Finally, Severin found the energy to stand. He stamped his foot and puffed out his cheeks. “I need to prepare the queen for her first address to the public.”
“The address can wait, and so can the people,” Ruby said.
Shaking with tyrannical rage, Severin removed his hand from his pocket and showed the commander his mangled stub of a finger. “This is who you are protecting? A monster with sharp teeth?”
“What do you wish to do? Oh, let me guess. File them down?” Ruby walked leisurely to the bed and satd. “We could go with your plan, but then she wouldn’t have the energy for the address. She must rest. You can’t have it both ways, Severin.”
Huffing, the tired and hurt man stared and seemed to weigh his options more carefully than usual then stormed out of the room. The guards followed and closed the door. Thank the heavens, the men were gone.
“I should bite your finger off, too,” Rae said.
“You’d do better shooting me between the eyes. Word to the wise, if you’re going to injure an enemy, make sure they’re dead, deaf, or dumb,” Ruby replied.
Rae exhaled sharply and nodded. “You’re right. I should have bitten his tongue off. That man squeals louder than the omegas in Cassian’s facilities.”
Ruby actually laughed at the joke, which surprised Rae. Still, there was the sense that they came from two completely different worlds. At the end of the day, their disagreement would shape the future of the New Republic. They had to be very careful with the words they chose as bullets.
“Where are the bodies of my alphas? I understand I am under your control, but at least let me have a funeral for them,” Rae said with growing tears in her eyes.
There were moments in her day where she could try and forget the hurt of separation. Her babies were gone. The men who had allowed her to grow had been killed. Whenever reality came rushing back, the ghost pain hit her heart harder than she anticipated. She didn’t expect anyone to care, so she sucked in her pride and blinked to avoid spilling any more tears.
Ruby didn’t reveal her emotions. She kept them locked tighter than a clam with lockjaw. The wisdom of the new leaders would be conveyed with the guise of being immune to sadness. It must have been Severin who taught her how to behave like that, and she played the part well.
Patting the bedding, Ruby called her to sit next to her. In her hand was a silver brush. “A funeral m
ight be in the cards, but you must learn to behave,” she said. “Can you behave like a good girl?”
Rae sat, but she did not allow any point of contact between the two. Though inches apart, her sister took her shoulder and forced her to lean closer. “I can behave,” Rae said.
Ruby dropped her chin and fixed her gaze toward her sister’s unkempt nest hair. Without care, she started to brush the knots away with violent strokes. She seemed to admire the layers of coiling mane that swam through the tough rows. “We will make a fine leader yet out of you.”
“That is what I don’t understand,” Rae quickly replied. “Why on earth would you want me to be a figurehead for anything? I can’t lead. I couldn’t even mother my children.”
“Hush. Taking them in was the only thing I could do for you. I know you hate me, but you’d be surprised to know that I vouched a great deal for you by making you the queen. They were going to kill you.”
“You stole my babies,” Rae muttered through clenched teeth.
A wickedly hopeful smile shaped Ruby’s face, and her cheeks turned pink with rare inner warmth. “And they are wonderful beauties,” she said. “I know it’s very early, but I have a feeling they’ll be speaking my name soon.”
No matter how nice Ruby acted toward her, she wouldn’t forgive her sister’s actions. Instead, she would skillfully bury the anger and hatred and use it like an atom bomb. “Will I be able to see them someday?”
Ruby did not answer this question. The children were not up for discussion, and Rae had no upper hand. “Your face is disgusting. I’ll order you a bath. Afterward, we can go out shooting.”
“Shooting?” Rae squeaked, aware that she was coaxing her away from the important questions, but her only play was to suck it up and behave.
“Hunting, dear. It will take your mind off things for a while. You deserve a break.”
Ruby tossed the silver brush to the side and called for the guards. When they entered, she gave them strict orders to bring in the hottest bath imaginable with Epsom salts and herbs to soothe the cuts and swelling of her skin.
Rae was to be treated like a queen, but only to stall her next rebellion. If she found out that the fathers of her children were alive and on the run, she’d find a new hope within her puny breasts. She’d stand and fight.
Bowing politely, Ruby exited. She subdued the whore. The babies would be waking up for the third time that day. Luckily, the milk was plentiful, but Ruby’s kindness was not.
Chapter Four
“Look at her. She’s everywhere,” Vash whispered.
Killian didn’t want to see it. The modernity. The horror of LED lighting and false advertisement—it was on every corner. Her. His wife and beloved. His woman.