A King's Revenge: Warlords Series Book 2 (11 page)

Chapter 19

Lea and Mikayla
huddled next to another display on a high table with glowing candles set around
the object in the middle. They’d managed to outpace her assigned Warlords who
found themselves blocked by a group of simpering women in fancy dresses.

A bold blonde reached
out and touched Marek’s chest.

“What is this?”
Mikayla asked.

Lea turned away from
the spectacle and hoped the Warlords wouldn’t attack any of the man hungry
women. She faced the elaborate set up. Blue and green petals floated in a clear
bowl of water. A small fountain flowed continuously on a bed of rocks with more
candles set in a circle.

“I’m not sure.”

“It’s a gift of thanks
to the Goddess,” a voice answered behind them.

A slim woman with perfectly
styled hair joined them. She offered Lea a small curtsy. “I’m Lady Vargas, your
Majesty. Lady Saia if you prefer.”

From her smile and stare
it was clear Lady Saia intended not to greet Mikayla.

“You seem to know me.
Allow me to introduce the Overlord’s mate and Su-Su to one of the Raasa
compounds, Mikayla Galip.” Lea’s smile remained sharp.

Lady Saia tossed her
fluffy hair and ignored Mikayla. “The infinity fountain is a gift of thanks to
the Goddess. One finds them at weddings, birthings and now I suppose one uses
them when the dead return.”

Mikayla gasped but Lea
curled her fingers into her palms less she start a fight in the middle of Tarik’s
elegant ballroom. She pushed her lips into a semblance of another smile. “How
lovely. I’ll thank Tarik later for such a fitting tribute.”

Lady Saia in her
foolishness continued to speak. “Aren’t you afraid of being back again? All
those accidents. You’d have been better off staying away.”

Was that a warning?
Lea narrowed her eyes. “What could be better than being Queen?”

Dark blotches of color
appeared on Lady Saia’s cheeks. Mikayla snickered drawing Lady’s Saia’s
attention. The look she leveled the Raasa female did not bode well. Lea tensed.

“And you…Mikayla I
believe? You’re with the barbarians from Kaban.”

Mikayla stuck her
tongue out on a hiss at the offensive comment and Lady Saia jerked back. “I’m
with true Warlords and my mate the Overlord.”

Lady Saia had the
grace to flinch on hearing Vaan’s title but she recovered quickly and tipped
her head to the side. “How interesting. I’ve heard they don’t trust women and
sleep with weapons close by. Do you ever worry being with him will accidently
get you killed like the poor Queen?”

Lea’s mouth dropped.
Mikayla flashed her fangs and leaped toward the woman with her fingers curled.
Lea had enough awareness to catch the Raasa around the waist and keep her from
attacking.

Lady Saia paled and
scurried away as fast as her trailing blue dress would allow.

“You should have let
me scratch her face at least,” Mikayla protested making no attempts to keep her
voice low.

If anything, Lady
Saia’s steps quickened. A few guests stared, more whispered. Lea pretended to
straighten Mikayla’s hair. A glance over her shoulder showed Vaan glaring at
the fleeing Lady Saia then looking back toward Mikayla.

Lea finger waved in
what she hoped appeared reassuring. She failed if the flexing of his upper arms
meant anything. “Uh… no fighting at my party and I think it’s a good idea to
look really happy right now before your mate decides to use that sharp knife
he’s caressing on his thigh.

Mikayla jerked away
from Lea’s patting hands to confirm her words. “Oh, that wouldn’t be good.”

Her point exactly.

Mikayla cupped her
palm and blew a kiss in his direction. Vaan grimaced but his hand slid away
from his weapon which was most important. Lea couldn’t imagine how Tarik would
feel if an all out battle starting in the ball room.

Marek and Ramar caught
up to them. Ramar glared at Mikayla. “Kavan and Balal are correct. You will
find trouble anywhere. It is best Marek and I keep a closer eye on you.”

Mikayla grinned. “I
didn’t start it this time.”

Lea danced several
more times with people who wanted to know where she’d been and how she felt
with no memories of her time there. She stuck to general answers and pretended
to not understand the more rude questions.

Chapter 20

Moments from the ball
played over and over in Lea’s mind as Chelle helped her undress. Once Mikayla
and Vaan left with their Warlords, she’d found herself at odds with what to do
and who to speak with. She must not have covered her reaction well because
Tarik chose that moment cut in on her latest dance partner and kept her by his
side for the rest of the ball.

He’d asked if anything
was wrong but Lea needed time to think before she shared her thoughts and what
Braic told her. From her interactions with Tarik there was no doubting his love
for his wife but now Lea wondered what her own feelings on their marriage had
been. Were they not as happy as she was led to believe?

Tarik tried his best to
recapture the camaraderie between them of earlier but Lea’s thoughts ranged
from fear to doubt and back again.

The only one she could
trust and talk to was Kord but his bias against Tarik didn’t guarantee an
honest response to her questions.

“Are you alright, my
Queen?”

Lea chewed her bottom
lip. The young girl held out a beautiful silk robe in a deep shade of rose to
match the nightgown Lea wore. Lea allowed her to slip the garment over her arms
and belt it. “I’m fine.”

“Will you need
anything else?”

Lea debated for all of
a second and then made her request. “Will you please ask the guards to send
Kord to me?”

Curiosity darkened
Chelle’s eyes but too well trained to question, she acquiesced with a curtsy.
“I will have him brought immediately.”

Lea sat on the edge of
the bed and fingered the belt of the robe. She’d never owned anything as
beautiful. Then she gave a rueful snort. Obviously she did because this was her
former home. Her gaze roamed the room she’d been given. The décor boasted
colorful artwork on the wall, hand carved wood furniture and white carpet thick
enough for her toes to dig deep.

Yet it was not the
royal suites. Her stomach twinged at the random thought and Lea rubbed her
sleeve just as Kord came in and closed the door behind him.

She came to her feet,
hands knotted in the fabric of the swaying robe. “Tell me the truth, please. Would
I have ever left the King?”

Kord stopped mid-stride
before he reached her. His eyes widened and her breath eased out at the
surprise on his face. “What nonsense is this?”

Lea let out a shaky
breath. “At the ball one of the guest expressed an interest in me if or when I
left Tarik. Was my marriage as happy as everyone’s portrayed?”

Kord folded his arms
over his chest, blue eyes steady. “You know I didn’t live here at the castle
with you.”

She nodded and chewed
her bottom lip. “But you would know the state of my marriage.” Lea would bet credits
on it. Kord was not the type of protector to let something like that slip by
him and she knew he took his vow to her father serious.

“No,” he declared
firmly. “You would have never left the King willingly. At public appearances I
witnessed the two of you together and the love was easy for any to see.”

Lea sighed, her
shoulders easing and the rolling sensation in her stomach settled. Braic had
sounded as if he had a chance but then as a distant relative he would hardly
know the details of her marriage.

“Which guest said this
to you?” Kord’s brow creased while he awaited her response.

“Braic.” Lea couldn’t
recall his last name. There had been too many introductions in a short time.
She barely remembered the guards Tarik assigned to her. Four seemed a bit much.

Kord nodded. “He’s the
King’s cousin. We’ll add him to the list of suspects.”

Lea didn’t know they’d
started a list. Thinking of the poison someone managed to slip in her specific
wine glass she asked, “Who else should I worry about?”

“Everyone. Do not take
this matter lightly, Lea. Everyone here is to be suspected.”

Lea shivered and ran
her hands up and down the silk sleeves of her robe. “Do you know where Tarik is
now? I should let him know about Braic’s claim.”

Kord placed a hand on
her lower back and pushed her toward the wardrobe. “Get dressed and I’ll take
you down. I believe he’s questioning the kitchen staff.”

The robe and nightgown
covered her as well as any dress in her closet. “This is fine. I want to know
what’s going on.”

Kord pinched his nose
and exhaled. “We should never have returned.” Before they left the room he
stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. “Are you angry with me?”

The answer popped
instantly in her mind but she thought it over clearly before speaking. “No. No,
I think you did what you thought best at the time.”

He didn’t disguise his
relief. “And how do you feel about all that you have learned so far?”

That was harder to
answer. “I’m trying to accept what I’ve been told.”

He squinted. “You have
feelings for the King.”

It was more a statement
than a question. Lea flushed. “I’m attracted to him and there are times when,”
she pressed a hand to her stomach. “There are times when I ache here. And
here.” She moved her hand to her chest. “I used to feel like a vital part of me
was missing and now I feel like I know why.”

Kord lowered his hand
to her back and opened the door. “Then I apologize for whatever pain my actions
contributed to an already difficult time for you.”

***

There were twelve
servants who’d had the opportunity to come in contact with Lea’s drink. Tarik
steamed at the small group lined before him. He’d questioned each of them but
the men and women all denied seeing someone unknown enter the kitchen. In the
midst of the excitement none of them could be certain who’d prepared the drinks
for the King and Queen.

The boy who’d handed
the glass to Maliya practically shook with fear. His black hair curled about
his face and his brown eyes never shifted away.

Tarik directed his
next question to him. “Jano, who handed you the tray of drinks you served to
us?”

The color drained from
his young face and his eyes reddened with the start of tears. “I would never
hurt the Queen, Your Highness.”

Tarik pounded his fist
into the nearby wall. “That’s not what I asked you, Jano.”

Jano’s shoulders
trembled beneath his fitted uniform. He’d only been with the castle for three
months. “I-I didn’t see. It was on the counter waiting to be taken out. The
serving tray bore the royal crest.”

Making it a simple
matter to identify who would receive those drinks. For formal affairs Maliya
had commissioned matching wine glasses with their initials engraved on them. Anyone
would have recognized the large gold T and M etched in swirling lines.

They wouldn’t use them
any more. Tarik refused to make this easy for whomever in his household helped
to plot against him. His guests had not handled the drinks but they didn’t mean
one of them wasn’t responsible for getting a member of his staff to act on
their behalf.

“Did anyone see
anything else?”

Negative head shakes
and a few tears from a couple of the women who worked here during Maliya’s
time. Tarik wanted to believe they were innocent. How many times had he found
his wife in the kitchen laughing as a meal was prepared?

Tarik sighed. “Thank
you everyone.” He waved his hand in dismissal and left the kitchen.

Hensel and Mati
followed. “Any news of the poison’s origin?”

Baylor had left to
check on the results from the herbalist. His Captain was disturbed by the
seamlessness of the attempt.

“Nothing yet,” Hensel
answered, frustration glinting in his eyes. Tarik shared the feeling.

Mati’s frown was more
intense as they turned the corner and headed in the direction of his offices.
Once behind closed doors, his advisor exploded. “What in the Goddess is going
on, Tarik?”

Tarik dropped in to
his chair with a weary sigh and rubbed his gingers across his forehead as if he
could rub away the strain of the last few hours. “You saw what happened, Mati.
Someone attempted to poison my wife.”

Mati folded his hands
behind his back and faced Tarik gravely. “You suspect that the Kabanians are
trying again?”

Tarik leaned back and
stared at the ceiling. “The Overlord is a better man than that, Mati. He would
not attack me this way.”

“But one of his
people, Sire. There could be more discontent with his refusal to take his seat
in Kaban and letting his brother lead in his absence.”

Discontent. A pleasant
way of describing what Vaan had gone through at the hands of his former Warlord
and Uncle.

“I’m not sure our
problem has anything to do with Kaban this time.” Actually he was certain of
it. How much to say? Trusting the years of friendship, Tarik added, “Someone in
Desani wants Maliya dead.”

Hensel and Mati wore
matching looks of stunned disbelief. He was about to give them Kord’s
supposition when his door slammed open and the whirlwind of his wife entered
the room followed by Kord and the sheepish expression on the four guards with
them.

Tarik rose to his feet
struck by Lea’s casual grace. She swept into his office unmindful of the
shocked stairs aimed her way. Kord took up post along the rear wall with his
legs crossed at the ankle and hands in his pockets. The hem of Lea’s rose
colored robe swirled around her…bare feet when she halted in front of his desk.

Serin walked up next
to her. “Sire, she insisted on seeing you.”

The guard shot a glare
at Lea before facing Tarik once more. “You did not give us orders to keep her
in her room.”

He waited for Tarik to
issue such an order now but instead Tarik absorbed the pretty image she made
wearing one of his favorite robe and gown sets on her. All of her former clothes
were pressed and cleaned waiting in their adjoined royal suites. Only a few
items had been sent down to the guest room she currently used. At the time, the
decision on separate sleeping space seemed prudent but he wished he could sweep
her in his arms and send everyone out.

“We need to talk.”
Despite the dramatic entrance, she spoke in a calm tone.

“Can we do it later?”
His desire to usher her straight to their room battled with his need to wait
for Baylor and the poison results.

Lea slid her hands
into the deep pockets of the robe and glanced at the number of people in his
office. “I think now is better. Without an audience.”

Tarik sighed. As much
as he would love to be alone with his wife he couldn’t leave yet. The type of
poison used could give some hint to the traitor in his home. “I can’t right
now.”

Serin looked satisfied
and nodded to the three guards with him. All four were under strict orders to
never leave Lea’s side. “We will take her back to her room, Sire.”

Lea glared when Serin
reached for her arm. “Is he allowed to force me?” she asked Tarik without
taking her eyes from Serin.

The guard stiffened.

“No.”

“And I
am
the Queen? With as much say and
authority as you, right?”

Tarik sensed where
this was going but gave her the honest answer. “Yes.”

She turned her back on
Serin. “Then I’m not leaving and we need to talk.”

Her ire lit his
already smoldering desire. Cheeks flushed and lips pouty, he wanted to pull her
into his arms and kiss her.

“Everyone leave.”
Tarik declared.

Hensel and the others
responded immediately. Only Mati thought to protest. “But, Sire-”

“Not now, Mati.”

Tarik approached Lea
making no attempt to hide his intent. Even Kord had exited which surprised
Tarik. He hadn’t expected him to leave Lea. Mati didn’t move.

Tarik paused a mere
step away from his wife. He lifted his gaze to his personal assistant. “I know
you are concerned, friend. Trust me.”

Their gazes clashed
and the furrow between Mati’s brows deepened. “I will see you in the morning,”
he finally conceded and bowed toward Tarik on his way out.

As soon as the door
closed, Tarik faced Lea and cupped her jaw. Blonde tipped lashes lowered and
her mouth pursed in a subconscious plea he refused to ignore. He placed his
other hand at her silk covered waist to hold her steady and kissed the plump
pink lips offered.

The first touch took
him back to two strangers meeting in the bar of a space station. He lightly ran
his tongue over her bottom lip until she tipped her head back giving him
further access. His tongue stroked against hers. She gripped the ends of his
hair, fingers clenched tight.

Tarik groaned from the
tingling sensation at his scalp. He caressed her jaw, her neck, finger
strumming along the rapid thump of her pulse as he brushed it over the smooth
column. Carefully, he firmed his hold at her nape holding her immobile as he
plundered her mouth.

Lea pressed her lower
half against his. The hard jut of her nipples stabbed his chest. His body
reacted to the intimate contact. If he didn’t worry about being discovered,
Tarik would toss her on his desk and push the flimsy robe aside to feast on her
delectable body.

Instead, he soothed
his raging need and edged her closer until every lush inch of her frame met
his. He could have kissed her for an eternity and still not had enough of her
sweet taste.

When he at last pulled
back, her eyes opened. “I thought I imagined how good it was between us.”

Tarik smiled. “Me
too.”

“We need to talk
though.”

She sounded serious.
Was she worried about her safety?

“I’ll know the poison
results tonight.”

Her hands eased from
his hair to land on his shoulders. Tarik already missed her hands petting him.

With a firm push she
stepped away. “I need to ask another question about our marriage.”

Tarik reluctantly
released her. “Anything. I have more holo images and a couple of vids.” He
wouldn’t admit to how many times he’d closeted himself in their suite and
played them over and over the first weeks after her alleged death. Tarik turned
to his desk to search for the one he kept in his drawer in a locked file.