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The crowd cheered, but I knew it wasn’t for me. It was for the show. I hadn’t earned their respect yet. They didn’t want to be next on the chopping block, and I couldn’t blame them.
I held my head high as the DuPont guards escorted me out of the throne room, and when I passed Theodore and Atticus, I paused to speak to them.
“Sorry I didn’t stick to the script,” I said, my eyes burning with fury.
Theodore looked at his son, then back at me. “You’re trying to get yourself killed, Your Majesty.”
I laughed. “If I’m going to die, I’d like to be the one doing the killing.”
Theodore shook his head. “This is a dangerous game.”
“It’s not a game,” I said. “I’m not playing any games. You know full well what I plan to do. I will find your men, and I will use their heads for my throne. I will make a kingdom out of their bones, and I will walk over their skulls.”
He straightened his spine. “Then it is your lovers that will pay the price.”
I took a step closer, my eyes fluttering to Atticus. “You’re the only one who will pay the price. And it will be a price you can’t afford.”
“You’re just like Isabelle,” he hissed.
“And you’re still the man who couldn’t tame her. Couldn’t claim her. That’s the real problem here. You’d rather unleash Lord Nathan on this kingdom than admit you still have feelings for her. That you couldn’t have the woman you truly wanted.” I took a step closer. “And it kills you to know that I’d give everything I have to your son. It’s eating you up inside to know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him. You’re jealous. Because he’s smarter. More powerful. And can make the sacrifices you weren’t man enough to do.”
“Enough,” Theodore snapped. “I was going to let Atticus stay out of his cage, but it seems you need to be reminded what’s at stake here.”
“Christine,” Atticus spoke, “Little Monster.”
My breath hitched at the endearing nickname. “Yes, Atticus?”
“Behave. For now. Please.”
“I love you,” I whispered as a guard wrapped their arm around my waist and pulled me toward the door.
“Put her in the dungeon for now. We don’t need her again until the coronation. Maybe she needs some perspective,” Theodore said.
I tossed my head back and laughed. They were leading me right to my men. The closer I was to them, the better.
With all my might, I ripped myself from the guard’s grasp and dove into Atticus’s awaiting arms. I pressed my lips against his with a fierce hunger, a deep-seated desire, an unquenchable thirst for the love that I had been longing for. When I finally broke away, I looked him in the eyes and whispered with a shaking voice, “I love you, Atticus. I have always loved you.”
He tightly grasped my hand and placed a kiss upon it. “I love you, Christine,” he declared with a sorrowful voice.
I grinned wickedly, attempting to mask the pain of being dragged away. “Be cautious, Theodore,” I hissed. “Sleep with one eye open.”
Theodore’s face contorted in fury, his eyes ablaze with hatred. “You’ll soon be lulled to sleep by the cries of your lovers,” he threatened viciously. I thrashed once more as he shouted. “You’ll kill them all if you don’t submit.”
I was pushed, roughly, into the hallway. My lips stretched into a wide grin, feeling the cool metal of the key in my hand. Atticus had slipped it to me at the last minute, and I knew with complete certainty I’d be able to use it in the dungeons.
I had done it. After all the obstacles, all the frustrations, I had gathered my courage and taken hold of my destiny. I had proven that I was worthy of freedom—and of love. That I could stand up and fight for what I wanted.
My fingers closed more tightly around the key, relishing in its promise of a new life. All I had to do now was get my men and leave, leave this place behind for good. My plan was perfect and my heart was filled with a confidence that never wavered. I knew that, no matter what awaited me on the other side, I would be triumphant.
Chapter Six
CHRISTINE
The DuPont guards ominously escorted me down the cold and forbidding staircase to the dark depths of the dungeon. I’d been only a few times before, and the dank, stagnant air was still as putrid as ever, its heaviness clinging to my skin like a cloying fog.
The clicking sound of my heels echoed off the stone walls like a funeral dirge, and I could see the cobwebs in the eerie silvery light that shone through the narrow windows. I quivered as I felt their heavy stares burrowing into my back, my dress clinging to me like a shroud.
The guards stopped abruptly and gestured to the cell on my left, its black iron bars glinting maliciously in the dim light. I looked up and saw a tiny black camera staring at me from above the doorway, and I held my breath, my heart pounding in anticipation.
