(Present]}]
“Years passed. We waited for news of your body to be found, but none came. Then three months ago, the news we had been waiting for finally arrived. The King has finally woken up. That meant you were alive as well,” Gatha said those words as if it were the greatest news she had ever received,
Merek held a proud smile. Atheon looked relieved, while Amy stood in the corner, fidgeting with her fingers.
Sahtak was no longer in the room. Gatha had sent him away so he wouldn’t listen to the conversation.
Arianna stayed quiet, digesting the news. She had experienced so many emotions in one night–it was exhausting.
Now she got the reason why a devious male like Sahrak was suddenly following her order.
She faced Gatha. “By tormenting the Queen and King… what do you mean?”
“I replaced the pills that were meant to heal Toran’s madness with pills that would worsen it. It’s only right he gets eaten by the -guilt of what he did.”
Good for Toran Venis. He got the punishment he deserved.
“What about Brigid? Don’t you think you went too far?” Arianna’s voice dropped, cold.
“You mean her children?” Gatha crooked a light smile. “I have my own children, Arianna. And I know every mother’s pain in bringing them into the world. I’ve tended to many females during childbirth back in our manor and cherished every single one. So how could I snuff their lives?”
Arianna’s brows creased. “They… are alive?”
“All five girls. Kept safe and well–tended in my place,” Gatha replied. “They’re growing up so well. I trust my females.”
Arianna’s gaze softened just a bit.
“I lied to Brigid. Made her think I ended her children truly on her husband’s and Valoreth’s command. If I hadn’t, Valoreth would’ve sent them into prostitution. I saved them from that fate. If Brigid had known the truth back then, she wouldn’t have learned her lesson. And now that she has… I’ll tell her the truth,” Gatha assured.
They seemed like good people. Arianna stared at them quietly, and they allowed her to take in every piece of information.
“And as for your sister,” Lord Atheon finally spoke, “we tried to save her, but the Seer asked us not to–that she’d tell us when the time came. And she did, months ago. I believe that was when the Ouroboros found her.”
Arianna nodded with a small smile. Then she rose. They all unexpectedly did the same, staring at her like she was Hope.
She bowed slightly, and they surprisingly did the same.
“Welcome back, Queen Arianna. We are curious to know your story too but only if you wish to tell us,” Merek said, his voice filled with respect and relief.
“It’s good to have you back, Your Majesty,” Lord Atheon added, lips stretched revea his side dimple.
“We’ll always be here if you need us, Your Grace,” said Gatha.
Arianna exhaled. “Thank you,” she said, flicking her gaze to Amy. And you too, Amy.”
Amy felt like she was floating. “I must say, you’re so beautiful, my lady. I love your hair.”
“That’s lovely to hear,” Arianna replied, then faced the trio. “I’ll take my leave now.”
“Do you need an escort? We can have some soldiers…”
1/2
DUR Mind 1691
+25 BONUS
“No, it’s okay. I can get myself there,” she said and Ashen stepped her way back to the dungeon where Duncan was kept.
As she did, everyone froze in the room.
“S… she could disappear into thin air?” Atheon stammered.
“By the gods.” Merek muttered.
“I love her even more,” Gatha squealed.
Arianna appeared back in the dungeon. Luckily, Duncan was still asleep. But the Seer was no longer there. She must have left.
She approached Duncan, noticing how his brows were creased. Guilt washed over her. He must have sensed her absence. So she lay beside him, entangling his hand with hers and using her other hand to pull his head onto her chest.
His frown disappeared, a soft purr escaped his lips, and Arianna badly wanted to kiss him until he was breathless…
But that would wait until he woke up.
Right now, just like the Seer had said, Duncan needed her the most
Recalling everything she’d heard about seven years ago, she whispered with unshed tears,
“You never failed, Dun. You saved me… by saving you.”
Meanwhile, in Valoreth’s abode, the cries of a female echoed against the walls. Battered, scratched, marred with blood, and a twisted arm—one she earned from trying to escape the male ramming her from behind.
No mercy. Mind lost.
The sound of skin slamming against skin mingled with screams of pleading. But she dared not tell the male to stop.
Her cries only fueled his rage. Only increasing the animalistic pound from behind.
Valoreth wanted to destroy something. Anything that crossed his path.
He raged for no reason. It felt as though every nerve in his system had caught fire, ignited by the very air he breathed.
And this intense, brutal s3x wasn’t helping his mind one bit.
The female was quiet now. Stilled. Dead? He didn’t care. But he did care about the scream. So he stopped.
His golden, feral gaze settled on her. Jaw clenched as he shut his eyes momentarily.
He got off the bed, grabbed the ale, and drank deeply before finally flicking his gaze across the room.
On the table sat a skull. One he had taken from that dungeon.
“Well,” he muttered, pouring more ale for himself. “It’s nice seeing you again, Duncan Thornevale.”
He spun and walked toward it. His gaze was sharp like the edge of a sword, intense, as one question kept repeating in his mind like a broken record.
He should feel relieved. Delightful, even. He had waited so long for this, yet…
he muttered in a barely restrained voice…
“You’re dead. I’m right here, staring at your skull…
So why do you feel alive… Duncan Thornevale?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.

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