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Chapter 133
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Claiming His Queen Chapter 134
LILYWaking up, I had a clue I wasn't at the manor; it was the noise of waves hitting my ears and the smell of sea wafting past my nose, so opening my eyes and finding the scarred back facing me, every memory from the night before came rushing in.I wriggled my toes, sending blood back into my feet, already wrapped in a soft bandage; I sighed in relief, remembering his hands on my feet. Pushing myself up, I massaged my scalp and raised my eyes to the ceiling, trying to pinpoint where I was. Finally accepting that I had no idea, I turned back to the window, but this time, our eyes locked.I believed it had ended a few days ago, thinking it would be the final time I'd see him and gaze into those captivating, soft green eyes. Yet, he sought me out despite my silence.His distance unsettled me; he was mere steps away, yet it felt too cold without his proximity."Rome, we are still in Rome," he broke the silence as if reading my puzzlement on my surroundings, then his lash dropped to my b
Claiming His Queen Chapter 135
He said too much.Adler ran his fingers through his hair while standing under the shower, tilting his face upwards to feel the steamy cascade wash over him. Despite the guilt that gnawed at him from within, the warmth of the water was soothing and gentle.She didn't deserve his going that hard on her, especially not when she had just been pulled out of traumatic experiences that would have rendered anyone helpless and unresponsive.But there she had been, engaging in a heated banter with him and deliberately missing the point so he wouldn't have the last word. Sometimes, he felt like shaking the hell out of her so she could get him.Although he doubted she could, doubted she'd get the intensity of his feelings when it involved her, racing the bike on his way to her, he found his lips moving in prayers, pleading for her to wait a little longer for him. At that point, he swore that the thought of his legs being faster than Kyra's bike crossed his mind.Expecting her to get all that was
Claiming His Queen Chapter 136
ADLER"...You found her just in time," Ruslan sighed, "A few more hours, that was all I needed to get my hands on her new pretty red hair. She looks good on it, by the way."That Ruslan was speaking to him through Lily's cell phone showed the authenticity of his claims. He knew Lily was taken; he had known who took her, and if they hadn't gotten to her first, Ruslan would have.Turning just to peek at a Lily curled up like a fuzzy ball on the bed, so sound asleep that she made no move, he gave a satisfied grin and returned his gaze to the window.Carelessly shrugging, he said, "You've got to be quicker to go up against me. Perhaps Larissa should have done a better job choosing who to do her jobs for her.""Yeah, right," Ruslan chuckled softly, "Gotta be that bad if you couldn't take her to Campania, right? How's she?"He had no doubts that Ruslan had them under scrutiny, his watchful eyes tracking their every move. Adler frowned, sensing an issue they had missed. It wasn't a matter of
Claiming His Queen Chapter 137
ADLER."... I would say the night after we left. Enough time to burn the building to dust. You know what that means." Kyra flattened her palms against his desk, snatching his focus, "Adler, are you listening,"Resting his back against his seat, finally looking at her, Adler wondered how to explain to her that he had repeatedly gone over that train of thought, and all of his calculations fell to one conclusion.A rat. A rat in the manor.He dropped the pen on the paper he was working on and interlocked his fingers, "OK, Kyra, I'm listening to your hot takes.""Thank you," she smiled sarcastically, then stood hands akimbo, "If we have an informant in the manor, there's a slight chance that Rune is innocent."He blinked at her, allowing the silence to linger, then crossed his arms over his chest as he inquired, "What led you to that conclusion?" Maybe by intertwining their thoughts, he could grasp what he sensed was absent."Look at it this way," she pulled back, stretching her palm, "If
Claiming His Queen Chapter 138
ADLER He walked into the room, his eyes roaming the unoccupied bed and shifting to the window; seeing the room telephone pressed to her ears, Adler sighedShe had been restless since Eva and Salvatore left. Almost like when they did, her heart went with them; it was hard to believe that she was the same person who had looked Eva in the face and told her to get lost"Salvatore, if you're listening to me right now, please call me back once you hear this." After an afterthought, she added, "And the sixteen others."She placed her forehead against the wall. He could hear her muttering things he couldn't make, but he knew were curses. Quietly, he shut the door and crept close to her, and on seeing her raising the phone again, he gently took it from her, then slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her head."It's been hours, Adler," she muttered, taking a deep breath, "And Salvatore isn't picking up his phone."He let a slight smile on his face, and she felt it, tu
Claiming His Queen Chapter 139
LILYI wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me, the Cologne that once was my comfort enveloping me as he returned the embrace, patting my back, "Luciano, you came. You didn't have to."He pushed me back, clasping my face, then sighed and hugged me again, "I kept wondering why your phone wasn't going through. You should have called me immediately after it happened. I was fucking worried."I smiled weakly, "Still doesn't permit you to return to Campania."Kyra clearing her throat impatiently behind me had us slowly releasing ourselves, watching as she made her way and stood between us, all of her heated focus on Luciano, "That was a dangerous journey to make,"In response, he smiled at me fondly, "Lily and I go a long way back, ma'am; it's a wonder we didn't get married," on his initiative, we bumped knuckles, grinning from ear to ear. "Which means I had every right to know you got taken by Vito, Lily. Are you okay? I was worried about you big time."I shrugged, feeling
Claiming His Queen Chapter 140
ADLER.Stepping down from the car, he had the habit of looking up at her window, tugging at his sleeves, and of course, he had to do it while arranging his suit jacket.In the early morning, he had left her on the bed, fast asleep without the crease on her forehead that spelled her worries. And if the snooze were real, then it would be one of the few actual sleeps she had gotten since they came back to the Manor.He jammed the door at the same time as Salvatore, who was beside him in seconds, staring at his face and then diverting his gaze up to the window."Really, man, she's just a couple of steps away from you; all you need is legs to get you there." His voice held a tinge of annoyance, and rightly so, "Remember you'll be having a meeting with your father tonight,"He resisted groaning, "Victor will be there,"Staring at him like he sprouted horns from the center of his forehead, Salvatore answered, "That isn't a question you should be asking. Aside from that, no day passes without
Claiming His Queen Chapter 141
LILY'S POV.Nothing was as it seemed; I sensed it from the start, from the day he entered the manor with a bandage on his arm, claiming a message from Ruslan.As I held onto Adler hours after Luciano's visit, one question gnawed at me. It did hurt me then to doubt a friend's story, a close one, but when you've been floored too many times, your instincts spring up at the slightest provocation.'Ruslan was deadly; him having to pay anyone a visit should signify the end, and if he wanted to send me a message through Luciano, it would be on his decayed corpse.Something felt off. And the feeling had grown when Adler had confirmed my suspicion. *"He kills without a second thought. There's no one he meets face to face who lives to tell stories," he said.*And no one would know better than Adler, right? Yeah, I was right.I was in the backseat of a halted car, the gun in my hands, my fingers trigger-hungry, and a cold chill running down my spine. Unlike me, my eyes were void of tears; unlik
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Claiming His Queen Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER**RUNE—KYRA**"...I'm just saying it's not fair Laron gets to spend the summer break with Luigi," Rune followed Kyra to Laron's wardrobe. "Luigi gets all of his weekends. What time do I get to have?"Kyra snatched Rune's equestrian leggings and walked back to the bed. "You're exaggerating again." She folded the leggings and tucked them into Laron's nearly overflowing box before turning to him. "You gave him the go-ahead, remember?""Yeah, but that was before I realized it was for a whole month. He's monopolizing all of Laron's free time," Rune sighed, flopping onto Laron's bed dramatically. "I just miss hanging out with my son, you know?"She stayed silent, and when he looked up, she was staring at him."Why?""Well," she zipped the bag close and walked up to him, "why does it seem like you haven't learned how to tell Laron no?"Rune frowned. "What are you saying? I tell him no all the time.""No, you don't." She straddled him, placing her hand flat on his chest. "Alri
Claiming His Queen Chapter 240
ADLERWhen he reached the Villa, the memories came hurling in. The last time he had been here, under that open shed, Larissa and Dimitri were having the time of their lives.He could still remember the lively evening, how he heard the chatters as soon as he parked, looking around him at the goons on every turn.Presently there was no single soul on this premises, but Adler knew better.Parking Kyra's motorcycle right in the center of the compound, he observed the house, its windows, all dark, except one of them, on the ground floor, the orange glow giving it an eerie touch.The gun firm in his left hand, Adler moved through the shadows, the moonlight his aid as he advanced headfirst through the entrance.Maneuvering his way through doors, following the orange glow, he placed his finger readily on the trigger, listening for a sound.But nothing came, just the faint silence.He felt it was coming to this, watching his opponent spiral down a rabbit hole as he struggled with the obsession
Claiming His Queen 239
ADLER**FOUR MONTHS AGO**He could hear the elevator go down and for the first time in his life since the afternoon his mother died, he wanted to drop to his knees and give it all up.It was over. The wet towel seemed to burn against his skin, the wet towel over his head was now hot lava, and the metal around his finger was rapidly heating up and cutting off his circulation.He couldn't make it, there was no use trying, for what he had done, this was well-deserved, two hells in one lifetime, he dared anyone to beat that?But Lily? His mind tugged. What about Lily? The thought that he was never going to see her again was too great a loss to take without trying.Adler rose.Then came the beam, whirling down and landing on where his lower legs were supposed to have been if he hadn't rolled over just in time, his palm flattened on the hot ground.Holy fuck! He snapped it back to himself and hastily yanked out the hot ring, hoping to save it but then kicked against the idea when the band s
Claiming His Queen Chapter 238
SALVATORESalvatore stirred, his lids opening as he gradually regained consciousness, eyes meeting the bright lights of the chandeliers above him.His head felt like a shattered egg, memories mangled and hitting him piece by piece, as the familiar aura registered. He was still in the manor, he could tell, but where exactly?The wails of a baby had his eyes snapping fully open, and Salvatore was sitting up in a jolt. The pain that went through him was like torrents, his head felt heavy, and the world around him seemed to spin."Hey look, our main guest is awake," Victor's taunts clouded his ears. "Christ, don't go back to sleep again, we've been waiting."Salvatore struggled to his feet, the sight before him sending his heart thudding.Victor sat on a settee, crossed-legged, with Eva beside him, hair stuck to her wet face, and her red-rimmed eyes staring forward, the hopelessness in them so obvious.If Constance's cries came from the crib, next to a goon, then where was Lily? He turne
Claiming His Queen 237
RUNERune could taste the blood that coated his mouth. Still, he gritted his teeth, refusing to let the cries out. With his hands held back, the old man pounded his fist into his abdomen unrelentingly.The pain was excruciating, each blow sending shockwaves through his body. Rune's vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay conscious, to keep thinking.There was no way out of this, he knew. They were behind closed doors, in a room that smelled like dust and cobwebs; no one could hear him here.Well, no one except Laron, whom he constantly ordered to shut his eyes. The boy stood before the second goon, eyes shut, yet tears still rolled down his face.Every sniffle he heard from Laron cut through like a knife, and he wished he could do something, be the super dad Laron believed in, but right now the only thing he could do was stare at the floor."Had enough?" the old man sneered, his knuckles smeared with Rune's blood. "I thought to make this easier on you, but..." He grabbed a handf
Claiming His Queen Chapter 236
SALVATORE"...What did you use this time?" Salvatore asked, slamming the booth shut. "Will they live?"Rune blinked, staring wide-eyed at him. "You wanted them to live?"Kyra's head shot up from the driver's seat. "What did you do?"Rune chuckled, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I'm kidding. The soldiers are alive. They'll feel some type of way tomorrow, but that's just Ketamine for ya."Salvatore fought the urge to pull out a pistol and aim at the fucker's right leg. This wasn't the time to be stupid; tension was high, and it was D-day.Just like Rune had promised, the compound had few goons, and they also seemed to be in panic. It would be this way until they got out of this godforsaken place."The back gate is empty," Rune whispered as he walked up to Kyra, cupping her face with both hands and kissing her full on the lips. "See you on the other side in a few minutes, Princess."But she drew him back in. Urgh, Salvatore groaned and turned away. Those two behaved like they wer
Claiming His Queen Chapter 235
SALVATORE"...There's been another attack." Victor inhaled the smoke from the lit end of his cigar. "It happened at the same time as the fire yesterday. Ruslan is finally convinced of my innocence."Salvatore shared a glance with Kyra and then back at Victor. Was he actually saying the fire he had started to disrupt the engagement and that had somehow gotten out of hand was connected with an attack?Quietly wincing as the cloth grazed his partially burnt arm, Salvatore returned his gaze to Victor, who was suddenly deep in thought."I'll be gone again," Victor waved away the smoke, "but this time for a few days. Again, Salvatore will stay behind. I wish it didn't have to be so, but I need someone I can trust to keep Eva safe."He resisted the urge to share another glance with his sister. Even though he couldn't read anything on her straight countenance, he knew she was still mad at him."Can you?" Victor asked. "I can easily put her under Kyra's care. Give my father's favorite princess
Claiming His Queen Chapter 234
EVASince Victor came back, he had been so busy he barely found time to see her. The days seemed even more void, the future gloomy. Hiding away in the confines of this room, she listened to the sound of the chapter of her life closing.Now she climbed down the bed, went to her wardrobe, and crouching to her knees, pulled open a compartment and brought out a small wooden box. It had been months since she last looked at its contents, afraid it would bring back unwanted memories and reignite her obsession with him, but here she was.Eva looked behind her at the door, then back at the box. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover, staring absently at the contents inside a little beaded necklace that held a crucifix. His crucifix.She had sunk so low as to steal a part of him while he slept. She doubted he ever searched for it. If he did, he’d know it was missing and no longer in the pretty house that smelled of him.She struggled, praying for the embarrassment to wash over her so
Claiming His Queen Chapter 233
LILY"I was six when I discovered that the convent sisters who came once a week to take children from the orphanage were anything but angels," Ruslan said, rocking my daughter's cradle. "It became clear why the boys never came back, and the girls who did barely lived."Twenty minutes ago, I had laid my sleeping daughter in her crib and rushed into the bathroom for a quick soak, despite knowing she wouldn't stir.Two seconds ago, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my chest and damp hair still dripping, only to see Ruslan standing over Constance's crib and staring at her.Even though he didn't touch her, my racing pulse refused to die down.But he paid no heed to my presence and continued, "They needed us in a coal mine in this little spot in Serbia." He paused, his gaze remote. "Our starved, wiry, agile bodies were the perfect fit for narrow spaces, running errands, and sometimes checking if the explosives had completed their work."My hawk-like eyes on Constance made it
