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“He would have killed me.”
“He loved you.”
“You love me, I’m not sure Roddy was capable of loving anyone.”
“He loved us.”
“I didn’t feel loved, Rodina, I felt tolerated and bullied.”
She didn’t know what to say to him, so she turned on me. “You got Rodrigo killed and now look at us, babysitters at a hospital when we should be taking the battle to zealots who are targeting the supernatural.”
“Rodrigo decided to kidnap me. I wasn’t hunting him, or any of you. I had no quarrel with you. He made it personal when he killed Domino, when he forced me to watch Domino die. Even then you’d have been safe from my magic, except he shoved his fingers down my throat covered in my lover’s blood. Tiger clan blood.”
She was silent, not looking at me. “Tiger clan blood has always been powerful and was the only weakness of our Evil Queen that you slew.”
“She was trying to possess my body and take over the world when I killed her, Rodina.”
“Yes, you’re always the victim, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not the victim. People keep treating me like I’m the princess in this story, someone you kidnap, or bespell to overcome your enemies, or use to make your kingdom bigger. But I am not the motherfucking princess, I am the knight that rescues her. It was your mistake, yours, and Rodrigo’s mistake to treat me like a pawn when I am the queen!”
“But you are not my queen!” Rodina screamed.
“But she is my queen,” Ru said, and his quiet voice filled the space between his sister and me. He stepped between us before anyone else could.
Kaazim was in the room with the door shut behind him. “Fortune and Echo are keeping the doctor distracted, but it will not last and we need him to help us with our injured.”
“I request a different assignment for tonight,” Rodina said.
“There are many entrances to the hospital, I’m sure Echo can find a use for you.”
“Micah requested we stay with Anita so she could have leopard near her,” Ru said.
“One leopard will be enough until she gets back to the Circus, then she has Nathaniel and Micah, and Pierette. She’ll be fine.”
“He is our Nimir-raj, and he gave us express orders.”
“Yes, he’s our leopard king, but until we came to this Gods-forsaken corner of the world we were a pard of three and that was enough for all of us. I don’t want to make friends with other wereleopards. I don’t want to have to obey two kings and a queen. I want my brother back and only one voice ordering me around.”
“I like being part of the leopards here,” Ru said.
“Of course you do.” She looked at Kaazim. “May I go be reassigned?”
“It is not my pardon you must ask before leaving this room.”
Her head slumped and took her shoulders with it as if she would fold in half, but she straightened and turned to me. “Anita, our white queen, may I find a new assignment for tonight?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said, managing to make it sound like she wanted to sayfuck you, but we didn’t punish people for what they were thinking. Kaazim opened the door for her to leave and mentioned something soft to Echo, who was still on the door.
I heard Dr. Boden’s voice. “I need to see my patients.”
“We need to let the doctor see them,” I said.
“What can he do for us?” Wicked asked.
“I don’t know, honestly, but the new drug took your pain and let you sleep.”
