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My terror at the thought of losing Cyderial.
Until I was panting, empty, and limp enough for a stranger to maneuver. Murdoch took away the bucket, wetting a towel in the sink and rushing back to press it to my face—fawning over me almost as ridiculously as Cyderial would.
As he smoothed back my hair and blotted away the sweat, all I felt was rage at my mate for making such a choice without discussing it with me. I grieved for the innocents—human and hybrid—who were dying while I was safe near my nest. But mostly, I knew relief for my child.
Cyderial would triumph. There was no question of it.
Our daughter would not have to suffer in an academy where humans created a curriculum that meant little fingers would be broken, little spirits distorted, and sacrifice demanded. She would be safe.
I knew she would, because Cyderial promised me.
But what of the other children? The ones who had already been tortured? Were they safe? Did they have a Murdock fawning over them and explaining why their world had fallen into chaos and the ground shook?
Doubtful. There was no rapport between recruits and teachers, no trust the little ones had for adults. The children would not ask questions for fear of punishment. The adults would most likely not offer information.
Yet, on many levels, I was still one of them, even if Cyderial forced me into an instructor’s uniform.
Catching my breath, stomach settling into a churning ache I could manage, I let him know I was not so small as he might think. “I am to be your queen, hmm?”
“You will adjust to the role.” Suspicion led him to narrow his eyes.
Oh, I would wield it, brandish it like a weapon to cheat on every possible test. And I would do so, because now that I had been made queen, I would never, ever be allowed to step into the fog. Cyderial attained his dearest wish. Every last hybrid in the city would prevent my freedom at all costs.
I had a duty now. One that would come with great demands.
But my daughter would be born free.
She would be safe.
Miranda’s daughter would be free.
Every last hybrid female who followed me into estrous would give birth in a new world.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I sucked a deep breath in through my nose, slowly releasing it as I gathered my thoughts.
What was a queen to a male-dominated society? What would these men think I might do to them? For them? Against them?
I had already, thanks to Miranda, influenced many females to submit to my demands. Would the males do so as well?
Enunciating every word to let Murdoch know I meant business, I said, “Then, as your queen, I order you to take me to the academy children. It is them you are fighting for, and they must be frightened. I will be their mother now. And you? You will keep them safe.”
Offering a single negative head shake, he said, “You are safest here. Eat. Drink. Rest.”
“I don’t think you understand what I am saying, General Murdoch. I outrank you now, and I am ordering you to obey me. Take me to my children, or you will see just what Cyderial has been up against all these years.”
“Every recruit was evacuated to the lower levels. This building was crafted from the very ships that brought the humans to this planet. It is solid, safe, full of functioning filtration systems that could keep every hybrid alive for generations. We are currently in the safest possible location in the city. Artillery cannot breach this building. You do not need to fear for them.”
“Then it should not matter what room I inhabit. I will be just as safe with the little ones, as I would be in this space.”
“You should not leave your nest.”
“You can’t compel me to stay in it. Or to eat. Or to drink. You are not my mate; you cannot chemically manipulate or seduce me. Ask your new king how well force works when it comes to my will… and he will laugh in your face. He will also be furious to find me starved and weak upon his return.” Mirroring his wicked smile, more than happy to make an enemy of this man, I purred, “Obey me, and I will submit to your mandates. I will eat. I will drink. I will rest. But, only with my children.”
Voice full of poison and threat, Murdoch stood from where he leaned, towering over me. “You will make a fine queen. Pass that fire to my mate.”
“If you wish to get along with me while we wait through this, do not speak of her to me. I’m unwilling to share.” Nor did I particularly enjoy having this male anywhere near me.
Nostrils flaring, he glanced around the room as if looking for anything that might change my mind. Whatever thoughts he’d been cooking up failed him, the man left to yield to my order. “Use the facilities, dress. I will escort you there only after you have eaten the food Cyderial prepared.”
