Page 90 of Poisoned Kingdom
He was dead.
I laid there for what felt like an eternity, unable to look away from my attacker. Someone had sent him, but who and why? What had I done that deserved such force, such fervour? I scrambled out from beneath the body and slowly stood up, looking around at the carnage in my workshop.
The silence was deafening. It was just me, three corpses, and the moonlight shining on my bloodied hands. I wiped them on my ruined blouse before opening the rest of the windows, letting the night breeze disperse the toxins while I searched the bodies. Any doubts I felt about taking their lives faded when I found augurec manacles. If anything, they’d died too quickly, and I wished I’d gotten some answers.
‘Maybe the men had better luck,’ I muttered, exhaling to ground the buzz still crawling through my limbs.
Why did they come to my home?
Anywhere else, I’d have been limited in which poisons I could have used and would have had to rely on hand-to-hand combat. But here, in my own domain, I could take on a small army. Whoever had ordered the attack had chosen the worst place for it . . . unless they hadn’t given instructions and my attackers thought I’d be unprepared.
‘Did your master send you to test me?’ I wondered, looking at their bloodless faces.
It was a possibility.
I was still turning that thought over when Reynard crashed through the locked door.
Hmm . . . he got more blood on him than I did. The palace maids will be cursing him later.
I looked away to hide my smile, pretending not to notice his heaving chest or the frown on his face as his eyes lingered on the bodies.
‘Are you alright . . .? Viper, did they hurt you?’
From one breath to another, he stood beside me, his gaze sweeping over every inch of my body. His hands followed, brushing lightly across my arms and sides, pausing at the bloodstains on my blouse.
With an amused huff, I jerked my chin towards the last corpse.
‘It’s his, not mine,’ I muttered, trying to suppress my smile and the pleased shiver I felt at Rey’s concern.
But my smile faded as his eyes roamed the room. Confusion settled over his features as he studied the bloody scene.
He shouldn’t be seeing this, came the afterthought, panic tightening my throat the longer he remained quiet.
Irsha strolled in, took one look around, and smirked. His reaction was so casual that I half expected him to offer everyone refreshments.
‘You good, sweetheart? Looks like they underestimated the Deadly Nightshade.’ He winked. ‘I was hoping you’d keep at least one of them alive, but you did always have a bit of a temper.’ He turned on his heel, calling towards the kitchen. ‘Tova! Can your furnace fit a body, or should I fetch a cart?’
‘You did this . . .?’ Reynard shook his head as he came closer. His frown deepened, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes. It felt like rejection, and I couldn’t even blame him. It was easy to accept I was a dark sister in theory, but seeing the proof of my abilities sprawled on the floor was a completely different story.
My heart twisted bitterly.
Has he ever really seen me, or did he want the carefully crafted vision from his dreams? The sombre realisation awakened a spark of defiance within me.Three dead bodies and one dead romance—what an outstanding achievement for one night’s work,I thought, stopping in front of him.
‘Yes, I did this. It’s a part of who I am, and I won’t apologise for it.’
I bit my lip, unsure how to deal with the emotions churning inside me. Still, I knew this had to be done. I needed to suppress these feelings and keep him at arm’s length. Reynard was so silent that I braced myself for his disgust, then decided to speak first.
‘Rey . . . this attraction between us, it doesn’t make sense. We live in a world that would never accept the Deadly Nightshade and the War King surrendering to this temptation. You know the rules better than I do, and I don’t want to bring more strife into your life.’
He huffed, the corner of his lips twisting as if holding back a comment. Then he laughed, low and dry.
‘There you are wrong, little Viper. I make the rules in Dagome, and there’s not a single one I wouldn’t break to hold you again. If the world has a problem with that . . .’ His smile was like drawn steel. ‘I pity the world,’ he said sharply, marching away and leaving me with the feeling that not even the stench of death would deter the king.
1.Strychnos— a highly toxic shrub whose bark and berries can cause seizures and imminent death.
Chapter 33
Reynard
