his, resting both our hands on my stomach.

“I think I can sleep now,” I said.

We walked to our room together.I had to be alert for whatever happened the following day.King held me close, and eventually I fell asleep without dreams.

The only thing good about the morning was the interaction with Mrs.Barnes.She had not been released from her room to perform her work duty.Alden, who had picked the short straw, was pacing before her door when I arrived with King, Axel, and Rodrigo, who wore leather straps on his chest like the rest of us.He proudly said his mother and sister had made it for him.I should have acted sooner to place him on the guard.He had a cunning brain that quickly saw through problems in ways we didn’t.He’d given us a small chance to get both our men back.

Axel carried a medical kit that held what he would inject into Lesley’s vein.He’d spoken at length to Amy about her injection.She told him the contents of the vial used on her had been pale pink.There had been no side effects except extreme terror over what had been done to her.Axel had used a drop of beet juice to get the slight pink coloration.

I had the pleasure of opening the door and entering the room first.

“You have some nerve,” Lesley spit out angrily.“You make me work and then take it away at a whim.Why are you here?”Her eyes widened when she noticed the men entering after me.

“We have a present,” I said.“It will go easier if you cooperate.”

Axel walked to a side table and rested the zippered pouch on it.He unzipped the top and pulled out the syringe, followed by a vial filled with tinted pale pink saline.

Lesley watched closely.Then she noticed the color and lost control.

“You bitch,” she screamed and ran straight at me.“You can’t do this.”

We’d rehearsed how this would go down.We wanted to know if Lesley knew about the injections.She’d answered our question.K-5 boiled inside me, and I could smell it from Axel and King too.

I grabbed Lesley’s arm, spun her, and grabbed the back of her neck with my other hand.King got hold of her hands, pulled them behind her, and pulled her backward until she sat slightly sideways on the bed.

She swung her legs up, but Rodrigo grabbed them and went to the floor to hold them down.

“I take it you’re going to fight?”I asked with a smile I didn’t feel.

She’d known about the hellhound drug and lied to us.

“Don’t do this,” she begged.Terror filled her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks.These might be the first real tears.

“Don’t do what?”I asked innocently.

Axel came closer with the filled syringe, and Lesley started fighting again.I leaned forward, released my hold, and placed my knee against her chest, pushing her back.King restrained her arms above her head.

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