Page 91 of Villainess's Redemption
“Ready?” Laurel’s hand squeezed mine.
I squeezed back, wondering when exactly I’d started trusting her with my life. “As I’ll ever be.”
She pushed open another hidden door, and the sounds of fighting hit us full force. Through the narrow opening, I could see Queen Felicia’s purple gown, surrounded by a ring of black-clad figures.
There were some palace soldiers fighting but it wouldn’t be enough. Where the hell were Lennox and the Elites when they were needed.
But before I could think of a way to save the Queen, a figure in red silk appeared.
Rosalind.
Through the hidden door, I watched Rosalind move like a deadly dancer, her sword flashing in elegant arcs. Each precise strike found its mark, dropping assassins with lethal efficiency.
Well. That was unexpected.
“I thought she was supposed to be the delicate flower,” Laurel muttered to me.
“Looks can be deceiving.” Laurel’s eyes were wide with awe. “You don’t have to look that impressed,” I muttered bitterly.
I’d never learned to wield a sword properly in either of my lives. Hunting knives, yes. The occasional dagger, certainly. I knew Rosalind was very skilled with swords but watching her slice through the assassins with the grace of a master swordswoman made me feel oddly inadequate.
Across the chaos, Noah fought alongside her, his movements perfectly synchronized with hers. They truly were meant for each other. The thought brought an unexpected smile to my face.
A flash of gold caught my eye. Anderic stood surrounded by three assassins, but his expression held only bored annoyance. His sword moved faster than my eyes could track, and suddenly two assassins lay bleeding while the third backed away.
“Show off,” I muttered, even as my heart rate picked up at the sight.
The Elites poured in through the main doors, Lennox at their head. Their black uniforms blended with the assassins’, but their calculated precision set them apart. Where the assassins struck with desperate fury, the Elites moved like a well-oiled machine.
“Should we…?” Laurel gestured vaguely at the fighting.
“Let’s not get in their way,” I pulled her back deeper into the passage. “Besides, I’m rather enjoying the view.”
Anderic had shed his formal jacket, the white of his shirt stark against the growing bloodstains. His golden curls caught the light as he spun, his blade finding another target. The man moved like liquid gold, deadly and beautiful.
An assassin broke away from the main fight, heading straight for our hidden door. I yanked Laurel behind me, cursing our lack of weapons. But before he reached us, a familiar voice rang out.
“Going somewhere?”
Anderic’s sword sprouted from the assassin’s chest. He yanked it free with a flourish, spattering blood across the marble floor. His eyes met mine through the gap in the wall, and his lips curved into that infuriating smirk.
“Hiding in the walls, lya?”
“I prefer to think of it as strategic positioning,” I stepped out, trying to ignore how my heart hammered at his proximity. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.”
His eyes darkened. “What? By standing there and being a target? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? Get back insid—”
A shout from behind him cut off whatever he was about to say. Three more assassins charged toward us, their blades glinting with deadly purpose.
Anderic moved faster than I thought, placing himself between us and the threat. “We’ll finish this discussion later.”
As he engaged the assassins, I couldn’t help but notice how his muscles rippled beneath his blood-stained shirt. “Is this really the time to be showing off?” Not that it was his fault for being this attractive.
His laugh, rich and dangerous, sent shivers down my spine. “For you, Princess? Always.”
The first assassin fell, then the second. But as Anderic turned to face the third, I caught movement in the shadows above. Another assassin, bow drawn, taking aim at the golden prince’s unprotected back.
Not on my watch!
