Page 268 of Lethal King

“How will starting a war with us make Roz happy?” I ask him, pointing out the contradiction.

“Oh, how little you know her,” Tytus chuckles. “What’s the one thing my sister loves more than anything?”

“Me,” I blurt out.

“Alright,” Tytus laughs. “That’s true enough. But what’s the second thing?”

“Fighting…” Roz mumbles.

“Correct. A boring life isn’t for you, Roz. So, I’ve decided to make it a little more exciting. You’re welcome.”

Before either of us can respond, the hologram vanishes.

For a brief moment, neither of us talk. We just bask in the mindfuckery of what just happened.

Then, a cat meows, and we come hurtling back down to earth.

“What the hell do we do now?” I ask, turning to Roz.

She’s already started to walk towards the hollowed-out trunk.

“We go home,” she says. Crouching down, she entices the cats to come out to greet her. One by one, they do just that. One even curls up in her lap.

I sigh.

“And I’m guessing we bring the cats with us?”

Those sharp green eyes flicker up at me. There’s a new life in them.

And a new hate.

Fuck. Here we go again.

“You’re damn right we do.”

* * *

“What do you mean she’s missing?”

Three cats brush by my feet as Maksim gives me the horrifying news.

“Mel managed to sneak away while you were out,” my uncle says, his usually calm voice spiking with panic. “I’ve sent a hundred men to find her. Deacon’s leading his own crew. But no one’s sure how long she’s actually been gone for.”

Blood rushes to my ears as a wave of dread pounds me into the floor.

I know Mel’s been unhappy lately, but I would never expect her to do something this drastic.

“How the fuck did she get out?” I demand to know. “We’ve been on lockdown for months. This place is surrounded.”

“This way!” Roz shouts.

She’s at the other end of Mel’s studio. Pushing aside the giant painting my sister gave me for my coronation, she reveals the escape hatch built into the wall.

The door behind it is open.

“That’s right,” Maksim confirms. “That was the first place I looked. We still have men in the tunnels. But I haven’t heard back from any of them yet.”

“How did she know about the escape hatch?” I question, growing increasingly numb.