Page 123 of Happily Ever Witch
The two of them were alone on the wide porch, where the Queen of Clubs spent most of her mornings. It overlooked the frozen kingdom, providing stunning views of the courtyard and all the mountainous acreage she controlled. Snow-flurries fell softly, but the Queen of Clubs was never bothered by the cold. She was warmly dressed in an elegant white cape and had a comfortable spot in the sun.
She hadn’t bothered to offer Marrok a coat. Let him freeze. Maybe it would motivate him to be a more pleasant captive.
Her eyes stayed fixed on his perfect face. “Why did Trevelyan seal the spell inside of the witch and not himself? That would have been the smart move, if he was angling to stay alive. You were in prison with the man. You must have some theories as to what he’s plotting.”
“According to you, Esmeralda’s his True Love.”
“Yes, but dragons don’t care about that.”
“Says who?”
“Everyone!Every book.Every speciologist.Everyone.”
Still… there weren’t many dragons left in the world. How much did researchers really know about them? Dragons were untrustworthy and secretive. They might have lied about their feelings towards their True Loves, just to cause disruption. God knew, they lied about everything else.
Marrok arched a brow, reading her sudden doubt. “I know Trevelyan well enough to know thatnobodyreally knows Trevelyan.” He said, answering her earlier question. “Nobody can tell you exactly what he’ll do, if you steal his True Love.” He gave an exaggerated wince. “…But I can imagine some possibilities that aren’t real pretty.”
“That’s ridiculous! How much thought would someone of Trevelyan’s reputation really put into protecting a random, nobody witch?”
Esmeralda wasnothing. Her magic wasn’t the fairest in the land. It couldn’t be! Maybe she was a level six talent, but who had evenheardof the woman? She was barely evenBad, and a lackluster entrepreneur, and the Queen of Clubs was positive that she’d unnaturally augmented her skin tone. There was simply no way that someone so dead-average would be born with such an exceptional color.
“You have a True Love.” Marrok raised one wide shoulder in a graceful shrug. “How much thought would you put into protecting the Mad Hatter?”
How dare he compare her eternal bond with her beloved husband to anything that overrated witch shared with the dragon! “It’s not the same thing, at all!”
“No, it’s not.” The wolf agreed, a smirk curving his lovely mouth. “Because you might be a murderous psycho, trying to take over a kingdom and kill everybody… but Trevelyan isworse.”
The Queen of Clubs’ eyes narrowed, not bothering to take offense. Technically, the dragonwasworse. Ninety-eight percent wicked. No one could match that level of Badness.
“Dragons don’t care about True Loves.” She insisted again, just as she’d insisted that the Mad Hatter was wrong when he’d said the same thing. “Most Bad folk will protect their True Loves.Yes. But the witch won’t matter to him.”
“Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say dragonsdon’tcare about True Love.” Marrok’s head tilted, tawny hair glinting like gold in the sunlight. “But they sure as hell care about keeping what’s theirs.”
She frowned. Pathological greedwasa defining characteristic of the species. It was hard for her to comprehend that level of self-centeredness. Being a mother, her natural instinct was to give.
“So, imagine you’re Trevelyan.” Marrok urged, his tone almost hypnotizing. “A merciless force of horror, whose blood runs rancid with evil spells. Imagine being handed a pretty little witch, who says she’s your True Love. You’ve never had a person of your own before, but now this pretty little witchbelongsto you. She’syours. Imagine the obsession that begins to brew in your violent and twisted brain.”
The Queen of Clubs’ scowl grew deeper. That was true, as well. Dragons were little more than animals. Even Florian, the scholarly one, had the cold eyes of a soulless beast. And just being around Haigha had made her skin crawl, because he’d been so base. If you threatened an animal’s mate, they’d instinctively strike out. It was territorial behavior.
“Now, imagine,” Marrok went on, “someone is threatening your pretty little witch. Trying to steal fromyou. Plotting to beatyou. Challengingyou. …How far would you go?”
The Queen of Clubs felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.
“I don’t knowexactlywhat Trevelyan will feel for a True Love.” Marrok finished, topaz eyes gleaming. “But I guarantee he’ll topple the goddamn world before he gives up what’s his. And he’ll laugh as it falls.”
The Queen of Clubs closed her eyes in brief frustration. “You think he’s laying a trap,expectingme to rip the witch’s heart out and put it in a box.”
“Where Trevelyan’s concerned, I think it’s impossible to betooparanoid. He’s up to something. Don’t kill him or Esmeralda until you know what tripwires he’s set up. In fact, ifyoureallywant to win this, forget about murder. …You need to arrest him.”
She outright scoffed at that advice.
“I’m serious.” Marrok insisted earnestly. “I was Trevelyan’s cellmate and I saw how those bars affected him. He was melting down, by that last day. Screaming and raving. He wasterrified.”
That analysis matched what Snow White had once told her about the night of Trevelyan’s escape. The man had been acting very out of character. “There was a fight between the two of you.” She remembered.
“Prison was just too much for Trev. He cracked. It happens to some people, especially egomaniacs with control issues.” Marrok didn’t sound very sorry about Trevelyan’s mental struggle. “I know that he’ll doanythingto stop himself from going back into a jail cell. Put him on trial and sentence him to life behind bars. He’ll make a deal with you to avoid that.”
“Why would I trust anything you have to say?”
