And she just sat on the bed. She started to tremble. She should be most upset about the fact that she had nearly been killed, but she was mostly frightened of what the future looked like without Maximus. He had retreated. Gone away behind this war-general facade.
She knew that she would not be able to take him now. Chloroform would not be sufficient to subdue him. To bring him to her.
No.
If she was ever going to have him, he would have to choose. And she didn’t know if he ever would.
Annick had spent all of her life in a state of hope. She’d had to. If not for the hope inside of her, she would have lost herself completely while she had been captive. But now she could not find it.
Because how could you hope for a man who had no hope for himself?
She had been wrong, perhaps. Perhaps his darkness was so black it drowned out her light.
Annick had never felt so hopeless before.
In the moment, Annick felt like she was Queen of nothing except her own broken heart.
And there was simply no triumph to be had in that.
In the weeks since the attempt on Annick’s life, Maximus had waged a full-scale tactical war against any forces that might seek to oppose his Queen. He had made sufficient threats toward Lackland, and he knew that they would not be pursuing her ever again. Already, he had banded together with Monte Blanco to ensure that the Lacklanders would be punished. That steep sanctions would be introduced.
The alliance that he had with his brother-in-law was strong, and he was grateful for it. He had hardened his heart against everything. Everything but seeing to Annick’s safety. Shoring up the borders of the country. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.
And he... He had been a fool. A fool to believe that he could let the beast out. That he could somehow let his guard down for even a moment. Yes, he had been a fool.
He was not even bothering to pretend that he was the man he’d been in California, not anymore. He had transformed. And there was something comfortable about the position. About being a war general.
He was grateful his family had not remained in the country to see the shift, for his energy had to be devoted to this, to her, and he did not have time to waste answering their questions.
Someday, he supposed, they would have to talk.
What mattered now was Annick.
And it distracted him from the tearing weight in his chest over the distance between himself and his Queen.
It was essential. There was nothing else to be done.
He had used not only the political connections that he had through his brother-in-law, but also business connections that he had through his other brother-in-law and best friend. If he could truly call anyone a friend.
Dante must have sensed his black mood, and those sentiments, because it wasn’t long before he showed up at the palace unannounced.
“And where have you left my sister?” Maximus asked, looking at his friend.
“At her new castle. With her pony. She’s very happy.”
“You indulge Minerva.”
“I live to indulge Minerva. She was not indulged enough in her life, and frankly, neither was I. Between the two of us, we live an extravagantly spoiled life. She has books and libraries and runs her charity. I have access to her body whenever I want...”
“You seem a smart man, Dante, and yet you have not picked up on the fact that it is not a good time to test me in any regard.”
“Oh, no, I did. It is only that I want to know why. Black moods are typically reserved for me.”
“No, it’s just that I usually hide mine.”
“Fair. What is going on? I don’t blame you for tearing a swath through the world after that attempt on your wife’s life. But what I do want to know is why you’re behaving in quite this way.”
“It’s none of your business.”