The Red Queen (27 page)

She’d been treading carefully around Ashburn. This man could be her most dangerous foe or her powerful ally. As she met his gaze, she had to admit he was a perfect specimen in every way. And no man wore a black T-shirt and a pair of washed-out jeans better than him. He always held a cold control and distant demeanor if it didn’t involve Lucienne. Bayrose never wanted a perfect man. She preferred a flawed man. A hotheaded and red-blooded man, like Vladimir.

Ashburn’s gaze skimmed over Bayrose and returned to Lucienne, and the remoteness in his ice-blue eyes melted to intense possessiveness in a second.

“I won’t catch cold,” Lucienne defiantly told her nanny, evidently unhappy that the older woman’s entrance pulled her away from the hot boy’s warm chest. “You gotta stop treating me like a little girl. I’m seventeen!”

“You’ll always be my little girl, even when you’re fifty,” Aida said.

“Stop it, Aida,” Lucienne said with a frown. “I won’t be that old. Ever.”

Aida’s face paled, then she spat three times on the floor. Bayrose knew the gesture was to nullify a curse or bad omen in some Asian cultures. Lucienne’s health was a touchy subject in Sphinxes. The whole nation-to-be was afraid of their queen bee’s untimely demise.

“Nonsense,” the nanny said. “You’ll live long and be happy. I’ll see to it that your fiftieth birthday is the grandest!”

Ashburn looked away to hide the tremendous pain in his eyes.

Bayrose knew if it hadn’t been for Ashburn, Lucienne would have died from Blood Tear—but he was only stalling death.

She should rest her worries, especially after she’d heard his confession to Lucienne that he couldn’t cure her. There was absolutely no cure. As the next in line to Lucienne, Sphinxes would be hers, and Vladimir would be hers eventually. However, beneath her glee, unwanted sorrow also churned up—she'd just started to get to know her sister, and she’d lose her soon.

Bayrose shoved away the pitiful, depressing feeling.

As long as Lucienne existed, Bayrose would never have what she wanted.

Aida picked up the empty glass from Lucienne’s hand and said, “Let’s get you to the bath and change into clean clothes.”

Lucienne looked down and frowned at her white robe. “I’m going to put on a red dress.”

“I like anything on you,” said Ashburn. “You don’t need a red dress.”

Lucienne grinned. 

“Let’s go now, Lucia,” Aida said. “You don’t want to smell like seaweed in front of the gentlemen.”

Lucienne cast Ashburn an apologetic glance. “How embarrassing.” Then she turned to her nanny with an order. “Bring me the one that shows my whole back. Ash will like it.”

At Lucienne’s words, desire immediately appeared in Ashburn’s eyes, overlapping his sorrow. He must have been picturing how Lucienne looked half nude. Bayrose shook her head at him and at all men. Most of the time they just didn’t think with their brains.

Vladimir stormed into the room just as Lucienne followed her nanny toward the bathroom. When the Siren passed Bayrose, she noticed her younger sister. “Bay—rose! You’re here, quiet as a mouse. Look, Vlad is here too. Don’t kill each other while I’m gone.” She winked at Vladimir before entering the bathroom.

It took Bayrose’s great control not to grab Lucienne’s hair, drag her down, and kick her in the gut. Taking in a deep breath, she put on a lovely smile and wheeled around to Vladimir. “Hi, Prince Vladimir. Have you been running? Good exercise.”

He gave her a glare, then rudely ignored her as if she wasn’t worth his effort. He fixed his hostile look on Ashburn, and the Fury boy glared back.

No one engaged Bayrose, so she found a chair in the corner and sat down. On the coffee table was a novel. She picked it up and feigned to read. In her sixteen years, she’d always been the center of the universe, until she'd come to the enemy’s domain. In her sister’s realm, she felt more like an outsider than she had anywhere else.

From the corner of her eye, Bayrose saw Ashburn and Vladimir pretending that the other didn’t exist. They stayed as far as possible from one another, but chose to be close to the bathroom, waiting for Lucienne to emerge.

You can’t blame me for hating you, Sis
.
A nutcase you are, but you still have two gorgeous guys competing for you
. Bayrose glued her eyes to the page, as if it were telling the most intriguing story. Then she blushed. Did Lucienne read this erotic werewolf romance and lay it out in the open in her insane state? Bayrose flipped the book to the opening page and read Ziyi’s signature of ownership. Her sister’s best friend must have forgotten to take the book with her. That girl never bothered being discreet or proper. As Bayrose put down the book and pushed it away to distance herself from it, she jumped in her seat.

Vladimir kicked a chair near him to issue another challenge when Ashburn sat down. Ashburn, however, leaned back on his sofa lazily, as if the Czech prince were beneath him, his arms folded across his broad chest.

Vladimir sneered with full disdain, then slumped on the chair he had just abused.

“Aida won’t appreciate it if you wet Lucienne’s chair,” Ashburn said. “It’s a piece of expensive furniture.”

“I can afford it more than you, farm boy,” Vladimir said, then looked at the chair and his wet shirt and pants. He darted a glance at the bathroom door, as if calculating how long it would take Lucienne to finish her shower. He waited for a few more seconds, then rose to his feet. “Next time if you try to snatch her, let me know first. Even as a farmer, you got to learn manners. Sneaking up on people is more than rude—it’s creepy.”

“How could I give you a fair warning when you obviously failed to control the situation?” asked Ashburn.

Vladimir’s face reddened. “I had the situation under control. She was just having a little fun. And you spoiled it.”

“She was half-naked, going after that high wave,” Ashburn said. “You call that a little fun?”

“I’m an outstanding swimmer,” Vladimir said. “I was going to bring her back.”

“Are you sure?” Ashburn said. “Last time I checked, you had a lousy track record.”

The Fury boy hit the Czech prince on his open wound. Vladimir’s face turned purple in rage, but he restrained himself from attacking Ashburn, even as his opponent’s goading look said “bring it on.” He gave Ashburn a hateful look for good measure, then sent Bayrose one too before storming out of the room.

“I should not have reminded that idiot of his wet clothes,” Ashburn murmured to himself. “I should just let Aida yell at him, and Lucia will stay away from his salty, wet smell.”

Bayrose laughed.

Ashburn gave her a look, as if forgetting he and Vladimir had an audience.

“Well said, Ash.” Bayrose broke the ice. Ashburn was like deep space in the far universe that no one had explored. No one except Lucienne. Could Bayrose’s feminine wiles work on him like they did on so many others? Her heart pounded at the uncertainty, and panic seeped into her mind. What if the Shadow couldn’t shield her from him? What if he'd known her plan for vengeance before she'd taken in the Shadow?

But if he’d read her past memories, he’d have told Lucienne and Kian. And McQuillen would for sure have thrown her into the dungeon. But no one in Sphinxes had come for her. Even if exposed, she would insist that she no longer wanted blood after knowing the Siren was her sister. They’d believe her. After all, she was Lucienne’s only sibling.

And Bayrose had planned her exit long before she'd come to Sphinxes.

Ashburn gave her a small nod, which Bayrose considered as a good sign, but she was still stuck. She didn’t know what to say to him or how to spark his interest. “You won the first round against Blazek,” she said, stumbling along. “Everyone knows he excels at riling up people, but he failed to leave an impression on you.”

“He isn’t worth me raising a finger,” Ashburn said, then rose and headed back to the balcony, as if she wasn’t worth him raising a finger either. He was on his lighted machine in a second, and then he was gone.

Bayrose tossed the erotic romance book under the coffee table. A shade of loneliness chilled her spirit. She was in a foreign land amid her enemy. How long could she keep this up—tense all the time and faking her way through every situation? She sank deep into the sofa, elbows on her knees and head dropped into her hands. She had no one to talk to. Mirrikh, her ally and devotee since childhood, was at the other end of the world, and she couldn’t risk contacting any of her supporters outside Sphinxes.

“You know, I even hate the weather here,” Bayrose murmured to herself. She’d often talked to her imaginary friend as a child. “
In the morning it’s sunlit, at noon gray clouds gather, and late afternoon, mostly a downpour. Evening isn’t so insufferable, but it only makes me think of home. I don’t know when I’ll ever go home.”

“VOLATILE,” a voice answered her.

Bayrose almost jumped to the ceiling. It wasn’t her imaginary friend’s voice she’d pictured as a little girl. This voice was real and soul-deep, and it came from inside her. Was it the Shadow? According to her ancestors’ documentation, the Shadow was sentient. But no one had had an encounter with it because no one had risked taking it in. Not until Bayrose.

“Who’s talking to me?” Bayrose demanded in a low voice, her heart pounding in her ears.

“Security is tight,” the voice said. “Our enemy wired this fortified island with cameras and electric fences. A satellite keeps its eye on the land at all times. By human standard, Sphinxes’ underground defense system is top notch. It won’t be easy for your army to breach it.”

“How do you know all this?” Bayrose whispered, drawing in a sharp breath. This intel was useful. She’d been studying Sphinxes’ defense system. As her status here changed, she could go to almost any place on the island, except for the most classified labs.

“I see things beyond human eyes,” the voice answered.

It
was
the Shadow. It could communicate with its host.

Bayrose finally had a true companion amid her enemies.

The bathroom door opened, and Bayrose expected to see her nutcase sister in a tacky red gown, but Lucienne stepped out in a simple white dress with a weary look. She had the bleak look more often in her normal state. Even so, the Siren still looked regal and graceful, and Bayrose hated to admit that as she stood to meet her sister.

Lucienne let out an audible sigh, recognizing Bayrose as the only one in the room. “I’ve developed a hobby of humiliating myself.”

“I saw you going topless too from the rooftop,” Bayrose said, not wanting to spare her sister’s dignity.

“And once again, I made a complete fool of myself in front of Ash.”

Bayrose nodded. “You were lucky Prince Vladimir didn’t see that.”

“I hurt him, didn’t I? I hurt him every day. He shouldn’t have come back.”

“Maybe you haven’t hurt him badly enough because he’s still hung up on you,” Bayrose said. Luckily, the Shadow helped hide her viciousness.

“I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Sit down,” Bayrose said. “Let me blow dry your hair, and we can talk more about it.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Lucienne said, though she sat down before the vanity.

Bayrose knew Lucienne liked her combing her hair. It’d become their way of bonding. She unwound the towel from Lucienne’s elegant head and swept it over her midnight hair as if wiping a floor. Then she pressed it against her sister’s temples and massaged them. If she squashed them hard enough, would she crush the Siren’s skull?

“I should not be troubled by men,” Lucienne said.

“You have feelings for them both. Even an idiot can see that. The question
is
: which one will you pick? Everyone in Sphinxes is on team Ash.”

“Let’s not go there,” Lucienne said. Bayrose could feel her sister’s shoulders stiffening.

“I was only trying to help, Lucia.”

“Sorry I snapped at you,” the Siren said. “I didn't have such contradictory emotions when I was younger.”

“The rite of passage to womanhood, Sister.” 

“It isn’t fun.” The Siren heaved a deep sigh. “And not to mention all the duties and expectations. I’ve been thinking of stepping down from a position of power.”

Bayrose held her breath. “And?”

“I told Kian that I was no longer fit to lead, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Your chief is afraid of losing his power if he doesn’t have you in his lot.”

“Don’t ever say that if you want to stay my sister,” Lucienne said. “Kian is never power-hungry. If I resign, he’ll only gain more power.”

“Sorry. All I’m saying is that he puts you above the whole nation. Everyone is talking about Sphinxes being a new country, but—”

“An individual’s interest should not rise above all.”

“Exactly,” Bayrose said. “Why don’t you go around him? Tell your generals of your decision to step down. Free from the burdens and trifles of reality, your health will surely improve.”

“I doubt I’ll have much success in persuading my officers either.”

“Have you tried? I’m confident that you can make them see reason. I’ll go with you if you need a backup. As your only sister, I’ll always support you. Wait! What if you tell the generals you’ve found a successor? Someone who will carry your torch, your burden, and your legacy? And you can just focus on getting well.”