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“So what now?” I asked.
“They threatened to hurt you. They told me that if I didn’t go along with this, you would die.” She shook her head. “I had to save you. I couldn’t let you die, Leo. Now, they’re going to ask me to do more. I’m…scared of what I’ll be forced to do. I’m scared of the consequences of defending myself.”
She had saved me. How many more times would she have to save me?
She leaned her head on my shoulder and cried. “I love you, too,” I whispered, the bravest words I’d ever said. “I’m not sure when I fell for you, but it’s been slow and steady. I fell little by little, each moment chipping away at my heart.” I squeezed her tighter. “I fell for you when I watched you smell roses in the royal garden.” Her head tilted up, and she brushed hair out of her face. “And again when you danced with Augustus at an event.” When she blinked back tears, I kissed away the wetness on her cheek. “You always bit your pen in the library while you studied,” I said, pressing my lips to her ear. “I fell harder when you fought with me. When I saw how strong you’d become. And I’ll love you when there isn’t air in my lungs. When you find a way out of this damn castle and leave for good.”
“I will never leave you,” she snapped. “I’ll find a way out of this. I swear.”
It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but a small part of me triumphed. It was selfish and wrong. I didn’t want to be like Augustus, who took her love for granted, or Atticus, who stole her heart without remorse. I wanted to do what was best for Christine, even if it meant never getting a future with her.
She pushed away from me and gave me a weak smile. “Let’s focus on the positives.”
“Which are?” I asked.
“Well, you’re alive.”
I sighed. “And you’re going to marry that…that bastard.”
She bit her lip, trying not to cry again. “I will get rid of him, Leo. For us. I will.”
“I don’t want you to risk yourself, Christine. It’s not safe.”
She shook her head. “I will. I will take care of it. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“I wouldn’t want to,” I whispered.
She smiled at me. “I’m glad to hear that, because I’m not going anywhere.”
Two guards walked in, and I knew my time was up. I had to let her go, at least for now. “Go,” I said, trying to rein in my emotions.
She nodded, looking me directly in the eye. “I love you, Leo.”
“I love you, too.”
She knelt back down and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m not finished with you. I’m going to get you back.”
“I’ll be here.”
Chapter Three
CHRISTINE
“A formal coronation is necessary,” Theodore DuPont said. I stood in his new bedchamber, glaring at him. He was making himself right at home in the destroyed castle. Once again I was summoned, and once again a guard stood with a gun at my back. “The ceremony will help your people accept you as queen. Everyone loves royal festivities, and seeing it will make them follow you. I always thought it was a mistake that Augustus prioritized his wedding to you over the coronation. If his people had seen him crowned as king publicly, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so easy for them to be swayed otherwise.”
Lord Nathan nodded. “The sooner she is queen, the better. I want to move quickly to solidify our position. The surviving lords need to swear their allegiance to her today.”
Theodore grinned. “I agree. I’ve summoned them for a meeting.”
I lifted my chin up and glared at them. “They won’t bow before me,” I said, my voice rough.
“Of course they will,” Theodore replied. “They have nothing, and you’re next in line for the throne. We’ve proven that Augustus isn’t the rightful heir. Once the lords bless your ascension to the throne, we can plan the coronation. By the end of the day, you’ll have the title. And by the end of the week, the entire world will have to recognize it.”
I scowled at him. “Aren’t you afraid?”
His face hardened. “No,” he growled. “What should I be afraid of?”
“If I ascend to the throne, I’ll have an entire army at my disposal to do as I please. I could order them to massacre you in a single breath.”
