Page 24 of Wicked Queen

“Clara,” he said in an unusually calm voice, “meet my sister, Sarah. Sarah, meet–”

“Oh, we’ve met,” Sarah simpered with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Until now, I thought she might not remember the day I found her in Windsor. It was a stupid wish. I’d sat there that day without telling her who I was, and then I’d kept my silence while my husband figured out how to deal with the fallout. But the bomb had finally fallen and she was here. She didn’t seem the least bit aware of the rubble surrounding her. No—she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Her eyes scanned over Elizabeth, narrowing into catlike slits. “And this is your child.”

It wasn’t a question. She’d been updated on major events in her family’s lives. Now, it would be up to us to find the blanks and fill them in. I’d imagined what she’d be like when she returned. I questioned how she would handle the world moving on without her. But seeing her obvious animosity, I had to remind myself that she had every right to be angry and frustrated and annoyed. The Sarah I’d painted in my mind wasn’t a real person. She was a portrait drawn from memories Alexander and Edward had shared over the years. I remembered her accident and had been horrified like the rest of the world. But I hadn’t exactly been a Royal watcher then. It felt morbid to watch media coverage and see photos of the mangled car plastered on newspapers. At the time, I’d been recovering from my first battle with an eating disorder, and I’d turned away from the news, looking for brighter spots in the world. It was like I had known then that it was different for me somehow, as if I’d had a premonition of what this family would come to mean to me. Instead of devouring details about them, I’d somehow known to wait until it was my time. All of which meant I knew very little about the girl in front of me.

And she was a girl. I didn’t doubt that. She looked like a woman. She was gorgeous—the feminine equivalent of her brothers. But where Alexander was strong, sharp angles, she was soft and willowy. She looked like photos I’d seen of their mother. Still, she wasn’t a woman. She’d missed the moments that would carry her into womanhood. Was she aware of it yet?

Sarah was born a Royal, so she had an armor she wore at all times. I saw it shrouding her. I was reminded me of when I’d met her brothers. To most, Alexander had hidden behind the cocky playboy reputation the world had assigned him and shown very little to anyone else. It had taken a lot to chip away his shell. Edward was the charming spare to the heir. They’d been hiding so many secrets for so long, both of them were more comfortable with illusion than reality. But they’d had the opportunity to grow into themselves. Sometimes, I saw them slip into that comfortable, old skin. Sometimes, it was easier for all of us to take a place on the board—the solitary King, the protective Queen, the loyal knight—than to face the truth that our true enemies weren’t opposite us, but inside us all along.

“We have a room ready for you—Edward and I,” I blurted, unable to stop the nervous chatter. “Or you can use your old room. We left it the way it was.”

“Like a tomb?” She laughed, as if this was a ridiculous notion, but she stood up immediately. “This I have to see.”

I left Alexander holding Elizabeth, looking to Norris and Brex for guidance, and followed her down the hallway to the room at its end.

“You weren’t joking.” She stepped inside and looked around. “I never thought I’d be back here.”

“Were you…did you…” I didn’t know how to ask what I was wondering. She spoke like time had passed. I’d wondered if it would be like coming home after a long night out. “I was in a coma—only for a few days—but I heard some of what was going on around me. Was it like that for you?”

“I guess we have something in common.” She looked at me as though she was seeing me for the first time. “Something like that, I guess.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but I held them back, staying near the door to give her some privacy. She walked to her bedside table and picked up her mobile. “Do you think my boyfriend’s number has changed?”

I searched for an answer, wondering if I should laugh or comfort her.

“Relax.” She rolled her eyes and dropped it. “I mean, I’m fantastic in bed, but I doubt he waited around.” Her gaze fell on the book and she grabbed it, thumbing through until she reached a bookmark. “Does she wind up with the vampire or the werewolf?”

“Um, the vampire, I think.” I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation.

“That’s a shame.” She set it down and grimaced as she surveyed the space. “For fuck’s sake, clear this out. I don’t have to sleep here, right?”

“No, we have a space for you upstairs.” I bit my lip. “I thought you might want some space.”

“I wouldn’t want to disturb your happy little family.” She continued to act cool but her words sliced through me, cutting with a sharpness that I barely felt until air hit the wound.

“I’ll show you.”

Edward and I had spent the last few days sending off for fresh bedding and curtains. We’d settled on a blush color scheme that left the suite feeling light and open. It was neutral enough that she could add her own touches—if she decided to stay.

“I hope you like it. Edward thought you’d want light after…” I trailed away. Maybe I should have kept our reasoning to myself.

“Thanks.” But she sounded anything but grateful. “It’s cool if I change it, right? I’m rather accustomed to something darker.”

“Of c-c-course,” I stammered. “Whatever you want.”

“You’re sweet,” she said, and I felt her making a mental note.

She thought I was sweet. She thought she could use that. She didn’t know there was a lot more to me than that—yet.

Alexander joined us, passing Elizabeth to me when she held her arms out.

“I can’t get over how weird it is to see you as a dad.” Instead of sounding amused, she seemed disturbed. Something was off. Sarah’s physical recovery might have been miraculous, but she had a long way to go before she was okay again.

“Thanks.” Alexander grinned, completely unaware of the strange undercurrent to her behavior. “Do you like your room?”