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“You don’t need my permission,” I tell him.
“You are my queen.”
“I’m your wife,” I counter with a small smile. “However, I do appreciate you consulting me about important decisions, and you have my full support on however you want to handle these two.”
“Why?” Hunching over his husband, Armand tries to shield Yugo. “Why would you do that when you’ve already won?”
“Because I can,” Kai answers coldly, aiming his anger at the overlord. “Besides, Yugo’s suffering, and according to your ways, I’d only be giving him the same mercy you tried to grant my wife—I’d be putting him out of his misery.”
“Please,” Armand begrudgingly begs through his clenched jaw. “Let him live.” A few seconds pass, then he adds, “And heal him before you go.”
Kai barks out a laugh at the ridiculous request. “Why would I do that?”
“I can help you find the lost princess and your warrior friend,” Armand rushes out, and his claim about Zaylee and Pippin makes everything stop.
Talk about a mic drop.
“It’s a new bargain,” Armand insists.
“Fuck that,” Kai grunts, “I’m not getting involved with your amulet again.”
“No amulet this time.” Holding his hand out in a placating way, Armand says, “It can be a simple promise between us.”
“Why would I trust you?”
“I’m waving the white flag, okay? Yugo is more important to me than anything in all the universes. I know I’ve done nothing to deserve any favors from you. I’m still asking anyway. Let us call a truce because we both have something the other needs. Heal my husband, and I’ll make sure the warrior finds the princess.”
Kai shifts on his feet as he stares at me with a silent question.
I understand his hesitation. We have no reason to believe Armand, but this is our best chance at bringing my granddaughter home.
Yugo lets out a wet-sounding cough, sputters, and groans. It makes the overlord so desperate that he addresses us respectfully. “Your Majesty and Sir Kai… I’m… I-I’m sorry.”
He actually apologized. It was stilted and totally unnatural, but he sounded somewhat genuine.
I’m flabbergasted, and I start to let myself hope that his offer is real. “Your promise needs clearly defined terms. You’re saying you’ll follow through as soon as possible?”
“Yes.” Armand nods enthusiastically. “Making contact is the first thing I’ll do after you leave.”
“And this contact will be done with the intention of getting Zaylee and Pippin back to Valora, unharmed?” I specify.
“Absolutely.”
“And Madden, too,” Kai tacks on the very important stipulation. “You have to convince the barbarian to come back with them.”
“That, I cannot guarantee.” Armand grimaces. “You’ve seen him. He’s feral. The barbarians don’t take orders from the overlords, and it’s likely he wouldn’t want to go to a place where he’s an outlaw. Crossing over to Valora would be a death sentence for him.”
“Tell him he’ll have amnesty,” I say. “He has the protection of Queen Ro.”
This is the first time I’ve ever called myself that and felt proud. I’m finally accepting the title because I’ve earned my position a thousand times over, and I deserve the clout that comes with it.
“And if he doesn’t believe me?” Armand presents the possibility because he knows he’s so untrustworthy that his words don’t hold much weight.
Kai’s mouth twitches with a calculating smirk. “Just say it’s for Princess Zaylee. Inform Madden that her life is in danger, and only he can protect her.”
Tilting his head in agreement, Armand muses, “That might work. I’ll do my best. I swear it.”
“If you don’t follow through on your end, I’ll come back,” Kai vows. “I’ll return to the Lost Land and kill Yugo in the most brutal way possible.”
