Page 56 of Queen of Ruin

A small tattoo between her breasts of an inked black jester hat. Small. Like the kind of design you’d see on a card deck, exactly like⁠—

“What is that?” I ask, unable to stop my voice from trembling.

“My tattoo. You have one too. Have you found it yet?”

My heart lurches and before I can stop myself, I’m already touching my ear as if led by shock. Raven’s smile widens.

“A crown,” I reply hoarsely. “I have a crown.”

“You do.” She beams at me with the warmth of an old friend. “Because you are the Queen. And I’m the Joker.” She rolls her eyes a little. “A pain, but oddly fitting with how things turned out.”

My legs weaken and I sink back down onto the bed. “I don’t understand,” I whisper. “Are… are you going to kill me?”

Raven’s eyes widen. “No! Not at all. Valentina…” She walks forward until she’s close enough that her soft, vanilla perfume warms my next breath in.

“You’re among friends here, Val. Family. Welcome home. You’ve no idea how much we’ve missed you.”

22

DIEGO

It’s dark.

I blink, and it stays dark.

What the fuck?

Closing my eyes, I screw them up as tight as I can and wait a few seconds, then I slowly open them again, but everything remains pitch black. A cold panic grips my chest. I blink again.

And again.

So many times that I can’t decipher whether my eyes are really open or I’m just tricking myself into thinking they’re open. With each blink, I stretch my face, but nothing brushes against my temples or nose to suggest there’s anything over my eyes. Testing each of my limbs, nothing restricts my movements, either.

There’s just darkness.

Smothering, all-consuming darkness that closes in on me until my heart is racing and my panic turns into fear.

Was it the crash?

Did I go blind from the crash?

I remember the glass shattering while the car was dragged along the ground, but that was Valentina’s window, not mine. Did a shard somehow fly up and sever my sight and I didn’t notice until now? My last moments of sight involved those shadows and that blinding light.

Oh, my God.

Maybe they weren’t shadows and I was already going blind!

Bolting upright, something catches on my arm, but I’m unable to see what it is, which only spikes my panic further. Attempting to brush it away, whatever I’m lying on dips and as I move my leg, something closes around my ankle.

“Ahh!” I scramble away but the pressure follows me, catching around my legs and ankles like clawing hands fighting to drag me into unknown places. As I scramble, my hands suddenly reach air and with nothing beneath them, I plummet down to the ground and land hard on my shoulder.

Whatever’s clawing at my legs follows.

“Let go!” I yell, kicking out at whatever’s there. Time and time again I kick, but my feet come into contact with nothing but air and warmth, even as the restriction around my legs tightens further. Rolling onto my stomach, I almost make it onto my hands and knees but the restriction becomes smothering. I’m gasping for air while hot sweat breaks out across my shoulders and back.

I half shuffle, half crawl my way across a rough yet soft floor until my head collides with something solid and I slump.

I’m blind.