Page 85 of The King's Omega
She had been hiding inside. Who was she hiding from?
She looked awful, though I supposed the residual effects of her self-administered poisons could cause it. Hadn’t she taken the antidote?
Her red-rimmed eyes widened as she registered the others in the room. “No, it’s not possible. I watched them being tortured. Tarn was whipped almost to death. Axe… Who healed them all? Is there a witch, a healer in the castle? Tell me!” Her voice was frantic, but hushed.
My heart was racing as fast as a rabbit. “Where is Milian?” Please let him be far, far away. Riding in Turino, or checking on his troops in the courtyard, at least.
She pulled the blade tighter as my men stepped closer. “He’s in Rigol’s rooms next door, and I’m sure he’ll reward me well when I bring you to him.” Close enough to hear us, then. Crap.
She sounded certain, but her hand was trembling, and she’d kept her voice at a whisper. So I did the same. “Selene, were you hiding from Milian?”
“I was, but now I’m not. I’ll take you to him, and he’ll help me. He’ll get his precious Omega bride, Rigol will get an axe to the throat, and Milian will forgive me. I’ll be the rightful queen.”Forgive her? Help her? What had she meant by that?
“Aren’t you already the queen, Selene? You mated him. He told everyone.” I remembered it well. Inexplicably, it had broken my heart to know he was hers.
“That’s not how the succession works,” Tarn drawled softly. His hands were behind his back, and I knew he had at least one dagger. “In Verdan, the mate of the ruling monarch shares in the power, yes. If Milian dies, Peaches, you’re the queen of Verdan according to their laws. But in Rimholt, the king names his heir.”
Ah, yes. I remembered Milian saying something to that effect. About getting Rigol to sign over the kingdom to him.
The knife dug into my neck a little more. “Names an heir. Who runs a country that way?” Selene’s voice dripped acid. “How could anyone predict that ridiculous custom?”
“Ah,” Vilkurn purred. “Everyone in Rimholt names an heir. Me, the pig herder, the king. Didn’t do your homework, little spy?” She cursed, but he continued. “Queen means nothing here, unlike Verdan. It means you get a fancy crown. The only way to join the line of succession is for the current monarch to write your name into the register. Milian knew that, Selene. If he told you differently, he was lying.”
“No, you’re lying!” Her hands trembled even more wildly, and I grew even more still. She could kill me without meaning to.
“He never intended to let you stay queen, anyway, Selene,” I murmured. “He told me he was planning to kill you. That I would be queen of both countries.”
“You’d be his whore!”
“Well, yes, that’s what he does to all women. It’s a terrible place, Verdan City. I was in the Omega Suite at the palace. I heard the stories.”
She caught her breath, a small whimper escaping.
Suddenly, I understood something else. “The officers hurt you like they did the others, didn’t they? Or someone did.”
She snarled in my ear. “No. I was more than them, I was always more. He saved me from them. He gave me skills.” I didn’t know who she meant, Milian or someone else. Lorn was trying to circle her, and she shifted, swearing. “I will cut her throat if you don’t stay where you are.”
“Why don’t you call for the guards now?” Lorn remarked. “Why are you holding back?”
Tarn sneered. “Milian has the troops to overtake Rimholt, but Starlak and Mirren might band together to fight him if he does that. He wanted a legitimate claim to the throne; she failed to deliver.”
Lorn let out a low whistle. “That’s why the fronts stalled for so long, though we were vastly outnumbered.”
Vilkurn’s voice was as quiet as a snake gliding over the floor. “She’s failed him twice over. First by neglecting to become the true heir, then by choosing an ineffective poison. Isn’t that right?”
Her straw-brittle hair brushed my face, leaving traces of her bitter scent on my skin, as she answered, “I had to keep him alive when I learned about the succession! He’ll make me his heir; I just need more time.”
“Selene, listen to me.” I spoke softly, praying she didn’t get angry, and slit my throat in her rage. “Even if you become the heir, Milian is going to kill Rigol and then eliminate you, too, no matter what he promised.”
“Shut up,” she hissed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. The king has no heir, anyway. When he dies, I’ll find a way to get the crown. I won’t let him win.” She repeated herself, and I wondered again what she was really saying. And which king she meant.
I didn’t get the chance to ask, because the door crashed open, and Milian strode inside, accompanied by five guards.
Vali
At first, no one moved. Then Milian prowled into the room, taking in the other occupants with a sweeping glance. Tarn and Lorn were standing in battle stances, their teeth bared, though they only had two small daggers between them. Axe loomed behind them, and I realized for the first time he didn’t have his axe. Vilkurn…was nowhere to be found.
I prayed he had escaped. While I prayed, a dozen more guards rushed into the room.Hey, Goddess, more guards aren’t what I asked for. Help us all escape!
